From a small What's App Group to a $13M business
We’ve talked to several people on the show about turning their expertise into an online business, but today’s guest has a particularly amazing story. This episode is another example of what we hear over and over from successful entrepreneurs - that when you know and do something really well, other people will be willing to pay you for your help!
Jitendra Chouksey is a founder from India. His company Fittr started as a WhatsApp group 6 years ago where JC helped people get fit for free. When he realized he could make many more people fit, he started Fittr in 2016. Since then, Fittr has transformed the lives of 100,000+ people, provided jobs to 350+ people, and is now a $13m company without any marketing. They are totally bootstrapped and have a community of 800,000+ fitness enthusiasts.
In today’s episode, JC and I talk about the birth and growth of Fittr and the story behind its huge success. He discusses starting the business while working full time in tech, why he never planned to make money from getting people fit, and how Fittr has grown almost entirely from word of mouth.
In this episode, we’re discussing…
Why JC started offering fitness advice to friends and family while working his full time job in tech.
How his fitness coaching got more and more popular in a really short amount of time.
Why JC was hesitant to turn his fitness coaching into a full time business and how he decided to take the leap and start Fittr.
How Fittr has grown so rapidly through word of mouth.
How Fittr uses a freemium business model to provide the right level of service to all its member.
JC’s Top Tips:
Word of mouth is powerful advertising – do what you do and do it really well. If people get great results from your product or service, they will help spread the words and sing your praises.
Solve a problem for yourself first – you don’t need to seek out a novel problem to solve or create a brand-new solution. Focus on a problem that is bothering you, solve it well, and other people will be interested in getting you to help solve that problem for them, too.
Build a positive community – positivity and community support are at the core of Fittr’s success. Build a community around your work where people feel like they can belong and get help whenever they need it.
ABOUT JITENDRA CHOUKSEY
Jitendra Chouksey is from India and founded a company called Fittr. Fittr started as a WhatsApp group 6 years ago, where JC helped people get fit for free. When he realised he could make many more people fit, he started Fittr in 2016. Since then, Fittr has transformed the lives of 100,000+ people, provided jobs to 350+ people, and is now a $13m company without any marketing. They are totally bootstrapped and have a community of 800,000+ fitness enthusiasts.
