It’s no secret that we live in a rise-and-grind culture where side hustles are romanticized and great success only seems feasible through long, grueling hours. And while some may consider hustle mentality to be a form of workaholism and toxic to our well-being, others are reaping the benefits and achieving unrivalled abundance. Combined with innate magnetism and an unrelenting passion for internet-based businesses, this is what helped serial entrepreneur Andy Treys thrive in his sweeping career.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Treys kicked off his career by creating and growing social media networks with Ning, the largest online community building platform in the world, and quickly mastered the art of growth hacking at just 13 years old. A term coined by Angel Investor and Startup Advisor Sean Ellis in 2010, a growth hacker is defined as “someone who uses creative, low-cost strategies to help businesses acquire and retain customers,” a lucrative method that has been used by marketers for many years.
Throughout his high school years, Treys’ talent for basketball became an undeniable force and while he rose to the top as a standout athlete, his fire to be great served as a catalyst to his career, one that was blooming simultaneously. “I would train a lot for basketball and my dad would dedicate everything he had to make sure I had the tools and resources to be a better player,” says Treys. “I had this work ethic instilled in me at a young age and that carried over from basketball to other areas of my life.” From successful projects, including Android apps on the Google Play store which generated thousands of dollars per month, to partnering with YouTube and ESPN to launch KobeCamp2009, and a full court buzzer beater that was featured on ESPN SportsCenter, this was only the beginning.
After graduating high school and pursuing his dream of playing college basketball, Treys made the difficult decision to call it quits and focus his energy on social media viral marketing. “I remember my first week of school, I was already telling people I was going to drop out,” says Treys. “The decision was not easy though. Everyone told me that it would be the biggest mistake of my life and that I would be considered a failure. But I noticed how limited my time was because of school and I needed to decide if I want to be a student athlete or get a head start on creating a social media empire.” Treys was caught between attending meetings in New York or showing up for Calculus, and with full confidence and grit, he got on the plane, a decision that furthered his professional efforts in a monumental way.
In 2016, Treys grew his social media empire to a combined 300 million followers across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, forming his social media agency Getmefamous. The LA-based PR and marketing agency for brands, apps, Shopify stores, and artists has a reach of over 800 million followers and has cultivated a network of influencers, athletes, and celebrities. Continuing to lead growth and strategy for clients across multiple industries, Treys eventually went on to launch substantial projects with Alissa Violet and Bella Thorne in 2019, and eventually, took over Thorne’s music and OnlyFans agency marketing.
Eager to elevate and push on with his business ventures, Treys collaborated with his close friend Vatche Ourishian to create Muscle Lab in 2020, a muscle recovery and wellness lounge headquartered in Pasadena, CA. With Treys’ marketing prowess and Ourishian’s loyal fanbase and knowledge within the health space, the duo had the brain power and resources to transform the wellness center into a celebrity hotspot. Providing clientele with services like cryotherapy, infrared sauna, IV therapy, and more, Muscle Lab has been positioned to be the “Soho House” of recovery and has a large roster of frequently visited celebrities, platinum artists, and professional athletes, such as Zedd, ASAP Ferg, DJ Mustard, Carnage, Ben Simmons, Harry Jowsey, Jake Paul, and Oscar De La Hoya. Muscle Lab has recently acquired IVtherapy.com as well as Revived.com and has forthcoming plans to expand with new locations in West Hollywood, Las Vegas, Miami, and New York.
While advancing both Getmefamous and Muscle Lab, Treys invested his earnings into the booming AirBnb and exotic car rental market in Los Angeles. Purchasing a variety of lavish homes and rare vehicles, including a Lamborghini Urus and Mercedes G-63, he developed Accommodations, a luxury home and exotic car rental company. The start-up is currently in beta and aims to not only offer vacation rentals, but to provide exclusive and unparalleled concierge services.
When all is said and done, Treys is quite literally the epitome of grind culture and has no plans of stopping anytime soon. “Kobe Bryant was somebody I looked up to like crazy and I think a lot of my hard work came from him,” says Treys. “I’ve adopted his Mamba Mentality. It’s the secret recipe to life, how to outwork everyone, to be and think differently. If you learn to work smarter and harder, everything you want will come to you.”
With NFTs surging in popularity and thousands of art enthusiasts, collectors, and flippers profiting from trading these non-fungible tokens, it’s no surprise Treys has joined the crypto circle, dropping Cereal Club into the OpenSea marketplace. The NFT collection that consists of 10,000 characters with unique cereal bowls, began minting on February 15, 2022 and sold out its whitelist just 24 hours after selling out the public auction.
“We chose cereal because everyone loves cereal,” says Treys. “It was something that really hit home and reminded us of our childhood. Cereal just makes everyone happy, no matter what country you’re in or what language you speak.” Cultivating a tight knit family of frens and NFT savants seduced by adorable cereal heads, star eyes, and neon spoons, the Cereal Club community strives to empower Web3 across the NFT ecosystem and become leaders in the expanding digital space.
Cereal Club’s rarest NFT recently sold for over $16,000 and the brand recently announced via their Twitter page that they acquired Cereal.com to facilitate the sales of its direct-to-consumer line of cereals coming later in the year. “Creating and partnering with major cereal distributors will help us to achieve maximum awareness," says Treys. "We've been working hard behind the scenes to execute on our vision for Cereal Club and deliver on every step in our roadmap." The project will launch exclusive, limited-edition cereals in collaboration with other prominent NFT projects and athletes involved within the NFT space.
Since its initial launch, the Cereal Club Twitter page has gained more than 140,000 followers and folks are in a frenzy to munch. While not confirmed by Cereal Club or Kim Kardashian herself, word on the street is she just might be getting a bowl of her own. In March of this year, the Kardashian teased the Cereal Club crew, tweeting a photo of herself in bed wearing a hot pink onesie with a bowl of cereal. “The team is excited,” says Treys. “Everyone is zoned in and focused.”
This article was written in cooperation with Kimberly Haddad