Ep22 - Changing the Supplement Game with FNQ Brand Pulse Nutrition

To wrap up Season 1, we sit down with Alex and Jade Forbes, the husband-and-wife team behind Pulse Nutrition in Port Douglas, to uncover the story behind one of Far North Queensland's fastest-growing supplement brands.

What started as a mission to create honest, effective sports nutrition has evolved into a business built on transparency, quality and community. Alex and Jade share the journey of building Pulse Nutrition from the ground up; from experimenting with formulations in their own kitchen to launching products that are trusted by athletes and everyday Australians alike.

We dive into the realities of running a business as a couple, the challenges of bringing a product to market, and why they chose to challenge industry norms by creating supplements with fully transparent ingredients and performance-focused dosages.

Beyond the business, this conversation explores resilience, entrepreneurship, balancing family life, and what it really takes to build a brand with purpose. Whether you're interested in health and fitness, business, or simply love hearing the stories behind passionate local entrepreneurs, this episode offers an inspiring look at what can happen when you back your vision and refuse to compromise on quality.

@pulsenutritionau

pulsenutritionau.com

@downtheisle_

www.downtheisle.com.au

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

All the juice straight from the makeup booth. Welcome to the booth juice. Welcome to our last guest episode for season one of The Booth Juice. I cannot believe that we have been recording for six months and I'm so excited to wrap up our season with two very inspiring local guests. So please welcome Alex and Jade Forbes from Pulse Nutrition. Hello. Thank you so much for coming on today, guys. I am gonna pass straight over to you because I'd love for you to paint our viewers a bit of a picture of what your life looks like because there's a little bit more going on than just Pulse, and I'd love for you to fill them in.

SPEAKER_00 0:44

Cool. Well yeah, we're Jade and Alex are two fine-off Queensland locals. Both grew up here, born and raised, and um yeah, husband and wife, been married for three years this year. Oh yeah, congratulations.

SPEAKER_02 0:56

13 together, and yeah, three this year.

SPEAKER_00 0:58

Yep, and we just welcomed our first daughter, baby Lara.

SPEAKER_02 1:01

She's so beautiful. Yeah, well, 10-week old cutie.

SPEAKER_00 1:04

So and we also have two two staffy doggos. And uh that keeps us busy among other things, but outside of that, I'm also an online coach and Jade is a wedding planner.

SPEAKER_01 1:14

Yeah, amazing. Yeah, amazing.

SPEAKER_02 1:15

So you've also got down the aisle as well. Yeah, so Tess and I launched Down the Aisle October last year, so yeah, that's a wedding accessories business, a little online store. So yeah, that's been really fun, and we've had yeah, quite a bit of growth the last couple of months.

SPEAKER_01 1:30

So amazing, yeah, been very exciting. Busy, busy, busy, my goodness. So I'm gonna throw back a bit because you guys are FNQ locals, so you've been here your whole life, both of you. Yep, pretty much. Amazing. Yeah, and what was growing up here kind of like for you guys?

SPEAKER_00 1:46

I was thinking about this the other day, and I think, like in hindsight, you know, when you're like 16 to 18, you kind of take it for granted. Oh, totally, yeah. Jade and I were both the same. We're like, we just want to get out of here, go down to a city. Move to Brisbane somewhere else, yeah. Go like party and do those things you want to do as a young kid, and then like at 25, we're like, hang on a second. Yeah, fine off Queensland is where it's at. You've got everything, you've got your family, it's so beautiful up here. Yeah, it's it's a little bit slower, it's enjoyable. So, yeah, I think in in hindsight definitely took it for granted, but it's such a nice spot to live.

SPEAKER_02 2:15

Oh, especially, you know, now that we have a daughter, especially raise kids here, like it's just beautiful. You know, you don't have the traffic like other big cities do, and you know, it's we're literally living in paradise.

SPEAKER_01 2:26

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And you guys have got your families up here too, yeah. Yeah, yeah, on both sides, so that makes it handy, especially with Lara.

SPEAKER_00 2:33

Yeah, like this morning, obviously. We're like, who's gonna take Lara this morning? And Jade's Nana. Nana.

SPEAKER_01 2:38

I didn't under that, but Erin's where we got her.

SPEAKER_00 2:40

Yeah, like should we bring her? And then we're like, nah, she'll steal the whole show.

SPEAKER_02 2:44

100%.

SPEAKER_01 2:45

Oh, that's so good. So did you guys did you actually go to Brisbane for a little bit and come back, or was that just a bit of a dream? Brisbane for about eight years?

SPEAKER_00 2:54

Yes, I I moved down in 2014, I think it was. Yeah. I went and studied engineering, and then Jade came down the following year.

SPEAKER_02 3:02

Yeah, we said 2015.

SPEAKER_00 3:03

From 2014 till end of 2022 when we decided to make the move back.

SPEAKER_01 3:08

Yeah, it's awesome. Yeah, oh that's so good. And what what made you move back?

SPEAKER_02 3:12

Like, did you just miss home or I think so, and sort of being you know, in that city and environment and especially being down there when COVID hit as well.

SPEAKER_00 3:20

It's just you know the restrictions, the lockdown, and I was in my full-time engineering gig and a lot of people starting to work from home. And um, so I was kind of like at that point where I was like, hang on a second, I could just work from home up here in far north Queensland from my desk anyway. Yeah, and everyone was doing it, so we we bit the bullet, sold our house down there, and and made the move back up.

SPEAKER_01 3:41

I didn't realise that you guys were down there for that long. Yeah, that's cool, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:45

It was a long period, so yeah, like Alex said, I think it's nice when you go away and then come back and make season and appreciate it more.

SPEAKER_01 3:51

Absolutely. And Jade, were you in the wedding industry down there as well?

SPEAKER_02 3:55

Yeah, so I started wedding planning pretty much straight out of school. So I was working at a cafe in Mossman at Temptations, yeah, and then the job kind of pretty much fell in my lap, which was handy. So yeah, I got offered the job um and started working there in 2014, and then when I moved down to Brisbane, I was pretty much um gonna start uni straight away, but then didn't end up, pulled out the day before I was supposed to start. Yeah, and then yeah, my bosses just kept me on working full-time down in Brisbane and then would fly up for events and they need me. So yeah, this is my 12th year wedding planning. So you're all over it.

SPEAKER_01 4:32

One day you decided to make another brand off of that. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, yeah, for sure. Oh, that's so cool. So then obviously, I'd love to know how you sort of got from that COVID area to now doing what you're doing now. How did how did all of that come about?

SPEAKER_00 4:51

Oh, yeah, well, great question. So I was obviously engineering from home full-time up here. We'd just built our house in Kewya. Yeah, and um, at that point, I was I've always trained my whole life, but I was at that point where I was starting to dabble in more endurance running and cycling and stuff like that, and then started signing up for a couple races. Yeah, and um, yeah, had my first race in Brisbane, flew down for that one. It was a really good race, and I'm like, okay, that's cool. Let's try beat that time in in the Cairns marathon. So literally trained another four weeks for that, and then just did what I thought was right, rocked up on the day, it was quite warm, and then I was pushing hard, and then about 200 metres from the finish line, I kind of collapsed.

SPEAKER_03 5:36

No.

SPEAKER_00 5:36

Yeah, so I was uh on the ground, and then I just remember people helping me up, and I was like using one of those poles outside to try to help myself up, and then I fell down again, and then I think I just remember waking up in the ambulance, and I'd obviously collapsed from heat stroke, dehydration, and they're like, Don't panic, what's your emergency contact? And sure enough, poor Jade was waiting at the finish line and she was looking at her watch, going, Yeah, he's gonna be not happy because he's not a PB. He's not in his PB. And then she seen the ambulance down, and I think she started panicking, and then all of a sudden she got a call from an unknown number and it was me. I'm literally like, Jade, don't panic. I'm in the ambulance.

SPEAKER_02 6:15

Don't panic. It'd been like 10-15 minutes over the time he said to expect him. So I was like, okay. And then five minutes went past. I'm like, oh, he's not gonna be happy, then another 10 minutes, and I'm like, okay, this is weird. And then it was like, yeah, about 15 minutes, and I'm like, okay, this is strange. And then, yeah, like you said, about 300 meters down the sort of Esplanade end, I could see like ambulance with lights flashing, and I'm like, okay, I'm just gonna start walking that way. And then yeah, got a call from an unknown number, and my heart just sank.

SPEAKER_01 6:44

I was like, oh my god, what's happening? Oh, I've been there.

SPEAKER_02 6:47

Yeah, don't panic, but I'm in the ambulance.

SPEAKER_00 6:49

I'm like, I'm not at least it was me calling you and not being the villain's driver.

SPEAKER_03 6:55

Absolutely, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:56

But yeah, so I obviously like ended up in the hospital. They just took me back there to do some tests, and they're like, You pretty much had heat stroke and severe dehydration, and I was like, okay, maybe marathons aren't for me. Yeah. And I was Jade's like, you're not doing any more racing, any more marathons, and I'm kind of like, Yeah, okay, you're right.

SPEAKER_02 7:11

No one ever collapsed on the couch.

SPEAKER_00 7:13

Yeah, I'm like, maybe, maybe I'm not built for this. And then I like got home and I started thinking about like, nah, stuff that, you know, like there's got to be uh a more underlying issue. So I kind of like started doing some research about obviously the importance of hydration and fueling for these events, especially up here in North Queensland, and then I kind of compared that to what I was doing, and I was like, okay, I didn't really have any water, no electrolytes, not a proper fueling plan. And that's kind of where I ran into that issue. Yeah, so and I'm like, if I have this problem, surely there's heaps of other people that do too. And then I started trying all the different products that I could find in Australia, yeah. And all of them were underdosed, or they were using like ingredients that would just ruin your stomach, so you can't absorb it anyway. And I'm like, all right, stuff this. Let's just start trialing making some of my own stuff at home.

SPEAKER_01 7:58

Yeah. And uh how do you even start that process? Like it it seems like such a different world, like just to start putting in a lot of research into the yeah. Yeah, I love like things like that.

SPEAKER_00 8:09

Obviously, being an engineer, I love like the science-y side behind of it. So just start researching all the different ingredients, like what ones sit well in your stomach, the performance doses that you actually need for performance, and then just started ordering like bulk ingredients online. I'm like, this doesn't go anywhere, it's fine. I'm just gonna start mixing it up for my own solution anyway. And then I kind of found like a solution that I was happy with. We had the right carbs, right electrolytes, all the natural ingredients, and then I was like, okay, it's working for me. Let's start using my sister and my mates as the test dummies, and they all liked it too. And we got to a point I'm like, all right, if I have this problem and I've found the solution, then there's surely heaps of other Aussies in the same position, and um, yeah, that's kind of how pulse came about.

SPEAKER_01 8:50

So, were you doing this alongside online training?

SPEAKER_00 8:53

I was actually full-time as an engineer still, still working from home and then just doing this like on the side, yeah, and then yeah, obviously got to a point where I was starting to build pulse, and I'm like, okay, I'm way more passionate. Yeah, something's got to give. I'm way more passionate about like helping people with their training and this the supplement business than I am as an engineer, and like I felt like in my engineering degree I was just a cog in the system. I was like part of this massive company, and I just wanted to work for myself and build something for myself.

SPEAKER_03 9:22

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 9:22

So that's when I kind of stood back from engineering. I went from full-time to part-time and then started picking up some online coaching to help pay the bills, and then got to a point where it's like I just canned engineering altogether, and now it's just online coaching and pulse.

SPEAKER_01 9:37

Yeah, if you feel like more creatively fulfilled or something, I suppose, from that. Big time like that's something you're so passionate about, so that helps and you can see it helping real people.

SPEAKER_00 9:48

Exactly. You can you can kind of measure the impact that you're having, and like obviously going from a comfy engineering salary to coaching a few clients is a big tank in salary, but yeah, for a long-term game of doing something that I love and enjoy and help in people's lives.

SPEAKER_01 10:02

Yeah, absolutely. I've just got ghost fighting. Oh, that's so nice. I love it when people like just pursue their passions and do what makes them tick. Like I love the way, yeah, it makes people tick. So that's really cool. Yeah, so see you ever doing engineering again.

SPEAKER_00 10:16

No, no, I mean it was good, it was great. I think it taught me a lot of valuable lessons about discipline, going through a unit, putting on all the work, and then just really finding what works for you.

SPEAKER_01 10:26

And yeah, I think you can always benefit from from every experience, yeah. Like people are always like, Oh, you've got a film degree that you never use. I'm like, oh yeah, but there's skills that I'm applying to this life now, you know. So I definitely think that all of that was probably supposed to happen. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:43

Yeah, yeah, definitely. Everything happens for a reason for sure.

SPEAKER_01 10:47

So, how I mean, obviously you start testing on your friends and stuff, but then is there, you know, getting packaging and all that sort of stuff and actually building a brand as well? How do you go? I suppose again, engineering probably helps you with that sort of stuff too.

SPEAKER_00 11:02

It did too, but like there's just like it was the hardest part sort of trying to find a manufacturer. Yeah, like because obviously being a small fish in a big pond, I'm reaching out to all these manufacturers and I'm trying to order maybe like a few hundred units where all of their clients are ordering tens of thousands, so they're like, just didn't even respond to my emails. And it probably took me a good six months till I actually found a manufacturer that would respond and would take on a new client of our size, and then just went through like the new product development, yeah, what I gave them with our active ingredients, and then they would come through, apply the science behind it, um, and then send samples. We'd test it, and then they'd go through the whole like formality process getting it approved so it's not just like some dodgy in our kitchen here.

SPEAKER_01 11:47

And is that a bit of a lengthy process too?

SPEAKER_00 11:49

Like, it is, it is, yeah, but like it's it's really good that that's all within their capabilities, so it's not like I'm lodging forms and stuff like that. They do all of that, which is yeah, really good.

SPEAKER_01 12:00

Yeah, that's interesting. I mean, it's a whole another world that I I'm not familiar with, so it's fascinating seeing because you you instantly like you you're so good with your content and stuff online, and I love that you know, like Max's videos are hilarious, and you do so well at like promoting your brand, but then yeah, actually breaking it all down to go, where did you actually how do you even make this happen? Yeah, people just assume that you just like overnight just built a brand.

SPEAKER_02 12:29

Well, definitely in the kitchen with our you know stainless steel bowl mixing up, you know, powders and flips all bags and things like that.

SPEAKER_00 12:35

So but you're so you're so right though, like when you look at a business from the outside in, you just think that it's yeah, it's somewhat easy, you know. But when you actually do it yourself, and now I'm like here in your business, you kind of see all of the hard work that goes into making these things come alive, and yeah, yeah, yeah, that's it's definitely not easy.

SPEAKER_01 12:52

Yeah, so cool. Do you when you were like delving into the whole you know supplement industry, was there anything that just like completely shocked you? Like is anything that you just went, oh my god, is that even allowed?

SPEAKER_00 13:05

Yeah, big time. So the the like I said before, the biggest issue that I was finding is just the ingredients that they were using were just so cheap, and they were like using proprietary blends where they can kind of like underdose the most important ingredient, like they'd say whatever the ingredient is, but if it's in a blend, they don't have to declare how much of it's in there. So that's like okay, we're not even getting the right dose for performance, anyway. So I'm like, this is just happening across the market, like wide, and there's even companies now that are getting like in heaps of trouble for it. So I'm like, that's what I want to build my brand about, just like being 100% transparent, putting all of like you pick up any of our products, you'll see every ingredient, every dose, and like when we get enough capital, I want to do like independent testing. So it's like, here's your creatine, here's it tested that it's actually got the creatine in it. So just being as transparent because I think people are really catching on with what's what they want to put in their body.

SPEAKER_01 14:00

Oh, 100% doing their own research, and you know, absolutely, yeah. Oh, that's fantastic. And it, I mean, I was reading your reviews actually on your website, and you just scrolled, you know, you just keep scrolling, scrolling, scrolling, and there's so many fantastic reviews on again transparency and that your product actually works and that you you know it just stands out from all the other ones that you buy at the supermarket. So yeah, it's really cool to see that you guys are like really trying to stick with that. I'm hopeless with the supplement industry, like I couldn't tell you a thing. Um, but like, can you explain? Can you dumb it down for those who are just completely hopeless in supplements?

SPEAKER_03 14:39

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 14:39

What is the biggest difference between your stuff and like whatever you find at the shops?

SPEAKER_00 14:44

Like good question. So I think number one, the quality of ingredients that we're using. So, for example, we're not using any artificial flavours. I'm sure you've heard of like stevia, have you? Yeah, a lot of people use that for uh a natural sweetener, but it ferments in your gut, so it gives a lot of people gut issues. So we've gone a more expensive route and we use, for example, monk fruit instead. It has a better aftertaste, it's not going to give you um any gut issues. So every ingredient we have is in there for a reason. So it's it's it's obviously for performance and then tolerability as well because there's no point having a product that has all of these ingredients, but if you can't digest it, what's the point of taking it?

SPEAKER_01 15:20

Yeah, it's not you're spilling sick hey.

SPEAKER_00 15:22

Yeah, exactly. So yeah, I think quality and just intentionality behind what we put in is our biggest differentiator to the rest of the market. Yeah, and obviously that does come at a at a bit of a cost, but we definitely think it's worth it.

SPEAKER_01 15:35

I think people are willing to pay for good quality, definitely. Yeah, so then like within your range, what what actual products are you offering?

SPEAKER_00 15:41

Yeah, cool. So what you'll see here, this is one of these up in a minute, but these are our hydration sticks.

SPEAKER_03 15:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:48

So this is like our perfect daily hydration. So it's got all of your electrolytes. So sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, naturally flavoured, and there's only three calories per stick. So if you're someone like looking for electrolytes, you're sweating a lot, you're working hard, you need some more minerals, but you don't want additional calories maybe to break a fast or something like that. This is perfect for you.

SPEAKER_02 16:10

Awesome. And it's not just for like athletes as well, you know, it can be for like tradies that work in the heat. Even you know, I take one every morning and it actually really helps with like my milk supply with breastfeeding, like the difference it makes is crazy. Like it's hard to people just think, oh, I'm drinking lots of water, I'm hydrated, but you're not really hydrated, you know, if you're not getting the electrolytes in.

SPEAKER_00 16:30

I think you notice a massive difference with your milk supply when she was.

SPEAKER_02 16:33

Yeah, just compared to just having water and then having an electrolyte in the morning, it's a massive difference.

SPEAKER_01 16:38

That was one of the other things I was reading was the tradesmen, all the tradesmen that were commenting, like, yep, I have this every day, it keeps me going. Because gosh, take my hat off to those trainings that get on the roof or in, you know, under a flesh or whatever, you know, it's full on.

SPEAKER_02 16:53

We live in one of the hottest areas, you know, in Australia.

SPEAKER_01 16:55

So absolutely, yeah. So that's cool to know that yeah, like you can regular people can be using them as well.

SPEAKER_00 17:02

Exactly. We we say we're for the everyday Aussie athlete, and that doesn't have to be someone that's training for a marathon, you know, that could be someone that is an active person and getting up before their kids are up. Maybe like you, you're getting up early, you go in the basement, you're doing the session, you're coming home, then you're coming here and one day I'll go. But then you're coming here and you're working a full day, you know. So you get up early, you're sweated, and then you're like, all right, you need to be on the ball all day for work. And if you're not replacing the electrolytes, you're losing earlier in the day, then that's when you could hit that afternoon crash. A lot of people just think, Oh, I need another coffee or something like that, or I don't have enough energy. But a lot of the time it's like check how many electrolytes you're consuming and go from there.

SPEAKER_01 17:42

Yeah, cool. Oh, on that note, do you want to give me a little taste test? Let's do it.

SPEAKER_00 17:47

So I will leave this box here with you too, so you can ask you. Give it out to customers or clients.

SPEAKER_01 17:54

So, where can people buy your stuff from as well? Like are you just online? Are you stocking somewhere?

SPEAKER_00 18:00

Yeah, great question. So, about probably 80% of our revenue comes through our online store, but we do have a lot of local stores as well. So, import alone, we're in Port Douglas Gym, yeah, we're in Sports Power.

SPEAKER_03 18:12

Awesome.

SPEAKER_00 18:12

Where else are we? There's another one in Port. Um, my sister who runs her own gym, she sells it to her clients there, and then a few spots in Cairns as well. So a running shop, some of the whole lives down there, too.

SPEAKER_01 18:26

So well, guys, if you're local and you're looking to buy it, catch all those shops allhead online, I suppose. Alright, so tear the top off and pour it in.

SPEAKER_00 18:36

We'll pour you some water.

SPEAKER_01 18:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:43

So that should be about enough. Water.

SPEAKER_01 18:45

Pour that in.

SPEAKER_00 18:46

And that's lemonade flavour too. Oh yeah. So it should be nice and subtle, refreshing, and you should be able to taste the salt in there as well.

SPEAKER_02 18:56

Yeah, we went right subtle on all the flavourings across all the products, just because if you are drinking a lot of it, you just want it to be nice and subtle, not overly sweet or anything like that.

SPEAKER_01 19:06

Like some of the stuff, like I'm terrible at buying it, but sometimes Marley will buy some stuff and have it in the cupboard, and I'll try it sometimes and I just think how are you eating this? Like, this is just tastes like sugar and it's awful, or or just tastes like fake sugar, yeah. Like that's even worse.

SPEAKER_00 19:22

That's the stevia, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:28

Oh, that's so good. I would like just guzzle that constantly. That's not paid either, we didn't pay you to say that. No, no, this is a genuine first taster.

SPEAKER_00 19:38

Classic.

SPEAKER_02 19:40

And you can sort of dilute it too to your, you know, preference, have a a bit more water in it if you like it more subtle or you know. That's that's like full strength too.

SPEAKER_00 19:50

And like we said, like if you're a tradee who's maybe sweating a thousand milligrams of sodium power, so you might be having four or five of those a day. The last thing you want is something overpowering or something you get from a server that just tastes like really sweet.

SPEAKER_01 20:01

Yeah, this is good. Doesn't it's like not it's not sweet at all, but it's not like it's not bitter or anything. Yeah, like it just tastes like a I don't know, glass of lemonade without it being so sweet. Yeah, I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 20:14

I like that. That's a good recommendation.

SPEAKER_01 20:16

Yeah, lemonade without nasty. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Well, I'll be drinking that for the rest of the episode. Thank you very much. So good. There's another glass if you can make yourself one.

SPEAKER_00 20:26

Yeah, go on, JD. So we just moved to our new packaging of these as well. So they were in like pouches before. Yep. But I feel like they sit better on the shelf, like this, like on a counter or something for our in your kitchen, in your like glove box, or even like our wholesale partners, just sits better on the shelf.

SPEAKER_01 20:43

Yeah. I'm a very visual person to remember things, yeah. Like for a routine or whatever, in my day-to-day, if it's not sitting on the counter, I'll forget to take it or whatever.

SPEAKER_02 20:54

That's actually a good feature for the body.

SPEAKER_01 20:55

Yeah, but I think that's really good because it's almost like you could sit it with your coffee or you, you know, wherever your tea bags or whatever live.

SPEAKER_00 21:03

Yeah, and that's actually innovative. That's actually a big thing too. I always recommend taking it before your coffee, especially like if you've woken up, say you've gone to the gym, you sweated, you haven't drinking any water overnight, so you're already potentially dehydrated, especially when you're exercising. So I personally would have it before coffee and then have your caffeine, and then you feel like you get the benefits of caffeine more if you're hydrated first.

SPEAKER_01 21:25

Awesome. I love it, that's so good. Now, I know that a few weeks ago you guys were at the Iron Man event in Cairns.

SPEAKER_00 21:32

I was just watching a few clients. Yeah, we weren't actually at the expo though, but um, oh cool.

SPEAKER_01 21:38

So, do you do you normally go to sort of sporting events and stuff?

SPEAKER_00 21:42

We try to, yeah. As many as we can. We were gonna do the Cairns Marathon this year as well. We did that last year, which was a great event, but they've just signed with a nutrition partner. So of course you can't have another brand there when that signs are. Okay, all good, no stress.

SPEAKER_02 21:56

Yeah, but the last two years we sponsored the Cairns 50. Ultra marathon that they do, so we were the nutrition sponsor for that event. So that was really fun.

SPEAKER_00 22:04

Yeah, that was awesome.

SPEAKER_01 22:05

Yeah, so good. Oh, fantastic. And I'd love to know like what's what's in the works for the rest of the year. Have you got any anything exciting coming up? Are you working on any other products or events?

SPEAKER_00 22:18

Great question. So we're at that point now where we've kind of found our feet. We we kind of know who our customer is, our target audience. So we're just really trying to scale now and bring new products to the market. So new flavour of that's coming out in a couple weeks. So that was a lemonade flavour you tried, and we've got mango passion coming.

SPEAKER_02 22:35

Oh it's probably my favourite. Yeah, it's good. It is really good.

SPEAKER_00 22:38

So obviously, like that's a citrusy flavour, which is great, but having that more like fruity flavour as well, just to swap between the two. So we'll be really excited to bring that because that's probably our best-selling product at the moment.

SPEAKER_03 22:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:51

Then just bringing out some more flavours of our endurance fuel as well. So that's the carband electrolyte blend. And then um, yeah, we're hoping to bring out a gel in the next couple of months because it's it's our most requested product. Like anyone that runs or does endurance events, they're like, don't even think about electrolytes, they're just like, Do you sell a gel? I'm like, not yet, but yeah, one day we're coming.

SPEAKER_01 23:10

Yeah. I'm hopeless with all that stuff, but I do know that those people love the gels. Yeah, 100%. It'd be cool to get a better version of it out, you know, on the market. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, that's so good. And obviously, your lives are very busy. Can you sort of tell people what your day-to-day looks like? I could love for people to get an insight into how you navigate running pulse alongside wedding planning, alongside clients. Like, how does it sort of sort of work for you guys, especially now with a new little baby? Yeah, very busy.

SPEAKER_00 23:46

Do you want to explain your daily routine as mum first and then I'll go as dad?

SPEAKER_02 23:50

I mean, yeah, pretty much my whole routine is based around Lyra at the moment. So um, yeah, Alex usually wakes up early in the morning, goes for his run, gets that done while we're both still snoozing. And we're saying run, how far are we running?

SPEAKER_00 24:06

Just depends, like hour to hour and a half. On the weekends, I'll allocate more training, so it'll be a longer run and a longer ride.

SPEAKER_01 24:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:14

Um, but yeah, through the week's anywhere from say 10 to 16Ks or something.

SPEAKER_02 24:19

Not unreal. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:22

Um, yeah. And then obviously during the day I've got Lara and Alex is busy working away in the office, but it is handy having him work from home too, being on maternity leave. So it is nice if you know I want to go to the toilet and piece or do something, make myself a coffee, I can just get Alex to hold her and yeah, and then no, sometimes when she's asleep, we sit there cutting up all the sticks and things like that, getting the packaging done. So yeah, awesome.

SPEAKER_00 24:48

Yeah, I think um communication's key between both of us having a kid now too, because like obviously she's with her most of the time, and I need to appreciate that Jade needs some alone time as well, you know. So wherever I can help out, I try. But yeah, I'll usually wake up nice and early, go for my run or ride or whatever it is, and then I'll come home and we just started a routine this week. Actually, we're trying, so I'll get home, have my breaky quickly, and then from 7:30 to 9, I'll take Lara so Jade can do whatever she needs to to get ready for the shower.

unknown 25:19

I like that.

SPEAKER_00 25:20

She's had a shower that long before. Bloody hell, it must be a ladies' thing. But but then yeah, from nine o'clock, I'll give Jade back Lara and then I'll try to do focus work, have my coffee at that point. I've already had my electrolytes and break-in stuff, so I'll have my coffee at nine and then try head down, no distractions from nine till twelve. And then after that, I'll usually take orders to the post office, go to the gym, do some less productive work responding to messages, emails, and stuff like that. Then usually have calls in the afternoon with clients and then take the dogs for a bike ride, cook dinner, and spend some time with the family.

SPEAKER_01 25:55

Cool, I love it. Yeah, it's very active but also driven, I suppose. Yes, cool. Oh, good, yeah, it's really cool seeing. I I admire husbands and wives that work together and all that sort of stuff. So it's really cool to see. It's good, we we bounce off each other, which is you know, which is nice. Yeah. Has there ever been a point where you're like, oh no, we can't be doing this? Or you just sort of smooth it. With the business or the baby or all of it, you know, just going, oh my god, we've taken on too much.

SPEAKER_00 26:25

Uh I think you just kind of try to be as optimistic as you can, like with the business too. Like, I say it all the time. If I knew the work required to start this business when I did, I probably wouldn't, you know. But it's like you just dive in and have a girl. You just figure it out as you go, don't you? Just every day is uh you're you're having wins and losses, and I think as long as you wake up the next day and have another go, I think just take each day as it comes.

SPEAKER_01 26:47

Yeah, awesome. Oh, that's so good. So, on top of that, you're running down the aisle with Tess. Yep. Can you tell me a bit more about what's involved with that as well? Yeah, for sure. Or what that is actually, because obviously I know what it is, but our listeners might not.

SPEAKER_02 27:01

Yep. So Down the Aisle is our online wedding accessories company, which we started or launched in October last year. Um, so obviously, both being in the industry working together, you know, we have a passion for weddings and you know, seeing our clients so happy, but we sort of you know found there was a big gap in the market in terms of you know cute or modern or unique wedding accessories. So um, yeah, probably about 18 months ago, we started like just like looking into it and coming up with a bit of a plan of you know what we could sell, and then you know, started buying products and sourcing things and just making sure we're happy with everything. And then yeah, we launched October last year and yeah, sort of slow to start, but the last couple of months have been pretty good. So, yeah, selling everything from you know ring boxes and everything. We've got hats, match boxes, like cards, vow books, those sorts of things. So we've got a pretty, pretty big inventory in terms of you know accessories.

SPEAKER_00 28:00

Imagine what our house looks like. We've got two businesses with product in there, a baby, two dogs.

SPEAKER_02 28:05

Yeah, yeah, a lot of packing stations. I know, yeah. Yeah, our garage isn't exactly a garage, it's more like a warehouse slash gym.

SPEAKER_01 28:12

Oh, fantastic.

SPEAKER_02 28:14

Yeah, busy, busy and we love it.

SPEAKER_01 28:15

Yeah, so good. I think um, I mean, because I obviously got married last year as well. Yeah. Thank you for helping me with that. That's okay.

SPEAKER_02 28:22

It's a beautiful wedding.

SPEAKER_01 28:23

Thank you. Um, but yeah, I suppose it's all the smaller things that you you you start looking for more.

SPEAKER_02 28:28

Exactly, all like the little details that people kind of overlook. So you know, you obviously have your furniture and your flowers and things like that, but yeah, you forget about all the little things that actually make up a big part of it as well. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, that's so good.

SPEAKER_00 28:41

And I think just having it all on one side is good too. Yeah, exactly. Like all those little things that someone would need for their bridesmaid, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:48

Having it like a one-stop shop kind of thing. So it's awesome. Yeah, yeah, no, we get clients that sort of, you know, we've got a had a client this week coming up from Darwin and she's like, Oh, can we do click and collect? So that's been good. So having the option up here where Port Douglas is such a you know wedding-oriented place, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 29:05

Um do you find that you get clients that are trying to do wedding furniture higher and then go, oh, can you also like organise my my order through your business?

SPEAKER_02 29:16

Sometimes like I think just we haven't really pushed it that much through the other side, you know, working at Port Douglas Wedding Centre Higher. Yeah, um, but I think now that we've sort of, you know, like Alex said, found our feet a bit more, we can start you know pushing it and yeah. Cool. Oh, that's so exciting.

SPEAKER_00 29:32

Yeah, I think the biggest thing with you guys, too, it's just about finding your market because it's like no one's gonna want to buy their stuff unless they're getting married, you know. So when she can hit that niche and target specifically to them, then yeah, just go crazy. Because I'm sure you could attest to how much money you spend as a bride when you get in married.

SPEAKER_03 29:48

Yeah, yeah, it's a big business, yeah. Oh, yes.

SPEAKER_00 29:52

When we got married too, and Jade was just showing me the list of things that we're buying. I'm like, oh my gosh, it's not a cheap industry to be.

SPEAKER_01 29:59

But it is it's one day of your life that you want to make really special, and it's really good that there are brands nowadays that that can make your day really nice.

SPEAKER_02 30:10

And we're coming out with some new things shortly, so that'll be exciting.

SPEAKER_01 30:13

That's exciting. Well, guys, if you're getting married soon, you know who to reach out to. Thank you so much for telling me all about your journey today, guys. We normally wrap up with a piece of advice from you guys, so that might be something that someone's told you, something that you live by. I'd love to leave our listeners with a little, a little Easter egg of advice from you guys.

SPEAKER_00 30:37

Um, yeah, I guess just to cover like what we've been talking about today is just to really follow what your passion is. Obviously, I started off as an engineer because I got told I was good at math, but is that something I really wanted to do for the rest of my life? I didn't know at the time. And I guess just through like trialling things and going down a path, and then you kind of figure out I just don't want anyone to be married to something that they're not happy about because end of the day, life is so short. So, yeah, find something that you love and go all in. And I think we just know that now, having Lara about how precious time is, there's no point going to a job that you don't love when you come home resenting it, and then that kind of like your family and your everyday life. So, yeah, find what it is that you love and go all in, and then I think just be relentless with it and apply consistency over time, and yeah, you'll see great results.

SPEAKER_02 31:29

Yeah, yeah. I think if if you're passionate about something, then you can't really fail. So yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 31:34

You only fail if you quit.

unknown 31:36

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:37

It's the PTSD. Just keep going, just keep going. Yeah, and I have been throwing in one more little question. What has brought you the most joy this week? Anything that has stood out for you this week.

SPEAKER_00 31:51

For me, it's gotta be just seeing our little girl like smiling.

SPEAKER_02 31:54

Just changing every day, like you know, she's cooing and making noises.

SPEAKER_00 31:59

It's like she's trying to talk to you, and when I was bathing her the other night, she's just like smiling at me with this big smile, and I'm like, I love when they get the personality.

SPEAKER_01 32:07

Yeah, hundreds of.

SPEAKER_00 32:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:11

Fantastic. Well, thank you so much for well, helping me end the season, um, but also for such an awesome story and great advice. Thank you for having us.

SPEAKER_00 32:21

Yeah, it's been great.

SPEAKER_01 32:23

For those who would love to find you, where can they find you? Are you on Instagram, TikTok, online?

SPEAKER_00 32:28

Yeah, so for Pulse, you can find us Instagram, TikTok, YouTube. We're just starting to try dabble in some YouTube videos, all um at Pulse Nutrition AU. Awesome. And our website if you wanted to make a purchase. Obviously, we have a few stores that we're stocked in, but is pulsenutritionau.com.

SPEAKER_02 32:44

Awesome. And if they want to find down the aisle, yep, so we're on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok as well. Yeah. Um, we're down the aisle. Um, and our website is www.downtheisle.com. Did I you?

SPEAKER_01 32:59

Awesome. Well, I will leave that in the show notes as well. But yeah, thanks so much again, guys. And thank you guys for listening. So have a wonderful day, and we will be in your ears very soon. See you.

SPEAKER_03 33:12

Thank you.