We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Joshua Whitlatch a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Joshua, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.

Skill and talent, in my opinion, is scattered throughout the country pretty evenly. However, opportunity and options are not always dispersed evenly.

I try and fill that gap as much as I can with my company, Just Work Athletics. Teaching the game to young kids that might not have that parent around as much as I did, is something I love doing. Putting a ball in a young person’s hands can open doors with no limits or boundaries.

Joshua, 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?

About a month before my wedding, I was laid off from the company I was working. At the time, I had been doing some training on the side, but nothing full time by any means. With that said, I had a choice to make. Begin the search for a new job, which could take days, weeks – that of which I did not have. The second option was to use the skills I had learned growing up, put to use the degree I had graduated from Indiana University with and take my training from a side gig to full time.

Just Work Athletics was born. Specializing in athletic performance, skill development, and one on one coaching. Located in Coral Springs, FL and serving South Florida since 2017. Being a one-man-band, I like to provide all services ranging from not only the physical aspect, but nutritional aspect as well. Ages ranging from 5 and up!

Growing up in the Midwest and now living in South Florida was an adjustment. Faster pace, different type of people. All around different. I was able to use a lot of my people skills and knowledge I had learned growing up and apply that when building my client base in South Florida.

Often times, it can be scary to take that initial first step. Was I ready to start a business a few weeks before my wedding? No. I didn’t know what the heck to do. But once I took that first initial step and created the LLC, the rest was history. Good things happen to good people. Throw in some hard work and a vision, the sky is the limit.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I think we had to all probably make one of the biggest pivots of our lives early in 2020. When COVID struck the country, it shook us all. Being a trainer and needing to be hands on and face to face, I had to immediately switch it up.

Going online and doing virtual training was definitely an adjustment. I do think it made you come out of your comfort zone in the sense of having to be much more of a teacher. Being able to still have that connect with a client via zoom or a video call isn’t easy. The way you delivered a workout and broke down each exercise came down to how effectively you could communicate.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Be patient. I repeat, be patient. Establishing yourself on Social Media doesn’t happen over night. My best advice for someone starting out is pick a specific avenue or niche and stick to it!

It’s very tempting to chase likes and followers, but stay true to your message and who you are trying to connect with, influence. Don’t just have a photography page for instance. Have a photography page that targets the same type of photography each and every day. Stay in your lane and crush it!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachjoshw/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justworkathletics
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshwhitlatch/