We were lucky to catch up with JD Guerrero recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, JD thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
How I came up with Only The Strong Fitness & Athletics…. As a native of Arizona with a few stints in California I grew up most of my adolescent and teenage life in Az, After my parents divorced we turned sports as a way to stay active and busy. Our mother was left to work and provide for us and did not have the means necessary for my brothers and I to participate in sports outside of school. I never had the opportunity for any extra training to better my skills in sports and I never attended professional sporting events growing up. Now as a father myself, I wanted to change that in my family. I decided that I wanted to make a difference in my children and teach them at an early age about sports and fitness, being active, and giving back to the community.
As an advocate of fitness and sports along with my experience, my passion led me to start training my son in speed and agility with sports specific activities that would help prepare him for the sport he was in, whether it was football, soccer or baseball. It not only helped him physically but also prepared him mentally and lifted his confidence in the activities he was in. This led to training some teammates, then nephews and friends. I decided to call it Only The Strong Fitness & Athletics. I wasn’t satisfied with only training and wanted to somehow give back to the community to reach those kids and families that couldn’t afford sports and events, but I wanted to still make the training affordable to families. I began to charge for each training session at a local park and also got families to come workout and have fun once a week for my fitness club.. This also translated into an after school summer program where I implemented the same training sessions with a couple of schools. I then began to make apparel, hats, shirts, hoodies, and now use that money to give back to the community. We have paid for youth to participate in sports, camps, races, equipment, and various lessons, so we have made a lasting impact in families. All of these things have been so exciting to see unfold and grow over the years.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Coach Guerrero is a Physical Education Teacher & Coach of multiple sports for over 15yrs. Youth engagement coach for the Los Angelas Rams, Procamps, & Anthony Munoz Foundation. I am the owner of Only The Strong Fitness & Athletics it is a Hispanic owned small business specialized in youth sports training,/speed and agility that helps young boys and girls develop skills to participate actively in sports. We sell apparel as brand. With our brand we help provide equipment and registration fees for youth that can’t afford to pay. We also gives back to the community through donations to various health organizations.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I feel that my reputation has been built on my hardwork in the schools that I have taught & coached for. Being an honest and honorable person to those I work with and encounter. I also believe showing up and supporting others has also helped create who I am today.
How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?
I keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty by showing support to those that support us and purchase our training sessions and apparel I follow and comment on their social media and purchase their products/services. I also try to attend their events to let them know I am their to support them as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.onlythestrong.org
- Instagram: @coachgstrong5
- Facebook: @ots.strong.5
- Twitter: @OTS_apparel
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/user/jdguerrero80