Among the exhibitors at the recent Dubai Show, few are as well-known as James Smith – Fitness Coach, Author, Podcaster, and inventor of the new neuron, the “new drink” of neuroscience that is a way of life. While many founders hide behind marketing teams, Smith does the opposite: He releases his email and, if the customer is not happy, sends it directly back to his account.
“People get an alert saying James Smith has sent £28 (AED 130),” he laughs. “That builds trust. They see that there is a real person behind the product.” It’s an approach that runs through everything he does – personal, direct, and often counterintuitive.
From failure to focus
Smith’s business journey began with failure. He says: “I moved to Australia with big dreams as a personal trainer, but it just didn’t click. “The gym culture was hostile, and I couldn’t make decisions.” Stuck in a one-year contract, he bought a whiteboard and started using Workouts on his iPhone, live streaming twice a day to his clients back in the UK.
“When I hit 50,000 followers, I bought a camera and taught myself to edit,” he recalls. “The worst moment of my career turned out to be the best. If that had been in the gym, it would have made this life.”
That the start of the Internet led to best-selling books, sold-out speaking tours, and an audience of millions — but Smith never ruled out personal communication. “I still reply to messages. I still use my real email. I don’t want people to talk to ‘the group’. They talk to me.”
Spark after neututonic
The neotonic concept did not come out of a marketing storm. It came from Smith’s own struggle. “When I was writing my first book, I was taking modafinil (the drug you call narcolepsy) to stay awake and focused.
Realizing that was unsustainable, he began experimenting with nootropIcs: natural compounds such as alpha GPC and Lion’s mane that claim to support mental performance. “If I was better informed, I would write 10,000 words instead of 3,000. In my world, one good idea on one good day can change the entire income of the month.”
Ultimately, those personal experiments became the blueprint for Neutonic, a drink that helps you focus without a chemical crash. “I wanted something legal, safe, and effective but also something people wanted to drink, not.”
From whiteboard to brand
The word combined with nootropic and tonic, and the logo came from Ai after hundreds of iterations. “Some of the designs look like they were lying down, someone looked up,” he jokes. “Now I look back from the grave of bad ideas and I am happy and proud.”
Even the possible formation shows his perfection. “We wanted to be a bit fizzy so you can drink it during exercise. The matte finish costs a lot of money but it feels premium.”
Smith calls neututonic a production drink – “strong, but smart.” But what really sets it apart is the way he maintains a human song. He says: “If someone doesn’t like it, I take it back easily,” he said. “If they’re polite, I don’t even look at the order number. I’ll wake up a little bit – sometimes I ask if they want a lot of money to get their refund?”
That playfulness won credibility. “When customers see that I actually sent money, not some bot, they tell their friends. Even the disappointed ones become advocates.”
It is a company philosophy that is more effective than any ad campaign. “If you gave me a $100,000 SOFNEENTERS budget, I would spend it all on free stock,” Smith said. “I’d rather give cans to real people than pay someone to pretend they’re drinking it.”
His marketing nature cares about convention. “Everyone told me that I can’t be made into a mysterious taste. I ignore them. We sold 1,000 cases in 24 hours. Sometimes the idea that ‘
Finding a second home in Dubai
Smith first came to Dubai years ago to play rugby sevens with a social group called the Pies and Pints Pilrim – “laugh.
Today, you see the difference in the city. “At first, I didn’t get it. But now I can understand Dubai and my values - ambition, respect, entrepreneurship. It’s a place of high success.”
One meeting closed that bond: Time to train with Sheikh Tariq Al Qassimi, Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt. “You completely changed my view of the region. The culture, the openness, the values. Every time I come back, it feels like home.”
