We were lucky to catch up with Joseph Rosko recently and have shared our conversation below.
Joseph, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. Parents play a huge role in our development as youngsters and sometimes that impact follows us into adulthood and into our lives and careers. Looking back, what’s something you think your parents did right?
My mom taught me to treat everyone equally, from the custodian to the CEO. A person’s worth isn’t valued based on their job title but, who they are as a human being. This has really helped me when networking or, working with various clients that range from celebrities to your everyday person.
My dad taught me to always ask. When I was very young he’d never let me tell him what I wanted to order at a restaurant or, purchasing something at some type of business. He’d always make me tell the server what I wanted to order or, to speak to the person behind the counter when making a purchase. He’d always say, “If you ask and they say no, then you’re no further behind than when you you started. But, if they say yes, then a new door will open.” So much of my success as an entrepreneur has been from being fearless to ask for help, ask for a sale, ask if innovation was possible, etc.
I’m grateful to each of them for that.
Joseph, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Joe Rosko, native to Youngstown, OH, began his professional career as a trainer and actor at the exact same time in 2007. Since then, it has been his mission to build a bridge between the worlds of
fitness and theatre. Rosko believed that actors were truly professional athletes but
didn’t feel as though the theatre community was equipped with the proper resources to
train like said athletes. This realization led to the creation of Built for the Stage. In the
past six years, BFTS has had clients represented in over fifty Broadway shows, West End London productions and other stages across the globe while training on a fitness app. Along the way, he has also trained NFL football players and celebrities.
In the midst of growing his first business, Rosko developed his second online brand, Move Fast Lift Heavy Training, with CrossFit influencer, Christian Harris.
After repeating his success with MFLH, he has since expanded his talents in consulting other aspiring entrepreneurs on how to develop their own brand and business to launch online.
https://builtforthestage.com/
https://mflhtrain.com/
Any fun sales or marketing stories?
When covid first hit, the theatre industry shut down and left my entire clientele jobless. I knew that the cancellations would start pouring in. So, before they did, I lowered their prices significantly and pledged to donate all of their subscription money to The Actors Fund (an organization that helps struggling actors pay for medical bills, rent, etc). For months, I took zero profit and found other ways to make money through my business. I had heard a valuable lesson on a podcast years prior that talked about the idea of asking yourself the question of what your mission is within any given action. That question was, “Are you trying to build your bank or, your brand.” I recalled that lesson and knew that in that moment in time, it was my brand that I needed to focus on building. I placed a bet that once the dust settled, the reputation I had nurtured, would pay off in the long run. And once the dust settled, I had doubled my business.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
Free programs, free merchandise, free events, free tickets to shows, free, free, free…
A lot of business gurus out their say never give away your product or service because you devalue it.
I’ve learned that if you give away something that is better than what people charge for, people will start asking you how they can pay you instead of the other way around. I double down on this even more when you’re just starting out. First make HUGE waves with all the things you’re giving away. Then, once you’ve created massive waves, start selling surfboards.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://builtforthestage.com/
- Instagram: @itsmerosko
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/joerosko
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/@itsmerosko
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BuiltForTheStage/about
- Built for the Stage https://builtforthestage.com/
- Move Fast Lift Heavy https://mflhtrain.com/
- Built for the Poms https://builtforthepoms.com/
Image Credits
Danny Kaan