How to Go Viral and Change Your Life

This week’s Convenience Matters dives into Frank Beard’s 2016 “30 Days of Gas Station Food” experiment.

September 12, 2017

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Frank Beard became a viral sensation last year when he decided to embark on an experimental tour of convenience stores to find healthy options. One month and 6 pounds lighter, Frank not only found those healthy choices, but eventually changed his career to become America’s convenience store evangelist.

On this week’s Convenience Matters podcast “How to Go Viral and Change Your Life,” Frank Beard, analyst, convenience and retail trends for GasBuddy, talked about his journey with Co-hosts Jeff Lenard, NACS vice president, strategic industry initiatives, and Donovan Woods, Fuels Institute director of operations.

Prior to his journey, which he called “30 Days of Gas Station Food,” Beard was working in the communications industry and was frequently on work travel. He had lost a significant amount of weight and had become physically fit and was competing in various athletic activities. In an effort to prove that eating healthy on the road is indeed possible, he ate every meal—breakfast, lunch and dinner—at convenience stores. His blog, www.frankbeard.org, went viral soon after going public and was picked up by Reddit, People Magazine, ample health and fitness publications and more. Beard was hired by GasBuddy and now visits convenience stores for a living, espousing their benefits.

In the podcast, Woods and Lenard talked about how building your own brand can take you to new levels. On the topic of making a name brand for yourself, it takes “honesty, realizing who you are and don’t be afraid of who you are—go for it,” says Woods.

A new Convenience Matters podcast is released every week focusing on topics related to convenience stores.

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