We recently connected with Josh Gangaware and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Josh thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

I have actually had a few defining moments in my career, all of which propelled me in a direction I never thought I would be in.

The first was around the time I was finishing Grad school. I had personal training and doing some education for younger trainers through the rec department at FAU. After I graduated, I was allowed to stay on to personal train for a few months while I figured out what my next step was going to be – I knew fitness was the area I was destined to work in, I just didn’t have any clue on how to proceed.

Luckily, one of my co-workers also coached part-time at a local boutique gym, Slash Fitness in Delray Beach. They were about to expand and were going through a hiring process for new coaches. One thing led to another and I ended getting hired. Over the next 7 years, Slash was my home and everyone there became family, but if it wasn’t for that initial push from a co-worker, who knows where I’d be now.

The second ended up being a two-year long defining moment; at a certain point in the fitness industry (I’m sure other lines of work are very similar), if you reach a certain amount of success working under someone and you have some drive and ambition, the “logical” next step is to go out on your own.

I had reached that point with my business in 2019 – I had built up a full schedule of personal training clients, was one of the first in the area to make semi-private training (personal training for 3-4 at a time) a staple offering, and I had built a solid reputation around the community – I was ready to jump out on my own, or so I thought.

I had a wealthy client who was willing to back me, as it aligned very closely with a venture of his own that he was about to launch. It seemed like the perfect fit and partnership.

This is where I got crash-course in what it really means to be a business owner/entrepreneur. I had all the necessary knowledge and skills on the fitness side and a decent grasp on managing a team, but not much else. My finances were a mess, my ability to speak with my partner about the business side was limited (I’m being nice to myself here), and I had no leverage to speak up about what I thought was the correct course of action/direction the gym should take to be successful.

After a few months of being crushed by pressure, stress, and not being a facility that felt like my own with a business model that I didn’t believe in (not to mention I was going through a divorce at the time and only being able to see my 2 small children a very small amount of time), the partnership dissolved and I left.

Which leads right into my third defining moment: after leaving, I struggled mightily in coming to grips with a failed business venture, with having no money and generally being in a bad place mentally and physically – to the point I was seeking out different careers.

Then the Covid-19 pandemic hits. Now I’m left with only a couple clients (who are training virtually), a ton of money in credit card debt, and little income. I honestly had no clue what I was going to next to survive this period – I felt crushed.

For the first time, in what seemed like forever, I was given a break: I had a family member offer to let my girlfriend (now my wife) and I (plus my kids, when it was my time with them), to live in one of her rental properties in Fort Lauderdale. It was exactly what I needed, at the time, to refocus on what I wanted, both personally and professionally.

With the push and guidance from my (now) wife and few great friends, I committed myself to rebuilding my business. While the pandemic had taken its toll on an unimaginable about of people, more than ever, people needed fitness. It was an escape from being locked inside with little human interaction, it was stress/anxiety reliever, and it was a health saver.

With a renewed vigor, I was coaching a handful of my old clients virtually and remotely, but I also started to build my business in a new town (Fort Lauderdale) by coaching people out of my back patio and going to peoples’ houses. Over time, I started to gain traction, not only in Fort Lauderdale, but also from past clients and acquaintances in Boca Raton and Delray Beach. Before I knew it, my book was filled again.

Currently, my family has moved back to Boca Raton and I am running my personal training business, renting space out of Palm Beach Gym in Boca. 100% of my time is now spent in Boca, but I do still train a few people, virtually, from Fort Lauderdale, as well as numerous clients online throughout the country and Canada.

While these experiences were tough, in the moment, they serve as valuable lessons (which I share parts of with clients as motivation/inspiration) in resiliency, work ethic, and perseverance – experiences that, with my current perspective, I wouldn’t change.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

As the Chief of the Iron Gang, everything we do is a reflection of my vision and values. Leading the way, by example, is of the utmost importance to me – I am not a “do as I say, not as I do” kind of person.

With every sport I played growing up, that is exactly how I represented myself, which has continued to this day.

Being a lifelong athlete, you would think that health and fitness would have come easy to me, but that wasn’t really the case. When it came to playing a sport, I was all in, but the training, working out, and nutrition side was a struggle (in that it was non-existent). I athletic, but also weak, frail, and didn’t have a ton of self-confidence. My turning point didn’t come until I was in my last semester of undergrad.

When I decided that teaching and coaching wasn’t going to be my career path and working directly with athletes as a strength coach was what I wanted to do, I realized I had to look like I fit in. This lead me down the never-ending path of self-improvement through the gym. As I got stronger in the gym, I also noticed that my self-confidence strengthened, too.

My mission has always been to help guide people to look, feel, and perform better and avoid the setbacks and frustrations I went through – but if we can build confidence and self-worth along the way, we have accomplished something seriously meaningful.

Now, as a father of 3, a husband, and a business owner, I want to impart my wisdom and guidance I have gathered to manage all of those AND stay fit and healthy. I want to lead and inspire you to know that it all can be done, it just takes the right strategy.

At this moment, I provide personal training, virtual coaching, and online coaching in the fitness and nutrition realm. In-person coaching is kept in Boca Raton, at Palm Beach Gym. However, virtual and online coaching can be conducted wherever you may be located.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

In personal training, we view the service in a pretty myopic view of exercise and nutrition. That’s the exact take I had on when I first started.

What you don’t realize (from a coach’s perspective), is that those pieces are just that, pieces of the puzzle. Those pieces will never fit together (at least not properly or for a long time), if psychology and communication aren’t understood and practiced.

It doesn’t matter how good of a program or a diet you write, if you haven’t considered the psychology of each client – from a personal level, as well as how they will best learn habits and adopt change – then communicate that plan so they understand and emotionally buy into it, the results won’t show.

Yes, the details of exercise (anatomy, physiology, biomechanics) needs to be at the highest level to really succeed, but so do the “softer” skills of getting the clients to follow along with that side, and do them consistently, also need to be there.

Aside from that, learning some basics of running a business need to be understood. Areas like marketing, sales, and finance are necessary to last more than a couple years as a full-time personal trainer.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think the 2 biggest things that have helped my reputation, personally, is doing what I say I’m going to do and acting as if I’m being watched during every session I conduct.

Unfortunately, but rightfully so, personal trainers are often thought of as being flaky. If trainers were to put more pride into themselves, seeing this as an actual profession, and conducting themselves as you would in any other professional environment, it would go a long way in establishing a positive reputation.

To me, the easiest rung on that ladder is simple follow-through. If you say you’re going to do something, make sure it gets done and it gets done to the best of your ability.

On a similar note, people pay a lot of money (typically) for the services we provide. Acting accordingly and proving a service that is deserving of the price being paid is non-negotiable for me.

Putting the pressure on myself and acting like I’m being watched by everyone in the room during each session allows me to provide the best possible service to each client. Not only do current clients really appreciate the attention without distractions (so they stay with you longer), but it serves as a billboard for any potential client looking for a coach/trainer.

Most people would much prefer the coach that pays attention to their client(s) and is active and engaging, over the one who is stuck with their face in the phone or sitting down the whole session.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.irongangfit.com
• Instagram: @joshgangaware
• Facebook: @irongangfitness
• Youtube: @joshgangaware

Image Credits
Danny Lopez