In early 2020, I was working my way through my final semester of the Biomedical Engineer Master's program at the University of Toronto when COVID-19 had made its way into Ontario. We had started to hear more and more about how non-essential businesses including gyms and recreation centers could be ordered to shut down for a period of time if the numbers continued to rise, which they did. My first thought was “I won’t be able to work out anymore!”. I had a couple of dumbbells and small weight plates at home that I had invested in about 10 years ago for rainy (more like snowy) days, but they weren’t nearly enough to get me through a month or two without going to a gym. I started to speak to family and friends who told me they felt the same, and no one could find any sort of workout equipment anywhere. Every single store was sold out! From big box stores like Walmart, to all the local fitness stores, not a single dumbbell was in sight.
Walmart all sold out of weight lifting equipment in May 2020!
That’s when an idea came to my mind. What if I could gather enough family, friends and colleagues and then reach out to manufacturers directly for adjustable dumbbell sets? Sounded like a fairly doable task. However, I soon found out that buying something from a manufacturer in China wasn’t as easy as buying from a local store or even through Amazon. The 12 hour time difference between us didn’t help the cause, but I was a student, so late nights completing projects weren’t anomalies. The number of people I spoke to slowly started to rise. Friends of friends were interested in adding their name to my list of “pre-orders”, so to speak. Some friends started asking about workout benches too.
So the idea started to evolve. I spoke to my wife about spending a bit more money on purchasing additional dumbbell sets and selling them to people in the community. Price gouging for workout equipment was becoming a serious issue through marketplaces such as Kijiji and Facebook, and we did not want to add to the chaos but instead offer an affordable alternative. We put aside a small amount of our savings, placed our first order in April with a manufacturer and found a brokerage agent who helped us organize delivery of the goods and payment of all taxes we owed for importing the equipment into Canada. A couple of months later, the pandemic wasn’t slowing down at all, and the demand for dumbbells, barbells and weights continued to rise. Our first 15 PVC dumbbell sets flew out the door and that’s when we had our first taste of what entrepreneurship truly was. I had always been a gym junkie, and I love working out, so to be able to help people get their hands on dumbbells during these times and make some money all while finishing up grad school - the feeling was fantastic. We knew it could work. EvoHealth was born.
Fast forward a few months later, and wave 2 of the pandemic is here, where the daily numbers have already surpassed what we saw a few months ago. A quick Kijiji search and you’ll find that dumbbells are still selling for 3x-4x per pound of weight, which is more than 2x what they sell at during normal pre-pandemic conditions (whatever “normal” is). We at EvoHealth Inc. have been working evenings and weekends out of our home to expand our product lines, and provide access to the most basic home gym equipment you need to get stronger, fitter, and above all, healthier. The journey so far has been absolutely awesome, I tell anyone who asks! My wife and I have already learnt a ton about the industry, importing, managing suppliers and satisfying customers. We are constantly looking at ways to improve without being overwhelmed by what others are doing. We continue to sell out pretty quickly, but are working on finding the balance between always being in stock to serve our customers and carrying too much inventory. I apologize to all those who visit our website and are disappointed to see the “Out of Stock” icon (trust me, it sometimes makes me sad too!). So is the story of any small business stuck in the inventory game. I guess it’s a good problem to have at this point. As for anyone who is thinking about starting a business and wants some advice, I would say this: Do not be afraid. Dive in. What's the worst that could happen?
For anyone who has any questions about us, our products, or anything in general, feel free to reach out! I am an advocate of passing on knowledge to pave the pathway for others toward success and gainz. It’s only through reading, listening, learning and applying that we can get better and better at what we do and become whoever we strive to be - other than Superman. No one can be Superman.