After five months under the ropes as co-Founder of Alva Fitness, Jason Saran shared his company’s goals to close out 2016, the elastic influencer landscape his message has captured, the encouraging yet humbling reviews he has received, and how he balances his hunger and patience as a budding entrepreneur. Enter the business catch-up Jason and I had this week and learn how a startup in your community isn’t spreading itself thin but persistently dominating its area of expertise.
UNCHALLENGED VISION
Mel: The vision you shared with me back in March was one of positivity for people that want to be fit at their own pace. Has your vision changed since we last spoke?
Jason: I want my brand to represent a better mindset for anyone and for anything they do. I really want this to inspire younger kids. I have seen potential for this to happen because even people our age have hit me up to help them in the gym. It is more about creating a conversation and comfortable environment than feeding competition. I don’t want Alva Fitness to ever get the reputation of being an elite brand either.
I told Jason this reminds me of some of the Olympic story lines I have heard lately. In racing towards Olympia, brands honed in on specific athletes, stripping away their gold lining for a simpler time in their lives — childhood. In particular, a Gatorade short film that told the story of a young Usain Bolt in Jamaica, aligned Jason’s ideas of inspiration with infancy, adolescence, and eventually, maturity. But enough of my side thoughts, let’s get back to the dialogue.
Mel: Overall your vision remains unchanged. Is there anything you would like to add to your vision since you started?
Jason: At the moment, Desi (brother and co-founder of Alva Fitness) and I like how everything is unfolding. We are seeing results and at this time we don’t want to add too much to our vision. If we expand too much, we won’t be able to be relevant in the space that we are right now. This is something critical I learned while interning for Sprayground Backpacks, an American Graffiti-inspired bag company with a modern Miami twist that began just two and a half years ago.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Mel: Give me a scope of Alva Fitness’s reach at the moment.
Jason: Since March, we have grown to sponsor 12 athletes. Over the last two months, Alva Fitness has started to get traction across the nation. We have received interest from places as far away as California, Utah, New Mexico, and Arkansas. It is very exciting to see our business expand outside our boundaries in New Jersey.
Mel: How were you able to reach people so far away with your message?
Jason: I have found that the more I post, the more likely it is that people who are really far away from our headquarters are drawn in by Alva Fitness’s message. When I posted my first sponsored ad looking for athletes, it just blew up. Anything from direct messages to comments, people have went out of their way to tell me they really like our products.
Mel: As an influencer, what is his/her role?
Jason: For the most part, our influencers are local in New Jersey which is great because I am able to meet up with them and even schedule photoshoots for our social channels. I will ship some products to our further athletes and they will begin to post on social media. Our influencers then begin to tap into their own personal networks. That is slowly growing into a very strong strategy because people in our sponsored athletes’ communities are buying Alva products.
Mel: Do you send your influencers “best practices” for posting on social media?
Jason: When I interview them for the first time, I look to see what their social media looks like. If I like what I see, I encourage them to maintain the image that they already have. I try to post content that is beyond a lifter posing with Alva shirts or products. We also sponsor college athletes and fitness enthusiasts that aren’t necessarily into working out for the competitive side of bodybuilding.
Mel: Do you have other approaches you would like to incorporate into your social design?
Jason: I would like to amp up our YouTube channel in the fall. When I post on my personal Facebook, I have realized it drives impressions. I don’t want Alva Fitness to be centered on me but I think it’s a strategy right now that can drive clicks to our website and the material we are creating.
A LION REVIEW
Mel: What is some feedback that has really stood out to you?
Jason: The most humbling aspect of this is how many people have reached out to me. They appreciate the really positive message that comes along with my brand. They like that our company appeals to a wider audience of people who just want to be healthy, relieve stress, and feel good about themselves. At Alva Fitness, working out should be more subjective to how a person thinks about and embraces fitness.
Mel: Provide me with some logistics. Have many products have you sold and how many people have you reached?
Jason: The number of people we have reached isn't a solid number because it’s flexible and ongoing. But our website is clicked on 50 times a day by people, which is pretty huge for the size of this company.
ALVA’S STAIRCASE
Mel: What are your next series of products?
Jason: We just released a new product line. The line includes a few tank tops, three leggings, and four T-shirts. So far our sales are doing well. The material is different from our first batch and we believe that is impacting the sale of purchase. In the fall we are planning on doing a few performance items that have a consistency of dry-fit, light material.
Mel: Looking ahead, what does the rest of 2016 hold?
Jason: We want to be seen as a local business, so incorporating ourselves into nearby gyms will be strategic for us. I have also been looking into fitness expos where we can use our New Jersey ambassadors to keep getting our name out. Beyond fitness, we hope to be more involved in our community by providing positive messages. Be on the lookout for a local event at Rutgers this fall Scarlet Knights!
Mel: In the future, do you have a company spinoff in mind? Is there a product or a space you can take over and see supplementing Alva Fitness?
Jason: In the future, my brother and I would like to make our own equipment. But for right now, we want to focus on our fall/winter collection to be both durable and premium. By that I mean, I want to have very high quality performance wear with a sick design that captures energy and the eye. I encourage a lot of my friends to submit their designs. If I like it then all hands-on-deck, we are making it into a T-shirt!
ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT
Mel: What have these past five months taught you?
Jason: There is always work that has to get done. And I have to be the one to put my foot down and get it done. I have to also understand how people act and maintain the position of motivator. Without my brother, influencers, and friends, Alva Fitness wouldn’t be what it has become.
From our above conversation Jason Saran has taught us that patience really is a virtue, especially in the startup sphere. To learn more about Alva Fitness, visit their website. And don’t be shy, get your fitness on by following their Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
