The Most Powerful Woman in the Sports Nutrition Industry Today!
Rarely do we see the extraordinary combination of attributes that exist in Gaspari Nutrition’s Vice President and Director of International Distribution, Liz Gaspari. With her husband’s mantra held tightly in her hand, Liz Gaspari has skillfully directed the growth of Gaspari Nutrition’s unique position as “The Best Sports Nutrition Product Line on the Planet” into exactly that.
Though born and raised in the USA, Liz boasts a bloodline that is 100% Persian (Now we understand where that incredible beauty comes from!). Hailing from a long line of successful entrepreneurs in her family’s native Afghanistan, she’s the first to point out that business is in her blood. With over 80 countries in her arsenal and growing, her success is no mere accident.
How did you first get involved in business and to what do you attribute your success?
Before Rich and I met, I owned quite a few successful businesses. It’s what I’ve always done. I love business and I love sales, but it wasn’t until I met Rich and saw his passion that I knew I had something really special. To be truly unique in a marketplace where everyone else is trying to do the same old thing can be a great asset. If what sets you apart also happens to be the best the marketplace has ever seen (in the case of athletes, the “right” product), then success will come if you execute properly. The downside to this approach, which we at the company know very well, is that making the “real stuff” is very expensive. We work on much lower margins than our competitors, but we still want our products to sell at or around the same competitive prices as other products in those categories. It’s really tough on me, but Rich won’t have it any other way. At the end of the day, as difficult as it is sometimes, it’s who we are and we’re not about to change things. I knew from the start that all our money was in the products and I wouldn’t have nearly the margin to work with as my competitors so I’ve always had to be creative. So I guess if you ask me why I’ve been successful, aside from what’s been said, that’s easy; CUSTOMER SERVICE. I watch the way Rich always takes a personal interest in the athletes. He truly wants them to succeed and he’s very protective of their interests. He is tireless about it. If the athlete who buys our products is not successful, neither are we. If our business partners are not successful, neither are we. Everyone is important. I try very hard to give as much attention to a single local store as I do a large international customer, and I will protect their interests in their respective territories with everything I’ve got. Try me!
What is it that makes Gaspari Nutrition so different?
It’s Rich. He’s the cornerstone that makes it all possible. He isn’t always comfortable when people say it, but he truly is the real thing. I remember years ago when he told me his vision wasn’t going to be easy and that he was hitting opposition at every turn. He said the sports nutrition industry had always been more marketing hype than science and he wanted to do something about it. He spoke to other successful industry people and told them that he wanted to “do the right thing” and put the products first. They all laughed and told him he was in the wrong business –they said it wouldn’t work. They obviously didn’t know my husband. Rich’s tenacity and work ethic have always carried him. When his competitive bodybuilding career was over, he was determined to parlay that competitive spirit into helping other athletes be their best. He tells me he likes seeing them succeed even more than he did himself. He says the satisfactions are greater. Don’t let him fool you though –I know he still misses being on stage. I see that competitiveness every time he takes it out on some younger guy in the gym. All that passion makes what I do very enjoyable. Business has always been my strong suit so to be able to offer my customers something really special, well that is the ultimate situation for a businessperson. In our industry, that’s different.
OK, we have to ask: What’s it like being married to Rich Gaspari?
It’s very interesting to say the least. The pressures of running a business can put a strain on any marriage, but it works with us. He’s a great husband and a great father to our son and daughter. He’s very conscientious and he is decent -I know he loves us very much. Sometimes he is away from home a little more than I like, but I know he feels a strong sense of duty to our partners and the athletes who use Gaspari Products, and I would never take that away from him. It’s tough on him too, but it’s a big responsibility that comes with the territory. Me? I’d still rather have him home -any day!
Tell us about your diet and exercise regimen and how you stay in such great shape with your busy work schedule.
That’s a very good question. If it weren’t for the lifestyles of my husband and the rest of our team to keep me motivated, I’m not sure how I would do it. Getting the kids’ days started in the morning, either working in the office or on the road all day, then coming home to be mom again is a lot all by itself. But I’ll let you in on a little secret; most of my customers around the World are just beginning their workday after the sun sets in New Jersey. So our nights are sometimes the busiest part of my day. There are just not enough hours in a day. For that reason, watching what I eat is extremely important, but that doesn’t mean that it always works out that way. I try to stay on a 3-hour interval meal schedule with moderately high protein all day. My carbs are usually heavier in the morning and taper down as the day goes on. And then there are the days were all bets are off. On any given day, circumstances can arise that completely take me out of my game. Bad food, no food –you name it. That’s what I call my “balanced diet.” I have mostly good days with the occasional bad one. As far as exercise, cardio is all I have time for these days and it’s at home on the treadmill 3-5 times a week for ½ hour. It’s a far cry from my normal 5-6 day a week schedule (½ hour cardio and 1 hour weight training per day), but it’s working for now. It’s a sacrifice, but I wouldn’t trade for anything. Commitment and priority take twists and turns in life and right now, family and business are holding all the cards. …and I’m just fine with that.
Do you take any Gaspari Nutrition products?
All I can say is; thank you Research and Development Team for making Myofusion and IntraPro. I don’t drink protein shakes -or at least I didn’t. I just wasn’t into supplements. I tried protein shakes, but vowed never to drink them again –it’s just not me. Some tasted OK the 1st or second time, but then I just couldn’t bare it. Rich came home all excited one day and asked me try IntraPro. That was quite a few years ago. I was apprehensive, but agreed. I hate to admit it, he was right. Then came Myofusion and the rest is history. With my schedule, there’s no way I’d be able to get my meals in without the help of these products. And dare I say -I genuinely look forward to them. If they can convince a junk food lover like me to love a protein drink, they can convince anyone. Aside from the proteins, it’s our multi-vitamin, Anavite every day. It really makes a huge difference. The only other thing I’ve been taking is a ½ dose of an experimental fat burner/energy tablet that the R&D team has been handing me. It’s unbelievable. -word is, you will all be getting it in few months.
Any parting words for our readers Liz?
How about, BUY GASPARI! Did that sound biased? Sorry, I couldn’t resist. People do genuinely love the products. It seems that once a Gaspari customer, always a Gaspari customer so something good is definitely happening here. And all that demand certainly doesn’t make my life any harder either. Oh, I love my job!
It’s hard to imagine a more compelling image for arguably the most powerful woman in the Sports Nutrition industry today. With staggering good looks and extraordinary business savvy, Liz Gaspari is determined to help fulfill her husband’s destiny as the athlete’s champion. So far, it’s definitely working. I think I speak for all of us when I say; we’d like to see a lot more of you very soon. Bravo Liz
