Ivan Santiago, 32, left a decade-long steady job as a doorman to upstart his own business fueled by his obsession with health and fitness. He launched Vicious Fitness on July 12, 2022 on Bay Street in Stapleton. There, he also offers a full line of athletic wear. (Courtesy of Ivan Santiago)
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Fueled by his obsession with health and fitness, Ivan Santiago, 32, left a decade-long union job in Manhattan as a doorman to upstart his own business.
“As I worked, I continued to save and save money. I’ve always wanted to create a fitness brand,” said the Dongan Hills resident, a native of New Jersey who relocated to Staten Island from Florida in 2009.
Santiago said he would save bonus money every year and work six days a week in order to sock away some cash that would allow him to one day launch his own fitness brand.
That “one day” came sooner than he thought thanks to the coronavirus (COVID) pandemic.
“This vision started as just a brand for fitness clothing in 2021 after COVID,” he explained, noting he obtained his personal training fitness certification and started training people while also working full-time as a doorman. “I started working on the clothes myself during COVID. I was still working at the doorman job. I never had a break from that job during COVID. Then when I saw all the big gyms closed, it enlightened me. I got the idea as things started getting back to normal. I realized with COVID people didn’t want to go to these big gyms again.”
Ivan Santiago, 32, left a decade-long steady job as a doorman to upstart his own business fueled by his obsession with health and fitness. “As I worked, I continued to save and save money. I’ve always wanted to create a fitness brand,” said the Dongan Hills resident, a native of New Jersey who relocated here from Florida in 2009. (Courtesy of Ivan Santiago)
For this reason, Santiago started searching for a space where he could create a personal training gym on the North Shore — an area he felt needed more health and fitness opportunities. And he knew there was no time better than the present to risk it all and pursue his dream.
“I told myself either I’m going to take this risk now, or then when I’m 45 or 50 years old I’m going to regret not doing it,” he said.
“So in the beginning of 2021 I decided to pursue my passion, which was helping people get stronger and more healthy. I then wanted to open a personal gym for one-on-one training and also a where I could invite other trainers to come and train their clients,” said Santiago.
He launched Vicious Fitness on July 12, 2022 on Bay Street in Stapleton. He also offers a full line of athletic wear — all of which he designs himself.
“The whole idea is to get people up and active again. Get people motivated and feeling good,” he said.
Ivan Santiago launched Vicious Fitness on July 12, 2022 on Bay Street in Stapleton. There, he also offers a full line of athletic wear — all of which he designs himself. (Courtesy of Ivan Santiago)
INSIDE THE NAME
When naming both his clothing line and gym, Santiago wanted one with meaning.
“The name is a family thing. My father’s name is Victor. So ‘Vicious’ was his nickname when he was young. My little brother does underground music. So he used that name for music too,” he said. “And between the clothes and the gym, the name just fit.”
Ivan Santiago has a passion for helping people get fit and healthy.(Courtesy of Ivan Santiago)
SERVICES OFFERED
Vicious Fitness offers training for everyone from powerlifters to people who just want to stay fit.
“I offer personal training and strength training. I also offer a space for individuals to come train on their own for a small fee so they can feel comfortable in a smaller space rather than packed gyms,” said Santiago.
Vicious Fitness is equipped with multiple fitness machines to work out the whole body.
“I have a pull-up bar, dip bar, dumbbell rack with 5 to 50 pounds weights,” said Santiago. “I have a stationary tower that works out basically every part of the body. I have medicine balls and an area for stretching. It’s very suitable for all your fitness needs.”
Vicious Fitness offers training for everyone from powerlifters to people who just want to stay fit.(Courtesy of Ivan Santiago)
“My personality traits I have that makes me a great fit for this business is I know what it feels like to be at a point where I didn’t like how I looked. I’m very strict and outgoing; I’m a leader,” said Santiago. “I like to push people to their strongest limits. I’m also a very easy person to speak to, and I make other individuals very comfortable. I was made for this. My favorite part of the job is getting people to push themselves to limits they thought they never could get to.”
VICIOUS FITNESS AT A GLANCE
Address: 681 Bay St.
Website: www.viciousfitness.store
Instagram: @vicious.fitness_
New Businesses in Focus is a weekly column that relates the stories of new Staten Island businesses owners.
If you have a new business on Staten Island, e-mail porpora@siadvance.com.
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