GEORGIAN ENTREPRENEURS Georgian Entrepreneur: Daniel Mezheritsky Year of Gradualtion: 2002 Name of Company: Fitness-on-the-Go Type of Company: Home-delivery fitness Founded: 2005 By: Gordon C. Allan s a former personal trainer at Fitness World, Daniel Mezheritsky '02 had heard every excuse in the book for not going to the gym. The more he listened to those same excuses, the more he realized there had to be an alternative to the traditional fitness club model.
A
Mezheritsky identified three key problem areas which he believed were preventing people from working out: a lack of privacy, a lack of motivation, and a lack of time. He knew that personal trainers could help in this regard, but affordability was always an issue. The key was to offer a low-cost homedelivery fitness system which brought trainers to your home or office according to your own schedule. In August 2005, with only two thousand dollars in start-up money, Mezheritsky launched Fitness on The Go. "My objective was to get people fit and keep them fit by working around their busy schedules," says Mezheritsky, whose company provides easy access to trainers who will come to your home or office daily, from 5:30 in the morning to 10:30 at night, for about $42.00 a session. There is a misconception that you can only get fit if you are surrounded by the latest in fitness technology," says Mezheritsky who was a Track and Field enthusiast during his time at St. George's and later became Canadian Junior Champion in the decathlon. Without using fancy fitness machines Fitness on The Go can accomplish an equivalent aerobic and anaerobic workout by using fundamental exercise techniques such as push-ups, lunges, squats, elastic bands, etc... "In the early months of the company, I was a one-man show and was personally conducting 70 in-home training sessions a week. It took me less than two years to expand the company to where I wanted it to be. We now employ 31 staff members."
Furthermore, Mezheritsky attributes his passion, commitment, and ability to stay focused on his company goals to the training he received at Saints. "Whether it was learning to be a gentleman, to valuing the importance of physical activity, or to keep going when times got tough, my education at Saints clearly positioned me to become a successful self-starter and entrepreneur." Fitness on The Go now has approximately 600 clients and yearly sales that are growing exponentially. The biggest challenge right now, says Mezheritsky, is keeping up with the demand and retaining the best staff. He offers senior trainers their own Smart Car; managers receive a Honda Element, and he has also created strategic alliances with companies like Nike which offer trainers and clients discounted fitness wear. When asked what advice he might give to up-and-coming entrepreneurs, Mezheritsky reflects back on his earlier mistakes. "There is a tendency either to spend money on small things that provide little added value, for example, in my case, crested hats or to go hog wild by hiring a professional marketer, or to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on advertising. When all is said and done, it's about quality customer service and word-of-mouth advertising. This is advice I learned personally from the founders of 1-800-Got-Junk," with whom Mezher-itsky personally interviewed during the early stages of company design. Fitness on The Go now has two full-time managers who oversee all aspects of customer service and sales. The company is expanding and has already sold one franchise at $50,000. By the end of next year, Mezheritsky expects to have ten fully functioning franchises and projects gross sales of around three million dollars. With his current success, Mezheritsky is always looking to expand and re-evaluate his goals. At the young age of 23, he is an entrepreneur who has already proven he has what it takes to be a solid figure in British Columbia's business community.
Fall 2007 • 25