OnTheMarq with Nita Marquez
Nita Marquez is a former professional athlete, trainer, nutritionist, writer of Fit for Combat and The Fitness Turnaround, and a single sole-supporting mother of three. Just like many single parents struggling financially while raising children, Nita was one to keep picking up the pieces together. She went from being a sponsored champion professional athlete to re-entering the workforce. When Nita lost her job, she worked on the side to earn income to keep the food on the table for her kids. Because she did not have marketing for her books, they failed to sell. Still, she had the perseverance to keep going.
In the earlier years, while she was an athlete, trainer, and nutritionist, she was sponsored by a sportswear company. She collaborated and designed her own clothes. As a result, she learned about the importance of high-performance in sportswear. Nita’s job loss and her entrepreneurial spirit with just a $20 budget lead her journey into creating the OnTheMarq Jumpsuit. Starting in the summer of 2016, Nita bought 5 yards of high-grade performance fabric from Downtown LA with her design sketch. The continued 6-months of fittings and alterations brought the complete design to be ready for presenting it to an investor who agreed to loan her a small amount of seed capital to develop OnTheMarq. Nita states, “…as I thought things were about to change for my family and me, I hit the same wall as I had in the past with my fitness books.” The lack of marketing capital hindered scaling a business, but she didn’t stop. She continued selling her jumpsuits from her car’s trunk while working and earning a good income until she lost her job just two weeks before the holidays in 2019. Nita said this was a blessing in disguise because it spared her more time to push her business further.
Despite the challenges of job-loss, Covid-19, and the 2020 lockdowns, she got help from New Economics for Women and Women’s Business Center (WBC) and started a Personal Development Coaching Business. She also has a podcast on iTunes OnTheMarq:UNeDITeD. Soon, the visual version will be streaming on YouTube and Facebook live.
“Special Thanks to New Economics for Women for supporting mothers and families through economic education and the programs that NEW Women’s Business Center offers to local business owners and fashion designers.” The NEW Women’s Business Center (WBC) has admitted Nita Marquez into the Made in LA Fashion Program Webinars. Nita has signed her company’s largest US Manufacturing contract, and OnTheMarq Jumpsuit is beginning a promising second start with the new year. She has the budget needed for a marketing campaign and mass-production. Nita Marquez said that as her business grows in the coming years, she wants to give back to NEW and WBC for helping her when she needed guidance and support.