For many college students, the days are filled with academic coursework, extracurriculars and leadership duties, part-time jobs, and hanging out with friends. Tyler Rolinitis and Tyler Scheck added one more responsibility to their plate: starting a small business.
The pair has known each other since they were young but began their friendship in high school when they played duo tennis and coined the nickname ‘TNT’ amongst their peers. The name takes on a deeper meaning now as they own their own creatine capsule business: TNT Evolution. In April of 2022, the freshman-year roommates began developing what is now a full-fledged small business.
Scheck is a junior in the Honors Program as a finance major and is the president of Pi Sigma Epsilon. Rolinitis is a junior marketing major with a sequences in integrated marketing communication and advanced marketing analytics and is the president of the American Marketing Association here at ISU.
The beginning
The idea to begin a small business developed as Rolinitis was always at the gym working out and wanted to venture into the world of taking supplements. He knew about creatine powder but felt like there was a gap in the market for creatine that was convenient to take and inexpensive. Once Scheck began working out with Rolinitis, the duo knew there was an opportunity to create something new, and so TNT Evolution was born. The Tyler’s joined together to create their own creatine capsule business. TNT stemmed from their tennis duo name and evolution from the idea that their brand is all about evolving into your best self. Sitting on an airplane, Rolinitis got the idea for their logo and the rest is history.
As Rolinitis and Scheck began their entrepreneurial journey, they knew the process would not be easy, and it certainly would not be cheap. As Scheck put it, “Everything that we faced, we were facing for the very first time.” Armed with their idea and the base of their business model, they began contacting different manufacturers, researching the industry they were entering, and developing their marketing strategy. With the aid of the ISU Means Center Accelerator program, which helps ISU students begin to see growth in their small businesses through funding, the duo was awarded $5,000. This funding allowed TNT Evolution to maintain stock in their product, explore new e-commerce routes, and see immense growth in sales. It is thanks to the ISU Accelerator Program that their business truly hit the ground running even faster than before.
It’s not all easy
Rolinitis and Scheck both agreed that one of the most challenging aspects of starting their small business was the time it took to get from idea to launch. It took about 15 months before any product was ready to be sold due to having to jump through all sorts of hoops the pair had never dealt with before. Additionally, they had to learn firsthand the difficulties of launching their product on Amazon, but they knew the e-commerce giant was where they needed to be. Even then, being on Amazon isn’t enough in this digital day and age, so they worked tirelessly to figure out what made their product different, and how to capitalize on that. Despite this timeline, Scheck insisted that it is important to take as much time as it takes to get things right. “It is better to do it right the first time,” he said.
“Go for it, put 100% effort into it, you will never get it if you don’t try.”
Tyler Rolinitis and Tyler Scheck
Never alone
Being in a partnership was different for Scheck who previously had a solo shoe business. However, he claims the power of a duo is invaluable as the pair can step up with strengths where the other has a weakness. They were also able to bring in their circle of support, which they claim was important when getting started and as they have continued to grow. The pair also thanked Dr. Avimanyu (Avi) Datta, director of the George R. and Martha Means Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, for helping them with their business model, asking questions, and giving them ideas to help their business boom.
Impact and influence
Breaking into the workout supplement sphere can be complicated. Standing out amongst the competition, having a product of high quality, a good price, and iconic branding to go with it are all components Rolinitis and Scheck had to think about when developing their marketing strategy. Rolinitis, the marketing major of the group, took the lead in developing their social media strategy which focuses on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. As the market ebbs and flows, the pair ensures their marketing strategy flows with it. They share content about working out, their product, reviews, and fun videos centering on their small business.
Another notable feat of their small business was launching onto TikTok Shop. This newer e-commerce platform allows for the pair to sell directly to their consumers, and in return, consumers can review their products for commission all through the app. Being on TikTok shop proves just how innovative the pair is when it comes to making decisions that will grow their business.
Moving up
For now, Rolinitis and Scheck want to continue making their creatine capsules the best product they can be with hopes of expanding to other products down the line. As Rolinitis puts it, their end goal is to continuously, “revolutionize the space” of wherever they expand next. The pair has no plans of stopping their small business and hopes to continue to grow and expand into new territory.
A final piece of advice from the pair is, in their words, to “go for it, put 100% effort into it, you will never get it if you don’t try.” The trials and tribulations that go into developing a small business, especially on top of college coursework, can seem like enough to make most people shy away from ever even trying. However, with the help of a strong network, ISU entrepreneurship aid like the Accelerator Program, drive, and total determination, Tyler Rolinitis, and Tyler Scheck were able to make their small business dream a reality. Let them serve as an inspiration to all young entrepreneurs, both at ISU and beyond.
If you’d like to keep up with Rolinitis and Scheck, follow them on Instagram or TikTok @tntevolutionllc.
