“Graftism is a culture, a community,” Azam Jaafri says on his website. According to Jaafri, “graftism” refers to “the positive behaviour and attitudes that stem from a strong commitment to hard work (GRAFT) and loyalty among hard workers (GRAFTERS).”
The Watford, London gym recently won the UK Fitness Awards’ Best Independent Gym award for Greater London in 2019. The gym boasts impressive facilities and shop. Jaafri ensures that the culture and mentality of his gym-goers lends itself to slow but sure gains.
Jaafri also brings this hard-work philosophy to his endeavors in e-commerce, food, tech, property, and marketing. He also vlogs and writes on Medium.
Azam Jaafri embraces hard work
“We live in an instant gratification kind of society, but goals take time to achieve,” says the Graftism Gym website. Jaafri’s facility fosters “an environment you can only thrive in,” with its emphasis on hard work to maximize results. Not just a gym, the facility also markets itself as a community. “There is no elevator to success, you have to take the stairs,” says the writing on the wall of the gym, a reminder and motivator.
The average reviews for Graftism justify its recent UK Fitness award. It has a 4.8 out of 5 stars on Hussle, with users praising the price range, accessibility, facilities and customer service. The sign above the door says, “Dream big, work hard, stay focused and surround yourself with good people,” which is precisely the founding principle behind Graftism.
Azam Jaafri recommends meditation, self care
Jaafri applies many of the gym’s mottos to his own personal and professional life. He started his first business in 2000. Since then, he has launched several e-commerce companies, food brands, and consulting services for brands and startups. One is that he “is comfortable”. That isn’t to say that he is content and not striving, but rather that he does not participate in what he calls “the Social Media Olympics,” regardless of being very active on Twitter and Instagram. “My time is committed to fulfilling [my purpose], I do not have time to compare myself to others,” he writes. “We are all here to serve our unique purpose, I am comfortable with myself.”
Some of Jaafri’s other advice, gleaned from his extensive business experience, includes tips on how to take leaps of faith, doing one’s research, and how to come up with ideas. Jaafri recommends meditation as a way to “open [one’s] mind,” and travel as a stimulant of new ideas as you’re exposed to “innovation and alternate business and social habits.”
He also preaches awareness, and warns not to fear of mistakes. “Everything that happens to you is a form of instruction if you pay attention,” Jaafri tweeted back in 2018, and has returned to this topic multiple times. “You have more to lose by doing nothing.”
Food, retail, sport, and e-Commerce: a man of many trades
Jaafri is a “serial entrepreneur”, who has started 9 companies and worked with more. His consulting agency We Know You officially launched in 2012, with the goal to “help companies and startups achieve success through design thinking and strategic planning – made by humans, for humans.”
The agency has worked with companies such as Blueticket, the second largest ticket marketplace in Portugal. His company Foodery Fit focuses on building diets that help their customers achieve certain health goals. It features an app and a macronutrient calculator for even greater convenience.
Graftism Gym isn’t Jaafri’s only venture into the world of sports. In addition, he founded Foodery Fit which has an emphasis on providing nutrition for athletes. His brand Muscle Fit Basics provides simple, comfortable, and long-lasting sportswear. He also founded Gourmosa, a food brand which sells healthy, innovative “snacks from the Subcontinent. Major British supermarket chains, Tesco and ASDA in particular, carry this brand all over England.
Keep up with Jaafri on Twitter, as well as his personal website.
