[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j79biojrTw&w=560&h=315]

Who is he? What is Gainz Daily? And why should you know about it, if you are into fitness?

He is an ex-professional football player, personal trainer, and entrepreneur. He is nothing different to any other guy you’d see in the gym pumping weights every day. But he is special, in a way, because people call him Gainz Daily.

Big Camo Canada Goose jacket, loose black track pants, and a strapback with his brand’s motto “I deserve more” on the back of the hat. Nick Salapatas, the British born Greek is standing right in front of me with a carrier bag printed with his newly established brand’s logo on it, Gainz Daily.

The first impression is friendly, with a big smile on his face, he gives me a warm hug and greets me on both cheeks. Unlike other gym gurus, Nick doesn’t appear  in extreme bulk. He explains:  “Because I was playing professional football for so long, doing a lot of cardio, I have always had a lean and athletic body.”

As a personal trainer working at one of the busiest gyms in central London, Nick’s day starts at 5:30 in the morning. “I need to be in the gym at 6:30am for my first client, and then sometimes I would have five to six people in a row, back to back.” It all seems to me that he is just another diligent hustler in this massive, rushing city. But at the same time, there is something different about him. I can feel his endless energy even through just talking to him. He would get really excited when it comes to his favourite topics, for example football, fitness and most importantly, Gainz Daily.

“Gainz Daily is my baby,”  he says, with the humbleness in his tone, “back then, my Instagram username was always called ‘PTGainzdaily’.” Now, from just a name, Gainz Daily has turned into a fitness and lifestyle brand launching products including hats, unisex fitness apparel and a lot more coming to enrich the collections.

“It’s a three-man business – my brother, my girlfriend and myself.” he carried on.

They started with hats – neat, bold black strapbacks and snapbacks with a white logo right at the front. Then they launched the first Gainz Daily fitness T-shirts. If you go on to their website today (www.gainzdaily.co.uk), you will see hats in three colour ways as well as 3 different coloured fitness T-shirts, along with unique styled sports bras and leggings for ladies.

Gainz Daily was first introduced to the public on the June 30th, 2017. It’s impressive to see how much work they have done in such a short period of time as well as how much they have achieved up to now in terms of brand awareness.  Despite the steady increase of brand awareness and constant sales, there is a lot of thought put into every step of the business, from packaging over shipping to ensuring all customers are happy with the products they receive.  Although Gainz Daily is still at an early stage, perhaps we could say there is a strong prospect for this newborn brand from what we can see, both on social platforms as well as from the people that have purchased their products.

Nowadays, with the rapid growth of the fitness industry in the UK, people see this as an opportunity to make money. Just like any other business, there should always be supply where there is high demand. This is also why we see fitness related content everywhere. From protein shakes to sexy girls posting pictures showing off their physiques, the idea of being fit is rooting into the public’s perception everyday in more depth, for which social media has presumably made the largest contribution.

Of course, a smart guy like Nick would never let a chance like this go easily. Gainz Daily has its own channel across almost all social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. “It’s the cheapest advertisement”, Nick says, “we can get more direct engagement as well. This is how things work nowadays.” For instance, hashtag use on social media is an easy and straightforward method to shorten the distance between the brand itself and the customers. This is also why people will find #gainzdailyfamily being used nearly every time on its social media platforms.

Most if not all of Nick’s colleagues at his workplace have purchased and approved his products, as well as referring their clients to purchase them on the Gainz Daily website. This has had a very positive domino effect and has boosted sales in order to keep delivering new products nearly every month. Since the 30th of June Gainz Daily has produced nine products and has many more coming out soon. Nick explains: “Consistency is the key to any success.” Perhaps this is something worth to learn about for everyone who would like to start their own business. Providing the customers and followers with the very best quality of products, as well as building an approachable brand for anyone regardless of age, race and background, could be the main priority of a brand.

As there are many brands in high competition currently out there providing similar services, especially when it comes to Fitness brands, we asked Nick why Gainz Daily is different and why should people choose to buy products from them instead of Nike or Adidas who have been around for years. He replies: “ We are not here to compete with these Giants, we are here to dominate,” he says with a touch of confident cockiness, “we are not interested in what others are doing, we are a people’s brand.”

Having a full-time job and at the same time trying to run a business professionally can be challenging. But I guess this is what life is about: pursuing dreams and being able to be proud of yourself. Some people say that today’s fitness industry is being more problematic than beneficial. For instance, people who are into fitness focus too much on their appearance which leads to the rise of eating disorder among them, rather than getting healthier both mentally and physically. However, it is an industry full of passion, energy and possibility. It makes people believe in the fact that the outcome totally equals the input. Best wishes to Nick and his Gainz Daily, as well as many of you out there dedicated to make a difference.

Words: Erin Zhang | Subbing: Jin Lee