Business: GNC
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Address: 2863 95th St., Naperville
Phone: 331-702-2173
Owners: Brothers Jeff Schonhoff, 49, of Bolingbrook, and Greg Schonhoff, 43, of Darien
Years in business: 22 total; in Naperville since April 2023
What does your business do? “GNC provides guidance. We’re a retail stores that sells vitamins, supplements, herbs and protein. People want to look better, want to feel better. They want to live longer, be healthier. … A lot of my associates help guide people from the point they’re at to the point they want to get to,” Jeff Schonhoff said.
What happens when someone comes in? “My associates will ask them a series of questions. ‘How often do you exercise? What supplements are you taking right now? What’s your diet like?’ We’re all going to eat pizza and burritos sometimes, but as long as you eat more of the foods that are better for you and less of the foods that aren’t, you’re going to feel better, have more energy and live longer.”
What mistakes do we make? “Most people’s diets do not consist of enough high-quality lean protein and not enough fruits and vegetables. They’re not getting enough fiber, probably not eating three to four servings of wild Atlantic or Alaskan salmon per week so they’re not getting enough Omega-3 fish oil.”
How did you get into this business? “I wanted to open a restaurant with a friend. … The more we looked into it, the more we realized we wouldn’t have enough money. My friend got a job offer in Las Vegas so I started looking at franchises. Back then, GNC, Subway, Quiznos were in the Top 10 franchises. GNC appealed to me because I was an athlete my entire life. I played baseball at Hinsdale South (High School). I stayed fit. This was a natural option. … The first franchise I bought was in Aurora in 2002. This one I opened in April 2023. Plainfield, I bought that store in July 2016.”
What do you like about this job? “If I can make a living, provide for my family, by helping other people get healthy and feel better about themselves — not that it’s more noble than any other profession out there — but I feel successful in a non-tangible way. … Community involvement.”
How are you involved? “I’ve started doing fundraisers where I give 20% of my profit for the day or weekend back to an organization looking to raise money for the organization. It adds up.”
Any favorite stories? “I had this guy, Mike, a couple years ago. He said he dropped 75 pounds in the last two years. I said, ‘Mike, I didn’t move your feet for you, I didn’t put the good food into your mouth, I didn’t slap the bad food out of your hand. You did it yourself.’ He said, ‘Yeah, but you believed in me when nobody else did.’ There you go.”
What’s your business philosophy? “I look at the human body as a machine. If you put the right stuff into it, you get the right result out of the machine. You can find everything here.”
What about competition? “There are other vitamin stores, online stores. One thing I love is that GNC does 150 quality checks on all the GNC-brand vitamins. And a lot of the brands I carry have to get a certificate of analysis through a lab in order to be on the shelves. Quality control. … It’s about personalized service.”
How many employees do you have? “Between the three stores, 15.”
Why did you open in Naperville? “There used to be a GNC in Naperville. I tried to buy it, but they closed down. Naperville needed a GNC.”
Is Naperville good for business? “Love it here. Great location.”
What misconceptions do people have? “Probably that we’re here to push things onto people.”
How do you find clients? “They find us. Word of mouth.”
How did the pandemic impact your business? “We were considered an essential business. In March and April 2020, business was down 80%. I donated thousands of dollars of masks and hand sanitizer to hospitals.”
What does a customer say? “I come here because of Jeff. Jeff’s always got a smile on his face, always makes you feel welcome, is very knowledgeable and always gives you a great deal,” Jim Hobin, 51, of Naperville, said.
Is a fourth store planned? “The game (plan) is to expand.”
What’s your advice for someone starting a business? “Don’t take it personal if the people working for you aren’t as passionate about your business as you are. Nobody will care about your business more than you. … Leave your community better than when you came in.”
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If you know of a business you’d like to see to profiled in Down to Business, contact Naperville Sun freelance reporter Steve Metsch at [email protected].