What's all the commotion about??
The arguably overdue, arguably unneeded, high topically but completely unrelated…
What’s going on in our world. (if you like, share your updates and wins with Hence too! Either here, via email or on Instagram!)
First off, lets get some context.
“Blogging” about this seems wrong initially. Like it’s taking liberties with your time.
But it’s not, is it?
Sharing the journey and updating the people that want to know how things are progressing with this brand is a really natural thing. Which leads us nicely into the point; natural progress & growth.
When Hence was started it was a single product, Greens Stack and a pipe dream. No website, strictly Amazon and when there was a website, it was purely for information to send potential customers to Amazon.
“Build it and they will come”
A phrase used with an ironic twist, because “they” won’t come and buy, particularly in the case where nothing more than a product is made. Because a business is not a product alone.
When you have no clue who “they” are, how is anyone supposed to find the brand?
The core purpose behind Greens Stack was simply, “I wanted it, I couldn’t find it, so others must want it too!”
They might (they did!) but how is anyone supposed to know?
If you look at the early marketing and social media posts, Hence was based on a “proud parent” style approach.
“Look how cool this is!”
And ignoring the repeated…
“But, what is it?!?”
Let’s not dwell
As Greens Stack started to positively impact more and more people, ideas started to grow. There was much more to be done. Greens Stack is the flagship, but there needs to be more products and brand behind it!
With a better understanding of what people want and need, ways of getting these solutions started to show themselves. But first, there had to be a who & why…
Who wants this, who agrees with the message and vision?
Hence had to grow, to be more than a product. It had to be a complete business, with systems for processes and a vision, with a road ahead.
Happily admit today, Hence hasn’t clicked yet, not enough people know about it and the message of the brand hasn’t been as good as the products performance.
It’s strangely nice to be able to write this, this way around, often brands are better marketers than their products…
So anyway, what has happened that’s worth blogging about?
The quick answer - Lots! Growth!
So much has been learnt, built, wasted, gotten wrong and missed. The bad stuff is where a lot of the quickest growth has come from. Admitting it is also as important.
The Bad
Brand message and the content, particularly early on. Let’s just call this learning. It’s getting better all the time now, right? This was massively undervalued initially. Hence was product focused, but it needed to back it up with a good message to be a proper brand.
The flavour of Greens Stack can be improved. We can’t please everyone, but we can do better. It’s high on the priority list but it needs to be upgraded not just changed. This is the cause of the delay, quality, without compromise.
Zn Mag is misrepresented, wrongly named and on the whole, not really understood. Bit of a flop - but a great product still! It’s just not like any other product we’ve seen available. Nowhere seems to have this combination of ingredients or even perhaps, approach to post-workout. Naming it Zn Mag was wrong too. Yes, 1 part of it’s formula is the best way to deliver the right amount of zinc and magnesium post-exercise, but that’s far from the full product. So this is improving…
Delays - maybe we hide it well, but there have been so many delays on all the new stuff! Ideas, opportunities, products, collaborations, all of it! The next 2 Stacks should have been launched by now. As well as MindFit, Hence’s answer to the mental game of being a High Performance Athlete/individual, all delayed for various reasons. It’s realised and so steps are being made...
The Good & the Amazing
Partner Products. Hence could have created the partner products we now offer, in theory, but when a product is done really well and everything is just as you want it, why compete! It started with Omega3Zone, that Omega 3 oil is the best around. With a great delivery system (misunderstood, again). The Coffee, by Urban Nectar, was a complete lucky find - that coffee is, well, show us another Cup score of 87 and we can consider! Then there is the latest partner, Reyllen Fitness Grips, again, the best out there! Try them all, they are the best, it’s not in dispute.
Bio Marker Testing has landed and is available now! Something that is massively underused, partly due to ignorance and misunderstanding, partly cost. Hopefully, we can change this. Gaining that level of insight into the body we live in is crucial from growth. You may think it’s unnecessary or something only the pro’s do. You’d be wrong… I’d ask you to check out that part of the site and Forth portal, everything is explained there best. It’s also, pretty reasonable cost and very efficient service! This data WILL aid in personal progress.
Future products are coming really soon now! CBD++ has had so much research done! it’s formulated, tested and packaged. The CBD industry has evolved hugely in the last 6 months, as well as the consumer understanding. There is another time for this subject very soon but lets say one thing - the real THC content in products right now in a largely unregulated market is concerning and noticeable. Stick to Brands with Integrity! #GETHENCE
Further into the not so distance future products - Fuel Stack (probable name) is formulated and due to be tested this month. This is another unique Stack. You may have tried various other meal replacements or protein+carb products. This is different. With an absolute promise, you will have never tried anything like this.
MindFit, mentioned earlier, and if you follow Hence Stacks on Instagram or have read any previous blog posts, you will have seen sniffs at this “MindFit” word, maybe largely unexplained. In Brief, MindFit is a 100% Hence made, Mindset & Mental game program for helping high performance athletes get a bulletproof mind and systems to run their performance and life at a higher level. Like Trump said… “It’s gunna be great”. Again, more soon.
Performance programs will soon be available. This is a different approach again. Collaboration on a number of levels and a variety of offers to suit a range of people and businesses. We had to ensure it fit with the Mission for providing tools for personal growth through integrity and value. Training and nutrition are probably massive areas of life for the majority of people reading this. Hence, we needed to solve some pain points and offer something we believe in! The collaboration partners, in both cases, truthfully care about their clients and their products doing the job they are intended for. This speaks volumes.
The Future
We have covered a lot of future developments already but it’s important to explain the direction and set expectations right.
Progress has been slow on one hand and fast on the the other. What has become apparent is the bigger picture and where this is heading.
Hence is focused on performance fitness and health. Performance, led by health. Meaning when you lose sight of health and functional progress as the goal and start to use products and services that compromise this, it won’t be with us. The pursuit of greatness in many areas seems to come with a great compromise. We believe it should never be at the detriment to personal Health and well being. So let’s prove it.
The Ambassadors role in this is also just beginning. We are building much closer relationships all round and helping them to grow and in turn, help others grow. Many have businesses of their own. Hence should help here too.
It’s a circular economy.
What will be visible very soon is the fun site. The Hence Push up challenge, Some prize giveaways and some insights into their lives! So we can see how much some of these guys actually do, each day, to be at the top of their game!
If you like what you read, hang around, follow along, maybe try something new? It’s excited and scary…