We recently connected with Michael Ives and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Michael, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?
I started my career in Law Enforcement back in 2002. As I progressed I moved into other specialized areas/units. One that I truly loved was working K9. I did that stint for over 7 years. I had a dual purpose Dutch Shepherd, named Casey. We formed a bond that only other K9 handlers will understand, one that is unwavering no matter the day or time or hardships. We spent more time together than I did with family due to work and the hectic schedule associated with that aspect of the job. Through that position, I learned alot about myself and grew professionally and personally. I got to see the direct impact of the good We did within the community. We not only enforced laws we participated in events within our community, bringing awareness to the profession in a positive manner. My partner retired and I left the position to move up the rank and file, I kept her for the remainder of her life. She has since passed, but I wanted that part of my life to stay alive and well, and all the good that can still be brought to the community through my personal business now, so I chose “Black Dog Strength ” with a logo of the dog for our gym. For me it is a far deeper meaning. It’s a commitment to the community and those that our gymbusiness serves.
Michael, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I was involved in sports throughout my life. I got into working out and going to the gym at a young age. For me it was always a positive outlet. When I worked law enforcement, I saw the ugly side of life and always wanted more for not only myself but to give to others. We opened our gym in 2023, and slowly started to grow. Our goal was/is to be different, we want to provide an environment where anyone can feel a sense of ownership and involvement, where people are not turned away because it is beyond their price point. Sure we want to make money and profit, but never at the cost of our customers. We strive for quality engagement, quality services and a community environment.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Starting out, opening a business is tough. There are lots of lean times. I took the plunge from a six figure salary to making almost nothing just to attempt to grow the business. By taking the time to invest into it wholly makes the difference. It wasn’t an overnight success or change, but gradually month to month we chipped away, learned from previous mistakes and forged ahead. We stressed we lost sleep, but we had an end goal a vision to make things work and things are always trending upward. The main point is to stay the course and grind through the lean and difficult times, yes you will second guess yourself, you will want to quit, but don’t, there is a reason for the madness in the end, and follow your heart and dreams.
Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?
We didn’t really do things the traditional way. As an LLC, we were limited to funding options due to time in business as well as lack of revenue. This wasn’t necessarily the correct way to approach but we saddled a ton of debt through lines of credit, our goal was to limit the terms to a year or less. That allowed us to save on taxes and write off the equipment as well as interest paid in the same fiscal year. It also helped us build business credit slowly which led to more favorable options as time went on. This again is the option we chose vs having an investor and having to divide the LLC, it worked for us, but it isn’t the prettiest thing to think about. We were fortunate enough to be able to make decisions on equipment and bring in membership which helped offset costs. The key was to keep the terms manageable and don’t spend what you can’t make up, and consider lean times.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Lyftstation.com
- Instagram: Lyftstationgym
- Facebook: Lyftstationgym
