Smart Fit CEO Edgard Corona knew he always wanted to be an entrepreneur. While attending college, he found his first two businesses. One was a materials testing laboratory, and the other was a clothing business. Corona opened a few brick-and-mortar stores to sell the clothing.

Corona later sold both businesses and went to work in the family’s sugar mill. While still working at the family mill, he invested in a gym that was about to be built. Corona went on a skiing holiday and had a skiing accident. To recover, Corona had to do physical therapy. He quit his job at the mill and did his therapy at his gym. Since he was at the gym all day, Edgard Corona started running the business. It was while doing his therapy he realized that there was a need for gyms. His gym struggled at first. Very few people were going to gyms. A trip to the United States changed everything.

While in the United States, Corona paid a visit to Planet Fitness. One of the ideas he took back to Brazil was the popular prices offered by Plante Fitness. Knowing he could not compete with the gyms that clients with money, he started targeting people in lower income brackets. That was the start of Smart Fit.

Smart Fit’s goal is to offer people a quality fitness center, access to professional assistance, safe equipment, and other services in one place at an affordable price point. Corona’s goals moving forward are to continue to grow while maintaining the business and providing the best customer service.