Words by Josiah Hartline — Upstate Community Press
Author’s note: I met Evan Gubera by chance walking into a boxing gym. I was there to do some video work for the gym and Evan was having a tech issue while filming content of his own. As we chatted I got to hear a bit more about Monkey Feet, a product he invented for home gyms. Later I found out the scale of the product, having sold massive amounts of units and was even featured on the Joe Rogan Experience. Quite the surprise from such a humble and kind guy I bumped into in the gym. These days Evan has continued to invent, dream and grow his company. More recently he has announced his return to professional kick boxing. A swiss army knife of a man, it was a pleasure to sit down and hear more of his story.
An Inventor Long Before a Founder
Evan didn’t describe his early years with polish.
He told me plainly that he’d been a troubled kid — kicked out of his school system, in and out of trouble, and constantly finding himself on the outside of anything resembling a traditional path.
“At eighteen, I was living in a two‑bedroom apartment with like ten dudes,” he said. “I was working at FedEx, and I kept telling my buddies, ‘I’m going to stop getting in trouble, I’m going to invent something, and I’m going to be a professional fighter.’”
They laughed.
“None of them took me seriously,” Evan said. “I didn’t even have a high school diploma.”
But the idea of being an inventor stuck. Evan kept coming up with concepts, trying to force imagination into reality.
Before Monkey Feet, he was already deep into developing another product — a boxing training tool designed to reduce elbow strain for coaches holding mitts.
“It was going to be called Spring Pad,” he explained. “All the boxing coaches I knew had really bad tendinitis. The idea was solid.”
The problem wasn’t the product. It was the market.
“When I realized how big the Monkey Feet market could be,” he said, “I just abandoned everything else and went all in.”
Going All In (Before the Money Was There)
Monkey Feet is a binding system that clamps onto a dumbbell, allowing users to perform leg exercises that typically require large, expensive machines.
To bring it to life, Evan partnered with an engineer — and made a decision that defined the company’s trajectory.
“I dumped everything I had in my bank account into this idea,” he said. “And then I told my partner, completely lied, by the way — ‘Don’t worry about money, I’ve got it covered.’”
He laughed when he told me.
“I was broke. Zero dollars.”
Evan pitched manufacturers the same way.
“Yeah, don’t worry about the money,” he told them. “We’re ready.”
The reality was that they needed roughly $200,000 to get production started.
“I didn’t have it,” he said. “At all.”
Eventually, through a friend of a friend, Evan pitched an investor — someone willing to take a chance on both the idea and the person behind it.
“He said, ‘Cool, let’s do it,’” Evan recalled. “And honestly, the rest is history.”
Monkey Feet officially launched in October 2020.
The Perfect Moment Nobody Could Plan
Launching a fitness product during a global pandemic isn’t something you’d normally script.
But for Monkey Feet, it turned out to be the perfect storm.
“All the gyms shut down,” Evan said. “But people already had dumbbells at home.”
What they didn’t have was a way to train their legs.
“Leg extension machines and hamstring curl machines are insanely expensive,” he explained. “Monkey Feet suddenly became an obvious purchase.”
Sales took off almost immediately.
“It felt like the universe blessed us,” Evan said. “Or God — however you want to look at it.”
As demand grew, so did competition. Knockoff products entered the market, forcing Evan and his team to protect what they had built.
“This right here is what we patented,” he said, referencing an early 3D‑printed prototype he still keeps on his desk. “We keep it around to stay humble.”
Expanding the System
With the original product established, Evan and his team started thinking bigger.
“We asked ourselves, why not make an adjustable version?” he said. “Like adjustable dumbbells — but for Monkey Feet.”
The adjustable Monkey Feet launched a few years later and quickly gained traction.
Now, the company is preparing to release a kettlebell system that uses the same adjustable weights — allowing users to train both upper and lower body within one integrated setup.
“That’ll be launching late January or early February,” Evan said.
There’s more coming, too.
“We just patented something completely new,” he added. “It’s a piece of equipment that hasn’t really been seen before.”
I wasn’t able to collect more details but needless to say, I am excited to see what’s coming down the line and I will absolutely cover it when it’s announced. Having used all their products myself, I am positive it’ll be an excellent addition to any gym
Built With Friends
Despite the scale of the business, Evan has kept the structure deeply personal.
“My business partner was one of my cousin’s best friends,” he said. “Our marketing director was my cousin’s best friend too.”
Every hire came through relationships.
“We’ve only hired friends of friends,” Evan explained. “I believe the soul of a company is what keeps it alive.”
For him, success isn’t just about revenue.
“If the company was burning to the ground,” he said, “I’d still be happy. I love the people I get to do this with.”
The Problem with Building something Great
When I asked Evan what he’d fix if he had a magic wand, his answer wasn’t glamorous.
“LTV,” he said immediately.
Lifetime value — the challenge of selling durable products that don’t require frequent replacement.
“If I sell something that lasts someone their entire life,” Evan explained, “that’s bad lifetime value for the business.”
It’s a problem most fitness equipment companies face.
The team has explored subscriptions, digital training, and educational content, but Evan remains realistic.
“That’s just the nature of building something durable,” he said.
Not a problem one considers when you strive to make something great, but this unique challenge I know Evan will overcome.
A Different Version of the American Dream
Toward the end of our conversation, Evan reflected on how his definition of success has shifted.
The traditional blueprint — college, career ladder, retirement — never felt real to him.
Instead, he sees a new American dream emerging.
“Get passionate about something,” he said. “Get your friends. And just start running.”
It’s not just about money.
“It’s about enjoying what you’re doing every day,” Evan said. “Being surrounded by people you actually like.”
That philosophy extends beyond Monkey Feet — into land ownership, future ventures, and eventually, philanthropy.
“One day I want to do a nonprofit,” he told me. “But I want to do it wholeheartedly — not as a shell or a brand thing.”
Still Building
For now, Evan is focused on momentum.
Clearing land. Launching new products. Expanding what Monkey Feet can become.
He’s not waiting for permission. He’s not chasing a perfect plan.
He’s building anyway.
Learn more about Monkey Feet on their website
Upstate Community Press exists to document the people building our region —If you are interested in having your story told reach out to Josiah@upstate.press today!
