Cracking Fitness Code

Sonal Singh, co-founder, Fittr had her first 'fight or flight' moment in 2009 during the global financial crisis when she graduated from London School of Economics and struggled to find a job. She was advised by many to return home in Canada but she chose to fight. She managed to land a short-term job in London and that's what anchored her life. "I had no place to live and only 200 pounds in the bank account. I gave myself 30 days to look for a job and succeeded. Now, whenever I am in a difficult situation, personally or professionally, I look back to those days for motivation," she says.

Singh, who worked as management consultant in Deloitte, joined forces with Fittr (formerly known as Squats) founder Jitendra Chouksey in 2016 and co-founded the health & wellness fitness app with Jyoti Dabas, Bala Krishna Reddy and Rohit Chattopadhyay. Fittr doesn't have physical centres. Its a health and wellness fitness app. It is a community of like-minded people where they can follow each other, share pictures ask queries and discuss their progress. When you sign up, it gives you basic work-out regime based on your weight, height and fitness goals. It is adding over 4,500 clients every month, with a 40 per cent renewal rate. It works on a freemium model.

If one wants personal guidance on work-outs or nutrition, it has 250 coaches one can connect to after paying a package fee.In 2019, actor Suniel Shetty had invested an undisclosed sum. The fitness industry is very competitive with a number of apps, YouTubers and celebrities creating content for consumers. For Singh, it's not a challenge. "We're competing with TV, sofa and junk food that make people sedentary. We encourage people to focus on a long-lasting fitness journey instead of latching on to the latest fad." In fact, she herself is regular in work-out. "That's how I unwind myself."