There’s no doubt this last year has been full of challenges, change and opportunities for DC students and entrepreneurs alike. Despite the uncertainties, there were many silver linings, including the inspiring stories of FastStartDC alumni entrepreneurs. Jonathan Katalayi-ngalamulume is a recent graduate of the Social Service Worker program at Durham College and a prime example of a student entrepreneur who took a leap of faith to create a business out of their passion. Jonathan is an avid basketball player, personal trainer and wellness coach and recently decided to turn his passion into a side-hustle with JKT Training.

As an expert trainer and coach, Jonathan saw an opportunity to share his incredible passion and skills with others. A natural people person, highly skilled in coaching both on and off the court, Jonathan loves helping people achieve their life goals, whether through his social service work or as a basketball trainer. Doubling down on the bottom line, his clients’ success is really what inspires him to keep sharing his gift with the world. Jonathan’s goal for both himself and his clients is to improve daily. He believes the goal is not perfection, but rather to always strive to be better than you were yesterday. 

While Jonathan knew entrepreneurship would allow him to do what he loves, it took some perseverance and inward reflection to get to where he is today.

“I’ve always had a desire to start my own business but didn’t always know how. I decided to go for it and put myself out there,” said Jonathan. “I had enough clients to grow through word of mouth and I believed in myself and the results my clients were getting from my workouts.”

When coming to FastStartDC, Jonathan had already made some significant progress getting his business up and running. With the basics in place, FastStart was able to help fine-tune and amplify the hard work Jonathan had already put forth and carry the business over the finish line.

“I had a logo and a slogan, but I wanted it to be better. I wanted to elevate it and that is when I reached out to FastStart,” said Jonathan. “I am very thankful to them.”

The FastStart team provided Jonathan support on branding, website design, content strategy, photography and videography to help tell his story and share his expertise, while building on his already highly-engaged following. As a result of tapping into the FastStart entrepreneurial supports as a student, Jonathan was able to hit the ground running with his business following graduation.

“Working with the FastStart team is one of the best decisions I have made. I am so happy and satisfied with the support I received,” said Jonathan. “They are a group of talented individuals who have assisted me and I couldn’t be happier with the experience.”

FastStart was able to help Jonathan gain the skills he needed and the clarity to know what he was offering was in fact unique and valuable to his customers. The FastStart team wishes Jonathan and JKT Training well! We are proud to be featuring JKT Training on FastStart’s The Start Market, an online marketplace for DC students and alumni entrepreneurs.

To learn more about JKT Training, visit www.johnkttraining.com.