We recently connected with Jumel Verna and have shared our conversation below.
Jumel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
In 2011 I moved to Los Angeles to pursue an entertainment career. A friend of mine played for the lakers at the time and told me he could help me get off of my feet. I was scared to move 3000 miles away from family and friends but I still packed some of my things and left a 50k salary Job in the city. When I got to LA I saw that friend one time. I became upset, nervous and confused. I was left scratching my head trying to figure what’s next. Thank God I was able to go on unemployment so I was able to survive for the time being. I rented a room in a really nice building. While living in the Roosevelt Lofts in DTLA I met a trainer there that asked me if I wanted to workout. At the time I was already sort of fit so I kind of down played it, but he was convincing so I gave it a try. After 10 mins I was drenched in sweat, I loved every second of it. We became friends and he was also from New York so we were able to relate to one another.
After a couple months of training I picked up everything rather quick and became interested in personal training as well. We spoke about opening our own gym in LA, but I ended up moving back to NY at the end of the year. As soon as I got back to NY I became a certified trainer. I started at Equinox and worked for a Private company as well. I took a risk for one thing and it changed the trajectory of my life.
Jumel, 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’ve been personal training for over 10 years. While working in the city I realized I wanted to really give back to my community. I was only training the 1 percenters of the world. I wondered how can I give them the same level of quality that I give my clients at a more affordable rate. I moved my personal training business to queens and Nassau. We then created a semi-private, coach based environment where we can see multiple individuals and give them great service for a fraction of the price. Corebalfit stands for Core, Balance and Fitness. We believe everything starts from the core, we build from the inside out. The main thing that sets us apart from other gyms is we train predominantly for functionality. Our motto is “Train for Function, Train for life”. We know our programs are designed to help people perform better at life from chasing around the kids to playing a pick up game of basketball or holding a jack hammer at work.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
When I decided to leave the city to train in my community I had to grow a new client base. I also just had my first child so providing for him and my wife became a priority. The only way I was able to build my PT business during the day was to take a job overnight. I ended up working in a hospital doing patient care one of the most humbling experiences in my life. In the little time I was there I learned to have compassion, patience and Gratitude.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
The best thing that helped build our reputation is word to mouth and we built a camera friendly establishment. Creating the wow factor was Important to us. We constantly think of ways to keep our community engaged and our environment fresh.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.corebalfit.com
- Instagram: Corebalfit
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Corebalfit
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@corebalfitinc.1282
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/corebalfit-queens-village?osq=Corebalfit