Business Innovators Radio - From Vision to Reality: Building a Healthier and Happier Henderson with Taylor Koki of D1 Henderson

Episode Date: February 5, 2024

In this episode of Vegas Business Spotlight, host Tim Knifton sits down with Taylor Koki, the owner of D1 Henderson, the first D1 training facility in Las Vegas. Taylor shares her inspiring journey and the challenges she faced in starting her business during the mask mandate and the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the rough start, Taylor’s passion for helping people reach their goals and her commitment to building a healthier and happier community kept her going.Taylor discusses the unique equipment and programming at D1 Henderson, which is designed to help athletes, scholastics, and adults achieve their fitness goals. She emphasizes the importance of character and values in the D1 culture, and how she aims to instill discipline, respect, and responsibility in both young athletes and their parents.The conversation also touches on the impact of being based in the Las Vegas Valley on Taylor’s business strategies. She explains why she chose Henderson for its strong family values and stability, and how she envisions D1 Henderson playing a significant role in helping local athletes reach Division One schools.Taylor shares her insights on networking and time management as a busy business owner. She highlights the benefits of being part of BNI (Business Network International) and the importance of building meaningful relationships with other business owners.As the interview comes to a close, Taylor shares her vision for the future of D1 Henderson, which includes expanding their offerings and starting a foundation. She also reveals exciting upcoming projects, such as a collaboration with a homeschooling group and a tackle workshop with world-renowned coaches from the NRL.Don’t miss this episode of Vegas Business Spotlight as Taylor Koki inspires us with her determination to turn her vision into reality and make a lasting impact on the Henderson community.https://www.d1training.com/henderson/About Taylor Koki:Taylor Koki is a resilient and determined individual who opened a business during the challenging time of the mask mandate and the rise of the Omicron variant. Despite the fear and uncertainty in the community, Taylor persevered and learned valuable lessons along the way. Starting a business under such circumstances was not easy, but Taylor’s determination and willingness to learn proved to be crucial in navigating the rough beginnings. Despite the challenges, Taylor’s commitment to growth and adaptation has undoubtedly shaped them into a strong and capable entrepreneur.About The Show Sponsor:“Vegas Business Spotlight” podcast is proudly sponsored by RSVP Las Vegas, your premier direct mail postcard service in the heart of Las Vegas. With a commitment to delivering outstanding results and effective marketing solutions, RSVP Las Vegas specializes in helping businesses connect with their target audience through direct mail.Visit their website at RSVPLasVegas.com to explore the range of direct mail services they offer. From designing eye-catching postcards to precisely targeting your desired audience, RSVP Las Vegas has your direct mail marketing needs covered. Their team of experts is dedicated to helping your business make a lasting impression and drive results.Whether you’re launching a new marketing campaign, promoting a special offer, or aiming to boost brand awareness, RSVP Las Vegas is your trusted partner in direct mail marketing success. Contact them at [phone], and their knowledgeable team will be ready to assist you.Experience the power of effective direct mail marketing with RSVP Las Vegas. Trust their expertise and enjoy the benefits of reaching your audience directly. Visit their website or give them a call today to start your next successful marketing campaign with RSVP Las Vegas, your premier direct mail postcard service in Las Vegas.Vegas Business Spotlighthttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/vegas-business-spotlight/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/from-vision-to-reality-building-a-healthier-and-happier-henderson-with-taylor-koki-of-d1-henderson

Welcome to Vegas Business Spotlight, the podcast that brings you the brightest minds and success stories from the bustling business scene in and around Las Vegas. Join us as we journey behind the neon lights and uncover the strategies, triumphs, and insights that shape the entrepreneurial landscape of the city of lights. From visionary startups to industry titans, get ready to be inspired by the stories of those who've turned dreams into reality on this iconic stage. And now, your host, Tim Nifton. Hello and welcome to another episode of the Vegas Business Spotlight, sponsored by RSVP Las Vegas. I'm Tim Nifton, your host. And I'm thrilled to have you here with us today as we continue our journey through the vibrant world of Las Vegas entrepreneurship. Before we dive in today, I wanted to extend a warm welcome to our featured guests.

Joining us today is Taylor with D1 Henderson. We're honored to have her on the show so she can share her experiences, insights, and wisdom she's gained on her remarkable journey to success. So without further ado, let's get right into it. Taylor, welcome to the Vegas Business Spotlight. We're glad to have you here today. How are you doing today? Great. Thank you.

And thank you for having me. Today's just going by really fast. Wonderful. Let's jump right in and start by hearing a bit about your journey and the incredible. work you're doing here in Vegas. So I always like to start out by asking our guest, what's your 30 second elevator pitch about who you are and what you do? Okay. So my name is Taylor. I am the owner here at D1 Training Henderson. We are one of about 100 D1s across the nation. And we are the first D1 here in Las Vegas. We're an athletic training facility for everybody ages seven and up. And we specialize

and helping people reach their goals. Wonderful. Wonderful. Wow, one of a hundred in the first in Vegas. Hopefully that will be a lot more. For sure. They're growing fast. That's great.

Can you tell us about your early days starting out here in Anderson with D1? Yeah, so that was rough. We opened during the mask mandates. I think it was right when Omicron was the thing. So you had a lot of people that were scared to come out. You had people who were also, you know, that was what the third variation or something. So not everyone here in Henderson was scared to come out. But not a lot of posting on social media because of that. So it was really,

really rough at first. And there were a lot of lessons that I had to learn. I thought I knew a lot going into it, but I learned a lot of things firsthand. Wow. Wow, that's great. How did how did the rough start and those experiences shape your approach to business? today. Wow. Well, I'm still learning. The hardest part I think was finding good people to work here. Not that we didn't, but it was just hard to find because a lot of people were not working at that time and they were okay with not working. So we didn't have a lot of applicants that were qualified and that I felt I could trust because for me, the number one thing is, of course, safety and knowledge and all of that, but I have to make sure they show up.

So even if they have the best resume, you know, they have to have the personality to go with it. I have to be able to trust them with seven-year-olds all the way up to 77-year-olds. And then make sure that if, for example, they're opening the 5 a.m., that they're here at 4.30 a.m. every time, no matter what. And here in Vegas, that can be tough to find. So that's just an example. Like, that alone is really hard to find.

Absolutely. Absolutely. Las Vegas is known for its vibrant and unique business landscape. How is being based in the Las Vegas Valley influenced your business strategies and decisions? Okay, so I have been here for a long time, and I had worked in investing before. So here in the Valley, so I knew the demographics of Henderson, and it's one of the reasons that I wanted to be here in Henderson. being a facility that allows children in, not only allows children in, we're heavily on the, we call it the scholastic side. I wanted to be in Henderson because the family values here, from what I've seen, are a little stronger than I would say the valley on average.

So I wanted to be here in Henderson. You have a lot of people who've been working the same jobs for 10, 20, sometimes 30 years. They send their kids the same school that they went to. So there's a lot of stability. There's a lot of long-term residents. And like I said, values. And character and values are really, really important to D-1s and D-1s across the nation. So that's why I wanted to be here in Henderson specifically. But yeah, I think you sort of just attract a certain clientele and even staff with our branding. And also, like I said, character is very important to D-1. So there's other facilities that have other priorities. And I think people kind of sort themselves out. But it's been really cool being here with Las Vegas in general growing as a sports town, whereas before it wasn't. So I think the timing is great, even with COVID. Yeah, absolutely. Tell me a little bit more about the D1 name and what it means for a gym. Okay, so D1 stands for Division 1. So originally it started to help kids or scholastics prepare for D1 colleges, Division I colleges. It was started by Will Bartholomew,

who was an NFL player whose career ended very, very shortly because of an injury. So these types of facilities did not exist when he was young or when I was young. And I think it's incredible the opportunities and the training and the advancements that have been made since then. So that was primarily how it was started. It grew because you have a lot of parents who sit there a month after month and they watched their kids performing and growing. And then they realize that even though they're not athletes or maybe they were 20 years ago, they still want to live the life that they want to live. So functional fitness became really important to D1 for the adults.

Sure. Does that answer your question? Yeah, absolutely. Okay. And I know you mentioned in the past that you have some unique equipment there that helps prepare people for Division I teams. Yeah. Did you tell me about that?

Sure. all the ones from like 2019 forward are built with pretty much our floor plan. We have to have, for example, 75 feet from front to back. You can sort of see in the background behind me that we have a lot of turf space. So all of the workouts, regardless of the ages, start on the turf. And then we shift over to the weights, which you can also see. And we do that for the strength portion. And then what you cannot see are the cardio equipment.

It's on the other side of the gym. But so we have programming that's very routinely based. so we can keep things running pretty smoothly. But so I'd say that setup in general is conducive to a training environment, whereas you don't have that in big box gyms. But I'd say some of the equipment we have that is special is the Raptor and the Jammer. Those are athletic base, but even me, like, I'm just an adult. I'm not an athlete.

I'm not trying to be an athlete. I just want to be fit. I still do those things because it translates into like metabolic training overall. health and conditioning as well. Wow, that's great. That's wonderful. Thanks. What advice would you have for someone else starting out in the fitness industry?

Okay, so that is such a broad question, too, because part of the reason why it's so hard to find staff that I feel is passionate about what we do, we have the same goals and vision for the future, is that so many people want to be influencers now. Yeah. And you can work here and you can be an influencer, but I feel like what I've seen is people who are passionate about becoming an influencer themselves are less likely to invest more in the athletes and in the facility and in the culture and in the team than they are in themselves. So if you're trying to do the fitness influencing stuff, I don't know anything about that has nothing to do with me. But if you're trying to be a coach, for example, then you have to put other people first. You have to know that you're in. a member of the team and you have to be able to take feedback.

Just like an athlete on a team, it doesn't matter if you're the most talented skilled and the hardest worker. If you can't take feedback from the coach, then there's not much that they can do with you. And it's the same thing in this type of environment. You have to be able to take the feedback and roll with it. Yeah, absolutely. What do you do for networking to grow your business in the Las Vegas community? Okay.

So when I first opened, I was very naive and I sort of just followed the process. that was laid out in front of us. And I thought everything would just come together on its own. But that again, the whole COVID thing sort of through a gigantic roadblock in our way. So a few months later, I joined the Henderson Chamber of Commerce and did a lot of mixers and a lot of events. But then I met someone. Actually, I think I met a few people at a chamber event who were members of B&I. And I invited myself to a meeting. And I joined. And I joined. and I've been a member for a year and a half now. Yeah. That's wonderful. Are there any specific events or organizations you'd recommend for networking in the Las Vegas Valley? Well, I like B&I more than the other options because you have one dedicated person in each seat. So, for example, if you go to a lot of mixers, you may find a lot of people are residential or commercial real estate agents.

A lot of people are selling insurance. a lot of people are in pest control. You sort of run into multiple people in the same industries, and you can't build a relationship with them. And even if you do build a relationship with them, there's still five of them, or 10 of them, or however many of them, in every event, you're meeting another person in the industry. So in B&I, although we have multiple chapters, we have a dedicated chapter where we meet with our same members weekly. And if a lot of our members have been there for years, so you have one pest guy, you have one realtor, and then you're able to actually build the relationship with them and send them referrals as you get to know their business and trust them.

So you have more of foundation and relationship with them than you do in a lot of the other mixers. So for me, I gave up everything else for the most part, not that you necessarily should, but as a business owner, you're busy and you have to make the most of your time and you have to be very efficient with it. And I feel that BNI, for me, is the most efficient way to spend my time when it comes to networking. Absolutely. You mentioned, you know, time management and being a busy business owner. How do you stay balanced between work life and, you know, the, the hundred things you need to get done yesterday and all the networking you do as well? Right. So I'd say for two years,

we've been open for two years and three months, I was not balanced at all. I wasn't sleeping much. I was exhausted, but it's because I didn't have the right team in place. Again, nothing wrong with these people. Just it wasn't right for the team environment that we needed. And we hired a manager in July last year. She's made it this far and hope to keep her longer. She's here. It takes accountability because what I told her from the first day that we were taking her very seriously as a candidate was I'm going to be present in the facility for four weeks.

But after that, you are accountable and responsible for what happens. And my intention with that was to get her to understand. okay, if you don't train someone properly, it doesn't fall on me. It falls on you because that's your job. And if I keep stepping in and doing it for you, then everything is going to fall on me. So, and I actually still have my job outside of D1. So I have D1, have to make sure everything's running smoothly, my job and networking. But now that I have her in place, so far I've been able to, like, show up, fill in as necessary, actually work out,

which I wasn't able to do for the first couple of years, which is crazy. I'm in a gym. Yeah. How do you not have 15 minutes to go pick up a weight? You know? But now I do. I actually spent this whole morning working out. That's great.

I know. That's wonderful. As a successful business owner, I'm sure you have a vision for the future of D1 and Henderson. What are your goals and aspirations for your business now? So I actually have a vision board right behind me, which you cannot see. But so I have a vision for every aspect of the business. So I have a goal when it comes to memberships, private trainings, revenue, of course, retention. And also I want to start a foundation at some point.

But as far as the actual vision of the business, I want to be able to help as many athletes here in Henderson as possible reach Division I schools while also helping their parents. Because I see this all the time, especially with moms, they put themselves on the back burner. They aren't able to invest in their own health. and they're constantly being run down. They're getting more tired, more unhealthy, and there's no end in sight. There really isn't. So what we like to do here is, if possible, get the parents eventually to start working out, investing in their health because the gym is a leading habit.

A lot of habits are leading habits. So the gym is one. You can start with the gym. And we have like moms in here right now who told me this. They say, my goal is just to show up and work out. I'm not worried about PRs. I'm not worried about the scale. right now. I'm not worried about my food right now, hydration, recovery, just trying to show up.

And then within about three weeks, now they're sleeping better. And then they're prioritizing their sleep. And then the kids are becoming more responsible because we're developing character, discipline, setting boundaries, more respect for their parents. So everything sort of falls in line with that. So the vision is just, I know it's a big one, but really just make Henderson, because I really, really love Henderson, especially since we've opened and gotten to know so many people who've been here for so long, coaches who've been at the same school that they went to school. So building just a healthier, happier Henderson. Oh, that's wonderful.

Can you share any upcoming projects or initiatives you're doing at D1 that you're excited about? Yes. Okay. So I was homeschooled. We have a homeschooling event. We have a whole class just for homeschoolers, but we're actually doing a collaboration with the major homeschooling group here. We're just going to get the kids together.

Right. and have a Nerf game. Just to get them, right? Just an activity for them. So let me find to look forward to because they don't have the same types of social opportunities that kids in school do. So that's for the kids.

But then we also are partnering with the coaches from rugby, the NRL, who are coming here. They're going to be playing at Allegiance Stadium on the 3rd of March. So we're going to be partnering and having a tackle workshop. So I'm going to be reaching out to all the football players

and rugby players and the Henderson and even Vegas. Valley as a whole to get them here for the tackle workshop. That's huge for us, is to be able to bring in these world-renowned coaches from like all over to teach here in Henderson and help our Henderson athletes become better football and rugby players. I'm really excited about that. That's great. That's great. Right. So just reflecting on everything you've accomplished so far and what you've done, what's one piece of advice or a mantra that you carry with you. Honestly, what I tell myself all the time is just do it.

And for me, it's really important because, like, you can be so tired. So tired. You don't have an option. You have to get up and you just have to do it. No one's going to do it for you. You don't do it today. Then it doesn't get done at all. Or you have to do it tomorrow.

So you just get up and you do it. So when the alarm goes off, you're so tired, just do it. Yep, absolutely. Can you share with us an example of advice that someone's given you that's really helped you with your business? Okay. There's actually someone in our BNI group who I love. He's been so supportive and helpful and always has some positivity to bring to the table. And I know what I said and also what he says is something that we hear all the time.

But for some reason coming from another business owner, it brings me some peace. he's always telling me that things will get better. And he's constantly sending me like motivational videos and quotes. And I can find these myself on Instagram. I get that. But having like I said, another business owner tell you, everything's going to be okay.

Everything's going to work out really helps when you hit those stressful times. Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. So you've shared with me a little bit of your past and some amazing world traveling and careers you've done in the past. you've done in the past. Would you like to share with the listeners a little bit about what you've done?

Okay. So when I was, this is a long time ago. But when I was young, I was modeling. And my first trip was 15 to Thailand alone. They called me on a Wednesday and said, you're going to be flying out on Friday. So got my shots, called the embassy, tried to get the longest visa I could get and headed out.

And was there for a couple months. It was really rough. came back, went to school, and then decided it had been a while. So I went back to Thailand. And then from there, I went to Miami. No, I went to Greece in Miami. That was modeling. And then I was with Ford in L.A. for a while, too.

But then I just, it wasn't something that I was passionate about. So ultimately ended up going back to school and getting my MBA, getting into investing, and then eventually D1. Oh, that's great. Wow. Quite an accomplishment just at 15. That's amazing. It was hard. And this is before iPhones.

I was talking to a young person the other day, and I was telling him, first of all, you have no idea what it's like to be in your home without an iPhone. Now, imagine traveling to a country where you have to find tri-bands. You have to actually get a map. There's no music. There weren't, what is it called? Not iPads, not iPods, not iPods. Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, this is before iPods, okay? So you couldn't just play the music that you know. I didn't have like pictures of my family on my phone that I could just pull up now. So you get homesick really fast. And that was honestly the biggest challenge for me. Wow. Oh, but still quite of an accomplishment, especially as a young teenager and going on to be successful after that. That's amazing getting your MBA and everything.

Thank you. Honestly, just trying to survive. That was a lot. Well, you obviously did very well for yourself. Thank you. All right. Well, this is all the time we have. for this week. Thank you for joining us. This is the Vegas Business Spotlight, and we're signing off.

Thank you for having me. Thanks, Taylor. Thank you for joining us on this episode of Vegas Business Spotlight. For more inspiring stories and insights from the Las Vegas business community, be sure to subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform. And remember, you can catch new episodes each week at Vegas Business Spotlight.com, where we keep the spotlight shining bright on the entrepreneur. who make Las Vegas thrive.

And don't forget to like and subscribe. See you next week.