“There was no money in bodybuilding”- Arnold Schwarzenegger reminisces upon business idea with Franco Columbu that made them millionaires

Famous bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger recently talked about the collaborative business idea with Franck Columbu that made them millionaires deficient world of bodybuilding.

Schwarzenneger had stepped on American soil in 1968 with just a gym bag full of dreams. Despite his unconditional love for bodybuilding, there was no denying that the sport reaped next to zero monetary benefits for the athletes back then.

Living in a new city like California has its own challenges. Luckily, Arnold found a friend in the foreign land and the duo continues to be remembered as one of the most epic bodybuilding duos of history.

Meeting for the first time in 1965 in Germany, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Franco Columbu almost instantly became good friends. However, the torch of their friendship shone even brighter when the duo made their first million. Spoiler alert: It wasn't from Hollywood.

Schwarzenegger recently said on American entrepreneur and investor Tim Ferriss' podcast The Tim Ferriss Show (via Ferriss' YouTube channel):

"At that point, there was no money in bodybuilding. That's a key thing that everyone has to understand. Unlike today, where the top bodybuilding champions make millions of dollars, in those days there was no money in bodybuilding and so when we didn't have enough money we literally had to go to work."

'The Austrian Oak,' along with his best friend, started a construction business, and the brick-laying idea finally showed potential, making them millionaires. He revealed:

"Since Franco's talent was to be a bricklayer and very skilled bricklayer and learned that in Italy and Germany, we were able to go and start thinking about the idea of putting an ad in the LA Times creating a company, and calling it European brick layers and masonry experts, marble experts, building chimneys in fireplaces the European style.

"And this was also a time where everything that was European was huge in America so we benefited from that."

Contrary to what most people might believe, Arnold Schwarzenegger made his first million way before he entered Hollywood.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger describes negotiation tactics with customers at the time

Arnold Schwarzenegger explained how he used to play the good guy and Columbu would play the bad guy in front of consumers.

Schwarzenegger would often quote the charges for their construction work much higher than normal. However, after a little negotiation and playing pretend, the duo would agree to a lesser rate, assuring the customer as well that their voice had been heard.

He added (via the aforementioned source):

"And he [customer] says thank you very much, he says. You know I really think that you're a great man and blah blah blah and all this stuff. I say okay...I say give us half down right now we go right away and get the cement and get the bricks and everything that we need for here and we start working."

Years after his passing away, Franco Columbu remains a much revered figure in the bodybuilding community. Arnold Schwarzenegger's frequent conversations about his friend are proof of Columbu's legacy as a bodybuilder and an influential figure in the fitness industry.