RAINE MAGAZINE Volume 8 | Innovate

Most successful businesses are born out of necessity. Whether
it is from social or personal needs, filling the void that affects others is
tantamount to creating many of the leading innovators of our generation.
Meet Gershon Blyden, co-founder to: InHouse Group, Triafit, and
LegacyChamp.com.
Gershon is no stranger to the competitive spirit. Originally from
a wealth management background, Blyden adapted the skills he learned
while navigating the investment marketplace and charting the financial
success of the wealthy, to giving back to the small businesses that need it
most. His unique ability to implement strategic financial maneuvers has
constantly yielded success for the companies he has mentored and advised.
So much so that he was able to co-found InHouse Group, an investment
firm that provides capital and critical business acumen to minority owned
businesses. Located in New York, InHouse Group has helped many
community based enterprises achieve financial success in industries where
small minority owned business have been historically underrepresented.
And it was no surprise that he brought that invaluable experience to his
latest endeavor –TriaFit.
The world’s Ironmen and Triathlons are words that from
the outside seem to only include a select group of people that have
superhuman abilities to push themselves to the furthest extent of what their
bodies allow. But what many people don’t know is that this is a sporting
division of which is terribly underrepresented by culturally diverse
groups. A creative and unconventional entrepreneur, Blyden witnessed
this disparity firsthand after completing his first Ironman competition
with two of his closest friends. The success of this great achievement had
been marred by the fact that he and his friends were just a handful of the
African-Americans in the race. A race that was documented on film by
Affiliate Media LLC and is titled: “From Ordinary to Extraordinary”.
From his Ironman experience, Blyden has questioned why there
is such a great disparity of racial representatives, where African-Americans
count for just 0.5% of all participants throughout the sport of triathlons.
Through his research, Blyden discovered that African-Americans,
although generally accepted as being naturally athletic, were stereotyped
as being incapable of the discipline necessary to compete in and complete
endurance races. Blyden was so disheartened by this misconception that he
decided to leave his corporate career in
the financial sector and focus his unique perspective and personal passion
for enriching the lives of others through TriaFit. TriaFit is a cutting edge
triathlon fitness brand dedicated to raising awareness and promoting
cultural inclusion. Triafit educates new generations of competitors on
the lifestyle benefits of triathlon competitions. “I wanted to tackle that
stereotype while serving as a trailblazer and representative, to expose this
great sport to a new generation of diverse athletes,” states Blyden.
The push and desire to answer the questions that others have
either overlooked or just failed to deem as important, is something that
Gershon Blyden holds dear to his personal ethos and is a mantra that has
partially driven him to the successful heights that he has achieved thus
far in his career. His success has also been shaped by his dedication to
accountability and perseverance. His former career at some of the world’s
most famous financial institutions has given him the foundation and the
experiences to truly understand what it takes to make a fledgling business
successful. He believes that “it’s not just an all-star product … it’s also
about managing a team of people, communicating a consistent message
to your customer base, creating protocols so [the company] can operate
efficiently, and creating a culture where everyone will be enthusiastic
about the company.” Adapting to the constantly changing consumer
market place, Blyden is focusing his efforts on the underrepresented
factions of Triathlon sports and through LegacyChamp.com is giving
fitness aficionados like himself a place where they can network and have
a centralized digital home to post their stats, find fitness tips, and to
generally exchange information about their love of sporting.
Gershon Blyden has taken two of his favorite things, things that
ordinarily wouldn’t be paired together, and is living his entrepreneurial
dream. From his strong business acumen and his love of sports, Gershon
is on his way to building a fitness empire through unconventional means.
Throughout all of his endeavors, he encourages cultural diversity as a way
to foster and promote a variety of different opinions and perspectives.
“I am a firm believer that cultural diversity in an organization fosters
creativity, flexibility and adaptability… I’ve solved complex problems
by virtue of being surrounded by so many diverse viewpoints.” By
seeking out a wide variety of backgrounds, Blyden is taking small but
purposeful strides to challenge and change the stereotypes that drew him
into his endeavors to begin with. LegacyChamp is just another example
of this policy: “At LegacyChamp, we are an extremely diverse group,
unlike most tech start-ups. Cultural inclusion and diversity is one of our
advantages because we can see everything that our competitors see and
many viewpoints that they do not.”
His extensive portfolio boasts many successful endeavors and he
is determined to change the fitness industry on Ironman. Gershon Blyden
is an entrepreneur for the digital age, one who is embracing the change
that has come with the evolving scope of the consumer marketplace. With
that in mind, he isn’t in it for the profits. “I hope to inspire people to do
whatever it is that they have always wanted to do. Create your reality
and own your legacy. Discover your personal genius and live the life
that you truly want to live.” With these words TriaFit and LegacyChamp
will represent not only the products of determination, hard work, and
community support, but they will also represent the change that can
happen when one person stops to question and want more.
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: JASON GREEN. GERSHON BLYDEN, AL SIMPSON, FRANK WILSON
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DARIUS JEFFERSON
Raine Magazine Vol. 8 - Innovate 27