Redirecting the Search for Fame & Fortune to a Life and Business that's Full of Purpose & Service

How One Latino Escaped the Inner City and Found Fulfillment in Entrepreneurship

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In today's newsletter, Johnny Bonilla provides info on the book he recommends to help you on your entrepreneurial journey. Plus, he has inspiration on creating your path, especially if you don't see a way out of your current situation.

Now, let's get to Johnny's story!

YOUR CURRENT SURROUNDINGS DON’T HAVE TO DETERMINE YOUR FUTURE

“Most of the people around me… were drug dealers. Many of them ended up in jail. Many of them are dead… It’s crazy. And everyone’s main objective [was] really just to make money – make money and live a certain life.”

Those were the influences Johnny Bonilla had growing up in the Bronx, New York. At the time, he thought he wanted to go into acting with its promise of fame and fortune. He even remembers he loved the TV program, Saved By the Bell.

But it was actually fitness and his family that saved him from bad influences that were all around in his neighborhood.

Johnny in his younger years

THE TIP JAR (tips provided courtesy of Johnny Bonilla)

STARTING OUT: “Don’t allow fear to determine your decision… In your mind, you may think you have a lot to lose. But I believe that the ‘what if?’ question, or that sense of regret, to me, is worse.”

STEEPED IN SKILLS (mid-career): “Never get comfortable. Always, always keep learning. Always make sure you’re attending seminars. Make sure that you’re reading… not only books that apply to your business, but books that are going to help you as an individual [to] become a better leader, better person.”

EXAMPLE: Bonilla recommends the book, "Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action" by Simon Sinek.

STARTING OVER: Bonilla says, at this stage, aspiring entrepreneurs need to “remember their why. Why are they doing this? What’s pushing them to start over again?”

I’LL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN: “We’ve made minor mistakes… Like we got the wrong system that just didn’t do what we needed or… we made a purchase or something just, you know, was a waste of money that we were never really able to utilize… But, regret-wise, I don’t think that I have any regrets with what – what we’ve done in this business.”

BEST ADVICE FROM “LA CASA”/BEST “HOUSE” ADVICE:

Johnny with his dad

“The one thing I learned from them (parents) was just the hard work… It was really just seeing the actions. You know, seeing them put in the work, seeing them just be there for us… Their work [ethic] – that’s what I took from them.”

BEING ON A CERTAIN PATH FOR YEARS DOESN’T MEAN YOU HAVE TO STAY ON IT

“My mom and dad would just preach to me, ‘You gotta go to school. You gotta go to college.’ And that was the way out. So that’s all I had in mind – was just to go to school, get a college degree and get a stable job.”

Johnny with his mom

Well, Bonilla started going to college, but then he got offered a job at the post office at the age of 20. He was sure that’s where he would retire.

Things changed when he got married and he and his wife had their first daughter. They decided to move to Florida.

BE AWARE, TAKE NOTE OF THINGS AND ASK QUESTIONS

Bonilla had been playing basketball. He noticed there was this one guy he saw playing. Bonilla described him as good, but certainly not athletic.

A couple of games later, that same guy seemed different. “He’s running up and down the court, shooting really well. Not getting tired. I’m over here, huffing and puffing.”

Bonilla asked him what he’d been doing. “And he’s like, I’m doing this home workout.” The guy showed him the tape and Bonilla tried it out.

“I was, like, man, I really gotta get in shape. And I thought I was in shape.”

Bonilla was around 27 at the time. He started working out on a regular basis and told his wife, “A lot of people could use this guidance or this education.” He even told his wife one day that, if he owned a company, he would call it JBO Fitness.

The person who got Johnny's business idea rolling: His wife

LOOK FOR CREATIVE SOLUTIONS

He didn’t think anything would come of that conversation – until his birthday.

“My wife shows up and she purchased the business name.”

So Bonilla came up with the idea to ask their pastor if they could use the backyard area to do some physical fitness sessions.

YOUR AREA OF INTEREST OR HOBBY CAN BE YOUR LIVELIHOOD

Church test group that signed up for training

They couldn’t believe it, but about 40 people signed up. So they did training sessions about three days a week.

“A couple of months in, we ended up taking... a leap and opening up a thousand square foot place across the street, which was really dingy, really nasty. I don’t even know why people stuck with us.”

But they did.

YOU WILL BE FACED WITH FORKS IN THE ROAD – FACE THEM WITHOUT FEAR

Then came the ultimatum from the clubhouse where Bonilla had been working nights part-time. His boss told him, “You can’t do that and do this. You have to choose one or the other.”

It was at that moment that Bonilla told his wife, there was an opportunity, if they put all their efforts into it.

“That’s when I kind of like saw, there’s a future in what we’re doing now. We have a lot of good clients. We have a good relationship. I don’t see myself sticking with the clubhouse the rest of my life.”

So Bonilla resigned from the clubhouse.

Reality hit.

DO – OR DON’T

That’s when Bonilla realized he had to “put the boots on and get going and start really growing the business.”

They moved to a larger warehouse and that’s when JBO Fitness really started to grow. The business grew to more than 100 clients. They stayed at that site till 2016 when they went to a 2700 square foot facility. It was nearly double the size.

His wife helped with the marketing and the website.

A training session at JBO Fitness

YOU WILL BE FORCED TO LEARN AS YOU GO

“There [were] so many things we didn’t know… We were learning as we were going.”

They have since opened a second location.

But the one thing that has never changed was the couple’s commitment to what they were doing for clients.

“We’ve been able to transform so many lives and minister to so many individuals. I mean, it’s life-changing.”

Bonilla now looks back on his dreams of being an actor and can’t believe it.

Johnny wanting to perform as a little kid

IT IS POSSIBLE – NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW

“The impact as an actor that I was looking for, it was more like... fame and people just honoring you in a weird way. Now, the impact that I’m making is so different. I don’t look for that honor or that fame. It’s just a genuine care, like a genuine love, for individuals to see that change.”

Now, Bonilla and his wife have four kids. When he took his daughter to see his old stomping grounds in the Bronx, he was proud to tell her, “It is possible…” Even for people who still live in his old neighborhood, he believes, “They do have an opportunity, and they can be successful. You just gotta surround yourself with the right individuals and have a mindset to get out.”

Johnny with his family

INDUSTRY: Fitness

STARTED BUSINESS: 2012

LATINO/HISPANIC CONNECTION:

Father was born in Puerto Rico.

Both sides are of Puerto Rican descent.

EDUCATION:

Keiser University - Associate of Arts degree in Exercise Science

DREAM JOB AS A KID: “I wanted to be an actor, which is so weird to me now because I’m shy, for the most part.”

BIGGEST GOAL YET: “We want expansion. We want to have several locations throughout Florida… If we can even go outside of Florida and have a location, that would be great.”

“I would love to see us expand our team. You know, expand our trainers and just be able to really witness and help individuals…”

NO NEED TO GO IT ALONE

HELP ON THE OUTSIDE...because we can all use a helping hand:

FINDING THE FUNDING FOR YOUR BUSINESS

You may have been putting off starting a business because you don’t know where to get the start-up money for it. In this FREE webinar, you’ll learn what financing options are available, even alternate ones. You’ll also learn all about credit, as well as the process of borrowing money for your business.

SBA (Small Business Administration)

FINANCING YOUR BUSINESS

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

9:00 a.m. EDT – 10:00 a.m. EDT

Online Webinar

FREE

https://www.sba.gov/events/1709973

WORKING ON THE INSIDE...because we know our culture has a hard time asking for help:

RUN IT OFF

I know I look forward to going for a run, especially after a hard day. It helps me deal with stress and get moving. Learn how to incorporate this physical activity into your busy life, the safe and effective way. If you’re looking for a way to find a healthy release for the pressures of life and to deal with challenging days, this may be for you:

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

10:00 a.m. EDT – 12:00 p.m. EDT

Train to Sustain: Preparation and Training Through Life’s Seasons

Online Webinar

FREE

https://www.sba.gov/events/1710388

INSPIRATION FOR THIS ISSUE:

Sometimes, we know the steps we have to take to improve our lives. We just need that push or that inspirational story to show us and encourage us to take the big leap.

There are so many demands on our lives that it’s easy to get distracted.

If you come from a background or an environment where entrepreneurship is not encouraged or where you just don’t have the role models, it makes it that much tougher. But it’s definitely not impossible. Not at all.

Johnny Bonilla credits his family for setting the right expectations, but he says his neighborhood surroundings kept trying to pull him from achieving more for himself and his future.

Even if your current situation is toxic, you can make it out.

What I love about Johnny’s story is that he found a career that not only sparked his interest, but it showed him that he could change lives by changing his own life.

He went from looking for fame and fortune to finding purpose in a positive and meaningful career.

If you’re ready to discover what’s out there for you, take the first step and find your purpose. We’re all here rooting for you!

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Johnny feeling blessed