We had the good fortune of connecting with Luke Hartelust and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Luke, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
In entrepreneurship risk is inevitable – You cannot succeed without taking risks. In my life i've built up my risk tolerance and this has been the cornerstone to where I am today.
My first business was in a foreign country where I did not speak the language, I did not live full time and I had never started or owned a business before. It failed but I learnt some valuable lessons that allowed me to be successful in my next venture.
One of the biggest risks i've taken which was the #1 most important decision of my life to date was to leave my career and pack up my life to move to the United states, at the time I had never visit the country before. However I wanted a life changing challenge, I had a business partner willing to make the leap with me which made the accountability part of executing easier.
Our dream was to move to the US and take an Australian fitness concept to the Californian market, with no contacts, no help and just pure determination we managed to successfully open a number of franchises in a number of different cities across the state over 6 years before achieving our first exit.
Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
MNLY – The number #1 subscription for young professional and entrepreneurial men. MNLY collectively curates subscriptions to help entrepreneurs improve their personal and professional performance through strong brand partnerships with market proven products.
For the past 6 years I’ve owned and operated multi fitness facilities across Southern California – during my time as the CEO of our portfolio I became obsessed with the process of optimizing myself and my team’s personal and professional performance.
I was constantly recommending products, tools and resources I use to stay more consistently in that peak state of high performance to clients, friends family people reaching out on social and I realized there’s a disconnect between what’s currently on the market and what men actually know is out there to help them perform better in everyday life.
That led to the creation of MNLY – a purpose driven subscription company that sources the market’s best tools and resources to help men improve their performance and lifestyle.
To us, a brand is a harmonic synergy between value, impact and community. The world’s leading brands have been able to capture these elements to build world changing products and services.
At MNLY we are building a legacy company – An innovative disruptive forward-thinking brand that will challenge social trends, impact global communities and provide the market’s best solutions for lifestyle optimization.
Our core values are the bones of the organization and the starting point for how we interact, develop products and build relationships.
Purpose:
To actually live in alignment with your life’s purpose is in itself a great achievement. MNLY. aims to embolden the men with this ambition. To pursue life, to live with purpose.
Passion:
To live is the rarest thing. Most people just exist. Passion is the fire in our soul, the breath in our lungs and the driver of our obsession. Seek those experiences that set your soul on fire and live a life of passion. MNLY. will guide the way.
Performance:
1 more rep, 1 more mile, 1 more turn, 1 more pitch. While others sleep we work, while others dream we work, while others procrastinate we continue to push, to raise the bar every workout, every training session, every board meeting & presentation. These are the words written in the stories of the elite. To challenge our best and pursue peak performance.
MNLY is on a mission to impact at scale. To serve 1 million men and unlock their ultimate potential. This mission is no small feat, we understand that in order to achieve such feats we must first build from within. That means creating a culture around the brand and the organization by investing in people and strategic partnerships.
In a world where the majority play in the smoke and mirrors, MNLY will be a source of inspiration, authentication and connection. Serving our community to the highest level, collaborating on exciting projects that make a real impact and producing the highest quality products on the market.
Companies that succeed in the Subscription Economy realize that there’s no such thing a perfect launch. We have had to relentlessly test, learn and pivot the model and strategy multiple times to get to where we are growing steadily. Our first product launch failed, however we used those learnings to reinvent our strategy and move forward.
It hasn’t been an easy path, in fact there have been many hard lessons and although I would prefer not to fail, failing fast is one thing I do well, instead of dwelling on the issue I work diligently with my team to find a solution and then execute.
The pivot from brick and mortar gym franchises to direct to consumer products has been an amazing journey so far, Im constantly learning new ways to connect with consumers, source market proven products, create disruptive content and build long lasting strategic relationships.
What keeps me going is the process of evolving the brand and myself. Through all the struggles, the learnings and the set backs ive came out with a new perspective or skill that I can apply moving forward. The brand is positioned better for it and we can continue to pursue our mission.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would start in South bay as I like to stay away from the traffic of the city. I start the day and get a training session in at The Blue print LA.
Get in some recovery for a sauna and cryotherapy at True North In Hermosa beach then hit the strand for a sunset bike along Hermosa and Manhattan beach and stop in at my favorite restaurant Esperanza for a cocktail and some good Mexican food and rooftop vibes.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There's always been an accountability partner in my story, my business partner Evan Tyrell shared my vision for the next step in our careers and lives.
Moving to another country with no network to support is a big leap of faith, not only in yourself but in the others who go with you. There was never any doubt between us that we would not succeed, there was no question of does the other want to turn back. We were both all in, and knowing that the other person has your back at any time creates an important feeling of security during an attempt to do the impossible.
The key is alignment between you both and an understanding that no matter what happens you will persevere and you will succeed.