MEDIA
Healthy choices
George DeJohn found the perfect way to turn his passion for fitness into a business
Wednesday February 7, 2007
By Lisa Tanner / Dallas Business Journal
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photo by Jake Dean |
| Dreams come true: He turned a small pension and a dream into a thriving business. |
George DeJohn arrived in Dallas in 1991 with a $4,000 lump sum from his pension as a New Jersey police officer and a goal to turn his lifelong passion for fitness and training into a business.
He quickly built up a successful career as a personal trainer at the Premier Athletic Club in Dallas, where his client list included prominent names like Michael Dell and Mark Cuban. But after more than seven years of doing that, he felt the need for new challenges.
DeJohn, 39, is constantly striving for ways to grow, both personally and business-wise.
As a result, his career has been an evolution, and an example of the way that some entrepreneurs are able to beat the odds and build businesses despite a lack of start-up capital and setbacks that occur along the way.
As he searched for his ultimate fitness-related business niche, among other things DeJohn wrote a book titled "Three Minutes to a Strong Mind and a Fit Body," and carved out a career as a motivational speaker. In 2002, he sought to become part-owner of a fitness club, as one way he could build a business while staying in the wellness field. But a business dispute with his partner prompted him to leave the venture almost as soon as it started.
But DeJohn regrouped and learned from the experience.
He refocused on speaking engagements to promote his diet-and-exercise regimen, an effort where he could retain more control over his business endeavors.
DeJohn also has built his name awareness by serving as the long-time host of a Saturday morning health and fitness program on SportsRadio 1310 The Ticket KTCK-AM 1310.
All the initiatives were designed to create name awareness and promote DeJohn as a source of fitness and related information.
In 2005, he started his own wellness consultancy, George DeJohn LLC, through which he helps clients improve their lives through a 21-day body purification program that includes an eating regimen, exercise and nutritional supplements.
The wellness consulting work is mainly done by e-mail and phone, and DeJohn, whose training in the field includes certifications from the National Academy of Sports Medicine and several other nationally known groups, has a staff that handles customers' questions.
DeJohn's 21-day detoxification program has grown from serving about 20 customers a month to more than 300 a month in the three years since he began offering it. Revenue in 2006 was $444,000, but for 2007 DeJohn aims to hit the $1 million mark by June.
To do that, he's hired a publicist to help raise his profile nationally, and he's already appeared on television in Phoenix, San Antonio and New Orleans.
The detoxification program costs $270, which includes the supplements and informational material. A medical doctor and three others with chiropractic, nutrition and other training offer support via phone and e-mail.
DeJohn already is exploring another business line that provides specific nutritional supplements customers can take to counter the side effects of prescription drugs or cancer treatments.
George Dunham and Norm Hitzges of The Ticket have embraced the detoxification program. Dunham is about to start his third 21-day regime, crediting his past use of the program for a 51-pound weight loss and the fact that he hasn't had a soft drink, which he previously craved, since April 2006.
"I feel so much better and the program is easy to follow," Dunham said. "The structure makes it easy to do and when you can see the results, it makes you want to keep doing it."
