Carl Daikeler: The Fitness Entrepreneur

You’re no doubt familiar with Beachbody, the fitness network marketing company that shows its members how to tone up at home while giving them the freedom to create passive income and even quit their 9-to-5 jobs. But do you know the man behind the program? If you haven’t heard of Carl Daikeler, his story is truly one of entrepreneurial vision brought to fruition with hard work and a relentless spirit.

Carl Daikeler was never a man to let setbacks stand in his way. Check out this story from when he was rejected from his school of choice, Ithaca College in Upstate New York. Most kids would just take the loss and go to their safety school, right? Not Daikeler. He drove to Ithaca and finagled a meeting with the admissions dean in which he convinced the dean to change his rejected status to “accepted” on the spot.

After college, Daikeler brought that don’t-take-no-for-an-answer dogged determination to his business pursuits. Remember “:08 Minute Abs,” the at-home crunch workout videos that were ubiquitous in the 1990s? That was a Daikeler venture, too. Once he saw how those videos motivated people to work out at home, he decided to scale up, and Beachbody was born.

Unlike many companies that have experienced ups and downs amid the economic turbulence of the 21st century, Beachbody has seen nothing but steady growth. When COVID-19 hit in early 2020, Daikeler and the company redoubled their efforts to get people sweating in their living rooms. The company has seen an unprecedented level of growth during the pandemic, with Daikeler already eyeing further expansions to get Beachbody into even more homes.

When Carl Daikeler isn’t growing Beachbody or brainstorming new business ideas, you can find him running, swimming, reading and logging time at his philanthropic pursuits. The Beachbody Foundation, where he serves as a board member and advisor, has raised millions of dollars and counting for a variety of charities.

Carl Daikeler lives in California with his wife and two children.