Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Job.
Hi Josh, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Almost three years ago, I founded Austin Fitness Community which has quickly become the city’s fastest-growing and most popular social media fitness platform. At the time, I was working as a manager at a local supplement store and I had initially started Austin Fitness Community in an effort to reach more potential customers for our Black Friday sale. To my surprise, the page quickly exploded in popularity and I realized I had quite the opportunity to do something special for the local fitness community. I have purposely kept my face and name off it so the page could remain a community brand and not be associated with any individual. I just followed the demand from the people and started an apparel line, created a website with tons of resources and started hosting big community events to help bring all the great fitness enthusiasts from different branches of health and wellness together. Owning this page has been one of the great honors of my life and I am working hard on some big projects now and hope to continue the growth of what has now become quite an amazing company.
Alright, 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?
There have definitely been some ups and downs. I had quit my job about six months into owning the page and just started small and things were going great. As the page continued to grow in popularity and opportunities were opening up, I decided to invest in myself and I put all the money I had to my name into the company. I spent it all on creating a functioning website, apparel and marketing materials. After I spent all my money….the following week COVID happened and shut everything down. It was an absolutely humbling experience but I believed in the community and I knew how supportive they can be so I held out until things opened back up. I would do it all over again if I had too.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
So outside of the Austin Fitness Community page, I started my own Business Consulting company, JJ Consulting, where I essentially revitalize, solve lingering problems and/or increase the growth for local companies, start-ups, sole proprietors, and more. I focus on Strategic Marketing, Networking and Social Media growth among many other solutions. Like I mentioned before, I had purposely kept my face and name off of the Austin Fitness Community page but once I became more open about telling people that it was me, it definitely became what I was known for but also helped solidify my credibility as a successful consultant. I think what separates me from others is my intense work ethic and my ability to get things done. I believe in creating opportunities, not waiting for them and that’s what I continue to do for myself and for my clients.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I’d love to show appreciation to my friends and family who have been my biggest supporters since day one.
My parents were always excited and helped me out immensely, especially when I went broke in the beginning of the pandemic. Fun Fact, my dad was the one that gave me the idea for AFC because I was on the phone with him brainstorming ways to promote the supplement stores black Friday sales and he said, “Why don’t you have a local fitness page promote it.” So I looked and there wasn’t any so I started my own. The rest is history.
My friends were the first ones to buy my apparel, first ones to my events and last ones to leave. They never asked for freebies but always how they can support.
I’d specifically like to highlight the owners of Big Tex Gym. I’m sure so many people that have worked with them can relate. When I started both AFC and my consulting company, Rob and Esther were always asking me how they can help and support. They never asked for anything in return. They offered to host my first Open Gym community gathering, they were the first to volunteer to retail my apparel, they always would refer companies to me for my consulting company and just recently I had hosted a networking event and they offered and covered the expense for the DJ and Caterer just because they wanted to show their support for the cause. The city of Austin is extremely lucky to have them here.
Contact Info:
- Email: AustinFitnessCommunity@gmail.com
- Website: www.AustinFitnessCommunity.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austinfitnesscommunity/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/austinfitnesscommunity/
Image Credits:
Kyle Wurzel (@Kyle_Wurzel) Nicolas Restrepo (@NicolasRestrepoPhotography) Ian (@SaySomethingProductions)
