Iron & Zen
Founding a Men's Retreat
The challenge
Men looking for real transformation are stuck choosing between a fitness bootcamp or a meditation retreat. Nobody was combining hard physical training with real stillness and unscripted brotherhood in one week. Iron & Zen needed to become that space from a standing start, with no existing brand, audience, or track record to point to.
The approach
- Founded and built the Iron & Zen brand from scratch: name, identity, and the Iron / Zen / Brotherhood structure
- Ran an Instagram-led application funnel, driving prospective guests to a hand-reviewed apply form instead of instant checkout
- Built and launched the site myself, from the daily-schedule storytelling to the application flow
Outcome
- 120+ men hosted across cohorts, with a 5/5 average rating
- Every application read and vetted by hand, cohort after cohort
- Next cohort opening in April