We were lucky to catch up with Nicholas Lombardo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicholas, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on was developing and opening my private training facility (gym). This venture is rooted in a passion for health and wellness. I’ve spent my entire professional life caring for sick individuals in the hospital setting, much of which is self-induced disease. The patients I see are often in their current state due to a lifetime of poor decisions. Witnessing this daily has further fueled my passion for wellness and focusing on the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

My creative side naturally gravitated to photography at a young age, leading me to take digital photography classes in high school and undergrad. For years after, I struggled to find my niche. Eventually, I found myself enjoying and excelling in fitness photography, successfully merging two of my passions.

Opening my private gym was the next step in my entrepreneurial journey. Its purpose was not to make boatloads of money but to provide a location for my network to train physically, grow mentally, and build community. Being in control of the location’s aesthetic and organization, I was able to create a great training environment and my own personal photography studio simultaneously.

Nicholas, 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 feel I answered some of the introductory content in the first question. I am a residency-trained clinical pharmacist who practices 50/50 in acute inpatient care and lifestyle/functional medicine. I spent the first 5.5 years of my career in acute care medicine (med/surge/ICU) and, more recently, have moved half of my time to practicing lifestyle/functional medicine.

My private facility provides truly individualized personal training. Because the facility is private, my trainers can provide a very individualized experience to their clients uninterrupted by the general public. This allows for more efficient training and alleviates psychological stressors that some individuals face with exercise. The gym’s design is geared towards weightlifting and bodybuilding. It is a gym rooted in relationships, grit, and good faith. The community that we’ve created is truly amazing.

My photography aims to capture candid images of hard work and dedication. My shooting style is very organic, intending to display my subjects’ intensity and discipline. I don’t use studio lights, and there is no staged set-up. I have my subjects train hard, and I focus on capturing their energy and passion. My motto is, “You train, I shoot”. While many fitness photographers focus on vanity, I focus heavily on composition and photography fundamentals. Before this, my background was heavily involved in landscape and cityscape photography, dabbling in portraiture.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

Genuine interaction and engagement are some of the most critical factors. When in the gym, I will say hello and chat with all the present members. Getting to know your community is important, as is listening and being receptive to any feedback they may have. People want to feel part of something; you can’t run a business or build something special out of transactional relationships. Before doing anything big in the gym or purchasing equipment, I always ask members for their thoughts, and I ask my trainers for their thoughts. Doing so can provide a different perspective and potentially improve your decision-making process.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

The business’s start-up was funded using liquid capital and business credit cards. I feel that people overlook the power of utilizing business credit cards (intelligently, of course). Depending on your creditworthiness and the amount of money you need, you can often acquire funding quickly and easily. Instead of applying for a traditional business loan or dumping all of your liquid capital into your business, you can strategically use a business credit card with a 0% intro APR (Annual Percentage Rate). Many cards offer 0% APR for anywhere from 12-15 months, sometimes longer. As long as you make the minimum monthly payment, you will not accrue interest for that introductory time period. This gives you some time to establish your business and create cash flow to repay the debt. If you repay the debt within the defined introductory time frame, you’ve essentially taken advantage of an interest-free loan. If you are conscientious of your projected income and the amount borrowed, you can start your business using little to none of your own money.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.nicholasstefenphotography.com & www.thegearboxgym.com
• Instagram: @nicholas.stefen & @thegearboxgym

Image Credits

Nicholas Stefen Photography
@nicholas.stefen on IG