Shane Griffin is a successful entrepreneur and life coach from Canada who went from owning/running nightclubs, to seeking help in rehab for addiction, to earning a degree in Applied Holistic Nutrition, to now owning some of the largest health-based companies across North America.
Now living on his house boat in California, Shane is about to launch the Vitamin Patch Club (www.vitaminpatchclub.com). The Levity Ball caught up and got very personal with Shane to find out more about his inspiring life journey that has led to where he is today…
1. To start off: When did you first know that you wanted to be an entrepreneur?
At a very young age, probably 12-13. I was raised by two entrepreneurial parents who taught me from a young age the importance of chasing dreams. My first company was at the age of 12, I sold personal attack alarms in my hometown. They were a pager-like device that when deployed would emit a 120 decibel siren to derail would be thieves and attackers. That company was call SMG Enterprises.
2. Over the course of your life to-date, you have been a nightclub owner, alarm system salesman, automotive & clothing manufacturer, and worked in capital investments… Do you believe that your work in all these fields has led you to where you are today?
They all brought valuable insight and knowledge. Each one was dynamically different and all had their own obstacles. The most influential had to be owning several nightclubs in Toronto, in this business it is a very hands on approach to customer service and being ahead of the curve. It taught me to lead a team in real time and to build brand awareness daily but most of all how to treat customers fairly, learn how to anticipate what and when customers would want and how to deliver that seamlessly.
3. At the age of 35 you sold off your shares in the various nightclubs you owned and checked into rehab in Malibu, CA. Why was this a huge decision for you and turning point in your life?
It was 35 I sold my properties in Toronto to developers and it was good and bad. It happened very quickly. Within a month I was a liquid multi-millionaire. It seemed like a dream come true… I had worked hard, built epic clubs and owned my buildings, and then poof it was gone. My existence as I knew it evaporated. It took 2 years for me to realize that it was not a dream but rather a nightmare. It was through many different situations that made me realize I had a problem, a drug and alcohol problem. To decide to go to treatment was terrifying as my entire identity was built on my lifestyle of partying. However, I am stubborn and persistent, and once I recognized that I had a problem nothing was going to derail my objectives. Thankfully during rehab I learned about myself as an individual, and I learned my truth. That truth is what has led me here today: I am a advocate of solving life’s problems and work everyday on self awareness, leadership and helping others, which is why we have built into VPC the charitable initiative division, I call it Philanthropreneurship, building a business based in giving back.
4. You are now 5 years sober… What is your advice to others who are battling substance abuse issues?
I recently did a video on my top 10 components to being sober and maintaining it. https://youtu.be/5iEokcfpTyw … Ironically all of these are important to daily life and being a better person.
5. You have since moved to the West Coast of California full-time and have now invented the Vitamin Patch Club, how did the idea to create these patches come to you?
It was interesting how this came about, it was common sense. Since rehab I went back to school and earned a degree in Applied Holistic Nutrition, as well I became a Certified Co-active Life Coach. So I knew that people wanted a solution to their health deficiencies but were not being told the truth. I didn’t have a solution until I was closing one of my wellness centers. During that closure I needed closure from the Million dollars I had invested and lost, the embarrassment, the disappointment, and anger. During that week I reflected and decided I had felt sorry for myself long enough… one week haha… and in turn needed to begin the rebuild of me, yet again. So I decided I needed to start with quitting smoking. I drove to the pharmacy and asked the Pharmacist what was the best way to quit smoking, gum, meds, or patch. She immediately answered patch and explained the concept of transdermal technology. Simply the absorption of nicotine through the skin allowing for 90% absorption, and time released. We were standing in the Vitamin aisle at the time. Immediately I saw an opportunity to take the same technology and improve the absorption for my many clients. Consequently I left the store without buying the nicotine patches. I went to work on designing and building what would become Vitamin Patch Club.
6. What has the consumer feedback been so far for those have tested it out?
One Word: EPIC!
7. When you do finally get some downtime in your busy business life, what do you enjoy doing?
I live on a boat so I like to cruise the coast and often will anchor for the night in remote bays along the California coast. I also like hiking and am a fan of hockey. I am Canadian after all. I also enjoy driving and Airbnbing in small remote towns and just wandering.
8. Do you ever get to come out to New York? If so, where are some of your favorite places to hang, eat, etc.?
I love NYC! I am a big fan of theater and the arts so a Broadway show is always on my list. A day in Central Park is always nice too. I visit occasionally and the last time was for the UFC fight with Rose Namajunas. I usually like to try new places that are current but I am also a fan of the TAO Group as I know the guys who started it.
9. Why does giving back and charity mean so much to you these days?
It really always has been a part of the way I was raised. I just believe as we get older we identify things more linearly that we have purpose or are drawn to. I am very passionate that the world need collective help. We are one race the human race and should be treating each other as such. I feel somewhere along the way we have gotten so used to people doing wrong that now when something is done as a it should be that it gets hero status. I am sick of idling standing by and pointing out these things so I decided that with this second chance at life, I would live by a new motto “If not me, Who? And If not now, When?”
10. And final question: What would you want the Vitamin Patch Club to be remembered for in years down the road when people look back at it from its starting roots?
Contribution to a better you and a better world. We say “Changing the world, ONE PATCH at a time!!”
