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
Hi everyone! ššš¼šš¾Let's make this your best week yet.
You can start by subscribing to this newsletter to get great tips on entrepreneurship sent automatically to your inbox.
You can also share this article (share button is conveniently at the top) to share this advice with someone who may want to start or grow their business.
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 DONāT HAVE TO DETERMINE YOUR FUTURE
āMost of the people around meā¦ were drug dealers. Many of them ended up in jail. Many of them are deadā¦ Itās crazy. And everyoneās main objective [was] really just to make money ā make money and live a certain life.ā
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: āDonāt allow fear to determine your decisionā¦ In your mind, you may think you have a lot to lose. But I believe that the āwhat if?ā question, or that sense of regret, to me, is worse.ā
STEEPED IN SKILLS (mid-career): āNever get comfortable. Always, always keep learning. Always make sure youāre attending seminars. Make sure that youāre readingā¦ 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.ā
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 āremember their why. Why are they doing this? Whatās pushing them to start over again?ā
IāLL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN: āWeāve made minor mistakesā¦ Like we got the wrong system that just didnāt do what we needed orā¦ we made a purchase or something just, you know, was a waste of money that we were never really able to utilizeā¦ But, regret-wise, I donāt think that I have any regrets with what ā what weāve done in this business.ā
BEST ADVICE FROM āLA CASAā/BEST āHOUSEā ADVICE:
Johnny with his dad
āThe one thing I learned from them (parents) was just the hard workā¦ It was really just seeing the actions. You know, seeing them put in the work, seeing them just be there for usā¦ Their work [ethic] ā thatās what I took from them.ā
BEING ON A CERTAIN PATH FOR YEARS DOESNāT MEAN YOU HAVE TO STAY ON IT
āMy mom and dad would just preach to me, āYou gotta go to school. You gotta go to college.ā And that was the way out. So thatās all I had in mind ā was just to go to school, get a college degree and get a stable job.ā
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 thatās 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. āHeās running up and down the court, shooting really well. Not getting tired. Iām over here, huffing and puffing.ā
Bonilla asked him what heād been doing. āAnd heās like, Iām doing this home workout.ā The guy showed him the tape and Bonilla tried it out.
āI was, like, man, I really gotta get in shape. And I thought I was in shape.ā
Bonilla was around 27 at the time. He started working out on a regular basis and told his wife, āA lot of people could use this guidance or this education.ā 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 didnāt think anything would come of that conversation ā until his birthday.
āMy wife shows up and she purchased the business name.ā
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 couldnāt believe it, but about 40 people signed up. So they did training sessions about three days a week.
āA 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 donāt even know why people stuck with us.ā
But they did.
YOU WILL BE FACED WITH FORKS IN THE ROAD ā FACE THEM WITHOUT FEAR
Then came the ultimatum from the clubhouse where Bonilla had been working nights part-time. His boss told him, āYou canāt do that and do this. You have to choose one or the other.ā
It was at that moment that Bonilla told his wife, there was an opportunity, if they put all their efforts into it.
āThatās when I kind of like saw, thereās a future in what weāre doing now. We have a lot of good clients. We have a good relationship. I donāt see myself sticking with the clubhouse the rest of my life.ā
So Bonilla resigned from the clubhouse.
Reality hit.
DO ā OR DONāT
Thatās when Bonilla realized he had to āput the boots on and get going and start really growing the business.ā
They moved to a larger warehouse and thatās 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
āThere [were] so many things we didnāt knowā¦ We were learning as we were going.ā
They have since opened a second location.
But the one thing that has never changed was the coupleās commitment to what they were doing for clients.
āWeāve been able to transform so many lives and minister to so many individuals. I mean, itās life-changing.ā
Bonilla now looks back on his dreams of being an actor and canāt believe it.
Johnny wanting to perform as a little kid
IT IS POSSIBLE ā NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW
āThe 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 Iām making is so different. I donāt look for that honor or that fame. Itās just a genuine care, like a genuine love, for individuals to see that change.ā
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, āIt is possibleā¦ā Even for people who still live in his old neighborhood, he believes, āThey 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.ā
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: āI wanted to be an actor, which is so weird to me now because Iām shy, for the most part.ā
BIGGEST GOAL YET: āWe want expansion. We want to have several locations throughout Floridaā¦ If we can even go outside of Florida and have a location, that would be great.ā
āI would love to see us expand our team. You know, expand our trainers and just be able to really witness and help individualsā¦ā
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 donāt know where to get the start-up money for it. In this FREE webinar, youāll learn what financing options are available, even alternate ones. Youāll 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 ā 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 youāre 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 ā 12:00 p.m. EDT
Train to Sustain: Preparation and Training Through Lifeās 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 itās easy to get distracted.
If you come from a background or an environment where entrepreneurship is not encouraged or where you just donāt have the role models, it makes it that much tougher. But itās 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 Johnnyās 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 youāre ready to discover whatās out there for you, take the first step and find your purpose. Weāre all here rooting for you!
š“Got something useful out of the article? I'm glad. Feel free to share it with the share button at the top of the page.
š“Want to show your support for our entrepreneurship community? Just subscribe for free.
š“Let's connect on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
š“Thanks for your loyal support. I really appreciate it. Now, go have an incredible day!
Johnny feeling blessed