An interview with BlitzFitMe owner and CEO Oliver Berquez.

What did you study in?

I studied in Personal Training, including nutrition, sports rehabilitation and massage. This area has always been a passion of mine and it was something that I wanted to pursue as my career because I found helping people so rewarding.

My background was in professional sport, where I was a footballer for 19 years winning league titles for previous clubs and playing over 750 senior matches. What the years of playing sport taught me was you need to be dedicated, work extremely hard and perform in a team culture.

Everything I’ve learned, studied, practised and achieved to date is the springboard to creating my businesses and it’s my passion and purpose to continue to inspire and support every client/company I work with and to be the best they can be.

When and where was the company formed?

I formed the company in my home town of Chelmsford, Essex in January 2014. I had been working as a freelance personal trainer prior to that but just decided at the turn of that year I was going to fulfil my goal and start my own business.

Why did you start the business?

The industry was full of fads, quick fixes and unrealistic results. It lacked quality and longevity. I wanted to create sustainable fitness and nutrition solutions for people, regardless of age and ability, making it fun, achievable and engaging. I wanted to provide people with the tools, knowledge and support to lead a healthy and happy life. There should be something for everyone.

What motivated you then and what motivates you now?

To be the best I can be and provide maximum value to my clients. My motivator was to empower people to achieve better levels of fitness and health by teaching and coaching them on forming strong habits, the benefits of exercise, good nutritional choices, stress management and emotional well-being, which results in them becoming happier, healthier, fitter and performing better.

What have been your successes along the way?

We’ve created successful and engaging programmes for a person as young as 2 and our oldest 81. Providing initiatives across multiple sectors, schools, companies, sports teams, charities and local authorities.

We have worked with over 10,000 people across our range of programmes and have now created a system that can be licenced to a network of coaches. This will allow our impact to be far-reaching.

What challenges have you overcome to get where you are today?

As a business, we face challenges every day and that’s what makes it exciting, testing yourself and those around you to find solutions, overcome them and move forward.

The biggest challenges for me can be deciding when to move something on or if it just needs adjusting. When programmes haven’t worked, being able to analyse proactively to meet the needs of the customer.

Evolving to keep up with trends, but also remaining true to your principles and values. You can’t stand still in business and that is certainly true in the fitness industry. At the very least though you must always be open to feedback and have a willingness to make changes when required.

How has the industry evolved since you started? 

It’s always evolving. It’s more popular now and the route to entry to become a qualified personal trainer is far easier and faster. It can be difficult for clients to differentiate who has the knowledge and experience needed to work with them. 

This has always been an industry that attracts a quick fix, with new fads, gimmicks and silly shakes coming out. This noise misleads people and gets away from the core principles required to achieve results.

That’s one of the things I’m most proud of with BlitzFitMe, that we are a company that cares and looks after people with a long term approach. We create sustainable solutions for people and are honest at the start of the process of working together.

What would be your message to somebody wanting to get involved?

If you are unsure, try it. We create a non pressurised, relaxed and friendly training environment, with a focus on community. The support and interaction with other people make it fun and engaging.

If you’re looking for a programme that allows you to enjoy your lifestyle, to be good, not perfect and still achieve the results you want, then we are for you. For those people working in the industry that want to work with BlitzFitMe, we have a licensed coach operator model that you can access. Click here for more info.

The good lifestyle you keep is better than the perfect one you don’t.