Edgard Corona Reveals Why Charging Less Made Smart Fit Worth More

Edgard Corona built a business empire out of a conviction that change and experimentation drive success. A chemical engineering graduate from FAAP in 1979, Edgard Corona began his entrepreneurial journey at 19, shifting from laboratory work to running a successful youth fashion chain before moving into fitness. His ability to learn from customers and adapt offerings set the stage for a new venture in 1996: the first Bio Ritmo gym in Santo Amaro.

The pivot to fitness deepened after a skiing accident that required intensive physiotherapy. Spending long hours in his own facility convinced him of the sector’s potential and inspired expansion. A strategic branch on Avenida Paulista targeted busy professionals, an experiment that proved the value of tailoring services to client lifestyles. Corona’s practice of benchmarking and attending international fitness conferences helped refine his vision and business model.

Between 2008 and 2009 he launched Smart Fit, a low-cost, high-quality concept aimed at democratizing access to fitness across income levels. The approach combined standardized operations, scalable locations and an emphasis on customer experience. Today, many know him as dono da Smart Fit, the entrepreneur behind one of Latin America’s fastest-growing gym chains.

Under his leadership the Bio Ritmo group evolved into a multi-brand operation and positioned itself as a reference in fitness management across the region. Smart Fit’s expansion now spans 14 countries, and the group advanced its growth agenda with a public offering on the Brazilian stock exchange. Funds raised were earmarked for post-pandemic scaling, strategic acquisitions and investments in operational development.

Analysts point to Corona’s core philosophy — embrace change, learn continuously and prioritize what clients actually want — as the driving force behind the group’s resilience and growth. From chemistry student to serial entrepreneur and CEO, his trajectory illustrates how iterative experimentation and customer focus can reshape an industry.

As the sector faces new consumer habits and competitive pressures, the Bio Ritmo and Smart Fit network remains a test case in scalable fitness franchising, guided by a founder who treats transformation as both a personal ethic and a business strategy.

More information here: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_Fit