Edgard Corona Builds a Better Business Model in Fitness Sector
The pathway of Edgard Corona to becoming one of the most
successful self-starter
entrepreneurs in Brazil was not a straight line. In fact, the road that led
to the creation of the mega-successful fitness company, Smart Fit, took all
kinds of twists, turns and detours before achieving remarkable success.
2
Corona launched Smart Fit in 2009. Since then, the company
has grown steadily. It is now among the largest gyms, health clubs and fitness
brands in Latin America. While headquartered in Corona’s native Brazil, Smart
Fit enjoys a presence in 13 other nations.
Edgard Corona began his career studying chemical engineering
in college. Always entrepreneurial-minded, he leveraged his knowledge of
materials to start a clothing store. As a young man, it was a first foray into
business. Looking back, the best part of the experience for Corona was the
insights he gained into how customers made buying decisions and determined what
they wanted to buy.
Edgard Corona
eventually sold the store and took a job at a sugar factory. It was just a
temporary stopover, however, because he was a man keen to be in business for
himself. It was an accident while skiing that would become the unexpected
source of his future.
A serious injury required Corona to undergo physical
therapy. He worked through a regular regimen of exercises at a local gym. This
experience exposed him to a business model for which he saw great potential –
and he was certain he could “build
a better fitness firm model.”
Edgard Corona realized that most customers in Brazil could
not afford the high monthly fees most clubs charged. In establishing Smart Fit,
he designed a service that was far more affordable but had a pathway to
profitability.
That’s what he did, and the rest is history. His company
remains today among the most remarkable stories of bootstrap success
in Brazil.