As the icon of physical fitness of the 90s, Motivator became a serial entrepreneur.
Have you ever wondered what happened to the Spaniard's fitness icon that uses spandex?
It turns out that he has become an entrepreneur and now runs a successful adventure tourism business in Jamaica, after concerns about air quality in London.
It allows you to perform high-octane training routines that made you gain prominence in a time when the Spice Girls dominated the music charts and double-denim was not a fashionable fad.
Even for a short time, he made the bumbags an essential accessory.
& # 39; Everyone says yes & # 39 ;: Evans still performs high octane training routines that made him stand out in the nineties
You may have also seen it in several marketing campaigns; more recently, an announcement with the mathematical countdown Rachel Riley for the Financial Conduct Authority to give you the deadline to claim against the poorly sold payment protection insurance (it is August 29, 2019 if you were wondering) .
These days, Motivator, the real name of Derrick Evans, divides his time in Britain to make the tour circuit and other events, and his native land, Jamaica, where he runs the adventure tourism business H & # 39; Evans Scent.
This is the money that reached him to discuss how he became famous and why he is now avoiding the business that he built from scratch.
Spandex and bumbags, a business match?
Evans, now 65, became a household name after appearing on the GMTV breakfast program as an exercise instructor in the air in the early 1990s.
He was famous for wearing bright spandex accompanied by a bumbag that quickly became his trademark.
His energetic routines and positive attitude, characterized by his famous phrases, such as "Be happy!" & # 39; Become evil! & # 39; and & # 39; Everyone says yes & # 39 ;, led him to be known affectionately as Mr. Motivator, a name that was later recorded.
But his way to the studio floor that started his fitness empire was unconventional.
His relationship with the program began when he became personal trainer of Eamonn Holmes and Lorraine Kelly, after a casual meeting with the latter on a plane.
Evans, 65, divides his time in the UK to tour and other events and his homeland, Jamaica.
Holmes had known about Evans in advance through the presenter Gloria Hunniford, who hired him as a fitness instructor.
"One day, while I was waiting for Eamonn at ITV's Southbank studios, I saw a guy walking around the reception area with a big belly," recalls Evans.
"I approached him and said," Oi, you need to fix that belly ", to which he replied" Clear "and walked away.
& # 39; It turns out that he was the controller of the GMTV program.
I found out from the receptionist where his office was and I left an exercise bike in it. Two days later, I went back and told him I needed to use that exercise bike.
& # 39; Long story short, I made him train and he finally told me he needed to be on TV.
"The problem was that he did not believe that advertisers promoted or advertised around a segment of a black man exercising.
"Instead, the advertisers wanted a blond white woman with two children."
However, Evans had a stroke of luck after listening to a woman, who was on the GMTV production team, talking on the phone about how she would like someone to participate in the exercise.
Motivator and Dr. Hilary Jones met with former Prime Minister Gordon Brown at 10 Downing Street as part of GMTV's "Motivate" campaign
Evans said: "I told him to leave the phone, and she did, I have a front that you see.
I told him I could do it. He repeated that the controllers claim that the advertisers would not do it because I am black, but they told me not to worry because things have a way of changing.
They did it. Its fitness segment became a regular feature in the program after impressing the producers, the public and, above all, the advertisers.
Evans' popularity on GMTV led to the launch of a series of fitness videos that include Motivator's 10 minutes of BLT and 10 minutes of Motivator training.
It still holds the record for the majority of fitness DVD sales in the UK according to IMDB.
Evans was famous for wearing bright spandex accompanied by a bumbag that quickly became his trademark
He also wrote an autobiography, called The Warm Up, in which he tells the story of his life inside and outside the lycra.
But becoming a household name is one thing, and translating it into a trustworthy and viable business is another.
Evans credits the skills he learned in his previous professional experiences for the longevity of his fitness business.
His colorful attire, for example, is a marketing strategy heavily influenced by an accessory business that he ran in the late 1970s, where he bought and sold stock based on colors that he believed would be fashionable in the future.
Evan also credits his former management role in a factory that produces the Energen One Cal (which does not exist alone) during the 1970s for having taught him the basic principles of running a business, specifically marketing.
"I started wearing black leggings, but I soon realized that TV fitness instructors wearing similar clothes no longer existed, so I had to think carefully about how they promoted me.
That's when the bright colors came into play. Then I thought about wearing socks and laces of different colors.
& # 39; The fanny package served as a microphone storage solution. It meant that the microphone would always be out of the way, no matter what it was doing, but it soon became a fashion statement.
The winner of the raffle will receive full ownership of the business and the property of the adventure park on the site for a value of $ 2.4m (£ 1.8m), as well as $ 40k (£ 30,200) in cash.
How could you "win" your Jamaican adventure park.
Evans eventually spent time on GMTV and moved to Jamaica in 2003, in part because of concerns about air quality in London about her daughter's asthma.
There he founded H & # 39; Evan Scent, an adventure park with zip lines and a paintball facility.
Evans said he was inspired by the outdoor adventure company Go-Ape, which does something similar in the UK, minus the paintball experience.
Evans said that the money he earned from his Mr Motivator character meant he could finance the "tens of thousands of pounds" needed to start the business.
Now, 15 years after the creation of the company, Evans feels that it is the right time to get away from the business.
But instead of giving it to his adult children (he has a son and two daughters) or selling it directly, Evans has taken the usual step of avoiding it.
Each ticket costs $ 30 (£ 23) and the winner will be awarded full business ownership and ownership of the adventure park on the site for a value of $ 2.4 million (£ 1.8 million), as well as $ 40,000 (£ 30,200) ) cash.
There is no minimum ticket sales threshold, which means that the prize will be awarded even if only a handful of tickets have been sold.
Evans expects to sell at least 50,000, describing it as a "comfortable" number.
The closing date of the competition is January 13, 2019 and the big drawing will take place the next day. He has created a website dedicated to the draw.
Evans is raffling his H & # 39; Evan Scent adventure park business with zip lines and a paintball facility
"I have enough to live comfortably and I think it would be a great opportunity for someone," Evans said.
& # 39; Doing it this way will be fast. It would take me more time if I tried to sell it. It means that I can continue to spend more time with my grandchildren.
Does this mean that Mr. Motivator will soon hang his bumbag forever?
No! I love dealing with people and what I do allows me to do that.
"I'm 66 years old this year and I do not know how long I'll have to be in good health, I keep jumping like a chicken without a head, but I do not intend to slow down while I still can." & # 39;
Essential elements of small business
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