We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful David Campos . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with David below.
Hi David , thanks for joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
A friend lent us his wrestling ring, we have a nice size lot and decided to put on a wrestling show. The amount of support that showed up made the light bulb go off in my head. The southside needed this! I decided to go all in and purchase my own ring when our friend had to take his ring back. My dad also invested in our idea and transformed his beautiful property into a wrestling venue. We named the promotion UNITED and our first year was very successful and aimed at providing our community with entertainment 1 Friday a month while also focusing on local vendors to help get their name out there also.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is David Campos and I am a teacher on the southside of San Antonio at McCollum High School. I am a Combat Medic US Army Veteran who served in Iraq in 2003(during the initial invasion) and 2005. I grew up on the southside and have been a supporter of the community my entire life. I got into the wrestling business at a relatively older age (38). I always wanted to be a professional wrestler but something always got into the way and this was my last shot. I basically got discovered by a local wrestler and got into the business untraditionally. After 5/6 months I found an old school trainer in “The Man” Tito Sanchez, who trained me for a year and a half. At an older age I had the discipline from being an Army Veteran to train twice a day as well as keep up with show bookings. I had great support from family as well as the community so fast forward when the idea came about to provide wrestling shows for the southside, it was to pay them back for all the support. Growing up on the southside I know how hard and expensive it is for a night of family fun, that is why our tickets are $10 per adult and children 12 and under are free. They can bring their own refreshments and if they get hungry there are local food vendors they can purchase food through there at the events. I learned the hard hustle of moving a small business after meeting a local entrepreneur Steve Perez- founder of Texas Bearded Cartel apparel. The thing I’m most proud of is accomplishing running a small successful business while coping with PTSD from experiencing war in Iraq at an early age. I want the community to experience joy with their family because that very part could’ve been taken from me many times while I served. That is the fuel that helps me everyday, knowing that we can bring joy and happiness to the community.
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
In the wrestling business it is hard to make a name for yourself and define a pay level for yourself. Many times we travel hundreds of miles for low pay, empty stomachs and packed vehicles. At our Promotion UNITED 210, knowing how the wrestling business is ,we provide meals to our wrestlers backstage as well as stocked ice chests with Gatorade and water. We also provide a gas incentive for our out of town carloads as well which is a sense of relief for our wrestlers as they don’t have to use most of their pay for getting back home. It seems to make them very happy. Providing a lot of creative freedom also raises morale and just boasting the locker room atmosphere with positive vibes to where everyone is comfortable with each other and having a good time feeding off each others positivity. It’s a locker room where everybody enjoys each others company.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Sometimes the wrestling business can be cold, sometimes a selfish and untrustworthy business. Experiencing that early on, then wanting to just walk away because I don’t feel wanted or accepted. I then had to try and trust people afterward which was very difficult because when we started UNITED we went through a similar experience with those we put trust into. Perseverance is what led us to the right people and surrounding ourselves with like minded individuals which changed our perspective. It’s taken years to build a hard driven, trustworthy foundation of professionals, but it is possible. This goes for any business out there. Also injuries, a few years ago I completely tore my left quadriceps tendon and destroyed my patella. At my age (40) at the time, I could’ve and should’ve walked away from the sport, but the competitive drive and discipline I have within me wouldn’t let that happen. So I came back stronger than ever and kept on going.
Contact Info:
- Website: United210.com
- Instagram: Official_stache1 and united210sa
- Facebook: StudStache Enforcer
- Youtube: United210sa
- Other: Linktree- studstache210
Image Credits
F2 Imagery- RCW Roland Duran photos