We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Paul Bankowski a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Paul, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
WHY I invented FLATROPE, the SAFER weighted jump rope.
The inspiration for FLATROPE came from a deeply personal experience with a dear friend and fitness client, Trina. She was gearing up for a significant competition, a test of strength and endurance that included a challenging station requiring athletes to perform 75 reps with a standard weighted jump rope. Standard ropes are a solid 1-1/2″ thick rope weighing 5 lbs. It was a crucial part of her training regimen.
Trina, dedicated and passionate, was pushing herself hard to excel. But just four weeks before the big day, tragedy struck. While training with a standard weighted jump rope, she suffered a severe ankle injury. The pain was not just physical; it was a blow to her spirit. She spent the following weeks in an ankle brace, her dreams of competing at her best slipping away.
Though Trina managed to heal enough to compete, she wasn’t able to give it her all. Her story is not unique; many athletes have faced similar setbacks. In fact, several trainers I worked with had clients who experienced injuries from standard weighted jump ropes, leading them to abandon this tool altogether.
Witnessing Trina’s struggle and the broader impact on the fitness community fueled my determination to create something better. After an exhaustive search on the Internet or different products, nothing SAFER could be found. In fact, all the companies and manufacturers I found never address any safety concerns about ankle injuries or offered any solution. So, the FLATROPE was born out of a need for safety, innovation, and care—a breath of fresh air for trainers, athletes, and fitness lovers. It has been embraced with enthusiasm, offering a safer path to achieving fitness goals without the fear of injury.
WHAT IS THE FLATROPE?
FLATROPE is an industry-First weighted jump rope with a patented FLAT MESH design to save your ankles caused by any missed jumps.
It is a 5lb weighted jump rope that features a unique 24″ flat mesh center that prioritizes user safety while delivering an effective workout experience. Unlike traditional weighted jump ropes that can cause ankle injuries if/when a user lands on the 1-1/2″ thick rope, our patented flat mesh design provides a safer alternative without compromising on performance.
Athletes can now workout with 100% confidence and maximize results; experiencing an increased BURN, STRENGTH, BALANCE, & COORDINATION from every workout.
Response to the FLATROPE has been amazing, and we are just beginning. I am thrilled to see people in love with the weighted jump rope again. In fact, several trainers were recommending having a standard weighted jump rope shredding party!
“It just makes sense,” is the most overwhelming response I have received.
Everywhere I post, everywhere I promote, and everyone I talk to… its about “saving the ankles” and giving athletes the ability to “train fearlessly”. So much so, that I can see our mission and company moving forward to empower athletes to “JUMP. ALL. IN.” in everything they do.
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.
Well, I really wanted to be rockstar. I played music my whole life, and as a singer/songwriter, I wanted to go all the way in music. BUT, I had to pay the bills also, so I was heavily into marketing for my “day gig”.
Eventually, marketing became my FULL TIME gig. I worked for a manufacturer as their CMO as well as handle a lot of side gigs for small businesses and non-profits. I love marketing.
One day, I got a call from my sister to do a Mud Obstacle Race for our birthdays (we were both born in May). Well, this phone call changed my whole life.
I figured I better start training, so I signed up for a ‘boot camp-style’ workouts. I got hooked! I loved working out! I loved the obstacle race we did! It was amazing. I signed up for 5-10 races every year since…. and then eventually, I wanted to train people for this races. I wanted to help people experience the impact of this races. They were challenging, but they were uplifting! Hundreds of people competed for medals, but thousands of people competed for themselves and others JUST TO FINISH! It was a healthy ‘cult’ I wanted to be a part of.
Eventually, I started TRAINING WITH PAUL, LLC. I do boot camp-style training, personal training, and small group training for DEKA/HYROX strength events. I also developed a healthy recipe app to help people get empowered in the kitchen to cook foods they love to support & maintain their lifestyle. I love helping people simply get better in any aspect of their wellness journey.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Since I didn’t become a rockstar, I went all in with marketing. I had a lot of different gigs, but I landed my final gig being the Chief Marking Director of a digital display manufacturer. I had been in the sign business already for close to 10 years already as a distributor, so, I knew the market very well. Working now for a manufacturer to support distributors came easy to me. I knew what they needed to succeed, and we quickly became a manufacturer to contend with in our industry.
We were the under dogs. We acted like a ‘start-up’ and it was so much fun! We could do anything. Larger companies had a hard time keeping up with us because we could adapt and change quickly, and be a bit snarky about it.
I love it, but I also was done with it. It wasn’t challenging anymore.
All of a sudden, I found fitness. A phone call from my sister to do a Mud Obstacle Race for our birthdays changed everything! I love it! I was hooked!
After training and running hundreds of races, I became a trainer on the side, but I wanted to be a FULL TIME trainer.
The day came when I really just had to make the decision and JUMP ALL IN! (The new mantra for my new weighted jump rope!)
I had to tell the marketing team I hired and groomed, that I was leaving. I had to tell A LOT of industry reps who grew with me that I was leaving… and I HATE LETTING DOWN PEOPLE. I hate being selfish… but I couldn’t deny the calling.
The pivot was tough and a huge pay cut, but it only made me work harder for myself and my new fitness clients.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Social media is about being yourself, and not being afraid to be yourself.
Many people use social media only to show the GOOD things that are happening which really just makes everyone else think, “Wow, my life sucks.” And, that is just not the world you and I live in.
So, decide that, especially if you are a business owner/entreprenuer, I don’t care what other people think, I LOVE WHAT I DO! (if you don’t, then fix it. Life is too short to hate what you’re doing, and people will see that, plus you won’t post as much).
People want you to be genuine. They want to see your successes, but they LOVE to see your “realness”. You don’t have to share every sad and down moment, but don’t be scared to be vulnerable and talk about your obstacles, and how you overcame them.
Don’t be afraid to let people see or hear about your failures or fears… because they will continue to follow you to see how your overcame them, and how you GOT BETTER.
That’s your audience. This is YOUR audience that YOU are building because YOU are being YOU… and trust me, if you are authentic, your audience will grow, and you will impact them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.trainingwithpaul.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cgtrainerpaul/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulMartinTraining
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pmbankowski/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GetFlatRope
- Other: www.getflatrope.com
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