Meet Brian Kawano

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

Hi Brian, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I am the son of an entrepreneur, my father started his farming business when I was very young. My father immigrated to the US from Japan when he was just 19. He built a company that put a roof over our heads, provided everything we needed and put us all through college. My two brothers and I grew up working the farm and pitching in any way we could. From a very early age, I was fascinated with entrepreneurship. Identifying a need or a niche and building something from nothing to meet that need or fill that niche was something I knew I was born for. After college, I worked some corporate jobs but they just weren’t fulfilling. I knew deep down that I wasn’t going to be happy unless I took my swing. I accidentally fell into the fitness industry about 18 years ago and immediately fell in love with it. I loved making connections with people, being a part of their fitness journey and playing some part in changing their lives.

I played a role in opening four different gyms from the ground up. I loved the process. Taking a concept with zero members and creating a living breathing business. But more importantly, building a culture that didn’t exist. Building a culture was the primary driver behind opening ENDVR Active Community. I had the opportunity to partner with Mike Lopez, Nancy De La Huerta and Louis Cano to create a different kind of fitness experience based not around the workouts but around the culture. Mike, Nancy and I worked together at a different gym for five years. We all saw the same issue that gyms were primarily a place where people put on their headphones, knocked out their workouts and left or were so class structured that you never really had time to interact with your fellow member. This can be very intimidating to a lot of people. We wanted to create something that catered to those who were too intimidated by the traditional gym structure. To the people who didn’t have the fitness knowledge to go into a sea of random equipment and know what to do with it or the people who didn’t have the fitness level to jump into these one size fits all class models. We saw a need there. A need for a place where you will feel welcomed, supported and motivated every time you walk in. A need for a place that creates a culture of belonging and acceptance no matter what your fitness level is. We also wanted to provide our knowledge without having to pay insane amounts of money to access it by being forced to buy expensive one on one training that most people just can’t afford like most traditional gyms. So the concept of ENDVR Active Community was formed and we took the jump into starting our own business.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
ENDVR Active Community was built to cater to three specific groups. Those who have always been too intimidated to join a traditional gym, those who kept a regular fitness routine at some point but fell off for a long time and are just getting back into it and those who are coming off major injuries or have physical limitations.

Joining a gym can be very intimidating. The multi-billion dollar fitness industry is built off of just 18% of the population that has a gym membership. What about the other 72%? If you don’t know what to do, don’t know how to work around your physical limitations, aren’t on the fitness level to keep up with high intensity classes, feel embarrassed or are self conscious about yourself or any of the thousands of other reasons then joining a gym can be difficult. We recognized the fact that so many people need more to get them to take that big scary step and start their fitness journey. This is where the term Active Community comes from. We want to be more than just a gym. We want to show people that there are plenty of people just like them. We also want to show them that fitness can exist beyond the four walls of a gym.

What makes ENDVR Active Community stand out above the rest and what we are most proud of is the community and culture that we have built. ENDVR Active Community is built around two driving forces. What we call our Guided Workouts and our events. We offer five different programs: strength and conditioning, core strength and mobility, Cardio HITT, Hypertrophy and Recovery. Our programs are also designed for the busy person. There is not a strict class time start. You progress through the workout at your own pace so you can show up anytime to start your workout. Our Guided Workouts are designed to be customizable based on your level of fitness, injuries, restrictions or just plain ol likes and dislikes. It’s really something to see. Everybody is doing the same base workout but it is tweaked to fit each individual. This brings a tremendous amount of support and motivation. People who are just beginning are motivated by not only seeing the more advanced people move through the workout but by knowing they are doing basically the same workout. It gives them real time goals and motivation to continue and grow. The more advanced people are motivated by watching someone who has never worked out before trying their hardest and pushing through barriers. All the while, we encourage everybody to help each other out, support each other and get to know each other. Our events are the second part of this. We believe that the more like minded people you can surround yourself with the more successful you will be. We also believe that just working out in the gym is eventually going to get boring and demotivating. Each month we offer 4-6 events that are both fitness and non-fitness related. Everything from bike and brewery tours, hikes, excursion trips to Galveston or Austin for outdoor workouts, running groups and so much more teach our members that there are so many different ways to get active and have fun. We also host comedy shows and concerts here at the gym. We organize happy hours and meet ups at different restaurants and bars around town. We set up charity events to give back to the community among other events. All of these things make us an extremely unique fitness experience and keep our members engaged and motivated.

It has not been easy by any means and still is not easy. We opened in 2021, right when business were allowed to reopen after COVID. We thought people would be anxious to get back to fitness. Everybody knows the restaurant industry was hit hard during COVID but most people don’t realize how bad the fitness industry got hit. COVID forced people to find other options besides the gym. It also created a fear of being around large groups of people. The industry is still recovering to this day. The other obstacle is we chose to open in the Greater 5th Ward. This area is definitely one of the most exciting up and coming areas of Houston. The cultural diversity, the small business community and just the overall pride in this community is something special. However, the population density and accessibility isn’t the most ideal for a new business. We have had to find creative ways to get people from Downtown and across the 10/45 junction to come this way. It has been our biggest obstacle. We believe we are the best kept secret and by far the best value in Houston fitness but getting the word out and getting people to come out this way has proven more difficult than we every imagined. We’ve done this by providing the best possible experience and letting our members do the talking for us. The majority of our members have come from referrals from other members. We are extremely proud of this. We’ve learned a lot along the way but the most important lesson is that people want to feel excepted and part of a community. The big box gyms are becoming places for the insta-gurus and influencers to film themselves. People want and deserve more. They want to be recognized and appreciated as individuals. They want to know their fellow gym and community members. They deserve that. That is what we bring at ENDVR Active Community.

This is what we want people to know. We want them to know that there is a place they can come to and feel welcomed and appreciated. Where their individual needs are recognized and tailored to. We want people to know that when you join ENDVR Active Community you are joining a place run by people who love what they do and get no better joy in life greater than helping you reach your goals and who get genuine happiness from watching you hit milestones you never thought you could do. We truly believe ENDVR Active Community is the best kept secret in Houston fitness, but we don’t want it to be! We want everybody to experience all we have to offer.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’ve been in Houston for almost ten years now. I can honestly say that Houston is unlike any other big city in the country. We’re just about to overtake Chicago as the third largest city in the country but it doesn’t feel that way. It’s so spread out and so diverse that you need far more that just a week to even see half of what this city has to offer. But if I only had a week, I definitely could fill it with some amazing places. I like to be active and one thing I love about Houston are all the bike trails (even though things are changing under our new mayor, but don’t get me started on that!). I’m also big beer lover. I come from San Diego, which is one of the best craft beer cities in the country. I was surprised to find how big of a beer city Houston is. One of my favorite things to do is jump on my bike, ride the trails and take a tour of the many breweries accessible by bike. A few of them anyways, you wouldn’t be able to stand, much less bike if you hit them all! Another thing I love about Houston is how big of a foodie city it is. It is one of the most diverse cities in the country and the restaurant industry certainly reflects this. From Asian to African, Middle Eastern, to all over Europe foods of the whole world are on spotlight here. It’s a really cool thing. We’d pick a different type of food each meal and we wouldn’t come close to running out of options. Lastly, I would want to show my friend the amazing culture of the city. From the museum district to new age art and culture like Meow Wolf there is so much to see. I would also hop back on my bike and take them on a tour of the real culture in Houston, the street art. We’ve done mural bike tours from ENDVR showing people some of the absolutely amazing murals around just the east side and downtown parts of the city. We actually have three huge murals on our own building courtesy of UP Art Studios during their annual Big Walls Big Dreams campaigns. How Houston has embraced street art and has made it part of what defines it as a city is unlike anything I’ve ever seen in any other city.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My story couldn’t be told without recognizing several people. First and foremost my parents and brothers. My parents always encouraged me to take risks and follow my passions. They always wanted me to experience as much of what life has to offer. My older brother also deserves a lot of credit. He set the example for my younger brother and myself. He knew his role as the oldest sibling and did everything right. Between my parents instilling an entrepreneurship mentality, my older brother setting an example of how to be successful and my younger brother’s support in my every venture, I had an unbelievable support system my entire life.

My professional life currently also was shaped by several people. Scott Lutwak of FIT Athletic who gave me my start in the fitness industry and who is a tremendous entrepreneur himself. He taught me to see angles nobody was looking at no matter what situation you are in. He also taught me the importance of creating a culture and recognizing that the fitness industry was changing towards people wanting more interaction with their fellow member. Rodrigo Iglesias of Balanced Fitness and Health who took a chance with me and partnered with me in opening my first business venture. You see a lot of what we created at Balanced Fitness and Health in ENVDR. James Cooper of O Athletik here in Houston. He’s the reason I am here in Houston. He trusted me to bring his vision to life. Lastly, and most importantly, my current business partners Mike Lopez, Nancy De La Huerta and Louis Cano. We shared a vision and we all took this leap of faith together. We are building something truly unique and special together here at ENDVR Active Community.

Website: https://www.myendvr.com

Instagram: @myendvr

Facebook: @myendvr

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/endvr-active-community-houston?osq=ENDVR+Active+Community

Other: Sweatpals: ENDVR Active Community
Eventbrite: ENDVR Active Community