Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Inman.
Hi Justin, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in Baltimore my entire life. I’ve been involved in sports since I was a kid so naturally that drew me to working out. After my sophomore season of high school football, I ended up getting arrested and going to prison until I was an adult.
During my time all, I did was work out and read fitness-related magazines. Upon release from prison, I held on to my football dreams and pursued a career in college football starting at Coppin State and ending at Morgan State. While in college, I studied physical therapy which gave me a lot of knowledge about biomechanics, muscles, joints, etc. For personal off-the-field reasons, my football career was cut short. At this point in life, I didn’t know what I wanted to do or be, but I never stopped working out.
During my time going to the gym, I’d always have people ask me am I a trainer or can I train them, I would always respond no but found myself giving them workouts to do while I was training myself. After a while, I ended up having small groups of people waiting to meet me at the gym so I could tell them what to do while I did my regiment. One of my friends advised me that I should become a trainer and start charging them for my services.
At first, I didn’t consider the idea, but I was trying to prepare myself to pay for CDL school so I thought this would be a good side hustle to get my tuition. After doing it part-time for 60 days, I found myself enjoying it, getting people results, and I had my money for school. I decided to quit my job and train people full-time so that once CDL school started I didn’t have to work and could just focus on passing. Well the school start date came up and training was rolling so I said I can get my CDL later, I’m going to pursue training and see how far it can take me.
Almost 5 years later, it has made me a very successful businessman. I’ve worked with Under Armour, I’ve been featured in multiple issues of Men’s Health Magazine, I’ve won Baltimore Sun Best Personal Trainer of the Year 2x back to back and I continue to increase the value of my brand every day.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It certainly wasn’t a smooth road. As I progressed in the industry, I had to learn how to elevate my side hustle into a full legit business.
This forced me to learn and study branding, marketing, content strategies, and customer relations, as well as expand my knowledge by securing several different certifications. One of my biggest struggles I would say is work-life balance.
Because I enjoy my job, I tend to spend a lot of time there and not so much tending to myself, which can often lead me to burn out from time to time. I also used to find myself rushing my process instead of embracing and learning throughout the journey.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Most people know me or my brand by the name Dr. Baltimore. One of my former clients gave me that name after consistently dropping crazy before and after transformations. I produce surgical-like results using the gym and teach others to create and maintain healthy lifestyle changes.
I am a transformation specialist. Whether it’s someone trying to lose weight, gain weight, build muscle, or even athletes I have a proven track record to get the job done. I think what sets me apart from most for starters is my back story, on top of that my high-performance level at a consistent rate. I don’t just pop up and disappear. I produce results in a results-based industry year-round. This proves to the public that it’s not a fluke but I know what I am doing and they can trust investing in themselves through me. My brand tends to be set apart from others because of the culture I have created using the gym. It’s bigger than just lifting weights and sweating.
I have a very tight-knit client base that functions almost like a familial structure. Most clients came in with plans to leave in 90 days and end up staying for years. I’m proud of my client retention. Most recently, I developed and launched my app and online training program to provide my services to more people around the world. We launched in Feb. 2023 and I have had over 700 subscribers. This now allows clients to access my talents and put me in their pocket wherever they go for a very low price.
Right after my app, I also launched my own personal supplement line to aid clients and even just the everyday person with their health goals. We have products available to help with fat loss, detox, building muscle, etc. To still be right within my 5-year mark of my business I’m extremely grateful for the support I’ve received and pleased with the trajectory of my brand for the future.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I would tell them that when it comes to a fitness journey, only take what they see on social media for face value. Many prospective clients see results and results only on a lot of pages. That tends to misrepresent what it took for those people to achieve those results.
There’s a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes and to obtain that level of change, they must be committed to the sacrifices. The difference between success and failure is the work or lack of it.
Contact Info:
- Website: Drbaltimore.com
- Instagram: @dr.baltimore
Image Credits
Jason Knight
