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Longevity &amp; Performance

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In November 2014, Jason Phillips, a fitness and nutrition trainer, was so broke that he couldn’t afford a cup of coffee. One year later, he banked a million dollars, and after 10 years, he founded <a href="https://ncicertifications.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nutritional Coaching Institute</a> and scaled it to a reported $15 million valuation. These days, he’s embarking on a new venture that promises even greater success.



Phillips is guided by an almost instinctual level of business acumen, enhanced and fueled by his relentless drive for <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/finding-happiness-mindset-shifts-to-change-your-life/">happiness</a>, profitability and desire to help others. And his story is rooted in the most unlikely of circumstances—a battle with anorexia.







<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-whole-body-health">Whole body health</h2>



The journey to well-being is anything but linear. For <a href="https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/statistics/#general-eating-disorder-statistics">roughly 30 million Americans</a>, that path can include an eating disorder detour, according to the National Eating Disorders Association. And Phillips was among them.



“I was a typical all-American, healthy kid. Then I developed an eating disorder and became fully anorexic,” Phillips recounts. “When I overcame that, I discovered that health and wellness saved my life, and I wanted to use that vehicle to pay it forward to help others.”



After graduating from Florida State University with a degree in exercise science and a concentration in fitness and nutrition, Phillips <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/the-future-of-the-gig-economy/">bounced from gig to gig</a>. It wasn’t until that fateful November in 2014, when he was faced with his grim financial reality, that he recognized a crossroads—either get a conventional job or leverage his knowledge and passion to move forward. 



Providence came that same week in the form of his first consultation call from a national championship weight lifter. After listening to her story, Phillips’ desire to help overrode his need for money.



“When it got time to pitch the price,” Phillips says, “I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, what if she says no? That’s not OK. She really needs my help.’ I was like, ‘You can’t pay me.’ Over the next week, she referred me to 12 people who did pay.”



Those 12 new clients sparked his coaching company, IN3. Named for nutrition in performance, aesthetics and life, IN3 quickly ramped up to help 3,000 people each year. Then in 2016, a friend challenged him to scale. If Phillips could shift to a business-to-business model through certifications, he could reach millions more. 



Inspiration hit during a six-hour car ride. “I’ve never had more clarity in my life,” Phillips says. “I pulled into the driveway and didn’t even get the bags out of my car. I ran into my office, sat down and wrote the whole outline. And to this day, [in] 2025, it hasn’t changed.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-round-two">Round two</h2>



That outline sat in his notebook until April 2017. Phillips was home sick one day when, on a whim, he made a social media post floating the certification class before taking a nap. He woke up to 200 replies.



Phillips then sprang into action, booking a friend’s facility in Chicago to host the class. Four hours after posting the $1,000 payment link, all 40 spots were filled. Phillips organized two more dates and locations after that, and by the end of the next day, all seats were sold.



“We delivered the first-ever certification and never looked back,” he says.



During those early years, Phillips was juggling IN3 and NCI. Sensing that his <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/how-to-build-your-personal-brand/">brand identity</a> was getting confused, he decided to sell IN3 even though it subsidized NCI’s payroll. The decision put him back into a financial conundrum.



“I was probably going to miss payroll by $70,000,” Phillips confesses.



In a stroke of genius, he developed a “rapid cash scholarship framework” and facilitated an injection of capital by opening applications to a full-ride scholarship to NCI’s program. One person earned the scholarship, and other applicants were offered an irresistible rate, thus generating a massive cash influx. The strategy proved so successful that other online businesses adopted it too.



“It’s a double-edged sword,” Phillips warns. “You get a lot of money, but it takes the warmest leads out of your funnel. There’s definitely some nuance to it.”



Despite NCI’s rampant financial success, by 2023, Phillips decided to sell it too. Burnout played a role, but he also no longer felt aligned with the direction of the industry. He needed some space.



A little over a year later, though, Phillips bought NCI back.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-full-circle">Full circle</h2>



Selling a company to purchase it back may sound like an odd way to go all-in on profits and happiness, but Phillips’ internal compass always pointed to what felt morally right.



“I sold a company that was connection-driven, and they tried to turn it into an e-commerce company,” Phillips says. “It was never going to work as an e-comm company, and so we’re bringing connection back.”



Phillips, however, remembers why he sold in the first place. For this iteration of NCI, he is completely reimagining the certification model. Access to NCI’s material is now free, and instead of paying for information, clients can purchase a mentorship that supports their business development, execution and success. NCI, according to Phillips, is rolling out the red carpet.



The annual fee provides access to all of NCI’s resources, including specialty topic calls, business development calls and 24/7 support. A monthly membership fee lets clients stay at NCI’s home base, where they can film content in a studio and host events.



“NCI was always formed on the ‘billion-person mission,’” Phillips says. “We want to change a billion lives through the vehicle of health and fitness.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-success-and-wisdom">Success and wisdom</h2>



Phillips is improving lives at scale. At a personal level, he’s identified four integrated dimensions of success: physical development, <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/what-is-personal-development/">personal development</a>, connection to loved ones, and business. Underpinning all of these is the idea of personal control. 



At one point, Phillips found himself in a scary situation on an airplane. His inability to change the outcome came into sharp focus—and after a safe emergency landing, Phillips left the experience with a searing impression.



“I will never take control for granted in my life,” he says. “I am in control of how I move my body, what I feed my body, what I feed my mind, the connection I have with my daughter and the direction of my business. I promise anything that you’re envisioning, it can be done as long as you take charge and take control.”&nbsp;



This article originally appeared in the July/August issue of <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/magazine/">SUCCESS® magazine</a>. 



Photo courtesy of Jason Phillips

Jason Phillips built a million-dollar health business in a year. Learn about the fitness trainer and entrepreneur’s path to success.

Jason Phillips built a million-dollar health business in a year. Learn about the fitness trainer and entrepreneur’s path to success. | SUCCESS

Jason Phillips’ Power Trio: Health, Wealth and Happiness

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Jason Phillips’ Path to Health, Wealth and Happiness | SUCCESS

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Business &amp; Branding

Business &amp; Branding Archives

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Musicians are deeply creative individuals, using songs, lyrics and even their stage presence to express their imagination, emotions and <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/what-is-an-innovacation/">ideas</a>. But finding and connecting with listeners, organizing a tour and developing a brand—all of which are required for a musician’s career growth and success—require a skill set that is more typically aligned with those in <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/how-to-run-a-successful-startup-business/">business</a>.



The mingling of creativity with linear, analytical thinking can be messy. Occupying and thriving at this intersection is Los Angeles-based music manager <a href="https://www.10qmgmt.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lydia Asrat, founder and CEO of 10Q Management</a>, a boutique music management company founded in 2011 with a reputation of recognizing excellence, nourishing top talent and laying the path to stardom. 10Q Management alumni and current clients include the formidable artistry of Doja Cat, Coco Jones, Normani, Sunny Daze and Haben.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-marching-to-her-own-beat">Marching to her own beat</h2>



Asrat, a first-generation African American born to Ethiopian parents, is breaking the industry mold as a young Black female music manager (she was named to the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/lydia-asrat/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2022 Forbes “30 Under 30” list</a> in the music category). Yet, she is quick to point out that it was from studying other women in the industry, leaders like Ethiopia Habtemariam (former Motown Records CEO), that strengthened her inherent determination.



Asrat reflects, “I would be reading up on how [Habtemariam] got to where she got and how other people like Sylvia Rhone [Epic Records chairwoman and CEO] and all these other women in these high spaces in the industry were able to get where they got. And it was all the same underlying mentality, which was, ‘We gonna do it one way or the other.’”



That determined attitude aligned with Asrat’s internal drive. With an uncanny ability to discover and nurture musical talent, Asrat’s business and creative acumen are the natural merger of her interests and upbringing. “I’ve always, always, always loved music,” Asrat says. “Music’s been my No. 1 passion.” As for her business savvy, she credits watching and learning from her father who started his own successful business. Assisting him in his office taught her professional mannerisms at a young age. But what about her tenacity and mental fortitude?



Playing sports exposed Asrat to handling pressure and cooperating with different personalities. She embraced it all. Volleyball was her main gig, but she also ran track and played basketball and soccer. “All of my upbringing helped me in the position I am now as a manager because you’re dealing with different types of personalities, you’re dealing with a lot of different creative people and businesspeople who have to coexist in one entity in order to get this song or video, or whatever it may be, out,” she says.







<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-an-achievement-mindset">An achievement mindset</h2>



During their formative grade school years, Asrat and her sister were two of only four Black students in the school. “I was already dealing with being a minority since I was little,” Asrat recalls. “From there, it just resonated with me that I could do anything I wanted.” By the time she secured an internship at Warner Bros. Records Inc. (now Warner Records) while studying music at Loyola Marymount University, she knew how to focus on what was possible and avoid getting distracted by barriers. It’s a recurring theme that’s changed her trajectory.



For one example of her ability in action, Asrat recounts how she avoided clothing catastrophes. Or, more accurately, a lack-of-clothing catastrophe caused by an artist’s outfit being delayed in transport or outright forgotten for a key performance. Undeterred, Asrat divided her team to hit the stores and strategize at the post office. “There’s going to be so many obstacles that are pushed into your way where you’re going to feel like, ‘Oh, I’ve messed up. This is it. We’re not going to be able to do anything.’ Never ever say that something is impossible,” she says.



Asrat describes her response to tricky situations as “solution-based.” She looks for options instead of dwelling on a negative outcome. “That has saved so many shoots and video performances,” she says. “We would have lost out on a music video that changed someone’s career versus being able to maneuver and just think solution-based-wise and still get it done.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-leading-with-mentorship">Leading with mentorship</h2>



Throughout her career, Asrat’s mentors, Habtemariam in particular, have been a beacon of what is possible. Asrat experienced firsthand how advice, encouragement, strategy and even friendship from a seasoned industry leader can influence a career arc. Today, she is that leader. For the last three years, Asrat has been part of a formal mentorship program called <a href="https://femmeitforward.com/nextgemfemme/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Next Gem Femme</a>, through the organization Femme It Forward, where she <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/what-is-a-mentor/">mentors</a> a student or woman who is either already in the entertainment industry or wants to be. “One of my mentees is someone I still talk to,” Asrat says. “Having a direct line to someone who can help you while you’re maneuvering… we just had the conversation about being solution-oriented because she had a dilemma within one of her spaces, and she’s a team leader.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-advice-for-success">Advice for success</h2>



Asrat shares six more gems that can help someone develop their personal brand and grow their business.



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Ask questions: It’s better to ask all the questions you need to do the job correctly the first time instead of winging it and asking for permission later. “Don’t be shy,” Asrat advises. “People aren’t going to look down on you for making sure that you do the job right.”</li>



<li>Frame questions professionally: Instead of asking, “How do we do this?” Consider, “To get this right, I want to confirm that this is the way we follow these steps.”</li>



<li>Be flexible in your role: Being willing to tackle new tasks is an opportunity to gain cross experience. Asrat exclaims, “No job was too big or too little for me!”</li>



<li>Become a student of your craft: Establish a list of individuals who have accomplished your goals. Look at what they did to get to their position and those who helped them.</li>



<li>Carry yourself with confidence: Confidence is about representing yourself. Be the person someone can turn to for help.</li>



<li>Be authentic to yourself: This last piece of advice is, by far, the most critical. “It’s important for artists to be authentically true to themselves, and I will say it until my face goes blue,” Asrat says. “It’s what makes them different and sets them apart that really makes the trajectory of the career skyrocket.”</li>
</ul>



This article originally appeared in the <a href="https://mysuccessplus.com/shop">May/June 2025 issue</a> of SUCCESS® magazine. Photo courtesy of Jamal Peters.

Learn more about Lydia Asrat, her journey to becoming the founder of her own music management company, her advice for success and more.

Learn more about music manager Lydia Asrat, her advice for success, and more.

Lydia Asrat on Success, Authenticity and Mentorship | SUCCESS

Sounds of Success: Music Manager Lydia Asrat&#8217;s Journey To Becoming the Founder of Her Own Company

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Learn more about Lydia Asrat, her journey to being the founder of her own music management company, her advice for success and more.

Karen Marley

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Jason Phillips’ Power Trio: Health, Wealth and Happiness

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