Journal Staff
What started with $600, a drop-shipping account, and a dream to create athletic leisure wear representing Micronesia, Marianas, and Polynesia is blossoming into a successful business where co-owners are now on the hunt for more space for new goals and dreams.
Two friends and gym partners, AJ Allen of Saipan, and Mark Mafnas of Guam, met while working in security at a Seattle Tacomo International Airport in Washington State. Their shared heritage helped form a link, but they also shared fitness goals that had them going to the gym where they met regularly with other islanders.
Mafnas, a graduate of John F. Kennedy High School, has been in Washington since 2004. Allen, an Army veteran and graduate of Saipan Southern High School, moved to Washington a few years later in 2007.
In 2018 Allen and Mafnas started Nesian Built – The Pacific Islander’s Fitness and Lifestyle Brand — something that represents their focus on fitness and their island roots.
“We were going to the gym and getting our workouts in,” Allen said “I realized that there’s a lot of islanders who worked out … Chamorros, Micronesians, Polynesians, that worked with us but there was nothing that represented us … and so we started thinking about the brand. We wanted to include everybody that we hung out with that works out, especially. Something that people could wear that represent who we are with pride when they went to work out.”
The pair started with research in building a business and a brand, and began as a drop-shipper, which is a form of retail business where the seller posts items for sale online through a website and accepts customer orders that are created by a factory and sent to the buyer. This means the seller doesn’t have to worry about ordering and storing stock, or crafting products.
“We had $600 that was just to get samples for the T-shirts we were going to get,” Allen said.
The business was on its way, but Allen said there was a problem. “We didn’t even get to see the products before they were sent to customers.” The quality of the shirts and sweats that were being shipped out fell short of what Allen and Mafnas hoped to achieve.
“They were all horrible,” he said. “We eventually transitioned because the quality wasn’t there, and we didn’t want our customers to be spending their hard-earned dollars on items that didn’t meet our expectations.”
But they did learn from that first experience, he said. “It showed us there was a need, but we still weren’t good at it and …had a lot to learn about (creating) quality products and branding.”
The pair began again and learned to use a heat press.
“We started printing on a heat and heat transfers, and that required us to spend a lot of time and money on printing,” he said. In 2019 the pair were working at Allen’s property. “We were printing shirts, storing inventory and shipping … out of my garage.”
At this point, both still had full-time jobs, with the business taking shape after work and on days off.
And then COVID-19 hit, which forced a shift for the duo.
“I stopped working [at the airport] during COVID... (and) Mark transitioned to two other jobs,” Allen said.
He invested that time in their products, and together they continued to push the brand.
Mafnas, who runs the technical side of the house, helped them get started on a podcast, where they invite others to sit and talk about working out, health and fitness journeys, and more. The podcast helps promote their brand and has a following of about 1,000 on Facebook, and more than 6,600 on Instagram.
The hard work is slowly paying off. They’ve also built the brand and a large enough customer base that required after about two years they move into their first warehouse but added the additional cost of running a growing business.
“That was a lot of overhead,” Allen said. The pair have researched ways to reduce costs, while also providing quality products at affordable prices.
Allen said they’ve had to work hard to keep up with costs. “The brand is growing, and it becomes easier, but as you grow, things get more expensive … expenses now are definitely more than when we first started,” he said. “We probably have to pay around $2,500 for the shop and we have to hold inventory.”
He said they are now known for releasing a new monthly product— something they’ve done for four years. “We continue to grow and continue to get more business. The people who have been with us — they continue to stick around.”
Building the brand has meant trial and error, Allen said. “But we are better at knowing what our customers like.” He said they may think a product is going to sell quickly, but it sits on the shelves. They’ve also experienced the opposite.
“We’ve gone through a lot of different concepts,” he said.
What’s resulted is a range of comfortable but attractive workout gear featured on the Nesian Built website, which Mafnas also runs. It shows the range of products, including an NB t-shirt at $22, while sweaters and hooded pullovers range from about $30 to $40. Shipping is free for orders over $75, according to the site, nesianbuilt.com.
They also have a store front, which triples as a workout area and the podcast recording studio. And Nesian is outgrowing that as well.
“We use the space the best we can. When you’re growing you need to get space, we’re trying to find dedicated spaces, so we don’t have to keep putting up tables and taking down tables,” Allen said.
Plus, the pair are working with islanders and others who share their vision for health and fitness or who are trying to get fit.
“They’re a big concern,” Allen said of the high rate of non-communicable diseases, which were considered risk factors associated with COVID-19.
“About three years ago, we were [getting started] on diet, exercise and stuff like that. We went on that journey for this reason, after COVID … and seeing all of our people back home, with] diabetes, high blood pressure, running rampant.”
They’re trying to help educate the islander community, sharing “the little things we need to know that help make big changes.”
Allen and Mafnas started NB Fit, which organizes 5k runs and other events. NB Fit was dormant during winter, but is gearing up as spring brings warmer weather.
“Fitness became a big part in what our mission is here… I always tell people at our run clubs (that) what we're doing is uncommon with our people. A group of islanders getting together for something other than drinking and eating is very different from what we're used to. It's really it makes a big difference when our people see this … It's just sad to see how our people are passing away in our 60s, even late 50s — that's not normal,” he said.
Both Allen and Mafnas have completed 5k runs and a few marathons between them. Mafnas completed his first marathon last year and is looking forward to the next one.
“We have a very good group of people who have transitioned into a better lifestyle. So that’s kind of a big boost,” Allen said. “We’re okay with going slow. We want our people to win.”
Nesian Built also sponsors athletes from the islands, like Warren Ngirayolt Collado, a young Palauan mixed martial arts fighter who landed his first win at the Angel of the Winds Casino Resort in Washington. Collado also attended high school in Guam.
Allen and Mafnas hosted him on their podcast, saying they were really proud of Collado who earned this win after training hard following a loss.
“We get a lot of requests for sponsorships, but I'm getting pretty picky about who we do sponsor,” Allen said. “We're going to be there to support you and we want to be there along your journey, but we want you to go on the journey. We don't want to sponsor people that are going to quit on themselves and the mission we’re on.”
The sponsorships, the podcast, and the store are all part of making a difference in the community, which is as much a focus as the business.
That doesn’t mean they’ve lost sight of it. “We want NB to be the Nike among Pacific Islanders. We know it’s not going to be easy, and we have to be willing to sacrifice …,” Allen said.
They’ve been approached by others wanting to start a business. Allen said he tells people “it might take a little longer than you think” to find success.
“We always thought at the five-year mark we’ll be able to pay ourselves this much,” he said. That goal hasn’t quite been reached. “If it really means something to you, then you keep going,” he said.
He said anyone with a dream should go ahead. “You’re going to go through it and you’re going to grow through it. Get that plan you want to follow and stick to it, because whenever you think things are going perfectly it’s going to get hard.” mbj