Celebrity trainer, Jono Castano shares how he went from local PT to multimillion-dollar business owner

He’s trained Sir Richard Branson, Rebel Wilson and Rita Ora. Now, Jono Castano explains how to turn your side hustle into a multimillion-dollar business.

Jono Castano, founder of personal training gym ACERO.

An Australian-based personal trainer to the stars has warned small business owners to avoid four common mistakes if they want to turn their hustle into a multimillion-dollar empire.

Jono Castano, who has trained Sir Richard Branson, Rebel Wilson and Rita Ora, saw his business thrive throughout the Covid pandemic, while many gyms have collapsed including UFC Gym Australia and some F45 franchises.

Dropping prices, disconnection with clients, celebrity focus, and comparing themselves to others can result in plateauing or even decline, Mr Castano said.

The Sydney-based personal trainer said part of his early growth strategy was to offer his services for free to high profile clients, in exchange for social media posts.

Jono Castano, founder of personal training gym ACERO

“I was giving out free sessions, but I saw a bigger vision and that’s what grew social media. Articles just kept coming and coming and coming,” he said.

From there, Mr Castano worked on growing his social media presence by injecting his personality and sense of humour into his content.

Financial acumen has also been pivotal to Mr Castano’s success. As his profile and clientele grew with other celebrities like The Veronicas and Michael Clarke, he saved hard and launched his gym, ACERO, three years ago with his then-wife Amy Castano.

“Our initial investment was all through savings, we didn’t take any investors on board, taking all the risk ourselves,” he said.

Jono Castano is also an ambassador for H&R Block. Picture: Supplied

Now an ambassador for H&R Block, Mr Castano said that strategy enabled him to successfully manage the challenges brought by Covid, that saw several other gyms struggle or collapse.

“Many went totally online and forgot about face-to-face. We made it nice and premium and that really benefited us,” he said. He also used his social media presence to promote ACERO’s virtual training offering.

“It was another opening for us to gain a new audience. We still do about 20 to 30 virtual sessions a week.”

As well as the challenges of Covid, personal trainers have faced stiff competition amid the rise of unqualified online influencers.

“It baffles me that there are people that haven’t worked with a person in their life, and we’re investing into their programs,” he said.

Jono Castano has trained celebrities such as Rebel Wilson, Sir Richard Branson and Rita Ora. Picture: Supplied.

“But’s it’s a cookie-cutter approach. They just post themselves training. We’re in this industry to help clients, not to showcase our own abs every single day.”

Mr Castano said the best way to combat influencers was to post authentic and relatable content.

“I don’t take myself too seriously,” he said.

“What you see is what you get. Being relatable to other people has been key, and that’s what people love about me.”

Now a multimillion-dollar enterprise, ACERO is set to open another location in Sydney’s CBD in a few weeks. He also has imminent plans to expand into the US.

ACERO has recently launched a fitness app and is set to open a new location in Sydney. Picture: Supplied.

ACERO has also launched a new AI-based app, initially in partnership with AFL superstar Dustin Martin, who remains an ambassador for the program.

“Our app uses new AI technology. If you’re on holiday and you take one dumbbell with you, type into the app and it will give you the program based on your needs and what you have available.

“The growth has been amazing with several companies using us for the wellness programs.”

DOS

1. Create a unique social media presence. “Showcase your talent, but also your personality, because that’s what people are drawn to.”

2. Establish your brand. “Develop a brand presence, including your website, social media and business pages, that look professional.”

3. Networking. “I would go to all my local shops, introduce myself, get to know the community on a personal basis.”

4. Value your time. “I charge what I feel I’m valued at. A lot of trainers charge less than me, when they’ve got the same experience I do, even sometimes more.”

DON’TS

1. Compare yourself to others. “A lot of people don’t stay in their lane and get carried away. When that happens, you lose focus on your goals and yourself.

2. Don’t drop your price. “In tough times, trainers drop their prices to attract more clients. If it work, you’ve already announced it, and you can’t just jump them back up.”

3. Lose focus on the client. “There’s a difference between an influencer trainer and a real trainer – for example, posting a video versus dealing with someone having a bad day or their dad passing away.”

4. Just focus on high profile clients. “Non-celebrity clients are the people that really create the community at the gym. I’ve still got clients I trained ten years ago, without their investment, I would not have been able to save all that money to make my dream come true.”