Christopher Noguera – Founder and CEO of Fitness By Design FBD

I put the idea into action immediately and then alter it as I go, that way it is out there already and can start gaining traction.

Christopher is the Founder and CEO of Fitness By Design FBD. Chris is on a mission to become the affordable solution to personal training across the globe and, as a result, the leading brand in personal fitness. Chris is passionate about his mission. He knows that he is changing lives every day by helping people reach their potential and fulfilling the goals they’ve always had but didn’t know how to get to. With an innovative approach to exercise and nutrition, Chris is always changing his methods and firmly believes that there is not a one size fits all approach, which is why he spreads his reach around the globe so that people of any shape, size, or color can realize that a healthy lifestyle is much easier than they think.

Where did the idea for Fitness By Design FBD come from?

Originally, I started FBD as a personal training company where my trainers and I would drive to our clients and train them at their own gyms or at a nearby park. After I realized success with this business model I was not satisfied with the small number of people I was reaching. Therefore, I took my business to the Internet in the form of online fitness and lifestyle coaching. As a result, I can now reach a limitless amount of people and they can train in the comfort of their own home or in a gym if they’d like, for a price much lower than what they could expect to pay otherwise.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

I wake up every day at 6:30 and my coffee is already brewed. I drink my coffee while eating a banana, which serves as my morning meal. Then, I sit down at my desk and starting programming my clients’ workouts for the day and for those that have lifestyle coaching in their package, I give them notes. After this, I begin my marketing for the day, working with my ambassadors and marketing team via Slack, while also working on my social media, to get our message and brand in front of as many people as possible. Then, in an hour block I send out any emails that need to be sent out for the day. This is the usual structure my day follows, however, it is not an exact science and can be different day to day.

How do you bring ideas to life?

In the words of the great Steve Harvey, “I jump.” I do not try to test an idea before I start it or try to do research on it. Whenever I get an idea, I run it by my team and put it into action. I am not a person who likes to wait to see if an idea works. I put the idea into action immediately and then alter it as I go, that way it is out there already and can start gaining traction.

What’s one trend that really excites you?

One trend that really excites me is the continuous flow of people to the Internet for fitness. Every day more and more people are looking online for answers to their fitness and nutrition questions and that is perfect for my business. I really believe we have a lot to offer people.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

I have the ability to sit down and shrink a one-hour project down to 20 minutes due to laser-like focus and my ability to eliminate all distractions when I really want to. I have found myself working furiously through an assignment, finish, and realize a relatively small amount of time is gone.

What was the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?

The worst job I ever had was working for a construction company that was in the house-flipping business. These houses were usually always unimaginably disgusting inside and required work from the ground up. The one thing I learned from it is that with enough work and vision, even the worst looking projects can be turned into beautiful masterpieces.

If you were to start again, what would you do differently?

I would definitely surround myself with a team before I started and not after. Doing everything by myself at the beginning was extremely stressful and challenging. Bringing people on as really helped me lessen the workload and allowed me to focus on the most important tasks on any given day.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

The one thing I do that I recommend everyone else do is take at least 30 minutes every day and exercise. It is an integral part of every day for me because it allows me to forget about everything for a while and at the same time improve my health, which allows me to be in an optimum condition to get my work done.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business? Please explain how.

The one strategy that has helped my business the most is always making sure my clients are happy. By continuously asking them if the program they have is the one they want I create a dialogue between myself and the client making them feel like they are important, which they are. This leads to referrals, which leads to organic growth of my brand.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

The biggest failure I had as an entrepreneur was completely shutting down the personal training business and starting over from scratch. It is never easy to start from zero and I should have taken advantage of the network I already had. Through persistence and the help of a great team I was able to create a bigger network than I ever had before.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Not only because it is where I started, but personal training is the business idea I would start. It is an incredibly easy business to start and can be done out of your very own garage or at a nearby park.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

It was not exactly $100, but I recently bought a series of books across many fields, from biographies to fiction. I love reading and believe every entrepreneur should do it to expand their mind and gain the experience of those that have come before us.

What software and web services do you use? What do you love about them?

I use Wix to operate my business. I chose it because it is both cost-effective and the online store is extremely easy to operate.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

“The Magic of Thinking Big” by David Schwartz. There are so many great points in this book but I believe the most important aspect of the book is that it gives people the tools necessary to overcome the limiting beliefs many people have before starting a business or advancing at work.

What people have influenced your thinking and might be of interest to others?

The two people that come to mind are Tony Robbins and Les Brown. These men are at the top of mountain in the world of life coaching and motivational speaking and have had a profound impact on the way I think and how I approach every day. If you just YouTube their names you will be blessed with hours of material that will help you overcome any obstacle in your way.

Connect:

Fitness by Design on Twitter: @fbdworldwide
Fitness by Design on Facebook:
Christopher Noguera on LinkedIn: