Meet Cheah Boon Chong and Evy Bellina, co-founders of OMNI and also one of the longest-standing residents at Core Collective. In this exclusive Q&A, they reflect on their journey, from the spark of inspiration that led to founding OMNI, to their mission of fostering strength and wellness in their community.
Boon Chong has more than a decade of experience in personal training and group training, and on top of that, he coaches high-performance athletes. Once an accomplished athlete himself, Boon Chong won a silver medal in the team event at the Asian Karate Federation Championships in 2007. He also spent 7 years in the National Sports Institute of Malaysia as a Strength & Conditioning coach.
With over a decade of fitness industry experience under her belt, Evy is driven and relentless in helping people live better through fitness and wellness. She runs destination retreats in Bali and conducts outdoor fitness boot camps for groups and individuals, with the aim of making fitness fun and enjoyable for everyone. Evy specialises in body recomposition (fat loss, muscle gain) and strength and conditioning.
The founding of OMNI was sparked by a challenge that the duo faced in their successful coaching careers. As experienced coaches, they encountered a dilemma: their schedules were fully booked, yet the referrals from satisfied clients kept coming. This overwhelming demand for their coaching services highlighted the need for a scalable approach.
Driven by a commitment to help more individuals achieve their personal and professional goals, Boon Chong and Evy established OMNI, creating a platform designed to extend their expertise and impact beyond the limitations of their individual availability.
Co-founders of OMNI; Boon Chong (right) and Evy (left), the entrepreneurial duo who decided to start their own personal training brand to make a bigger impact in the fitness industry.
Q: What early milestones marked the business’s early growth and signalled to you that you were headed in the right direction?
Both of us were running out of available coaching slots to offer new clients, yet we had a steady stream of referrals through our door from our esteemed clients.
We genuinely love coaching and getting people to live their healthiest, fittest version possible, so naturally, we consciously dedicate our time and energy to maintain our service quality. Core Collective has been a great partner to allow us to focus on things that truly matter.
Q: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced during the journey? Were there some unexpected ones?
Being coaches ourselves, we have to dedicate most of our mental resources to coach while still effectively managing and growing the team. Learning curves, ups and downs are all part of the journey- we are still learning and navigating our way every day.
Q: When did Core Collective come into the picture? What made you decide to join Core Collective?
We are committed to our coaching and were looking for a premise that would reflect our high standard of service with justifiable overhead. This would allow us flexibility and peace of mind so we can stay focused on delivering the best value in services without getting distracted in the survival game.
From just the two of us, as we grow our team, our coaching hours also grow. This prompted us to require a different structure in our rental expense, which we were grateful to be heard and happy to be still one of the standing Core Collective residents. Being amongst other professionals in the fitness and wellness space helps us to stay current, maintain a strong network that benefits our clients, and, last but not least, foster genuine friendship and connection with the people in the Core Collective community.
OMNI is one of the longest-standing Core Collective residents, as they continue to grow their team and their impact on their clients' lives.
Q: How are your clients enjoying the space?
Over the years, our gym facilities across three locations have been continuously upgraded in both layout and equipment selection. We truly appreciate how our feedback and suggestions were taken into consideration, and as a result, we can provide a truly pleasant training experience for our clients.
Q: What was the most satisfying moment when you started your own business?
We get to focus on delivering results that matter to our clients without external pressures.
It happens organically. As we keep getting referrals beyond our capacity, we started to include more team members. We are both still coaching so we have to delegate and be precise in assigning roles to keep up and stay ahead.
Meet the OMNI team (clockwise from top left): Johan Buckell, Sixx Ng, Evy Bellina, Gerald Wang, Jonathan Sukartio and Cheah Boon Chong.
Q: It’s amazing to see the team that you’ve built. What are some key considerations when selecting your team members?
In addition to the positive traits required in the service industry, we look for strong characters. You can’t teach characters, so they have to be aligned from the start. Everyone is after growth, but the journey is not always linear, and by having the right people around, we can ride out bumps along the way.
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start their own business, what would it be?
Don’t wait until the right time—it will never come. Make it right as you go along. Just start.
Contributor:
OMNI Strength and Performance is more than just a fitness service provider. They are invested in your goals and ensure that you are equipped with the skills needed to sustain positive lifestyle changes.
As proponents of long-term results over instant transformation, OMNI Strength and Performance ensure the provision of the attention and care needed for sustainable results, which they believe can and should be translated to everyday lifestyle by focusing on the fundamentals of training and food choices.
OMNI Strength and Performance’s mission is to help you discover your fullest potential, and be the best version of yourself.
Core Collective is home to over 100 fitness, wellness, beauty and lifestyle and medical professionals who can help you live your best life. Book a tour to get started today!