Today we’d like to introduce you to John Romanelli.
Thanks for sharing your story with us John. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Before I can even explain how my business started, I think I must explain how my love for fitness & nutrition first began. I was always the smallest kid in the school growing up. I used to get pushed around and always seemed to be the victim. One day I decided I had enough and figured I could lift weights to get bigger so I wouldn’t get pushed around anymore.
From the first time I stepped in the gym, I fell in love with it. It was my escape from everything. It was a place where I could put my headphones on and get lost in what I was doing. It was never supposed to be part of my career path as I enjoyed it as a hobby until I was set over the edge one day at the local gym I was a part of. I would see the same thing over and over again… personal trainers not paying attention to their clients, using their cell phones and not having a care in the world for their clients well being and success. while these individuals are spending TOP dollar for this service.
One day I snapped and said there has to be a way to help these people at a fraction of the cost. That was the day my business was born! The goal has been the same since that very first day and that was to invest in the success of every single client regardless of their end goal by providing them with a fully customized nutrition and training plan that fit their needs! This has allowed my business to be successful because it is about the people first and the profit second.
Has it been a smooth road?
Absolutely not and I made just about every single mistake in the book. I had no experience in business operations when I launched. I had a lot of passion and knowledge in my field, but not a clue what went into running the operations. I was so focused on my clients in the beginning that I forgot to set up an accounting system and missed the deadline for submitting payments which were both costly in terms of time and money.
Gaining economies of scale in apparel was another big struggle. In the beginning, apparel items were selling for a loss as I had no experience in negotiating with manufacturers, obtaining sample prices & pieces and horrendous shipping speed. Every mistake proved to be a learning experience and ones that I will never make again.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the No Bad Reps story. Tell us more about the business.
My business specializes in creating fully customized online nutrition and training plans that are built taking every detail into account such as an individual’s dietary restrictions, work schedule, physical activity level, workout equipment available, grocery budget, etc.
I also offer on-site personal training, small-group training and large boot camp classes in addition to corporate health and wellness programs where I work with wellness committees to help design, implement and track programs. I often will train these corporate employee’s as well as give educational seminars as part of their wellness programs.
The thing I am most proud of as a company is that we do things the right way. When someone comes to us, we are not sending them out to the store to go buy a bunch of supplements that they don’t need. We utilize food and proper workout programming to achieve our client’s results. No gimmicks, no kickback profits – just a list of groceries and corresponding timing of them coupled with the right training program. This sets us apart from the many others who claim to do what we do.
Where do you see your industry going over the next 5-10 years? Any big shifts, changes, trends, etc?
The interesting thing about our industry is that it has and will continue to explode over the next 5-10 years yet the American population is getting unhealthier. To me, this is concerning as I think the industry is more about portraying an image of glamour instead of coming together to help the Americans who need help in this area the most.
Our industry is over-saturated with people yet recent estimates state that 68% of U.S. adults are classified as either overweight or obese. This is a problem. With these many individuals in the industry, we need to be doing a better job of focusing on improving the global epidemic.
Pricing:
- 6, 8, 10 or 12 Week Customized Diet or Training Plan: $210 – $295
- 6, 8, 10 or 10 Week Customized Diet AND Training Plan: $415 – $595
- 1 on 1 Personal Training (1 Hour Session): $60
- Boot Camp Class (1 Hour Class): $15
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nobadreps.com
- Phone: 630-570-0447
- Email: info@nobadreps.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/nobadreps and instagram.com/jvromo3
- Facebook: facebook.com/nobadreps and facebook.com/jv.romanelli
Image Credit:
Bersano Photography
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
