E090 - $80M CEO: Adderall Addiction, Fitness Industry & Entrepreneurship | Christian Guzman

Christian Guzman, founder of Alphalete and creator of Alphaland, joins the show to break down the real highs and brutal lows of building a multimillion-dollar brand from scratch. It’s tempting to assume overnight success when you see big launches and flashy gyms—but Christian walks us through the failed gyms, manufacturing mistakes, and sleepless decisions that built the empire. From ordering $2.5M in inventory without a finance team to managing influencer trends, middlemen, and changing buyer habits, he shares what it truly takes to scale.

00:00 Welcome to Alphaland 02:23 From first YouTube video to fitness icon 04:05 Choosing entrepreneurship over college 05:18 The humble beginnings of gym ownership 09:22 Pivoting to digital and apparel 10:45 Alphalete's birth and early growing pains 15:38 Building community through content 20:47 The costly lessons of scaling too fast 28:16 Learning the women's apparel market 33:49 How women became Alphalete's core business 36:46 Mastering production relationships 41:38 Nearly losing it all: financial turning points 45:46 Building a proper finance foundation 50:02 Adapting to evolving marketing landscapes 53:52 Reimagining the Alphalete brand 55:40 Thoughts on selling vs. building legacy 57:19 The 3D Energy drink adventure 1:02:28 Fighting to reclaim a stolen brand 1:05:53 Rebuilding 3D from the ground up 1:11:16 Managing multiple ventures and life 1:15:37 Confronting addiction and burnout 1:19:48 How Alphaland transformed a community 1:22:55 Vision for the brands' future

» Escape the 9-5 & build your dream life
https://www.digitalplaybook.net/

» Transform your physique
https://www.thrstapp.com/

» My clothing brand, THRST
https://thrstofficial.com

» Custom Bioniq supplements
https://www.bioniq.com/mikethurston
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» Follow Christian
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christianguzmanfitness
Website: https://alphaleteathletics.com

‘First Things THRST’ is a weekly masterclass that explores the secrets and experiences of entrepreneurs and content creators from across the globe. Each episode is unfiltered and guided by the premise of leaving no stone unturned, which is accountable for the deep discussions into the backgrounds, hardships and confessions of my guests. My goal is simple, to share insights and fresh perspectives on topics like entrepreneurship, success and fitness. Join me on this exciting adventure, and I'm hoping you gain as much from these discussions as I do.

• No. of episodes: 101
• Latest episode: 2025-07-31
• Business Health & Fitness Entrepreneurship

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