Every business out there has a story about how and why it began. There's one here in Austin whose business was born from the the founder's own struggles. And through his business, he is helping change the lives of his customers and employees -- as well as his own.
For better or for worse, Austin native Wes Hurt has always had a unique perspective on life.
"Ever since I was a young kid, I always knew something was a little different," Hurt said. "I've always been a really sensitive person.
Hurt said while nothing traumatic happened to him early on in life, he always seemed to be filled with fear and relied on something addictive to push down his feelings.
"Substances came in high school when everyone's experimenting and so forth," Hurt said. "When I tried, it was kind of like an elixir for me. It drowned out any kind of insecurities or fears. It made me feel like the person I thought I should be."
What started out as an experiment with other high schoolers eventually turned into a reliance for Hurt as he was addicted to alcohol and drugs.
"It was just a steady incline from the day I started, quite frankly," Hurt said. "I wanted more of that feeling, whatever it was."
Early on in his career, Hurt was able to hide his addiction from the people around him. After moving around the country for a bit, he came to Austin and created the business "Hey, Cupcake."
"My addiction came with me everywhere I went," Hurt said. "From a social standpoint, it was successful and things were working out."
Things took a turn for the worse when Hurt switched to opioids and ramped up his addiction.
"It started out as popping a couple pills and slamming two beers, and I thought I was good to go," Hurt said. "That rapidly increased to where I was eventually popping 30 to 35 Vicodin a day."
It was at this point the walls Hurt had built up around this addiction started to crumble. As the board members at his cupcake business started to see his consistent reliance on alcohol and drugs, they were forced to fire the person who created the company.
"I didn't have any more purpose or I didn't know what it was," Hurt said. "It's something I had searched for my whole life."
During this time period, Hurt went through six stints in rehab and one in a psych ward. Hurt found himself at rock bottom.
"Not wanting to kill myself but not wanting to live," Hurt said. "It's a weird state of limbo that you find yourself if you're there."
Hurt said he needed to be this low to climb his way out.
"Through the grace of God and amazing family and friends and serendipity and whatever you want to say, there's a moment of clarity to fight back," Hurt said.
As Hurt's family rallied to support his newfound commitment to getting clean, Hurt did get sober over the next few months. Then came an idea.
"I knew immediately," he said.
Hurt came up with a business that turned his struggles into strengths.
"It was a weird built-in sense of accountability," Hurt said. "We wanted to create a sustainable source of funding."
Hurt created Clean Cause, which is an energy drink company that's giving back by having part of the profits go to people in recovery. Steven Owen has been friends with Hurt since they were in third grade. Once he heard about the way Hurt had turned his life around and the business he was creating, he wanted to work with him.
"When you're doing your day-to-day thing and get stuck in the minutiae, it's nice to -- at the end of the day -- know that every little thing you're doing can have an impact," Owen said. "Something really special is going on here.
Since Hurt created Clean Cause in January 2015, the company has raised more than $90,000 and 200 sober-living scholarships, which are 30-day scholarships in high-accountability homes designed to give people right out of rehab the chance to focus on getting a job and establishing a support system.
One of these scholarships went to current employee Brett Buchanan, who was once addicted to meth.
"I was at Shoal Creek mental hospital, and I called Wes, and I said, 'Do you know of anyone hiring? I need some help,'" Buchanan said. "What this company has done for me is it's given me a purpose. I have a purpose in life now."
This isn't an anomaly at Clean Cause. Hurt wanted to create a workplace that not only helped addicts as customers, but employees as well. Most of the people hired to work at Clean Cause are recovering addicts, like Kelly Procter.
"I was an IV user for heroin, so my whole life was kind of a mess," Procter said. "I have been in recovery for 1,029 days. We all have that shame and guilt of what we used to do. It helps other people to be like, 'I did that too.'"
Looking at the big picture, Hurt wants to fight alcohol and drug addiction in any way possible. Clean Cause has given him the avenue to start that process.
"It's definitely very cool to be able to work for a living and pay bills supporting your tribe," Hurt said. "We want to kick some serious butt against addiction."