On March 28, 2018, Smart Fit’s CEO and owner, Edgard Corona, was interviewed for the podcast Like a Boss, which follows the lives and careers of outstanding businesspeople. The CEO shared his thoughts on the process of turning an idea into a profitable business. In order to become the head of one of Brazil’s greatest fitness studio and gym franchises, he had to face and conquer several obstacles.
He talks about his time working at the family sugar mill, as well as his time running a clothes business and a laboratory. Corona had to go to physical rehabilitation after a skiing accident, and it was during this period of economic growth that he saw the potential in the fitness business.
The businessman’s previous endeavors had taught him a great deal, particularly about the dangers inherent in launching a brand-new enterprise. Business, as Edgard Corona understood, moves on a curve rather than a straight line. He needed a strategy that would drive people to the gym and also make them feel comfortable with the Smart Fit brand. What are your predictions for the fitness industry as a whole, for Smart Fit specifically? How do you anticipate the future development in the fitness industry?
Given the current state of the market, Edgard Corona believes that his company could sell between 1,200 and 1,300 units throughout Latin America. “We put in four or five years and now have 480 units. We were able to project into the future a situation in which 20% of the population regularly visits a gym. That means we’ll be ready to take on the massive task of innovating how we serve our Latin American consumers for the foreseeable future.
The success of a fitness club is on the regular attendance of its members, thus providing consistent high-quality services, infrastructure, and customer service is crucial to maintaining a thriving company. That is to say, keeping up with the demands of management and customer service is a daily struggle for us.”
Read More: edgardcorona.com.br/