Three months later, after his first amateur fight went the distance, Tim tossed his participation trophy onto the gym floor and promised himself that he wouldn’t lose again. And for the most part, he didn't.
Fast forward and after a career fighting as both an amateur and professional boxer, it was time for Tim to transition into life post fighting;. He soon learned that a permanent move to Columbus and a full-time job just wasn’t enough to fill the void left when he stopped competing. When the reality of the costs of living, including child support, began to eat away at his earnings, Tim got moving on his side hustle. “I’d always been a hustler. I repaired and refurbished cars that I would sell.” To finance his future dreams, Tim took up the seasonal work of landscaping and snow plowing, all in the hopes of saving enough capital to contribute to a future venture.
For two solid years, he worked every job, angle and project that he could to save money. He’d even moved in with his brother so that he could rent out his own house. His days were grueling; usually starting at 4am and ending at 11pm. He’d made up his mind years ago, that he was never going to lose again and it showed in the work he put in. “I didn’t sleep, I’d only rest. There was no such thing as sleep to me. Even to this day I don’t sleep. My mind is constantly racing on making money.” When the time came to launch out, Tim and some partners that he’d shared his vision of owning a business with did their margin call to put their shared funds on the table to see what their fledgling business would have to work with; but only Tim had anything saved.
A trip to the Arnold Classic Expo with all of its vendors confirmed for the former athlete that his business needed to be something in the realm of fitness. “It wasn’t going to be water. It was going to be a detox drink.” So, Tim Bowe and his savings launched out. But after one racially tinged meeting with a beverage bottler, Tim’s plans changed. “They took one look at me and thought I didn’t have the money. I had a check for ten grand on me! Literally in my pocket!” This led to a closer examination of what it was he intended to offer. “I started doing my research. I looked at the relatively short expiration date of those drinks and learned that to be successful, these companies had to come out with new drinks every two years.”
There were none of those issues with water. The inspiration for the name came from the very place he’d transitioned from bully, to fighter…to teacher.
“I was in the gym and how we motivate people is to tell them “Beautiful, beautiful.” when they do something well.”
Beau2ful Fitness Water was born in 2014. It was a smart decision, and timely. In 2016 bottled water overtook all bottled beverages to become the largest beverage category by volume in the United States.
According to Tim, It hasn’t been easy, but then not much on his journey has been. Tim and Beau2ful Water are in year three of his five-year plan. “The ultimate goal is to be everywhere in the world. Global. Maybe have Coke or Pepsi buy me out. Then I’m going to buy an island and party like a rock star.” Sometimes, the struggles of change can be a good thing, and something tells me that Tim Bowe is up for that fight.
Water, Water Everywhere...
...And it's Beautiful
written by Kevin M.J. Murphy