Meet Jesse Nicassio: Fitness and Athletic Equipment Professional

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jesse Nicassio and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jesse, what role has risk played in your life or career?
If you are in business for yourself you have to take risks. You have to be ok with taking risks because you will be taking a lot of them. Just starting a business is a huge risk and then there will be many more opportunities to either take another risk or keep going down the same path as before which might not be bad but everyone is always looking to grow. If you are that person looking for growth then you will be taking risks. I think risk taking is good. I have been a risk taker my whole life. I have chosen careers where the odds of succeeding were against me. First, I wanted to be a collegiate football player. I made it and got a scholarship as a punter. I then wanted to be a professional football player and the St. Louis Rams picked me up as a punter. There’s only 32 punters in the world! I dedicated my whole life to being a professional football player. After football I wanted to be an inventor like my great grandfather who invented the orange cone and the puzzle mats. I invented my first product and got it to market. That lead me to invent my second product and got it to market and is still one of our top selling products to date, the MASS Suit. This was the beginning of Juke Performance. The company I run to this day. The company that I have taken a lot of risks for. I am a husband and a father to 2 beautiful girls. My mind is constantly thinking on how I can give them more and how I can protect them. The only way to do that is to keep growing the company Juke Performance that now has a second division called Juke Fitness Equipment. The division focuses on fitness and gym equipment while Juke Performance focuses on athletic equipment and the MASS Suit. There has been countless sleepless nights and times of doubt and times of great happiness. The financial burden a company puts on a person can be draining but you have to accept it and welcome it in. You wanted this so “embrace the suck” and keep moving forward. It is true what they say, without risk there is no reward.

What should our readers know about your business?
The business that I am in today is the distribution of athletic and fitness equipment. I invented our top selling athletic equipment which has never been created by anyone in the world. I got to that point by my experience as an athlete. I was a former professional athlete who loved to train. I was with other professional athletes and trainers learning their ways too. Like most athletes I had some injuries. I started to create products for my injuries to heal faster and to improve post injury. Everyone wants to get to the next level so I find ways to make that happen. When I hung my cleats up I have already created the company Juke Performance which I still run today. I thought, well I should create a business just incase something happens to me while playing ball and it did. I pulled my hamstring, was out for a year and tried getting back in but the window of opportunity was shut. It was hard as hell to just stop playing ball one day and become something else after being an athlete most your life. There was a good hard year I had to face but that only makes you stronger and put me where I am supposed to be. There’s a big difference I see in my industry between myself and other owners. Most owners are just salesmen who decided to build a company. Most of them have never used their equipment. I was born and raised with the equipment. I know how the equipment is supposed to be used and how long it actually lasts. I know what athletes and fitness gurus need. I just don’t sell them on a piece of equipment because it’s “cool” or expensive. I sell them products that will actually work and benefit them. I actually demonstrate the equipment because I have knowledge behind the body mechanics for the piece of equipment. Most these stores just have an average joe behind a desk or a person who looks like they have never lifted a weight in their life and they are telling you what to get. They might have read a book or watched a YouTube video. I have actually trained with all the equipment I sell or design. I can speak truthfully to people and especially parents looking to get equipment for their kids. You can easily hurt yourself if not using fitness equipment the right way. My goal is to make the customer happy and give them the best chance to succeeding. Because of my background in health and fitness and knowledge in products I have been able to help our Military, people with autism, cerebral palsy, head trauma victims, spinal cord injuries, and the everyday athlete and fitness enthusiast. This is why my life has lead me to be in the position I am in today.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I am a very lucky person to live where I do, right here in Westlake Village, California. I am 20 mins from the beach and 45 minutes from Hollywood. If my best friend wanted to come out we would first go have lunch at Italia Deli in Agoura Hills. Best sub sandwich place I have ever been to. Then we would head out to Malibu beach. Weather is always great and the scenery even better. We would soak up some sun, do a little people watching, hit the waves and then pack up and grab a drink and food at one of the local spots. Then we would get ready for some night time action. Start off by hitting a local winery or restaurant up. Probably go to Stone Hause at the Westlake Village Inn. The entire lot is beautiful! You feel like you are in Italy. Great food and drinks and they always have music. Depending on the mood either go into the city or stay local and hit up another restaurant/bar with entertainment. The following day we would go golfing or hit up a pool. After golf or pool day we would see what sport games are on or maybe a UFC fight and hit up a sports bar to get the energy pumping. From there I am sure we met some friends and the night is open for some laughs and memories.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I am sure this is very cliche but I dedicate my shoutout to my mom and dad. If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be in the position I am in today. The positivity, support and energy they always put towards me and my goals could never be forgotten. They deserve a shoutout times a million.

Website: https://jukegyms.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jukeperformance/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-nicassio-7511168/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JukeGyms

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jukeperformance

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/juke-gym-fitness-equipment-westlake-village

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjOHGt5N8659a6a75hagFYw