We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashley Juge and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashley, how do you think about risk?
Risk is a tricky one. We hear people often say, “with great risk comes great reward!” but that’s only a partial bit of wisdom. The truth is that with *intelligent* risk comes great reward. Throwing your resources into any and every idea you have isn’t smart or calculated – you need to assess your current situation, have a clear and specific picture of the results you desire for your life and business and then take a closer look at the options or ideas that actually have the potential to get you there. Understanding the results that you want will help you figure out where you need to take those intelligent risks. And most importantly, as soon as you commit to a risk, take ACTION. Your business will not work unless YOU do and “hoping to be noticed” is a quick and efficient way to kill momentum and waste your resources. As Julius Caesar famously demonstrated – If you want to take the island, burn the ships! There is no choice but to move forward and conquer! Intelligent risk is inextricable from successful entrepreneurship.
What should our readers know about your business?
Josh and I launched Muscle Pirate in Spring of 2020. Everything had just been shut down here due to covid so we sold our golf club manufacturing business and dove full-time into creating fitness products to serve everyone now stuck at home. We produce apparel, pre-workout and bcaa supplements and our focus is an entire line of strongman-style sandbags and hurling bags that are each handmade with incredibly strong ballistic nylon. We’ve sponsored a number of strongman competitions and athletes since launching and are continually looking for ways to bring more value to our customers. Every single item purchased passes through the hands of Josh and/or myself. Attention to detail and quality is everything.

Was it easy? Absolutely not. The sheer amount of stress created by selling a company internationally and starting a new one from scratch during a massive economic fall is outrageous, and nothing was ever a certainty at any point. Every single move we made was a huge (yet intelligent) risk but as I said before, if you want to take the island, burn the boats. And burn the boats we did – there was no going back, nothing to fall back on if we failed, so the only option was the KEEP MAKING PROGRESS. No matter how difficult things became, we never gave up on the goals. We gave to the strength and fitness community even when we financially shouldn’t have, because we believe in the service we provide.
Now about a year later, we are innovating and evolving within Muscle Pirate so that we can serve the athletics community on an even greater scale! Keep a weather eye on our website (www.musclepirate.com) – some really excellent content and surprises are rolling out any day now!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
As far as my favorite spots in the city, we don’t go to a lot of places at the moment! We are starting yet another new business alongside Muscle Pirate so we usually work until late in the evenings, get in our physical training in somewhere in there, and by the time it’s all said and done, it might be 10pm already. I will say though, that Silverback Gym in Conroe is a place we frequent daily and we absolutely love it. Our time in the gym is sacred – it is part of our business, it is part of what we do and it is imperative for overall health and functionality. Silverback is a spectacular facility with superior quality equipment and even better people. I can’t recommend it enough.

When we *do* get to have a little fun, Josh and I love us some Texas Roadhouse in Conroe. There’s nothing better than sitting down to a badass meal where we can talk over new ideas and enjoy each other’s company. We don’t need much to have a great time!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My partner, my Viking, Josh Crews, has never once backed down from a risk. We’ve built businesses together, even amidst the worst economic downturn we have yet witnessed in our lifetime. I highly encourage you, dear readers, to seek out his Instagram: @joshuathevikingcrews – Not only is he an outstanding entrepreneur sporting a MBA, but he is also a  performance coach and CPT, has been featured on the Golf Channel, ESPN and several other networks! And did I mention he is a 6’8″ Viking that puts Thor to shame? True story.

Website: www.musclepirate.com

Instagram: @muscle.pirate @adventurous.ashley @joshuathevikingcrews

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutHTX is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.