Engineering life and a business.
Learn how Jitendra Chouksey addressed his own personal struggle with fitness, and turned it into a business.
How many companies can you think of that started because of a personal need?
I can think of very few and can even list them
Khan Academy is a result of a compliment Salman Khan received while tutoring his cousins. The compliment made him start a YouTube channel and the rest is history.
GitHub started because Chris Wanstrath and PJ Hyett found it hard to edit/source open code.
WeWork was an ad-hoc idea by Adam Neumann to make some side cash. Then, he realised there was a dire need of this environment.
Point is, very few companies are founded because of a personal struggle/problem.
Now, think of making that even more personal.
Weight management and fitness.
It’s a topic most of us don’t like talking about, or getting talked to about.
On the other hand, we have body shaming activists left, right and centre.
It’s on both sides of the spectrum. Too thin or too fat - you’ll hear condescending statements made about the way you look.
Jitendra Chouksey was unhappy with his fitness/ current weight in 2013, as he was working at a leading IT company as a Sr. Technical Consultant. The rather sedentary lifestyle of an office job wasn’t helping either. Additionally, it was a struggle to find ‘the time’ to gym.
Work took precedence, junk food deliveries happened at work, and fitness was given a back seat.
Like most of us, the idea of ‘aaj mereko gym jana hai’ (I need to go to the gym today!) happens and if you don’t act on it rapidly, it remains an idea.
Jitendra, in the spur of the moment, decided to text friends and people he knew. Some were invested in a healthy life, some were not. What he found out was that a lot of people around him lacked the motivation and drive to turn thoughts into action.
What started as a few texts, rapidly became a Whatsapp group.
That Whatsapp group reached its max limit of ~200 people so rapidly, Jiten decided to start a Facebook page.
The goal behind the page was to start learning about fitness himself firstly. Secondly, to share fitness and nutrition-related information.
One of his E-Books went viral and his page reached 25,000 followers within just a couple of days.
Today, the FITTR page is at 1,09,000.
As Jitendra kept sharing his story, he realised that a lot of people wanted a personalized approach to fitness. They wanted 1-1 trainings, health coaches, nutrition guidance.
The personal touch was something that was being organically asked for.
Hearing the demand and knowing he had access or could build access to these individuals, he started building a website.
With this technical knowledge and friends who helped on the website front, and on the business front, he onboarded 14 coaches in January 2016.
Those 14 coaches were so welcomed by the community he had built on his page, word of mouth started working. From 14, they became 50, to 100, and as of today, they have more than 200 coaches onboarded. They offer health counselling/advice in every aspect, for all age groups.
Where does storytelling come into all of this?
Jitendra says, “right from the root of this mission!”. “I was sharing my personal stories, I was sharing information I could find. I was sharing my struggles with fitness. It’s amazing how people come together to support you when you speak!”
Most the coaches currently working with FITTR have come from a similar space. Which Jitendra feels makes them compassionate and empathetic at the same time. “When a client and a coach can share more than just a workout routine, you really build that bond with someone who’s working with you towards a mutual goal”
As FITTR grew, Jiten and his newly formed company, and teammates knew they had to support coaches, just as much as individuals.
To do so, they decided on a certification program with The Institute of Nutrition and Fitness Sciences (INFS).
Jitendra’s storytelling mantra
Throughout our conversation, even though Jitendra did not see the questions I had planned to ask him, I realised he’s a really good storyteller. So, I asked him his take on storytelling.
He shares:
Storytellers need to be honest with themselves. They need to believe in their story first, before telling anyone else
Every story needs substance. Substance means that the reader needs to feel emotion
Good storytellers show their reader, more than just explaining.
Storytellers who build consistency in sharing their stories, tend to rise to the top.
How storytelling inspires fitness
“Fitness isn’t a one-day thing”, said Jitendra. “It requires months and years of effort and dedication”. Storytelling is one such thing that Jitendra says helps keeps the momentum.
“Storytelling within fitness inspires, it keeps people motivated and it impacts them in ways you can’t imagine,” said Jitendra.
“With a fitness story, that’s your own, you can inspire every person around you!”. Jitendra then talked about the FITTR Instagram page.
It talks about the successes of people in a very vulnerable fashion. It’s honest, it’s visual and every picture shows results - no matter how big or small.
“10 kilos off to someone who’s 150 kilos is a massive achievement. 10 kilos off a person who’s 40 kilos, is also a massive achievement. The scale varies, but the story is equally empowering to read/listen to”
How FITTR built a ‘safe space’
When building FITTR, Jiten was very conscious about ensuring his community and people were ‘safe’. Safe can be anything from ‘away from fat-shaming’ to ‘away from demeaning language”.
The content on all their pages is user-driven. The domains range from transformation stories to detailed recipes for every type of lifestyle to Q&A forums.
It was utmost responsibility that there was no negativity within the page, and the groups.
Therefore, to ensure it stays so, Jitendra has instituted strict member guidelines and a zero-tolerance policy for bullying. A group of admins and moderators keep a close look on all the pages, ensuring that group guidelines are followed.
Can storytelling make you a zero marketing spend company?
FITTR is proud to say they are a zero marketing spend company. Everything is very organic even on the company side. FITTR receives innumerous applications of people who want to work alongside the team. Jiten says it’s because “ You have to build a culture where people are drawn into it themselves”.
When interviewing, apart from the basic questions, Jiten ensures to understand their goals, how they want to impact this industry and if they have the ‘positivity spark’ in them. These three things are crucial to the success of FITTR inside out.
As of today, FITTR has 75 employees all over the world, aligned on one mission.
FITTR, the company today
FITTR is on track to become a 42CR company this year. With zero funding, and no plans to fund till they reach 100CR. This organically built company is one to watch out for, for sure.
Currently, they have over 200 Coaches on their platform and more than 3500 new client enrolments month after month with a 40% renewals rate. Since inception, they have helped more than 100,000 people transform and become healthy.
On average, each coach handles 80-90 clients and a 3-month package is priced at $150.
A note from the writer:
JC, your story of how you solved a personal dilemma, which led to solving it for a global audience, is beyond impressive.
I could hear how passionate you are about the mission, from a thousand miles away, and I hope that flame never dies.
Thank you for sharing your story with me!
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