We were lucky to catch up with Justin Rambo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Justin, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

It all started in 2009. I had an idea to one day open my own personal training studio. At the time, I was in college and had a young daughter. It seemed like a long shot, but there was this burning desire to do it. I would go to sleep and think about it. I would wake up and think about it. I would daydream about it in the middle of class. Eventually, I would settle on a business name and logo in an anthropology class in 2010.

Fast forward to late 2013, that dream became a reality when I signed the lease on a building and opened my personal training studio. The first year was fun. I will admit, I had no clue what I was doing but I was enjoying the new venture into entrepreneurship.

By 2017 I was burned out, I was training all day and all night while trying to manage a team of trainers and barely getting by financially. It was that year when I attended a conference where the speaker was talking about online fitness, automated systems, and not trading time for dollars. That stuck with me and I was attracted to the idea like bees and honey. I had no clue what to do and how to turn what I already started with the business in a completely new direction. Eventually, I was so worn out by 2018 that I shut down the business and wanted nothing to do with physical fitness and training again.

Between 2018-2020, I bounced around from job to job not knowing what I really wanted. I didn’t notice at the time, but I had started to gain weight like never before. This had never been an issue for me. It was also during this period that elder members of my family started having their own health problems. As we all know 2020 was a difficult period for most of the world and in 2021, my family and I moved from our hometown in NY, to Tampa, FL.

I started losing weight but had no real accountability. I still wanted nothing to do with physical fitness and training but I also still had a small voice in my head pushing me toward the digital age. By 2022 I had been the heaviest I had ever been and something needed to change. Between my weight gain and seeing the elders in my family go through their health issues, I really needed to get back to what I was doing before and incorporate technology.

By this time, I had become savvy with software, video, and video editing as in 2019 I wrote a book, started a podcast, and created an online personal development course. So I started exercising and videotaping the exercises, I then realized that I am more likely to stick to what I am doing if I know others are going to see it.

It was then both out of necessity and the entrepreneurial mindset that I had the idea to create my first ever 6-week exercise course. I would do all the workouts, record them, edit them, and do the voiceovers. I would create a theme around it and sell it online.

I had no clue if people would purchase it but as soon as I launched it on social media, I had over 20 registrations. I knew I was onto something and from there, RamboFIT was born!

If it wasn’t for the conference in 2017 which put the idea in my head, I don’t think I would have done it. If you really want to do something and you have an idea. Figure out what part you are good at and take action. You will learn from there. Action is key!

Justin, 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?

I am an Online Fitness Coach, I provide online fitness programs and on-demand fitness videos. My aim is to help those who might not feel comfortable at a gym, don’t want to hire a personal trainer, and would rather work out at home due to their busy schedule.

RamboFIT is my second business and venture within the fitness space. Throughout my years in and out of fitness, I have learned and incorporated other things to use within this business. I am the published author of a book on Amazon called “Turn Down The Noise”, which taught me patience. I created and ran an online personal development company that laid the foundation for the course/program creation. I created and hosted my own podcast for 2 years which taught me how to edit videos and speak into a mic. I toured as an opening speaker with Dr. Billy Alsbrooks for his Blessed & Unstoppable Tour in select cities in 2012 which opened my eyes to a new world, ideas, and people. I am a college graduate which taught me I can do anything I set my mind to because I did this after dropping out of college 2 times and having 2 daughters. I created the first ever S.W.I.M. (Spoken Word Inspirational Music) album called “Going All In” as a Spoken Word Artist which taught me how to edit and a more proficient level.

As you can see, I have a wide range of assortments under my belt at the age of 37 but it all came back to my first love of fitness and I was able to utilize everything on the journey.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The first lesson I had to unlearn is that I am not “stupid” and I am smart enough. It all started in first grade when I couldn’t read as fast as the other kids. I was terrible at math. I was in the lowest reading and math groups even with the extra help I was receiving.

That thought became my identity and it was through that identity that I allowed my steps to follow. It wasn’t until I was older and started taking bold action that I realized I was smart. It also dawned on me that I simply learned differently but had strengths in other areas that just weren’t part of the academic curriculum.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

It was in late 2013 that I opened my first personal training studio. I didn’t have clients banging down the door to get in. I was stressed, my then girlfriend (now wife) was stressed, and I wasn’t sure what to do.

I started running boot camps in addition to one-on-one personal training and noticed the power of group work. I thought for the first time ever, I need to put together a 6-week group boot camp that has a theme and catchy title. Well, the first problem was how to get the word out. It was had to just post something on social media. Especially since it was all new to me and I couldn’t really convey in typed words what the program was.

I had severe stage fright at the time but I knew I needed to get people in the room to pitch the idea and help them understand what this program was all about.

I swallowed my pride, created an information day, and put it out there. To my surprise, about 12 people showed up on the information day. With my heart pounding through my chest and a lump in my throat, I preceded to utter some words for about 10-20 minutes and attempt to answer some questions. I noticed no one had touched the fresh fruit or healthy snacks I had scrambled for the last second.

I finished and went to sit down in my chair as I assumed people heard what they needed to hear, and they would decide later or not if they wanted to sign up. With my head down, head silence, I looked up to figure out why there was a line of 12 individuals waiting to sign up that day!

An eye-opening experience that action, however bold to you, wins the day!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.getrambofit.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getrambofit/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/getrambofit
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RamboFIT1
• Other: 6-Week online weight loss program https://www.getrambofit.com/pages/shift-6 8-Week online metabolism boosting program https://www.getrambofit.com/pages/resist-up