5 years ago, almost to the day, I was sh*tting myself… kinda.. but in a good way.. if that’s a thing?
It was a moment I had been looking forward to for as long as I could remember. Something I had prepared for day in and out for almost 20 years and I was a bundle of nerves and excitement. We were minutes from the opening match of Water Polo at the 2016 Olympic Games and it was suddenly becoming very real.
Sitting in the change room, before walking out to play the host nation at the Olympics was something I will never forget. I knew I was ready but I still had to do a bit of last minute self-convincing. “Come on, you are here now! You can do it!” I remember saying aloud before walking out for the team lineups and national anthems.
The crowd was so loud that when you ducked under water you noticed the eerie silence before resurfacing to a wall of noise, the Brazilian fans hurling abuse our way.
Despite big wins against some of the favourites and pushing the Gold Medal winning Serbian team to the last minute in our do or die clash, the Olympics didn’t go as we would have liked.
Yes You Can..’t. Our faces show the disappointment in a narrow loss to the eventual Gold medallists.
We missed out on the Quarter Finals and therefore our chance at a historic medal. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go! We weren’t meant to bow out before the medal rounds! Unfortunately for me, I didn’t get the fairytale finish I was looking for. After 100 caps for Australia, playing professionally overseas in 3 countries, a few World Champs and World Cups later - I was hanging up the green and gold cozzies.
I was certainly not the most naturally talented player to don the speedos. I squeezed as much as I could out of my career in a sport that demands you are in the pool at 5am in the morning, school/uni/work through the day and back up with a 5pm gym into 7pm pool session.. pretty much all year round. At 26, I was looking for something else to fill the 30ish hours a week I had previously spent acquiring my semi-permanent chlorinated body odour.
A few of those things were:
- Growing my first small business Delfina Sport into a recognised international supplier of quality swimwear and apparel
- Help send our Petflair Kickstarter viral with over 40M views across Social Media and shared by celebrities
- Traveling with my partner across Africa and South/Central America
- Pivoting the swimwear business into mask sales during a pandemic, keeping the lights on and jobs safe during an incredibly trying time
- Having a baby and learning how to Dad in the midst of moving between Sydney and Auckland.. And now back to Sydney during COVID. (I have been going hard at the Dad bod part of the new job!)
This was a memory that alcohol didn’t take away.. but sub zero temps and extreme sleep deprivation did! Lucky Soph and I got the photo to prove it happened
And now..
I find myself, 5 years almost to the day later, sh*tting myself once again.
Just having launched a business in a space I had no prior experience or pedigree in, in a category that is emerging but not yet entrenched. Appealing to a customer base who, like me, spent the best part of our teens to mid twenties (and for some of us, beyond) sinking piss and wasting memories.
Instead I am lobbying for more memories made, not wasted by taking the piss out of drinking!
Yes You Can is not the enemy of alcohol and we aren’t here to preach (who am I to judge! I have had many a night I can’t recall). We created Yes You Can to give you a choice. A choice to enjoy those nights out with your mates, without (or even with just a little less) booze. A choice to reward yourself with your favourite drinks, without the inevitable slow start the next day.
Our drinks have been crafted by people infinitely more experienced than me, with each flavour exhaustingly iterated over literally hundreds of hours. If I had known the process would have been this comprehensive and meticulous then maybe I would have tread a different path - good thing I had no prior experience in food tech!
Alas, we got there! With a range of three (for now!) cans of clarity that give you everything you want from their alcoholic forefathers without the sore head, wet bed or text left on read. (And for those interested, also without 75% of the calories, gluten, or any nasty artificial flavours!)
Take your car to the bar? Yes You Can
Pregnant or breastfeeding? Yes You Can
Just not in the mood? Yes You Can
Tricking your drunk mate on your next round? Yes You Can
Hope you enjoy the journey towards more mindful drinking with us!
Cheers,
Tyler