Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and fitness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Santo Chiappetta, founder of SC x SC, located in Oakville, ON, Canada.

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

My business is a fitness, health, wellness & lifestyle business that helps individuals achieve their goals of wanting to be more fit, healthy, functional, and feel badass. I meet people where they are in their fitness journey & help them get to the next step of where they want to be.

The customers are Men & Women who are hard-working individuals that know the importance of physical activity and a balanced lifestyle. My clients tend to have prior experience in some sort of athletics or are looking to improve their quality of life while being able to push themselves in their field of work. I help them recognize the importance of understanding that the path they're looking to be on with my service is the initial goal. I love to celebrate wins with them and have transparent conversations with them to recognize their goals & current abilities, to directly outline the path to where they're looking to go in the most sustainable way possible.

Tell us about yourself

When I was a young boy, I always wanted to have some sort of direction & discipline. I started in martial arts, specifically karate & eventually moved into competing in amateur boxing. I was fortunate enough to have a coach that encouraged me to not only become more physically capable but also educate myself & have a plan for life other than becoming a world titleholder. I pursued & acquired my degree in applied kinesiology from Guelph-Humber University & my health & fitness promotion diploma from Humber College.

I am motivated to do what I do because I've seen so many people have so much success financially, yet they're unable to do things that require physical abilities to enjoy the fruits of their labor. When I was first born, my mother and I almost didn't make it through my birth as she had trouble delivering me. As I was growing up, I also had developmental issues with things like walking & growth spurts. There would be times when I wouldn't even be able to walk & would have to either have my dad carry me or be pushed around in a stroller at an age where you don't usually see children in strollers.

When growing up, I remember seeing my grandfather (who was of service to the city of Toronto for over 30 years in infrastructure work) unable to walk from working in unideal conditions & barely being able to perform activities of daily living. At a young age, I remember thinking to myself how much it held him back from doing the things he loved, like gardening & being able to be independent. I wanted to be sure I always did my diligence in making sure I didn't end up the same way. Preservation of physical abilities & being able to move me to encourage others to do the same.

Our bodies get really good at doing what we do. If we don't move, it gets really good at not moving. If we stay moving, it gets really good at being able to move. I remember as a teenager having my coach ask me, "Santo, what does a perfect day look like to you?" I remember responding with, " Coach, I wake up, train myself, coach 3 - 4 people in a day, and maybe train a few more people in the evening." I said this at 16 years old; at 29, I'm finally there.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner was when I finally made the jump into complete entrepreneurship. It is very common to be a fitness professional and have both a private business while also working for a large corporate gym as well. Not only have I done this, but I did it in the middle of the pandemic. The fitness industry was one of the hardest industries hit during the pandemic, and I managed to not only survive but thrive during that time, both developing & expanding my business services to a point where I could finally be completely on my own.

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

Hard is the mindset when it comes to being a business owner. There's nothing really hard about it other than understanding that whatever you do is a product of your effort & execution. Anything can be difficult, but you need to pick what kind of difficulty you want to experience.

For me, I didn't want to be told what to do by a company that I felt wasn't executing fitness in the way they were doing it. To me, it is much harder to do something that you feel could be done better than the way you're essentially being forced to do it.

As a business owner, you're liable for the success as well as the failures of your business. The sooner you understand the mindset that you get the privilege to do the things that you love to do, the sooner you recognize that nothing is hard but only a challenge that needs to be overcome. Each day I get the opportunity to pursue what I've been fortunate enough to recognize I love each day. You can have safety or independence, but you can't have both as a business owner.

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

Pursue a business that is relative to the goal you set. If you want to make a lot of money, get into finance or something that's relative to finances. If you want to live a healthy life, start a business that has to do with living a healthy life. Don't chase what doesn't come naturally & don't be risk-averse. If it's something you really want, find a way to make it work in a way that you can gradually make it your full-time gig. If you want to grow your business, make sure you put systems in place to be able to have others take on the tasks you're looking to delegate to them. If you do hire other people, be sure to be patient with them, they're on your team & their success & capabilities are predicates on the environment you create for them to be successful.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

If you're working for someone else for 8, 10, 12, or 14 hours a day, find a way to work on your business or the thing you want for at least 2 hours a day. If you cant do that, you might need to rethink your desires for your goals. Don't chase money, chase being happy & things get a lot easier.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.strengthbysanto.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SCxSC
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/santo.chiappetta/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/StrengthBySanto
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/santo-chiappetta-00019973/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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