Starting a wellness business: Owner discusses challenges and rewards

Marcos Lushpynskyj, owner of MLHFitness & Wellness, based in Wheeling, talks about the challenges and rewards of running his business.

Q: Describe your business. What do you do?

A: MLHFitness & Wellness is a company that focuses on preventive health with a foundation of educating individuals in five modalities: Lifestyle, movement, nutrition, massage and reiki.

The best way to describe what I do is a quote from Paul Chek … in a few words, I educate individuals “how to eat, move and be happy.”

For me, one of my most important foundations is to connect on a level that helps change an individual life. I create a wellness and fitness program custom-fit for the individual's specific health needs.

What makes me unique from other trainers and practitioners is I include diverse modalities that I specialize in into my wellness program: Nutrition and Functional Lab Testing, High Performance Functional and Corrective Training, weight-loss, improve muscle tone, Therapeutic Massage and Clinical Rehab from injury related or chronic conditions, Lifestyle with Stress Management, Reiki and Chakra healing and balancing.

Q: What made you start your business?

A: The drive to own a business and be my own boss has always been a natural and instinctual pursuit. I worked with my dad in our family-owned practice for almost 20 years. I believe small business keeps America growing and that dreams do come true. I firmly believe in personal growth and development, it allows one's inner child creativity and imagination to soar and to learn to be self independent and responsible. I started my own business because I believe I can help change the community by helping individuals feel, move better and teach that they can change themselves.

Q: What has been the most difficult obstacle in running or starting a small business?

A: The most difficult obstacle is always creating the new revenue needed to create and grow the business. Creating a network of business and health care professionals to work together is challenging as professionals in this business hold tightly to their clientele and the mindset of creating a shared community for this is a new concept.

Another challenge that I face is in maintaining new business and getting individuals to commit to their program once signing up. In my experience in working in fitness centers like Bally Total Fitness and L.A. Fitness, the average statistic for a new client signup is one out of 10. I was, on the other hand, able to achieve four or five out of 10 sign-ups in that time, so I know I'm able to overcome this challenge going forward in running my own business.

Q: What do you enjoy most about operating your business?

A: I love the ability to be versatile because it allows me to master my skills as a practitioner and problem-solver. Often I need to think outside the box and use my creativity or problem-solving skills. For example, when I am in the training mode, there will be some exercise or technique I need to teach or improve on, that I pull from my toolbox of modalities, in order to get the results that the client needs.

Q: Is this what you pictured yourself doing when you were young? What did you want to be when you grew up?

A: There is a saying “that when man plans, God laughs.” My dream was to pursue medical school to become a surgeon and life will go from there. I worked very hard at school and struggled, because playing sports and on a team was very easy and I loved being active in baseball, golf, ski, and martial arts. More important were my studies. My parents always made sure I did that. I studied and finished my homework before anything else. Studying was challenging and I struggled at science and math, but that never stopped me from learning and I worked very hard to be successful at it.

Did I truly picture myself diversifying in medicine, sports and holistic health?

Yes, I didn't know it yet at the time. Today, I love studying and continue to achieve in higher education and degrees. My friends and colleagues would say, I am a forever student and always aiming to learn more.

Q: If you could give one tip to a rookie business owner, what would it be?

A: Never give up your dream, always stay true to yourself, expect to be challenged, create a support circle, don't be afraid of failure and always give back what you have received.

MLHFitness & Wellness, 1500 Sandstone Drive, Unit 218, Wheeling IL, 60090

Owner: Marcos Lushpynskyj

Year business started: 2012

Web address: <a href="http://www.MLHFitness.com>www.MLHFitness.com</a>