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

Vishal, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the decision of whether to donate a percentage of sales to an organization or cause – we’d love to hear the backstory of how you thought through this.

I visited my parent’s home country of Fiji in 2015, and when I saw how the people lived and the resources they had and yet they were still so happy, humble and helpful, I promised myself back then, I would figure out a way to create new opportunities for my people in my community. Fast forward to 2024, I decided the time was right and I had enough knowledge acquired throughout my career at that point to launch a non profit that focused on educational access in Fiji, naturally, I called this endeavor, The Fiji Promise.

My experience in playing sports, particularly track and field, which I competed in during my time in high school and college and now have been coaching for the last ten years, also ignited a passion in the wellness industry. Due to this, I have franchised a 1-on-1 assisted stretch studio called StretchMed. Helping people move better, with less pain and increased mobility definitely is another way I can help others.

Coupling these two endeavors does not normally look like something that can exist in synergy, however for StretchMed Las Vegas, we are donating a percentage of sales to The Fiji Promise, a recognized 501-c3 non profit, to help with increasing educational access to aspiring scholars in Fiji.

Vishal, 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 entrepreneurial journey started through life and career experience and was sparked by the overwhelming desire to help others. As a first generation Fijian-American student, my navigation of the education system and career exploration options were always difficult. I was told to go to school, get good grades and pursue being a ‘doctor, lawyer or engineer’, the staple occupations immigrant parents tend to push their children into. Although I tried this route, it was never truly for me, I wanted to give back and create opportunities for others. Luckily I was an athlete and I was able to learn about the higher education landscape through my experiences in sports. I spent the first 7 years of my professional career in higher education, in admissions and student outreach, helping aspiring students enroll in college and pursue their own educational and career goals. My professional career began in 2015. Now in 2024, I still work in higher education and I also work full time as a financial analyst. But the itch to want to provide for others was always inside me. I just needed a compelling event to help start this journey for me.

This compelling event came in the form of an employment lay off in December 2023, right before the holidays. The feeling of never wanting to rely on my 9-5 for my livelihood was all I needed to make the firm decision to finally pursue my non profit and business ownership dreams. Due to my experience in higher education admissions and life as an athlete and coach, I’ve always wanted to do two things, launch a non profit that focused on education access and creating opportunities for others that would help improve their circumstances and something in the wellness industry that helped people live better lives.

The non profit mission is quite simple, provide educational and career access to people in Fiji. Fiji is historically driven by the hospitality and agriculture industry, providing access to technology and future focused industries can help corner an entirely new occupational industry in Fiji. The Fiji Promise is a recognized 501-c3 that will prove to be my lifelong mission of giving back.

StretchMed Las Vegas is born from my love of wellness and understanding the needs of people to live better lives through holistic healing. Many people live with chronic pain, lack of mobility and decreased range of motion. Massage therapy and chiropractic care help provide temporary relief. Increasing elasticity and mobility can help solve many problems, long-term that everyday people face. Stretching is not just for athletes, increasing awareness and exposing people to stretch therapy is something I look forward to spreading throughout the Las Vegas Valley at an affordable and accessible price point. For too long this industry has been aimed to the classes instead of the masses, StretchMed’s first Nevada location will be the most affordable and effective stretch therapy experience in the state and it will be located in an area that has some of the most limited health and wellness options, North Las Vegas. Clark County is a blue collar community, and once you look past the glitz and glamour of the strip, it is the everyday hard working citizens of this town that keep the city moving forward, our stretch therapy experience is affordable and effective for all.

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

I had to unlearn the concept of thinking entrepreneurship is always about the grind and working long hours, late nights with no days off and thinking that all aspects of the business had to be done personally. We hear the stories of people who talk about themselves becoming ‘self-made millionaires’ and how they created their company out of their garage or dropping out of school and relying on themselves to become successful. Throughout this journey, I have learned how important inter-dependence is compared to independence. Relying on others, delegating and utilizing the knowledge and expertise of others has really been the helping hand I’ve needed to learn more about the non profit and the franchising business. Both of these verticals and businesses have been filled with new lessons learned that have been due to my ability to let go of certain tasks and duties to allow us to progress further. Additionally, the importance of unplugging and taking a day to reset, has been so beneficial in this journey, relying on my co-founder, who also happens to be my wife has been a way for us to grow our relationship and learn more about each other as we build this business. So letting go, has truly help me go forward.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

We visited the corporate headquarters for StretchMed which is located in San Juan, Puerto Rico. When we initially went for our ‘Discovery Day’ to meet the corporate team and CEO of the company. My wife and I got to speak with him regarding our long term goals and how franchising a StretchMed fits into our plans. The CEO told us a story about his marriage, and how he wishes he could have changed things to ensure he had a healthier relationship as he pursued a career as an entrepreneur. He recommended a book: The Power of Play, Praise and Purpose: The Best Kept Secrets of Thriving Entrepreneurial Couples by Kelly Clements. Although, admittedly there are concepts of this book that seem a little dated, the overall message and theme presented in this book has served as a great guideline and framework for my wife and I to plan out our entrepreneurial journey while still learning how to separate our business and personal relationship and how and when it was appropriate to blend the two. The framework and philosophy provided in this book as provided us the proper way for us to live a healthy but successful marriage while thriving in our business mindset.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thefijipromise.org/
• Instagram: @vishal_k_sharma
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vishalsharma11/
• Other: https://stretchmedstudios.com/stretchmed-las-vegas/