THE UNDERDOG HUSTLE TO ENTREPRENEURIAL SUCCESS
How one NFL Pro-Bowl player went from inventing a product in a locker room to serving people in the community, and how a simple body wipe became a brand on a mission.
“Good things come to those who wait, but only the things left over by those who hustle.” – Abraham Lincoln
Justin Forsett’s journey to successful entrepreneur reads like a movie script, complete with the charismatic leader forging a career after nine years as a professional NFL player.
As an underdog seventh-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, the 5-8, 195 pound-running back was working out multiple times a day just to be able to sustain his career.
With so many periods of the day allotted to training, he didn’t always have time to shower before team meetings. Just as Gatorade helps with hydration and Muscle Milk helps with recovery, he sought something that would quickly treat hygiene.
“I wanted to come up with a solution,” said Forsett, the CEO and Co-Founder of Hustle Clean. “There was nothing in the personal care industry that speaks to the athlete.”
While still playing with the Seattle Seahawks, he conceptualized a body wipe – a disposable, anti-bacterial wash cloth that removed sweat and body odor. And he then commercially marketed it in 2014.
Since the company landed on Shark Tank in 2018, Hustle Clean has been featured on Fox, CBS, NBC and Cheddar. Products are now carried in over 6,000 stores nationwide including Target, Pharmaca and over 4,100 Walmart stores and has been on the ground to offer needed help during the crisis at Flint Michigan, Hurricane Harvey (Texas) and Puerto Rico for Hurricane Maria.
Justin inspires the resilient and relentless to keep grinding. The thick skin he developed playing football has helped prepare him to venture into a world where just 1% of venture-funded startup founders are Black.
“When you push past your comfort zone, despite the unknown; when you go for greatness, giving it all you’ve got…that’s hustling.”
GREATNESS GROWS BEST IN THE SHADOWS
Justin’s personal journey is one of the best stories in the NFL.
Justin is in his ninth season in the National Football League and recently signed with the Denver Broncos. He’s played in 104 career games and has spent time with Detroit, Baltimore, Seattle, Indianapolis, Houston and Jacksonville.
Justin was named to the Pro Bowl in 2015 following his most successful season in the NFL. He rushed for over 1,200 yards and was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week twice during 2014.
His keynote expresses his story of perseverance and hope: 3 Tangible Steps to excel in the midst of adversity.
“THE UNDERDOG HUSTLE TO ENTREPRENEURIAL SUCCESS”
How one NFL Pro-Bowl player went from inventing a product in a locker room to serving people in the community, and how a simple body wipe became a brand on a mission.
“Good things come to those who wait, but only the things left over by those who hustle.” – Abraham Lincoln
Justin Forsett’s journey to successful entrepreneur reads like a movie script, complete with the charismatic leader forging a career after nine years as a professional NFL player.
Justin always viewed himself as an underdog. As a seventh-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, the 5-8, 195 pound-running back was working out multiple times a day just to be able to sustain his career.
With so many periods of the day allotted to training, he didn’t always have time to shower before team meetings. Just as Gatorade helps with hydration and Muscle Milk helps with recovery, he sought something that would quickly treat hygiene.
“I wanted to come up with a solution,” said Forsett, the CEO and founder of Hustle Clean. “There was nothing in the personal care industry that speaks to the athlete.”
While still playing with the Seattle Seahawks, he conceptualized a body wipe — a disposable, anti-bacterial wash cloth that removed sweat and body odor. And he then commercially marketed it in 2014.
What started as a quick alternative to showers, ShowerPill, which Forsett, a graduate of Harvard business school’s executive training program, founded with his Cal-Berkeley football teammates Wendell Hunter and Wale Forrester, has been rebranded as Hustle Clean to meet the larger demands of the personal care industry rather than just face and body wipes.
The company landed on Shark Tank in 2018, and although the team didn’t secure an investment, the exposure helped accelerate sales. Last year, Hustle Clean brought in more than $1 million in revenue. Justin inspires the resilient and relentless to keep grinding. The thick skin he developed playing football has helped prepare him to venture into a world where just 1% of venture-funded startup founders are Black.
When you push past your comfort zone, despite the unknown; when you go for greatness, giving it all you’ve got…that’s hustling.
“The dream is free. The hustle is sold separately.”
“GREATNESS GROWS BEST IN THE SHADOWS: A STORY OF PERSEVERANCE AND HOPE”
You’ve heard the expression, “It’s not how many times you get knocked down that count; it’s how many times you get back up.” Now imagine getting “knocked down,” or in this case, fired, eight times in nine years…AND STILL coming out on the VERY TOP of your game.
Justin Forsett is a product of persistence.
“Undersized and overmatched,” Justin went from poverty to peak performance through hard work, grit, perseverance, and hope.
In his riveting presentation, you’ll learn the tools you need to not only overcome just about any obstacle, but also thrive through it and come out a winner.
