Ben Crosbie is a serial entrepreneur with several years of successful investments. His entrepreneurial journey revolves around the health and wellness industry, where he has successfully built and run two major franchises.
Ben is the CEO of The DRIPBaR, an IV drip powerhouse that is breaking into multiple continents. In this member spotlight, Ben shares how he got into entrepreneurship, his journey as The DRIPBaR’s CEO, and his plans ahead. Read on!
Tell Us About Your Business
The DRIPBaR is a retail-based IV therapy franchise. We do IV supplements and IV nutrition. People look at it as an emerging brand, an emerging industry. However, the industry has been around for 25+ years. We do IV supplementation to improve the cellular health of our clients.
We do lifestyle drips for people who are healthy and health support drips for those who have pre-existing conditions like cancer, heart disease, and dementia. So, currently, it is a robust business model, and we have 43 locations open.
How Did You Become an Entrepreneur?
It just happened after college with my desire to work for myself. I graduated college as an athlete trainer and a sports nutritionist. I was a personal trainer for a little while in Boston, and then I opened up my line of health clubs. And then, back in 2015-16, I secured the global rights to the brand Tapout and created Tapout Fitness. It’s an MMA fitness center. I sold over 500 locations in 11 international countries and exited that in January 2019. I started going to The DRIPBaR in 2017 to get drips. After I sold Tapout, I went to the original founders of the first location and said, “I want to franchise this business; let me see the numbers.”
I looked at the numbers, and it made strong financial sense. But also, it had the mission I was looking for. I thought I could leverage my franchise experience, bring it to market, and then just help lots of people a lot quicker than doing another fitness center or franchise. I felt that it was a very smart opportunity to scale.
So, I franchised the business and brought it to market. I bought 100% of it in 2021, exited all the partners, and now we are here. I met Kelvin Harrington, one of the first people in EO; he was in and around the IV industry for the past five years. I met him and talked him through the vision and where we were, and he chose to take an investment and join the DRIPBaR team. So Kelvin Harrington is now my partner.
What's the Biggest Misconception About Leadership, Running a Business, and Being an Entrepreneur?
The biggest misconception is that you are an overnight success and that it’s easy. Very few people can truly recognize—unless you’re an entrepreneur and you’ve done it—how much time and energy it takes to make your first dollar and then continue to grow the business until it becomes what everybody hopes: profitable and successful.
So, the overnight success, the long hours, the focus, the unrecognition along the way, the path and journey—a lot of times, it’s the best part of it, the most stressful part of it, and the least recognized.
What’s the Next Step for You in The DRIPBaR?
The DRIPBaR is a global franchise opportunity that is following the footsteps of Starbucks. In the US, we’ve crossed a thousand units. We’re already going to Canada. We’re looking into Europe, specifically the UK. We’re looking into the GCC as well; we have partners there.
So, this is a global opportunity, and we are taking very diligent steps in how we are growing it. We're growing it from the foundation. So, we have a robust research & development team focused on safety, and I have hired more attorneys [for The DRIPBar] than I have ever hired in my life.
What’s the Best Piece of Advice You Can Give Up-And-Coming Entrepreneurs?
Take your goal and focus on your plan to execute and achieve. Once you start getting experience or being part of a group and getting mentors to really get over the initial hurdles, it's just dedication and understanding your business.
If you are bootstrapping and doing it on your own, it could take a little longer. But after being able to have capital, hiring the right people, and getting the staffing in place, one thing that I found is franchising is a great way to increase the speed and scale of the business a lot sooner than you normally would.
Want to Get Mentors Like Ben Crosbie?
As Ben pointed out, business success is a lot easier when you have great mentors. The alternative can work, but the process is filled with avoidable obstacles and challenges. Ben is one of the numerous business owners in EO Boston, a network of entrepreneurs and business leaders in Boston that promotes peer learning, mentorship, and networking.
At EO Boston, you will gain access to several experts within and outside your industry who can guide you to achieving your business goals faster. Check whether you qualify for our membership if you're ready to take that quantum leap.
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