"That was my audition," chuckles
Marc, a Sarnia, Ontario, native who got into fitness in university to bulk up his 6-foot, 155-pound frame and, ad- mittedly, to impress girls. But rigorous training, weightlifting and the prac- tice of taekwondo, with its physical and mental discipline, blossomed into a career. By the time Marc gave his garage
demo to John and Carol in late 2004, he was ready for prime time. And a company was born, branded and launched.
The launch Over next five years, Marc and John
kept their day jobs and devoted their spare time to Lebert Fitness. They took the prototype, which would become the Lebert Equalizer, and manufac- tured 500 units which they demon- strated at their first canfitpro trade show in a 5-by-10-foot booth. While they sold out of product at
that event, it wasn't a smooth ride to success. Their first container of ready-to-as-
semble, out-of-the-box Equalizers was stolen – the trailer found five days later in front of a liquidator's warehouse. Fortunately, only a few boxes were missing.
The pair surmises that the thief had
no idea what he found and left in dis- may. Unfortunately, the trailer that carried the cargo had been damaged, and the duo was on the hook for the repair tab. The two sunk their savings into the
product line, and Marc recalls times when he had to pay for gas from the change he found in his car. "A buck and a half in coins doesn't get you too far," he says.
Building recognition But they believed in their product
and were focused on their mission. Marc continued to build his per-
sonal training and fitness practice and coaching national athletes. A black belt taekwondo competitor and boxing aficionado, Marc coached Billy "The Kid" Irwin and taekwondo nation- al and Pan Am champs Shannon and Courtney Condie. He also founded a Mississauga club
called Fitness Nation and continued to develop educational tools, courses, seminars and other means of deliver- ing fitness information using Lebert equipment. At trade shows he demoed the product to anyone who would lis- ten and watch, often performing exer- cises 12 hours a day.
John continued to work on the
business and manufacturing side of the company, Carol continued teach- ing classes and working in I.T., while Marc's wife Melanie Webster built a successful photography company. All of these elements merged about
four years ago when Lebert Fitness really took wings and the prod- uct line caught on. Over the past 24 months, the company has expanded into Europe, Asia and Australia, and Lebert products have been sold in 30 countries. Marc, who lectures and presents
around the world, has developed rela- tionships with several high profile ath- letes to develop fitness regimens, mas- ter trainer programs, courses, videos and DVDs. For example, master yoga
»
“Over the past 24 months, the company has expanded into Europe, Asia and Australia, and Lebert products have been sold in 30 countries.”
Sharon Mann (leſt) with the Buddy System during filming of Lebert’s LeHIP (High Intensity Power) video at Fitness Nation in Mississauga, Ont.
September/October 2013 Fitness Business Canada 55
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