36 Be The Reason for Your Success with Markus Naves

"Ain't nobody coming to save you. You have to be the reason for your own success."

Coach Rodo welcomes entrepreneur, coach, and "football extraordinaire" Markus Naves to the studio. Markus shares his powerful journey from hitting rock bottom—losing his job just two weeks after his youngest son was born—to becoming a successful digital entrepreneur and a pillar in the Kalamazoo youth sports community.

We explore the "Full Circle" moment of Markus watching his son follow in his footsteps to play Division I football at Central Michigan University, including the weight that lifts off a parent's shoulders when that first full-ride offer hits the table. Markus also introduces his "Be The Reason" tech-enabled wristbands and discusses his new mission: The Kalamazoo Polar Bears youth football program. 

From protecting young athletes with "Guardian Caps" to the reality that college coaches are recruiting the parents just as much as the players, this episode is packed with gems for the next generation of athletes and entrepreneurs.

#CoachRodo #WinningRegardless #BeTheReason #KalamazooPolarBears #CentralMichiganFootball #D1Athlete #YouthFootball #Mentorship #Entrepreneurship #SportsParenting #KalamazooSports #FireUpChips

(00:45) - Introducing Markus Naves: Entrepreneur, Mentor, and Director of the Kalamazoo Polar Bears.
(02:30) - Be The Reason: How an NFC-chipped wristband provides 1,000+ daily quotes of motivation.
(05:15) - Rock Bottom to Freedom: Getting fired two weeks after a birth and finding a way online.
(08:30) - The Power of a Strong Partner: How Markus’s wife pushed him when he wanted to quit.
(11:45) - The Full Circle Moment: Raising a D1 son and the first offer from Eastern Michigan.
(14:30) - Like Father, Like Son: Dressing at the "Big House" for Central Michigan University.
(17:15) - Mindset Over Talent: Why discipline and consistency beat "faking it till you make it."
(20:00) - Kalamazoo Polar Bears: Building a brand new youth program focused on safety and development.
(23:45) - "Heads Up" Football: Using Guardian Caps and USA Football certification to protect kids.
(26:15) - Recruiting the Parents: Why "crazy parents" cost talented kids scholarship opportunities.
(29:30) - The Motto: Why it’s you versus you every single day.
(32:00) - How to Support: Sponsorships and donations for the Polar Bears.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

When my youngest son was born, two weeks after he was born, I actually got fired from my job. I had just moved to Kalamazoo, was in a brand new relationship. Um, I had just moved two hours away from my older two kids. So I was in a place of I was just struggling, just like how I'm gonna take care of my kids over here.

SPEAKER_01 0:21

So so you have a son that played Division I football for Central Michigan University. Tell us what that was like molding him and preparing him to play football at uh a high, at, at, at a high level of college football. Um, today I have another special guest. He's a friend of mine, he's a football extraordinaire, his name is Marcus Navis. Um you know, uh I like to give, you know, people an opportunity to, you know, that's working with kids and then motivate kids uh the opportunity to come on and, you know, talk about what they're doing, talk about themselves, you know, give us the reason of being who he is and, you know, why it's important and why he feels it's important to do the things that he does. And um he has his own little uh started his own little football thing. Um he has his own um wristbands, they call it beater reasons, which he's gonna get into and talk about just to give y'all a little, you know, thought about what we're gonna talk about or things of that sort. So uh without further ado, we'll go my man Marcus. So how you doing, man?

SPEAKER_00 2:07

I'm doing good, man. Yeah, appreciate you having me on, man. It's been a long time coming. So I'm excited to be on here.

SPEAKER_01 2:13

Yeah, because I thought, you know, I know Ben, it's been I've been telling you for a while that I'm gonna have you on. So now we finally did it. We finally doing it. It's cool. So yeah, so so so tell them, tell the people about you. Tell them about yourself, you know, what you're doing.

SPEAKER_00 2:25

And um, again, my name is Marcus Naves. Um, I am an entrepreneur, a businessman. I have my own uh business called Team Be the Reason. Uh, I have a couple of things. Um, I'm uh doing some consulting. I help teach people how to make money online with affiliate marketing, utilizing AI. And like you said, I also have my own uh wristband companies called Be the Reason Bracelets, uh, where um we help motivate entrepreneurs and athletes on their journey of success and helping them and motivating them on their on our goals. So uh just doing a couple things. I'm also the director and head coach of the Kalamazoo Polar Bears. We are a brand new youth football program here in Kalamazoo. So I'm excited to get back to coaching, get back on the field and you know, start, you know, continue to mentor and help kids because that's one of the things that's most important to me.

SPEAKER_01 3:25

Okay, okay. Now, with all of that being said, let's let's let's let's go down the line. Now, with your be the weeds, can I see one of them? Yeah, go ahead. Your be the reason bracelets, man. Um, you showed me something that was very, very I had never seen anything like it before. That was very, very intriguing. Man, why don't why don't you um break down, cause people just think you see be the reason, oh, that's all that's on there. No, break it down and show them what it, what, what, what, what it do.

SPEAKER_00 3:51

Okay, well, my my life motto really has been kind of be the reason for your own success. Like, ain't nobody coming to save you. So, in order to, you know, do the things you want to do in your life, whether it's like having that freedom, maybe it's starting on a basketball team or a varsity team or getting a promotion or a raise, like, you need to be the reason for your own success. So that's kind of been my motto. And I've always worn these uh wristbands. I had the silicone ones, and then I thought to myself, like, how can I like get quotes on the bracelets and you know, help motivate people on their journey? Being a former athlete and entrepreneur now, I know how tough it is, and I just wanted to motivate people. So we got these be the reason wristbands, they're stretchy, they're reversible, um, they're waterproof as well. And the cool thing about them is um they work off just the tap of your phone. So they have an NFC chip. So when you touch it to your phone, it's gonna bring up a brand new inspirational quote every time you tap it to your phone. So um this one stays stay dangerous by staying ready. So we got over a thousand quotes on our wristbands. We have a lot of different colors and different patterns that you guys can choose from. Uh, you can check those out at btrbracelets.com. But the whole goal is to motivate and help inspire people on their journeys.

SPEAKER_01 5:25

So with you doing this and motivating, and you know, me and you always talking about that when we have a cocktail or two sitting out, sitting around at the bar just chilling, you know, with this being your motivation and and how did you get started and wanting to become motivating and also, you know, your journey into sports and football, and then wanting to pass your knowledge, of course, on to others.

SPEAKER_00 5:51

Um, I think it just started with at a young age, really. Even when I was in like elementary school, I always kind of been just a really, really good athlete. You know, I was a lot more athletic than a lot of other kids. And, you know, I remember my mom telling me when I was in elementary school, like, Marcus, you gotta like help teach the kids, like to help bring them to your level, because she would see how frustrated I was sometimes that, you know, they wasn't as good as me or something like that. And I can remember like actually doing it, like teaching people what to do and watching them succeed. And it's like something like that just made me happy to like help other people and to see them be able to accomplish something that like I could already do or I already did. So um growing up in sports and you know, uh getting pushed by coaches and mentors, and you know, being taught discipline and consistency and, you know, getting motivated in order to accomplish team goals or individual goals, um, that helped mold me to where I am today. Um, to want to coach, help kids, motivate the kids, help teach them the right way, um, and just mentor and be a asset to them as they are, you know, growing and trying to learn this game we call life, you know?

SPEAKER_01 7:16

Now, as mentors, you know, we always try to uh help the kids avoid some of the pitfalls that we haven't may have ran into or have some of the things that have stopped us from achieving a certain goal at a certain time that we expected to uh achieve them. What are some of the obstacles that you had to overcome and what kept you moving forward past those obstacles, even though they existed, you were still able to move on from them. What were some of those obstacles?

SPEAKER_00 7:47

I mean, to be honest, I had so many obstacles, man, uh in my life. And the one that came to my mind first is when my youngest son was born, two weeks after he was born, I actually got fired from my job. I had just moved to Kalamazoo, was in a brand new relationship. Um I had just moved two hours away from my older two kids. So I was in a place of I was just struggling, just like how I'm gonna take care of my kids over here, how I'm gonna take care of my family here. Like, and you know, I became a stay-at-home dad. And it was one of those, like, man, my wife or my girl, she was my girl at the time, but she went back to work from maternity leave early. She's paying all the bills, and I'm just at home taking care of the kids. So, like, for me, that was like rock bottom. I got my girl taking care of all five of these kids, holding it down for us. Like, man, what am I gonna do in order to like help her? So that's when I started my journey of like doing stuff online. So since I was there with my son, I could, you know, watch some YouTube videos and learn different ways and different side hustles that I could do from home to try to make some money online. And um, through that, I was able to uh get a mentor and find somebody to teach me the right way to do it. Because I have started it and I was failing and I was giving up. But my wife actually is the one that kept me telling me to keep keep going. Like she didn't say, hey, you gotta go get you a job. No, you know, this is this is over. You know what I'm saying? She was one of those that, you know, kept pushing me and inspiring me and motivating me to want to keep doing it because I wanted to quit so many times. Right. You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_01 9:41

Failure is this failure makes cowards of us, you know?

SPEAKER_00 9:44

Yeah, man. Yeah. And I was and I was failing. Yeah, and you was tired of it. And I was tired of it. But she just believed in me and helped push me to where I finally was able to start making consistent income from home to where now I can, you know, have the freedom to come do stuff like this and, you know, help pay bills and coach.

SPEAKER_01 10:13

You know, start your mentorship with the kids. Because you gotta have a strong, you know, backbone at home that allows you to actually be the person that you really are.

SPEAKER_00 10:22

Yeah, man.

SPEAKER_01 10:23

Which you are, you a teacher, you're a coach, you know, a mentor. Right. You know. So you need that.

SPEAKER_00 10:29

Yeah, oh yeah, definitely need. And that's what I'm trying to help with a lot of these kids. Yeah. Um, I just know how important it was for me to have a mentor, coaches, uh, other parents that cared, um, that wanted all of us to have success and didn't want us in the streets and things like that. So uh I just want to be, like I said, that asset to these kids and others as we go forward.

SPEAKER_01 10:56

So now another thing that I like to do is I like to give my guest the opportunity, you know, to talk about, you know, their kids, you know. So so you have a son that played Division I football for Central Michigan University. Tell us what that was like, molding him and preparing him to play football at a high level of college football.

SPEAKER_00 11:21

Yeah, I'm I mean, from the day he was born, I just knew. I was like, man, I can't wait until, you know, he's at that age where I can start teaching him some of the stuff I'd learned in college as a Division I college football player. And, you know, once he got that age, it was it was different because him and me and his mom were divorced. So it wasn't like I was there every single day. But the days we were together, I was able to, you know, uh help teach him, get his hands right, get his feet right, start teaching him the game, um, just at a higher, different level than, you know, a lot of these other little kids is learning. Um, just because I've been there, done that. You know what I mean? And uh one of the biggest things that like I struggled with when I did move, because I used to live outside of Flint area. Um, and my son and my daughter, uh, they grew up in Grand Blanc. And they um, my son graduated from Davis, and my daughter is still the junior right now. Um, but when I moved from there, one of the things I struggled with was not being able to coach him and be there and having other people, you know, get their hands on him and just being able to trust that he was still gonna get to where he wanted to get. And one of the things I was most proud of was seeing that first offer. I remember he got that first offer. Um, I took him up to uh eastern Michigan for a visit. And I remember just waiting in the waiting room. The coach wanted to see us and talk to us, and we're just out there kind of just hanging out, not really thinking of anything. And when we got back there in that office, and the coach said, hey, we'd like to offer you a full ride. And I would, I just a lot of the weight just felt like it just lifted off my show.

SPEAKER_01 13:24

Yeah, because there was that education that we always want our kids to have past high school.

SPEAKER_00 13:29

Yeah, man. I was I was just so happy and so proud of him that he, you know, continued to work and, you know, took ownership of it himself. It wasn't, oh, you you here because your daddy do this, you here because your daddy do that. No, I'm here because I put in the work and I'm better than you. Or whatever. You know what I'm saying? So it was a very, very proud moment. And then the very next day, actually, he got another offer from Central Michigan. And that was crazy because that's where I actually played Division I college football out of high school with Central Michigan University. And it was just like, oh man, full circle. Full circle. And the cool thing is that's where he ended up going in Central Michigan. And it was just like, man, like father like son. Yeah. And the cool thing, like this year, he was a true freshman. He got red-shirted, he didn't get to play. Um, but like he got to dress for his first college game ever at the big house this year at Michigan Stadium. And that's where I played my first college game ever at the big house as well. So it was just like, man, full circle moment. It was, it was, it was crazy. So I'm proud of him and what he's accomplished so far. So I'm excited.

SPEAKER_01 14:47

So, like, motivation-wise, like what are some of the things that you do to keep him motivated? And, you know, again, with these little kids that you have to coach and with this team that you start, and motivation is gonna be be a key because, you know, when I coach some kids, it's uh it's woo, boy, it's hard to keep their attention. And you know, the best way to do it is to keep them motivated. So what are some of the the techniques and the things that you would say to motivate?

SPEAKER_00 15:15

I mean, just teaching them, like just being real with them, talking to them, um, being that advocate for them, being another like person they can come to and trust, and like, you know, just pushing them to be better, encouraging them, like even if they mess up, it's like, man, you'll it's all right, you'll get you gotta just keep on practicing. Um just, you know, helping with their mindset, because that's the biggest thing in sports and life and business, like it's your mindset. And are you disciplined and are you gonna be show up consistent consistently? Like, that's what we want. You are you gonna put in the reps to become really, really good, or are you just gonna go off your pure talent and you know, just fake it till you make it, kind of thing. So um just trying to get the best out of the kids, trying to push them to succeed and see you know, them as just more than just athletes. You know what I'm saying? You are a student athlete. Make sure you're doing what you're supposed to do in the classroom, being respectful to the teachers, make sure you're supposed to be doing what you're supposed to do at home, you know, being respectful to your parents, making sure like you're taking care and doing what your mom tells you to do or your dad tell you asks you to do. Just like, you know, being good people. Right. And, you know, pushing them to do that. That's that's kind of my number one goal.

SPEAKER_01 16:41

Now, here's another thing that I like to do with my guests who are, you know, coaches and is coaching. Um, this is your chance to pub your Kalamazoo, you know, um, polar bear football team. I I didn't realize how many people and parents that I know in Kalamazoo that actually listen to the podcast. And um, you know, you never know they got nieces and they get or and nephews and and grandkids who maybe they're looking for something. That's a cheerleading program. So let's go. Let's go. Pub it up. Let's go. Tell about tell my listeners about it.

SPEAKER_00 17:16

Hey, if you guys want a gray program, I mean, we start with football right now, um, doing some football cheerleading, but if you uh want your son or nephew or grandson to play for an organization that really cares about development and, you know, both on the field, with the sports, off the field, um, with school, and in the community, that's what the polar bears are all about. We are here to mentor young athletes and teach them the right way of doing it in sports, in the classroom, in the community. And we are here, I've got over 10 years experience coaching at the varsity level. Um, I've helped over 70 athletes get scholarships coaching at Grand Blank High School back in the day. Um and we got a uh certified coaching staff. Everybody is USA football certified. Um, we are really focusing on development and teaching the right way, especially when it comes to tackle football. I know a lot of parents are, you know, kind of nervous and get a little scared because of concussions and things like that. So um we are all USA football certified. We're um, you know, teaching the right way to tackle, heads up, you know, eyes to hips, um, going through the body, things like that. So making sure that we do protect the kids with concussions. Um we're also gonna get uh those guardian caps, those soft caps on our helmets to help protect them uh even more. So um we just looking for opportunities to help kids in Kalamazoo get better, help keep them off the streets, help, you know, help them believe in themselves with with a sport and help create a brotherhood. And, you know, uh yeah, so I mean that's where we about uh you can check us out at Kalamazoo Polar Bears.com. We have our website right now. Um next month, actually May 9th, we are throwing a youth football camp for ages 7 to 12. So um look out for that. Um you can go to Kalamazoopolar Bears.com and check out the website and register for the camp. The camp is 20 bucks. So it's gonna be at Up John Park from 10 to 1.

SPEAKER_01 19:43

And also, too, man, I want I want you to, you know, with you being a father of a college athlete, the one thing that I always try to explain to parents is coaches are also recruiting them. So we want our parents to be respectful of our coaches, of the mentors, and to understand that these guys want the best for our kids. So, you know, even though they may do things a little differently than you, just understand that they're not there to hinder, hurt, or harm your child. They're there to teach them and, you know.

SPEAKER_00 20:17

Oh, absolutely. Um, that's one thing, like, part of the recruiting process that I don't think a lot of people understand is like not only are they recruiting your athlete, they recruiting the parents, right? Like they looking at the parent, like, is this somebody that we're gonna have to have issues with? Like if the mama crazy or your dad's crazy, or somebody in your family, you just not, you know, somebody that they want to deal with. I mean, you can get passed up on opportunities and scholarships and stuff like that just because of other people. You can have one of the better athletes out there who does deserve that, but he also deserves the parents and the families to be respectful as well.

SPEAKER_01 21:06

And we start that in our youth organizations. Oh, yeah. You know, the the type of parent that you start out being is the type of parent that you'll end up being. You know, so and I'm glad that you were able to touch on that. Um, you know, so I also like um I love quotes. So, and I love for my guests to, you know, give me a quote that they, you know, you you got plenty. I know you have your one favorite. Tell my audience what your one favorite quote is that you pretty much love to live by. Um like mine, for instance, is sending the elevator back down.

SPEAKER_00 21:41

Okay. I like that. One thing that I say all the time, and it goes really with my brand, is you gotta be the reason for your own success. Like, there you go. Nobody out here gonna save you. If you wanna do things differently. You gotta choose. You make the decision. You know what I'm saying? So you either choosing right from wrong, or even if you choose right, that still might not be the right decision. You know what I'm saying? So be the reason for your own success. Like if you want different, you gotta be different. And it starts with you and the accountability with you and the discipline with you and the consistency with you. Like it's you versus you every single day. And you know, who gonna win?

SPEAKER_01 22:28

So now with that being said, um, we're about to wrap this up. Um if such as myself who wants to donate, um, because I know all sports youth programs like donations, they they can use some donations. How do we get get you some donations? Because again, I'm gonna donate. I mean, I'm I'm gonna, you know, talk to some people that I know in my industry and you know, perhaps be able to find some other, but how do people get in touch in case there's some others that want to donate?

SPEAKER_00 23:01

Okay. Um again, uh you can check out KalamazooPolo Bears.com. Um, we have a couple different tabs on the website uh where you can click like sponsorships. Um we have a couple of different sponsorship packages on there. Um and you can basically choose which one you want to do. So we have one set up for like individuals. If you just like, you know, want to just donate to the program and say you got 20 bucks and you want to throw it in there, that's that's fine. We also have uh corporate sponsorships with like businesses and and and things like that on there. We have different packages, different levels that you can choose from. So um I think we have five different, yeah, five different packages of sponsorships that you can choose from. Um, and you'll be able to support us uh with equipment, um, being able to help the kids, you know, on their journey, um, uh, you know, just trying to be the best that they can be. And we really appreciate every person that gives us a donation and want to, you know, support the polar bears.

SPEAKER_01 24:06

Help the kids be the reason for their own success.

SPEAKER_00 24:09

Yes, sir. That's what it's about, man.

SPEAKER_01 24:11

There we go. Well, man, Marcus, I appreciate you taking the time to join Coach Rido's Winning Regardless podcast, man. It's been a pleasure having you. And I can't wait to get out there and catch some of them football games, man. And and then again for the little young ladies, when you start your little cheerleading, I can't wait to see them slipping and dipping and yelling and screaming. Oh, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:29

We're gonna put it together, man. So I appreciate you taking the time, having me on, and being able to promote myself, the brands, um, the team. I love what you're doing. Um, winning at all costs, and you know, I love it, man.

SPEAKER_01 24:44

Well, thank you, man. Appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00 24:46

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 24:47

Well, everyone, thank you for tuning in to Coach Rotto's podcast. Winning regardless. Another great day with another great guest. Peace.