Meet Charlie Golenbock of Nutrishop in El Segundo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Charlie Golenbock.

Charlie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up in a middle-class family in Florida and was always taught to get good grades, go to college, and get a job. For the longest time I thought this was the only path. While this mindset isn’t wrong for many, it’s not the only path in life. In middle school I sold custom CD’s and candy to other kids to make some extra money but didn’t think this would lead to something bigger until years later. When I turned 15 I was volunteering in a hospital fulfilling hours required for a college scholarship. At 16, the hospital offered me a paid job bringing patients food, taking vital signs, and transporting patients. I worked with people from all ages and backgrounds and learned valuable life experience through the next 4 years. I’ve done door to door sales, inside sales, and face to face sales all which taught me valuable communication skills and how to persuade people. I think the art of persuasion is one of the most underrated skills discussed today. I graduated from Florida State University in 2010 with a degree in Business and soon moved to California to take my first job with a marketing firm. I didn’t know what I wanted to do the rest of my life, but I knew I could relate to people and I enjoyed helping people solve problems. Fast forward 8 years and I now own two Nutrishop franchises with my partner Dan.

Flashback to a warm Summer day in 2010 when everything changed. I was a little bigger and stronger than I was in high school, but I was still only 155 pounds searching everywhere for the right supplements and someone who could help me reach my goals of gaining weight and putting on more muscle. Little did I know, this was going to end up being a life changing experience in numerous ways.

I walked into Nutrishop and was greeted by a gentleman who was enthusiastic and friendly. He asked me about my goals and was genuine to hear about what I needed. I remember thinking, “Wow, this is exactly what I’ve been looking for!” After getting to know me, he explained that I wasn’t eating enough, and I wasn’t recovering my muscles properly to grow and wrote a detailed plan to help achieve my goals. I ended up swiping my credit card for $250 and wasn’t even upset about it although I was living on an entry level salary. Over the next several years, while working various corporate jobs, I used Nutrishop as a tool to help put on 20 pounds of lean muscle. I had always been dedicated and consistent, but these products were different, higher quality, and cutting edge. I now had a local resource who was willing to help me when I needed it and always felt welcomed when I walked in even if they were busy.

I had an epiphany when I left the store that day. It was like nothing else mattered. I realized at that moment I had a moral obligation to help as many people as I could for the rest of my life and give them that same confidence and motivation I left with that day. That person who helped me when I walked into Nutrishop on that warm Summer day is now my business partner at Nutrishop El Segundo. I was impacted so much by my experience that over the next 6 years I saved every dollar I had, studied hundreds of diet plans, supplement ingredients, workout programs and did whatever it took to buy into the Nutrishop franchise. I’m telling you this story because you may be in the same position I was in back in 2010 searching for the answer to your battle. You may have tried other supplement programs in the past that didn’t work. You may have attempted various diets that didn’t stick. You may have spent thousands of dollars on a personal trainer. I’ve been there and I’m here to tell you there’s another way. The Nutrishop way.

My entrepreneurial journey, like many others, has not been an easy path. There were days I never thought our vision would become reality, but we knew this was meant to happen with the right plan and action. I believe school is necessary for people to figure out what they want to do in life, but today if you have skills that can solve real world problems and have the passion for something I’m here to tell you to go all in in. You can always go back to school. My parents never taught me this way of thinking. I had to find mentors and read books along the way to guide my path. If you’re reading this and you’re stuck, my advice is asking your friends closest to you what your strengths are and find a career or business where those abilities can be applied.

Today my partner and I own two of the top Nutrishop franchises in the country with 2 amazing employees. We believe in the company and what it represents. The messages we get from clients on social media about how we’ve helped them lose weight, build muscle, and feel more energy in their life motivates us to improve our business every day. Find something you love and go all in. Thanks for reading and remember to get obsessed so you too can find your path to success.

What were your biggest road blocks to starting your business?
Saving enough money to buy into the Nutrishop franchise, write a professional business plan to get approved for a small business loan, and have the patience and awareness to locate the right area for a lease that would drive enough traffic to enable us to grow our business.

So, let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Nutrishop El Segundo/Thousand Oaks story. Tell us more about the business.
I love this question because in the end we are a lifestyle & motivation company. Our goal is to build relationships with our customers and find out how we can help them solve a problem in their life. We specialize in helping clients burn fat, build muscle, get more nutrients in their body, and increase energy levels during their busy schedules. We are known for being knowledgeable, personable, and getting people results with our program. I am most proud of our ability to adjust quickly and understand what customers need before they know they need it. Like how Steve Jobs approached Apple when the first iPod came out. People didn’t know they needed it but over time it became one of the best-selling products in the world that they couldn’t live without. I am also proud of our team for always listening to our customers’ needs and taking a consultative approach to finding the right solutions for our customers. What sets us apart from other supplement shops is not only the fact that we care about getting our customers results, but also the quality of our products is exceptional. We run our business with the same motto serial entrepreneur Marcus Lemonis uses, which says People, Product, Process. We staff knowledgeable, hardworking people, we have an exceptional product line, and our process has been proven effective. Although we are a small company, we strive to operate as efficient as the large companies bringing together the South bay community through health & fitness.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I personally don’t believe in luck unless you win the lottery. When you build a profitable business it takes talent, effort, and a weird obsession to win at whatever cost if you’re not hurting others. There’s a Roman philosopher who has a famous quote that says, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” I have always been a curious person and I truly believe my willingness to be open to new ideas and opportunities has made me so called “lucky.” I am by no means an expert or even a millionaire, but I have met many and they all have similar qualities in common. Do bad things happen to good people? Absolutely. It’s more so how you react and handle those challenges that bring you good fortune in the future.

A 10-year study showed that, “Lucky people generate their own good fortune via four basic principles. They are skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities, make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition, create self-fulfilling prophesies via positive expectations, and adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good.

In the end, Dan and I simply had a plan, put in thousands of hours of work, and didn’t give up. This was not luck. This was earned.

Pricing:

• Lean Protein 7 Synthesis Shake $69.99 (34g protein per scoop)
• Thermovex Thermogenic $59.99
• Detoxin Supplement $49.99
• Glumatic (advanced glutmine formula) $54.99
• BCAA (microencapsulated) $44.99 60 servings

Contact Info:

• Address: 630 N. Sepulveda Blvd 7A
  El Segundo, CA 90245
• Website: http://www.nutrishopelsegundo.com
• Phone: 424-277-1466
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @nutrishop_elsegundo
• Facebook: Nutrishop El Segundo
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/nutrishop-el-segundo-el-segundo-3?utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.