Army veteran turns college startup into $40M health and fitness brand: 'Go one more'
Nick Bare of Bare Performance Nutrition said he learned everything about business ‘by building a business’
Army veteran turns ‘golden ticket’ into $40 million business
CEO of Bare Performance Nutrition Nick Bare shares how he turned his passion for fitness and nutrition into a multi-million dollar business.
One Army veteran has turned an entrepreneurial vision into a multimillion-dollar success story.
Nick Bare, founder of Bare Performance Nutrition, joined "Fox & Friends" on Wednesday, Sept, 14, 2022, to map out how his college startup turned into a major brand.
While attending the Indiana University of Pennsylvania on an Army ROTC scholarship in 2012, Bare was already thinking ahead.
The then-future soldier decided to take out a $20,000 loan through USAA during his last few years of school.
He wanted to pursue what had always been his "passion."
A photo of BPN founder and Army veteran Nick Bare on active duty aired on 'Fox and Friends' on Sept. 14, 2022. (Fox News / Fox News)
"All my friends taking out this loan — they’re getting new cars, going on vacation, getting engagement rings," he said.
"And I thought, ‘This is my golden ticket to start a business.’"
BPN first started with performance supplements including pre-workout, creatine and whey protein, then moved on to health supplements such as superfoods, multivitamins and collagen in 2018.
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"I built the business in my free time while on active duty," he said.
"So when I transitioned out of the military in 2017, I went all in."
Bare Performance Nutrition founder Nick Bare sits with "Fox and Friends" co-host Brian Kilmeade on set on Sept. 14, 2022. (Fox News / Fox News)
Bare shared that building the brand took a lot of "learning through experience," instead of what he learned while minoring in business administration.
"I learned everything about business by building a business," he said.
The founder said the "amazing" flavors, effectiveness and story behind every product set BPN apart from its competitors.
"We didn’t launch with 20 skews," he said.
"We launched with one product at a time to solve a specific problem."
Bare Performance Nutrition founder Nick Bare joined "Fox and Friends" on Wed., Sept. 14, 2022. (Fox News / Fox News)
Bare said BPN has become more than just a brand for consumers, mentioning that the company’s tagline, "Go one more," has been adopted by thousands of people.
"It means when things get really tough … and it will and it does — it’s pushing past that," he said.
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"And so many people have resonated with that story of just the compounding consistency of going one more every day and seeing this massive benefit in your life."
BPN recently launched in central market stores in Texas, but the brand mainly fills orders from its website at bareperformancenutrition.com.
Bare Performance Nutrition is an official partner of Team Red, White and Blue.
It's a nonprofit organization that guides veterans transitioning out of the military through social and physical activities.
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"The military taught me about leadership. It taught me about being a part of a team and building a team," the founder said.
"And then building an organization."