 Today we're excited to welcome the innovator behind Quiet Punch, the world's first doorway punching bag. Brian Padone joins us to talk about leaving a secure job, starting his business from scratch and what's brewing next. This is School of Hustle, the show of refined advice and inspiration from people who are making their own way. I'm Shannon, the VP of social here at GoDaddy and I live and breathe the hustle of business. Today we're filming from the hustle of it all at the WeWork Time Square in New York City. Everybody, let's give Brian a big warm welcome to the show. Brian, you created Quiet Punch. It's a punching bag that makes it easy for anybody to access fitness through boxing. What is Quiet Punch and how does it work? So it's like kind of the first innovative way for people at their house to kind of get an entry point into working out like fitness. A lot of people are sometimes afraid to go to the gym or they're just kind of afraid to start anything. This is like their entry point in. So I really created this because I want people to have something that's easy to use, that sets up really fast, take it down really fast so it doesn't take up much time or effort. And so you put the punching bag, which is square. Correct. It's not what you would think about when you think about a boxing punching bag. Yes. It's this small square that goes in the doorway. Correct. You're almost like a suspension bar. Yes, we have tension rods on the top and the bottom. So quick turn, quick turn at the bag up in the center. Yeah. And you can take it down really fast. Like say 60 second set up, 30 second take down. And you don't have to have all that space in your house to hold a huge bag. That's why I created it. Exactly. Being in New York with a small apartment, I was like there's no way. You can have a real bag to hang from the ceiling or have a big, heavy base. And the bag itself is tied to technology as well. Correct. Yes. That's the new thing I'm working on. Quiet Punch Play. The idea is now you can actually track your progress. Yeah. And then share it with others and then compete. So I'll have a leaderboard and see what's going on. The idea stemmed from your true passion for the sport. Yes. How did your upbringing influence your love of boxing? Absolutely. So great parents, great family, sisters, it really caught my eye boxing because I felt it was such an incredible like discipline sport. I always played the traditional basketball baseball, but I found this to be like even more challenging, especially stepping into the ring and competing against somebody else. So it's like a really, it's a really great challenge. And I've always taught when I was younger, I like to always face challenges. You earned a computer science degree, but you don't work in an office. Why did you step away from your profession that would guarantee a regular paycheck and benefits to take a risk and start your business like this? Absolutely. So I learned early when I got out of college, I started working at a computer company. I realized that just because you have a steady paycheck doesn't mean it's safe and secure. Because you can be fired and I've learned this from my father. Or a reduction in force. Absolutely. You could do everything right? Exactly. And it's just there's no budget? Yes, correct. So when you start something, especially for me having multiple customers, kind of have a lot of little bosses. So if one doesn't like it or one doesn't want it as a return, I have a lot more options. So it's kind of this, I think it's more security there than what I had before. I like the way you're framing that. Yes. There's no such thing as that secure paycheck. No. By taking that ownership over your own destiny, that's the security. Yes, correct. That's good advice for people. I like that. You started as an instructor and gym owner. Yes. Because you love mentoring and teaching. Absolutely. Why was it important for you to sell your business and move into actually launching your product Quiet Punch? Yes. It was a hard move because I really enjoyed working hands-on with people. But I realized that to reach more people, I had to do something that was greater than just the one location. Right? So when I came up with the product, I realized I can go into people's houses all over the world, not just in New York and not just in the local area. So I can reach more. That's why I did this. Well, and I did see on your YouTube that you are showing people how to use it. Yes. So I feel like you brought that teaching component into your product by making yourself available online. Exactly. Yes, correct. Yes. That's great. Well, Quiet Punch seems to capture everything that you love and do well. Technology, fitness and instruction. Is there any one component that is the most rewarding for you? So I like the technology component now because I really love going towards games. That's going to be the future of Quiet Punch that we get into the gaming world. So people can compete using the bag. So I want to get to people that don't traditionally see boxing as something for them. I want to be like, somebody can see it and go, oh, I can play that. I can do that. So I really want to make it more accessible. I always wonder if there could be an opportunity for you to teach live. Maybe, yes, that technology develops. Absolutely. Without a doubt, yes. And it really reach more people. And we have a lot of people actually that have Parkinson's disease, autism. So it reached a lot of also the physical therapy side of it. Yeah. And that's the really rewarding part when I see that. Yes. Oh my goodness. I have people that call me or email me and say like, I just bought this for my husband. He has Parkinson's and this is really helpful to him and he can't get to the gym. Well, QuietPench is currently sold out. Yes. And there's a wait list, which is a great problem to have if you were to have a problem. Yes. Right? Too many people want the product. Right. How are you preparing for your next phase of production and your sales? Yes, absolutely. So this gave me the time to really work on the tech side of it. Since we released the product, it was very baseline, not a lot of features and functions to it. So people got familiar with it in their house and it bought me time now to actually work on the tech side. So I already have customers, now they're upgrading their bags. So while you're building out your product set, you're not taking a vacation. It sounds like you're innovating. You're thinking two and three steps ahead and using this time to keep that your business moving forward, which is great. You didn't pursue a degree in business to start your company, but you're succeeding. So how and why do you believe that that's possible? I think it gives you more of an open mind. I think of like Mark Zuckerberg, you know, other people, especially tech people, because they have creativity. And I think sometimes the business side kind of limits it. You feel like this is the way to start a business and like here's step one, step two, step three. And if one of them doesn't work, you kind of either give up. But with this, there is no steps. You just kind of go along the way and find it. Well, thank you for opening up and sharing all of that. Now we're going to play my favorite game called Hustle Time. All right, everybody. Can I please have 60 seconds? You have to lose access forever. Do you pick search engines or social media? Social media. Favorite pastime music or movies? Movies. Italy. Number one, guilty pleasure. Donuts. One word you wish you could take away from the English language? Failure. Boozy brunch or morning workout? Morning workout. Beer or wine? Neither. Favorite part of a s'more? Wash metal. Top quality you look for in an employee? Drive. Instagram or Twitter? Instagram. Favorite holiday? Christmas. Go to cocktail? Neither. None. Vacation, lunch on the beach or active hike? Active hike. Dogs or cats? Dogs. Favorite movie theater treat? Popcorn. NFL. Sashimi or rolls? Rolls. Would you rather never get angry or never be envious? Never be envious. Go to karaoke song? Backstreet Boys, I want it that way. Large dogs or lap dogs? Large dogs. Song that is currently stuck in your head? That wasn't so good. That's what I like by Bruno Mars. Ski trip or beach vacation? Beach vacation. Your go-to outfit? Sweat pants. Dream dinner guest? Deontae Wilder. That counts. That counts. Wow. Wow. Okay. 1920. 21. 32. 23. 24. 24. That's good. I think you just hiked for first place. Good. Dang. Nicely done. Nicely done. Favorite part of your day? The nighttime. Late at night. When no one's awake. You're a night out. Workwise, workwise. Okay. Best piece of advice you've ever gotten? Control what you can control and then make sure you don't get angry. That's good. That's good. That's good. That's good. Control what you can control and then let the rest go to faith. Worst piece of advice? Unsolicited advice. Things I don't ask for. Right away people tell me, you know I thought of this or you should go on this show or you should do this. So anytime I don't ask for it, it's the worst advice I can get. I would ask them if I wanted it. I love it. You said that. How do you use your career to inspire others? I think I show, especially when I used to train a lot of the younger kids, it's that there's other options. So if they feel like they can't, especially in school, if they're not good in college or high school, there's other options for them. Ever felt like walking away? Every day. Right now. Don't leave the interview. We still have work to do. One thing you still need to learn? Still. Still learning what I can control. I still worry too much about things that are out of my hands. What do you want people to learn from you? I want them to learn that you can be a nice person and still succeed. You don't have to step on people. What's next for you? Besides the tech portion, I think we're going to get into the gaming world completely. Like even the e-games and e-sports. That's what I want to head. Awesome. Who inspires you? My family? My dad. Actually, my dad a lot. He's given me a lot of stuff he told me not to do. Like work at the full time and do everything else. That was a big inspiration for me. Who challenges you? I think everybody I meet challenges me. I learn something new from everybody. And it's a challenge, a constant challenge. And now, we have one final piece of advice to be had. And this advice is for our entrepreneur, Noodle. Noodle is an innovative pup. While he spends his time at his day job at GoDaddy, he knows that he'd eventually love to launch his own business. He's nervous though, because he has not taken any business classes. What advice do you have for someone who lacks formal training and fears the business on? Yes. I think it's actually an advantage. I think without the formal business training, I feel like, especially for Mr. Noodle here, I feel like he can, there is no limits. There actually is no obstacles yet. It's kind of like the ignorance is bliss. Okay. That mentality, I feel like it's very important because you don't really know what can go wrong because of that, you just kind of reap. So I think it's, if anything, I think it's more positive than anything else. You just go forward. You hear that Noodle? Got it. Ignorance is bliss and you've got to move. Okay. Well, I always like to close the interview with a final quote. So I'm going to read three quotes to you and ask you to tell us what quote resonates the most with you Number one, things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out. Number two, if you want to achieve greatness, stop asking for permission. Number three, if you are not willing to risk the usual, you will have to settle for the ordinary. The first quote. Yeah. I like that. Yeah. Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out. Yes. I feel like it's kind of a metaphor for boxing too. Things are going wrong. It's how you kind of handle things that is the most important. Because something's always going to go wrong. That's great. Well, tell everybody, you know, watching, how they can follow you and find you and learn more about you and your business. Absolutely. So everything is Quiet Punch. The handle is Quiet Punch on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, the whole nine is there. So you hear that follow Quiet Punch everybody and please follow GoDaddy too because we are bringing fabulous entrepreneurs and stories every week and you won't want to miss out. Thank you again for being here. Thank you so much. Thank you for watching and we'll see you soon. Bye.