Today we’d like to introduce you to Milan Costich.
Hi Milan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve spent most of my life learning and practicing different martial arts. It started with Tae Kwon Do at the age of four, which then lead to Karate. When I was 16, I sustained an injury that temporarily took away my ability to kick. Wanting to continue to train, I decided to give boxing a try. I was instantly hooked. Up to this point, I’ve always enjoyed my journey as a student of these arts, but I never saw myself teaching. After working as a Management Consultant full-time and as a filmmaker part-time while living in Washington DC, I began to feel a need for change and adventure in my life. At the age of 28, I packed up and headed West. Through some good fortune and kind friends, I was able to land a job in the Endeavor mailroom. The infamous agency mailroom job is more like an apprenticeship; you start from the bottom and work your way up. If you can keep your eyes open and put in the work, the opportunity to grow will present itself. I continued to work in entertainment for the next three years, and it was the best boot camp I could have hoped for. I had the opportunity to learn from so many remarkable people that still help guide and advise me today. It was challenging, but by embracing the experience, I developed the competency and confidence to take on bigger challenges, which lead me to start own business. At 31, for the first time I could see myself teaching, so with some modest savings and a few credit cards, I was able to test the water with a boxing program that I designed. My vision; bring boxing to the people, not just those who want to fight. Eight years later, I’ve seen over 20,000 first-time boxers in my gym. It’s been an amazing and worthwhile journey.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
There have been many, but the biggest challenge by far has been keeping the business afloat through the COVID-19 lockdown. At the start of the quarantine, my two head coaches had just welcomed brand new baby daughters into the world. It just didn’t feel right to furlough them. I’ve kept them on and we’re battling through this as a team. We haven’t been able to hold classes the way we have in the past, so we’ve done what we had to do to adjust. We brought our workout outdoors. We’ve opened the gym for private studio sessions. We’ve taught ourselves how to shoot, edit and create digital content. True to the Prevail way, we’re pursuing our excellence through incredible adversity.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Prevail was created to bring boxing as a workout, skill, and mindset to everyone. Not just to those who wish to fight. Boxing has given me and taught me so much: the challenge, strategy and demand of the sport empower you. All the while helping build a lean physique. We’ve created a program to teach real boxing techniques and conditioning in a community-based environment. I think when you’re learning a skill and the environment is positive and supportive, it feels like more than just exercise. It makes it something to look forward to rather than something you do to keep your waistline under control. For the last eight years, it’s been our mission to bring boxing to the people.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
In 6th grade, our elementary school vending machines didn’t have soda, just juice. Occasionally, my mom would buy a 24 pack of 7-Up ($5.00) for my sister and me. One day I decided to pack two in my lunch just because I liked having an extra. I sat down to eat and took out the first one. Just as I was about to crack it open to take a sip, one of my classmates offered me $2.00 for it. Sold. Then, I pulled out the second soda…and suddenly there was a bidding war in the cafeteria. I sold the second soda for $4.00. An entrepreneur was born that day.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.prevailboxing.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prevailboxing
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe80jWGFna6FoX_rvqksdgw
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/prevail-boxing-los-angeles?osq=prevail+boxing
Image Credits:
Anthony Quisay IG: @an.r.qui
