Thank you InspYre Life for the image and the work you do.

I came across a great guy about 7 years ago or so named William Mathieson. He’s a Marine that has an excellent spirit and authenticity that most people lack and admire. He’s started a project with the goal of helping non-profits raise money, like he’s been doing for Toys for Tots for years.

BDT: So, Big Will, what’s the story behind inspYrelife.com?

William: inSPYRE Life is a project of mine that I had been sitting on for sometime. The idea originated from the public’s response to my work ethic at the local fitness center. As you know, through our friendship, my road to recovery from all of the surgeries I have had, has been a long and hard fought battle. It appeared that each time I was ready to begin to rebuild my body, I would face another challenge. I would get my broken body up at 0500 and rumble to the gym every morning and put forth the best effort I could hoping that I would not have to face any additional down time. As I plugged away at getting stronger, I would get so lost in my own world of what my ‘New Normal” was that I was oblivious to the influence I was having on the people around me. The gym environment is one that breeds it’s own inspiration. To me, I was just another gym rat trying to tighten a few muscles and lose a bit of a spare tire. (I had ballooned up to 225lbs.) It wasn’t until a cold January day when I was approached by one of the members that I truly had an understanding of who I was becoming. I remember it very vividly as it made a huge impact on the way that I would conduct myself from that point forward.

My normal routine was to go in with my I-pod blaring through my ear buds and my blinders on with the exception of the next weight machine I was going to tackle next.

This particular morning I had attempted to do some treadmill work, which did not go very well. When I had enough, I stopped and stood there with, what probably appeared to the other members, a look of disappointment on my face (Remind you, I was still listening to my playlist at a bone jarring, Spinal Tap registering 11) when one of the members approached me and tapped me on the shoulder. Scared half to death, I ripped the air buds out of my ears and turned to see this face. This face that had obviously been waiting for the perfect moment to tell me something. She apologized for startling me and I, of course, told her that no apology was necessary. And then she said those words that changed my perspective forever. She looked me dead in the eye and said

“You know, there are mornings when the alarm goes off and I think to myself, I can miss today. It doesn’t matter. But then I think about the one legged Marine who shows up every morning and doesn’t complain or whine and suddenly I am inspired to get here and get to work. So, I just wanted you to know that you inspire me.”

When someone offers you that information I think you have a responsibility to try and do something with it. My response to those people quickly turned to accountability. After thanking them for the compliment, I would put it back in their court. I have inspired them. Inspired them to do what? Once they walk out the door, does the inspiration go with them or do they leave it at the Gym door and pick it up, again, when they arrive the next morning. So when I came home, I did so with a very heavy heart, realizing for the first time that my Handicap was actually something much more. It was a huge opportunity. An opportunity to try and give the world a way to do more with some very powerful words. My challenge was to find a way to give people an outlet to not only tell someone how they are inspired but to also show them. How was I going to accomplish this? What could I bring to the table? It really didn’t take long (24 hours) to conceptualize that I wanted to accomplish this through a charitable donation or through purchasing a gift and sending it to them.

I sat awake that night thinking of how. How could I make a difference? In the span of two days I had drawn the logo and jotted down, a very raw, business plan of what I wanted the inSPYRE Life brand to represent. I wanted to make it all about the people in life that we seldom see. The people who inspire us everyday from a far. Then I stepped back and realized that inspiration does not necessarily have to come from someone. Some people find inspiration in places they have visited or a spiritual experience they may have had.

In short, the drawing went to a graphic designer who turned into an image and then I created the web site, Social media and the store so that there was some substance to it. I was very careful not to release any images until I had filed for my Trademark. I am not a cynical person but I do know the necessities of protecting one’s self image.

The web site has been designed the way it is on purpose. I wanted it to be very simple to navigate and for the user to be able to find what they need as quickly as the needed to. Not a lot of flashy bells and whistles.

The ultimate goal of inSPYRE Life is to make it into a non-for Profit organization. As it stands now, 20% of the proceeds from the gross sale (before taxes) will be donated to the charity chosen by the customer. In the easily navigated Store, there is a drop down menu that lists various certified charities that one can choose from. How does this differ from some organizations? Many offers that are similar will donate a portion of the PROFITS. For me it was important to put less in my pocket and more into the beneficiaries pocket. As the Company begins to make a profit, then the percentage donated will begin to rise accordingly.

BDT: So who all is involved in making this a success?

William: Who is inSPYRED Life? For now, it is just my wife, Amy, and I. We have not gone out and searched for any Capital investors as we feel that it would take away from our donation margin. Also, an investor is more concerned with his return and not necessarily on the human return that may come from it. I just don’t think that our plan is appealing enough to investors who would like a more substantial R.O.I.

BDT: What can we expect from you and Amy in the future?

William: inSPYRE Life, currently, is run from home and will be until the foreseeable future. The only thing we would have to move for is warehouse space. All the website management, Virtual Store front, and accounting can all be done from the house. When the business becomes more well known and the inventory outgrows our house, we will then look to move into a proper facility. There are NO plans to open any retail outlets or to have a store presence of any kind. This, again, would take money away from the charities due to the Cost of Doing Business.

So, you just spent 5 minutes reading this and feel more awesome having done so – take two minutes to go give some money! Thanks!