1 Million Cups Fargo: Where Are They Now? Ben Roth with CboysTV
We reached out to past 1 Million Cups Fargo speakers to reconnect with them on their time since speaking at 1 Million Cups. When 1 Million Cups began in Fargo, this event took off and was a primary way for entrepreneurs to expand their connections while also collaborating with others. After six years of consecutive gatherings, 1 Million Cups concluded their time in Fargo, although you can still tune in to 1 Million Cups events across various cities in the country. Shortly after 1 Million Cups left Fargo, Emerging Prairie had the idea to curate StartupBREW Fargo, which is what we know today! Read about Ben Roth’s journey with CboysTV since speaking at 1 Million Cups!
The Transition from 1 Million Cups Fargo to StartupBREW Fargo
1 Million Cups was formed by the Kaufmann Foundation; a Kansas City, MO based non-profit that focused on education and entrepreneurship. The idea was to familiarize the communities where 1 Million Cups was chaptered with local entrepreneurs, as the individuals of the Kaufmann Foundation thought that there were not many networking opportunities for entrepreneurs and a place to share their accomplishments. When 1 Million Cups was brought to Fargo, they met weekly and eventually after six years of consistent efforts, 1 Million Cups wrapped up their time in Fargo in 2021. Shortly after, Emerging Prairie announced the launch of an event that we all now know and dearly love, StartupBREW Fargo! StartupBREW is a weekly event hosted by Emerging Prairie that focuses on engaging entrepreneurs and connecting them with the Fargo/Moorhead area, as well as fueling the minds of aspiring entrepreneurs or any member of the community interested in entrepreneurship.
About CboysTV
“CboysTV embodies the philosophy of living life to its fullest. Comprised of seven best friends who have long shared a close bond, the team embraces every moment and opportunity that comes their way. Their slogan, “Live Life Wide Open,” serves as a daily reminder to seize each day and make the most of it.
Before the inception of CboysTV, these friends spent their weekends riding dirt bikes and enjoying various activities together. One weekend, they decided to film their adventures, and that marked the beginning of CboysTV. However, CboysTV is more than just entertainment. The group frequently receives messages from children around the world, expressing how the videos have helped them through difficult times or how the team has become a source of inspiration. They feel privileged to positively impact so many lives.”
What has been the biggest success of your journey since speaking at 1 Million Cups Fargo?
“When I spoke for 1 million cups, I think our YouTube channel had about 300,000 subscribers, there was just 5 of us involved in the business and we didn’t have a whole lot of a plan besides for just continue to make better videos. Since then we’ve gained a couple subscribers (3.2 million on them to be exact), grown our clothing brand Life Wide Open, continued to make one video a week for the last 6 years and hiring on another 10 guys to help us build the channel and brand.”
What is something beneficial that you were able to take away from speaking at 1 Million Cups Fargo?
“After speaking at 1 million cups, it definitely gave me a lot more confidence speaking in front of people (talking to a camera is a lot less intimidating) but it was so great getting to tell our story, and feel like everyone in the audience cared. When we were just starting out, we didn’t always get a lot of positive feedback and support, but it felt like everyone at 1 million cups wanted us to continue to grow and succeed.”
Do you have any advice for future entrepreneurs?
“Advice for anyone that wants to be an entrepreneur is it’s going to be so much more work then you could ever imagine, and it will never really get easier, but it is incredibly fulfilling to see the company that your building become more successful and the work it takes never really feels like work. Also surround yourself with people that have the same vision as you do and know what you’re building together is special and everyone’s there for a reason. We always say if you wanna go fast go alone and if you wanna go far, build a team.”
What are you currently accomplishing within your organization, any wins?
“A couple wins we have had since speaking is we’ve now got over 3.6 million subscribers and over 1.2 billion total channel views. We’ve also started a podcast called Life Wide Open with Cboystv that we love doing! We’ve added 8 more people onto the team to help us make videos every week and grow our merchandise brand as well!”
What can our community continue to do to help energize your organization?
“The help from the community comes from local businesses like Umotors lending us a boat for the summer, or Swanston Equipment letting us use a skid steer for our projects building tracks. I think that the Fargo community has so many great people and businesses and it’s been fun getting the chance to work with them in exchange for exposure to millions of people.”
What are you grateful for today?
“I’m grateful for the fans that watch every week, buy our tshirts, or support us in anyway. We truly wouldn’t be in those positions without the fans support and we’re all so grateful for that.”
Readers can learn more about CboysTV by checking out their website!
