Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Justin Hilderbrandt. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Justin, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory of how you established your own practice.

From the time I was in my late teens, I wanted to be running my own personal training business. I was going to school for exercise science, and things were going great, until the stresses of school and life got to me, I dropped out, and spent the next 10 years working my way up the management ladder in the the health and wellness retail industry. I always wondered “what if I had accomplished what I initially set out to do?” I felt no joy answering the dreaded question of what do you do for work?
One day, my district manager sat me down and told me she wanted me to take over her position, and that’s when it all hit me. I was not going to spend the rest of my life doing something I do not have the passion for, no matter how much money I would be making…as they always say, money does not buy happiness.

At that point, I had money in savings that was going to be used for retirement, but with the support and motivation from my wife, I decided to quit my job and pursue my dream of making it in the fitness industry. I found a partner and mentor who had much success in the industry, and he helped me get a jump start on acquiring clients, but as many business arrangements go, things quickly soured.
I was left back at square one, with no clients, and money quickly dwindling, and over a year of time seemingly wasted. But I was determined, there was no plan B for me, I was going to make this work no matter what.

I relaunched my business, now with full control over every aspect of how I ran my business. I began to build up my social media following, with the focus to be on education and knowledge, and began training exclusively online as I was not going to work for a corporate gym, I was done working for someone else. Over the next two years, I built up my online clientele, and began renting space at a gym to train in person. Now, along with trainers I have met along the way, we are putting together a facility that will be top of the line in training, with some of the most knowledgeable trainers in town. There have been many ups and downs, but keeping true to who I am and refusing to compromise on my beliefs have gotten me to the point I have always dreamed about.

Justin, 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?

My name is Justin Hilderbrandt, I am an online/in person personal trainer and coach. Growing up, I had no interest in fitness or exercise or anything of the sort, you were more likely to find me in math club or chess club. As I entered my last year of high school, I would read my brothers old bodybuilding magazines, and was immediately interested. This wasn’t just a sport that required little brain activity, there was a tremendous amount of thought and science that went into building these physiques, and so began my love for all things bodybuilding.

I have run my own personal training business for 4 years now. My primary focus is bodybuilding coaching, I have done many years of research, both through my own personal experiences and working with more seasoned coaches, and digging into the latest scientific research. My goal is to make the prep process for a show as smooth as possible for my clients, handling all the nutrition and programming aspects, as well as the logistics that come as we get closer to the shows(registration, tanning, etc). Prep is very taxing on the mind and body, so I want them to put all the effort into their training and diets and I handle all the rest. I also train a variety of lifestyle clients, from busy professionals to seniors, who are just looking to live a healthier lifestyle. Seeing the physical changes in my clients and the progress they make makes my profession so rewarding, but even more so is the mental changes that I see, which are often times much more profound than the physical. Where their work in the gym translates to more confidence in their normal day to day lives. And for many, the few hours a week they spend with me, is the only time where the focus and spotlight is just on them, nothing else matters, they are the star of the show.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I quickly learned that reputation is the biggest driver of business in this industry. The majority of my current business is referrals from my clients to their friends, family, coworkers, etc. I put my heart and soul into every plan I write, or every session I put a client through. They pay good money for my services, and I take enormous pride in what I do and put out the best work I possibly can.

The personal training industry where I live is small, even though it is a fairly large city. Everybody knows everybody, and word gets around on improper business practices, bad training or inappropriate situations, so I conduct my self as professionally as possible, and have made great relationships with the best trainers in town. Getting certified to be a personal trainer is an almost too easy task, and as such, there are some really great trainers out there, but there are even more bad trainers out there.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

While I love the social media side of things, the amount of clients I would gain was pretty minimal. Social media is more of a fun side project where I get to display my clients as well as give them a window into the life of the person they are trusting to get them the results they are looking for. The majority of my current business is referrals from my clients to their friends, family, coworkers, etc. Often times they see the results of my clients and want to achieve something similar. Or they have had bad training experiences and are looking for someone who will listen to what they want, rather than be given a cookie cutter plan that doesn’t align with their goals.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jhilfitness.com
• Instagram: jhilfitness
• Facebook: jhilfitness