Inspirational NJ Gym Owner Is Finding Success In Newark

NEWARK, NJ — The owner of LivFit Fitness took a leap of faith after he lost his job during the coronavirus pandemic, launching his own gym in downtown Newark. And it’s been paying off – big time, Widchard Jilus says.

On Wednesday, Jilus gave Patch an update about his business, which is located at 562 Broad Street.

“The last three years have truly revealed to us just how important, impactful, and fulfilling personal training and fitness can be,” Jilus said.

It’s been an unusual journey so far by anyone’s standards. When the coronavirus pandemic began, Jilus lost his job at a corporate gym in New York City. Meanwhile, nearly all of his private clients “fled” New York to other states – or countries – because of the fear surrounding COVID-19. And there was a time when Jilus considered scrapping his plan to open a gym on the other side of the Hudson River altogether.

“Naturally, it forced me to pivot,” the entrepreneur told Patch.

But with the launch of his own gym at 562 Broad Street, LivFit Fitness Personal Training & Wellness Studio, Jilus has finally come full circle on a dream that’s been decades in the making.

• See related: Newark Gym Worker 'Pivots' After Job Loss, Opens His Own Business

What’s been going on since we posted an article about LivFit Fitness last year? Patch recently caught up with Jilus, who had this to say:

“LivFit opened just before the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, and like many small businesses, we faced significant challenges and obstacles to success. We are happy to share, however, that the studio has experienced a significant increase in brand awareness and business since we were previously featured in your publication. We averaged 120+ bi weekly sessions between spring and end of summer 2022. Last year, we were accepted into NJ Advance Media’s Mosaic Empowerment Program, which provides marketing support to small businesses. We have experienced increased engagement with Newark residents and are eager to strengthen those ties and build new partnerships in the city. Although our recovery has been slow, we feel optimistic about our progress and are excited for the future.”

Just like building muscles, starting a new business doesn’t come without some pain, he said:

“LivFit is excited to share that we celebrated our two-year anniversary this past September and hosted our 2nd annual holiday party, which was a huge success. Clients, business partners, neighbors and more joined us for this event and the diverse range of attendees was a testament to the support that LivFit Fitness has attracted and sustained. Unfortunately, like many other industries, we have dealt with staffing shortages, often only having two part-time trainers available at a time. This limited the amount of clients that we could accept and forced us to turn some clients away.”

But the growing pains are giving way to success, Jilus added:

“As of January 2023, LivFit Fitness now has a team of five trainers. Three of these trainers (Daniel, Justyn and Amanda) joined us over the last few months and all are National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) certified. LivFit provides a three-month training and development program for all new hires to ensure consistency, and we are proud of the professionalism and customer service that our team members provide. We encourage anyone who is interested in establishing a fitness plan to visit our website to sign up. At this time, we are offering a free initial session for new clients and a special introduction package of three sessions for $99. Looking ahead, we plan to open additional locations in New Jersey and expand to New York City.”

“We are blessed to be able to continue our business when others have had to close,” Jilus said.

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