Today we’d like to introduce you to Jay Bernardo.
Jay, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started OPEX Santa Monica in June of 2019 after close to five years of coaching group fitness classes. I felt like I had accumulated enough experience and knowledge to confidently go off on my own so I decided to pursue an opportunity starting my own business.
I loved coaching group classes at first but it unfortunately never really grew into anything that could provide a sustainable lifestyle or income. Not to mention I got to the point where I felt like all I was doing was crowd control and babysitting adults.
On top of all of that, I felt like I wasn’t making a difference as a coach in a group setting so I needed to go smaller and bring the ratio down. Small-Group Personal Training has proven to be a really effective way for both the coach and client to grow so I went in that direction by starting OPEX Santa Monica.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’ve been fortunate to work at some great gyms with great people so I can’t say it’s been rough in that department. Those places all provided a tremendous built-in social environment.
The biggest problem was trying to figure out how to turn this particular part-time job into a sustainable career. Unless you were the owner of the gym, you don’t really have a lot of opportunities to grow financially.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about OPEX Santa Monica – what should we know?
OPEX Santa Monica is a cost-effective small group personal training gym. We believe in taking a 360-degree approach to your health and fitness and that one size does NOT fit all when it comes to that.
Here, you work with a coach 1-to-1 and they will design a fitness and nutrition program that will meet you where are at, and guide you on where you want to go.
I’m proud of the fact that we don’t subscribe to dogmatic approaches, quick fixes, or templated programs. We are a place that believes in honoring the individuals needs and goals through personalization and not through a cookie-cutter approach.
We are the first and only OPEX affiliate in all of Los Angeles and we’re offering a service that people really don’t know about yet. The only options people have ever had when it comes to fitness were to pay an exorbitant amount of money on personal training or go a cheaper route with group fitness classes that they can get anywhere.
This is a service that offers the best of both of those worlds in a cost-effective manner.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Results, Relationships, and Fun. That’s really what it’s all about. For everybody.
Contact Info:
- Address: 3328 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405
- Instagram: @opexjayb
Image Credit:
Gabe Shriver
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