We recently connected with John Thomas and have shared our conversation below.

John, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about the best advice you’ve ever given to a client? (Please note this response is for education/entertainment purposes only and shouldn’t be construed as advice for the reader)

Find a coach who cares! Almost anyone can become a coach or “authority” figure, but even some up as high as doctors really don’t know much about general health and fitness. I routinely have new clients who come to me with horror stories of how their old coach told them to eat a zero carb diet or how their doctor prescribed them medication way outside of what a normal approach would be considered. As the client, do some research. Check to make sure current clients of the coach are happy and progressing. Find a coach who asks questions like: “Do you have any food allergies? Do you have any pains or current injuries? Do you take any prescription medication?” If your coach doesn’t ask at least the bare minimum, you can’t expect to have great results.

John, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I used to be unhappy with how I looked. I was bullied a lot as a child. This made me extremely self conscious and a relatively quiet and shy individual. I wanted to look exactly like everyone else and fit in. Until I realized I could go to the gym and build my body. The work, time, dedication and effort it took to build my body gave me the confidence needed to be successful anywhere else in life. I have been lifting weights for 15 years now, vegan for 17, and have competed in 4 bodybuilding shows. I plan to do more in late 2023. This own personal journey has allowed me to empathize with others. I want to help guide anyone else desperate to gain more confidence, build strength, and love how they look and feel, both in and out of the gym.

I have become known as my Instagram handle: @thebodybuildingvegan , I created this account a decade ago to record my preparation for my very first bodybuilding show. My Instagram account, and my name, have grown a lot since then. I try to use my public image as a way to promote health, strength, advocate for animal rights, and show other people its okay to be different. With my rainbow shoes, mismatched socks, bright flashy shorts, long black beard and usually a green mohawk, I don’t quite “fit in”. I don’t want to. I want to show others it’s better to be unique.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Offering more value than for what I charge. My goal is to charge a fair rate, but to provide so much value that it would be silly for a client to walk away. I make each client know they are not a number. I provide much more than the average online fitness coach. I of course have weekly check ins with each client. But I also provide 24 hour or less response time for any question, seven days a week. I have my clients record their training and send it so that we can continue to work on their form, effort and skill from up to thousands of miles apart. I love it when I get messages like, “this is exactly what I was looking for in coaching, I wish I had found you years ago!” By providing this type of high end service, I have a great retention rate, and my clients do a great job of marketing my services for me.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Being genuine. I portray a large, goofy, caring and strong person on Instagram. And that person is me! I can’t count the number of times I have met a client, fan, sponsor or other person who knew me from my online presence that messaged me after saying “you are exactly the way I see you online”. I think we all have our great attributes, and then others that we need to work on. But by being genuinely you, you will attract the people meant to fit into your life. I am not clean cut. I am not tattoo free. I am not small, or normal looking, or the softest spoken person, and so I don’t aim to fit into a box not meant for me. Be yourself, show that, and the right people will follow.

Contact Info:

• Website: thebodybuildingvegan.com
• Instagram: @thebodybuildingvegan
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.thomas.5473894