Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Davis.
Hi Kevin, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started a lawn mowing company at fourteen and hired older kids to drive the trucks because I couldn’t, and I’ve been building ever since. I graduated college early with degrees in Exercise Physiology and Business while working full time. By my early twenties I was running health clubs in Phoenix and Scottsdale.
When my wife, Michelle, and I found out our first daughter was on the way, I needed hours a family could live with. I joined a dot-com fitness tech startup as employee number twenty-seven and watched it grow past two hundred people. That’s where I saw entrepreneurship from the inside. I built a web and app business on the side, landed government contracts for steady recurring revenue, and made the jump.
From there, Michelle and I built brands in the automotive, offroad and RV industries. We opened a detail shop in Montana, which is a tough business in a place with long winters and not much car culture, and we made it work. Out of that shop came Detailer’s Helper, a tool belt I invented and patented for detailers, and it’s now used around the world.
Today we live on five acres in Belgrade, Montana, with a shop out back where I build cars and whatever else I can get my hands on. I help established founders find the leaks that are costing them revenue, profit, time and control. I also run Maxed Out Man, a podcast and community built around three things: Man, Marriage and Mission. This year I published my first book, How I Lost My Left Nut and Other Life Lessons. And yes, the title is literal.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t been smooth, and most of the bumps were my own doing. When Detailer’s Helper started taking off, I used debt to fund the growth based on revenue I was sure was coming. Michelle asked hard questions about whether the numbers held up, and I talked right past her. The revenue did come, but slower than the debt needed it to, and we carried that decision for years. I learned two things. You don’t borrow against revenue that hasn’t shown up yet, and Michelle’s questions are data, not doubt.
The other struggle was spreading myself too thin. I called it diversifying, but a lot of the time I was starting new things before the last one was everything it could be. That lesson is a big part of how I coach founders now: find the leak, fix it, then build.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I work with founders across the country who are established but stuck. They’re usually busy and profitable enough, but they’re still losing money, time and energy in places they can’t see. I diagnose first and prescribe second. We find the leaks, decide what to fix first, and build the systems to fix them. More and more, that includes AI and automation that give owners their time back.
What sets me apart is that I’m a blue collar guy with a white collar mind. I’ve built cars, houses and shops, and done my own electrical, HVAC, plumbing and remodel work. I also have 25+ years in sales, finance, process and marketing. I’ve been the owner under the truck and the guy reading the P&L, so I can talk to both.
The thing I’m proudest of is Detailer’s Helper. It’s a simple product for an industry that didn’t know it needed one, and it has made millions in added revenue for the people who wear it. We’ve sponsored the same industry event for fifteen years, and Michelle and I have gotten to show that industry what a good marriage looks like inside a business. We’ve been married 31 years, and it keeps getting better.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Our Detailer’s Helper belts are used by the teams that maintain and restore the older Air Force One aircraft, the original Concorde and the original 757. We also make a private-label version for one of the largest consumer products companies in the world. The first time their VP of product showed me a slide, she pointed at our belt and asked if we could make something like it. I told her I figured we could, since that was our belt and we made it every day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://maxedoutman.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maxedoutkevin/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kevinbdavis/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbryandavis/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@maxed-out-man
- Other: https://husbandshewants.com/
