Stereotype sat down with Ivan Santiago to talk about his entrepreneurship journey.

What is the name of your business?

Vicious Fitness

Where are you from?

New Jersey

What was your first business? How old were you?

Vicious Fitness 32 years old

When did you know working for yourself was the way to go?

I knew working for myself was the way to go when I kept thinking 10/20 years down the line when I would be older , I couldn’t see myself working for no one else but myself.

Can you talk us through your career to date and how you found your way to where you are now?

Fitness, it’s always been my passion. Now that I think about it since I was young I needed an outlet. Fitness was that outlet , growing up poor and in situations that needed me to be strong I think fitness was that outlet as a kid. Working out to relieve stress, having dumbbells in my room and using them when my parents would argue or when I couldn’t go outside or something of that nature. Fast forward as I’m pushing my early 20s I have kids at a young age and I’m working jobs nonstop not really doing much else except being a parent and working. Life starts to hit , that stress so fitness and working out enter my life again but now I’m an adult. So I joint a gym I remember back in about 2014 , I’m confused as what it is to do in a gym. I’ve seen videos on YouTube but never really worked out in a gym setting. I’m a skinny young 24 year old. I started eating more food I kept lifting and teaching myself about proper form and nutrition. I feel in love with the process , year after year learning and the ins and outs about fitness and health. It feels good when you pick up weights and you change your body by lifting weights and eating better dense foods , as I’m doing this I meet other like minded people. I learn different techniques and different things from all these people. Men and women. As this is all going on of course I’m working a job , over nights which was a nightmare, 10 years of working overnight as a doorman in manhattan. The job it’s self was okay but the hours were taking a toll on me. As time went by and year after year I would find myself realizing I need to get free, I need to purse something I loved, I knew it was fitness I just didn’t know what in fitness. Once it hit on what I wanted to do and how I would get there is when I started to focus and really bring this vision I have created to life. That inspiration I will include in the next column.

What inspired you to start your business?

The inspiration that started and began as a vision. Once I knew I wanted to leave my job and pursue a business in fitness I plotted. I began to save money as a doorman every year during my Christmas bonus. I’ve always wanted to help people, my business does exactly just that and fitness in my opinion is one of the best things to get involved in to help people. So once Covid hit boom the idea for my fitness studio comes to mind. 2020 gyms close , people are scared to go back into gyms after the pandemic. More people are over weight and also just like me when I started my fitness journey a lot of people don’t know what to do when going to a gym. That’s where I come into play , I was inspired to open a studio. A fitness studio where I can bring anyone of any race any weight and any level of experience into my space and guide them the correct way in their fitness journey. When 2021 came I LLC Vicious Fitness. I started to make and sell gym clothing and begin my brand. 2022 came and I bought equipment and found a fitness studio perfect of size to now create my vision. Once all was set and ready to rock I left my 11 year job to open my studio and give back to the community and help others on Staten Island. Everyday I’m inspired and grateful for how far I have come and I will love to continue to keep helping others in the fitness and health.

What are some of the biggest challenges you see in your market?

I think some of the biggest challenges are there’s many other fitness studios all over Staten Island. This is becoming very popular.

Who was one of your biggest supporters early on?

One of my biggest supporters early on is my good friend Ishmael from my hometown in New Jersey who also has his own fitness brand. He helped me along the way a lot.

What advice do you have for professionals looking to get started in your industry?

Stay patient , don’t get discouraged and give up when things don’t go as planned. Keep going.

Can you recommend one good business book, business podcast/radio show?

One good business book I’ve read is Rich Dad Poor Dad which I’m sure most people in business have read.

What is some advice you would give to someone with a dream?

The 1 and only thing I would say is to follow your dream. Truly follow it. I’m never understood this until I had a dream and followed it.

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/vicious.fitness_

Business Website: http://www.viciousfitness.store

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