RLC students run their own holistic fitness platform with HardHeaded USA

RLC students Hayden and Hunter England pose with the Rend Lake College men's basketball team during a recent home game in Waugh Gym. The brothers own and operate HardHeaded, a fitness apparel and motivational company that began as a project for the Jefferson County CEO program. This season, HardHeaded outfitted the Warriors with warm-up gear. (Click image for printable photo)

INA, IL (Dec. 27, 2021)
At the start of high school, Hayden and Hunter England were looking for something that would help them with their personal fitness goals.

By the end of their senior year, the 19-year-old brothers started their own business with the idea of helping others on their own journeys.

The England twins, who are from Woodlawn, formed HardHeaded, an all-in-one, holistic approach to inspire others who are their own fitness journeys. The online health, motivation and high-quality apparel brand business aims to center its products on helping those committed to improving their mind and body in order to unlock their full potential.

The HardHeaded LLC started in February, while both brothers were in the Jefferson County CEO program, which connected them with local businessmen and mentors to make their dream a reality.

“We feel blessed to be able to work with the CEO program for this idea,” Hayden England said. “We have always dreamed about running our own business and we wanted to provide the motivation for different works and the information for the nutritional stuff all in one place.”

In its first year, HardHeaded has received local and national attention for its potential to shake up the fitness industry.

The desire to start their own business was what attracted them to the Jefferson County CEO program. The brothers were inspired by their own fitness journeys, which began their freshman year after they turned to exercise. They started out high school tall and lanky, but their new lifestyle allowed them to bulk up and put pounds of muscle on their frames.

“We started out as the little guys,” Hayden England said. “When you are the little guy, you are not confident. But when you work out, you start to feel good about yourself. It can be addicting. You want to keep doing it.”

Once thing they noticed while working out was the much of the advice on what to do, tips on routines, meal preparation guides and other helpful tools were on separate sites.

The HardHeaded name fits that determination, that mental toughness needed to focus and keep meeting those goals.

“It goes with the name,” Hunter England said. “It’s the mental aspect and not wanting to give up no matter what. You are too stubborn to give up.”

HardHeaded focuses on three pillars - the gym, the mind and the body. While so much attention is paid to the outer appearance, a healthier lifestyle requires more than just a number on a scale.

“You have got to be consistent with your mind, your body, what to wear during your gym workouts, how to do the nutritional part,” Hayden England said. “We wondered what it would look like if all of those were in one place.”

Since winning that first-place prize earlier this year, Hayden and Hunter England have continued to see their company grow. HardHeaded was approached by Rend Lake College Warriors Head Basketball Coach Brian Gamber to outfit the team in warm-up gear.

“He said he needed warmups and he would rather give us the business,” Hayden England said.

That partnership helped branch out their apparel business. HardHeaded has also provided gear for both the Woodlawn High School boys and girls’ basketball teams and their fans.

In November, the company spearheaded a T-shirt fundraiser where a portion of the sales will be given to area veterans’ tributes. “The Man The Myth The Veteran” sales helped set up a metal display for the southwest corner on the Jefferson County Courthouse yard.

HardHeaded was also featured in New York Weekly in September. The article touted that HardHeaded was about to “revolutionize the fitness industry” with an approach that caters to “all walks of life regardless of where they are on their fitness journey.”

“It caught us off guard,” Hunter England said. “We looked at the email and asked if it was a scam.”

“It’s great,” Hayden England added. “It helps us think that we could really make an impact. If we could really improve the lives and health of other people, then that is something that we want to do.”

The England entrepreneurs are in their freshman year at Rend Lake College, taking business classes and gaining tips from Mark Jornd about how they can continue to grow.

Other long-term goals include expanding their presence on social media and possibly opening a chain of gyms and fitness centers.

“We are so grateful for the CEO program,” Hayden England said. “It would have taken longer to open those doors for us and let us kind of realize a dream.”

Hunter England agreed, adding: “We realized we could go for it and we did.”

For more information about HardHeaded, log on to the website at hardheadedusa.com.