Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ricky Hall, founder, and president of NutritionHQ., located in St. Louis, MO, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

We are a brick-and-mortar retail location that provides vitamins, supplements, healthy meals, nutrition coaching, etc. From the second you walk into our store, you will be greeted by a personable consultant that genuinely cares about your goal. We believe in building relationships with our customers.

NutritionHQ fosters a two-line culture: Our Customers and Our Consultants Our Customers. Our customers rely on us to source the best supplements available on the market and custom stack these powerful tools to facilitate their specific goal achievement. Our clients receive the best value, unparalleled consultation, and success through our service, dedication, and consistent commitment.

We take our consultative approach by offering nutrition coaching from a certified nutrition coach. By providing free InBody scans that will tell us your weight, body composition, and hydration in only fifteen seconds. Our Consultants. We regularly receive resume's from the most experienced consultants in the industry seeking to build their careers at NutritionHQ. Our aggressive growth goals center around giving every expert a chance to build a lasting career as a leader at NHQ.

In short, NutritionHQ. Serves our clients and our team with unparalleled commitment, trust, and opportunity. We believe that one company cannot make every product great; we work with more than 30 brands and vendors that we vet and qualify.

Tell us about yourself

Hi, my name is Ricky Hall, the founder of NutritionHQ and NutritionHQ Franchising. I opened my first nutrition store in February of 2000 as a GNC franchise in a small Northeast Missouri town. The town was Kirksville, Missouri, and the home of Truman State University. I worked the store open to close for the first five months until I hired my first employee, a Truman State student and soccer player majoring in Exercise Science.

It took me three-plus years to get the business profitable, and at that point, I sold 30% to a friend/business partner so we could start expanding. There were a lot of franchisees struggling in St. Louis, MO market. Tim and I partnered to buy failing stores and implement our business model to make these stores once again successful.

At one point, we owned four St. Louis locations and one Tucson, AZ location. Tim was from Tucson; we planned to expand the same business model to the Arizona market. In late 2009 I listed the St. Louis stores for sale as I was ready for a change in the Nutrition retail environment. The stores sold in early 2010, Tim purchased my interest in the Tucson, AZ store, and I was off to the next venture.

In 2011 I started another franchise concept that I worked to help grew until 2014 and decided I would be much more successful on my own. In the spring of 2014, I split away from Complete Nutrition and started NutritionHQ. in January of 2015. I was approved to start franchising NutritionHQ in 2020 and franchised my first store on October 20, 2020, to a former Complete Nutrition manager Jeremy Sexton. I have over 20 years of franchise experience as an owner and operator. I am also a veteran of the Air Force and have over 30 years of coaching, leading, and guiding individuals to success.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Building a brand that consumers trust. Providing jobs and opportunities. Elevating an employee or a franchisee to be more successful.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Being put in the category of "You are Rich and don't have to work." Most small business owners work harder and longer than most people, and we are the last one paid. 99.9% of businesses in the US are considered small businesses with 500 employees or fewer. Twenty-two million small businesses in the US are individually operated.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. You have to just jump in. Go!
  2. Be passionate about the business you want to start/build.
  3. Be authentic. If you are authentic about your business, it will grow.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Find something you are very passionate about and NEVER give up or look back. Read as many books on business, listen to podcasts and surround yourself with successful people. One of my favorite quotes is from Jim Rohn, "You're The Average Of The Five People You Spend The Most Time With." There is so much truth that surrounds people saying, find something you love and you will never work again. That is the life I have been blessed to live for the past 21 years. Stay Hungry!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://nhq.rocks/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YourNutritionHQ
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yournutritionhq/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/yournutritionhq
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricky-hall-837056198/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.