Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Payne.
Rachel, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Southern Muscle Guide originated out of a desire to provide resources for the bodybuilding athletes that we train in our other business, House of Payne Personal Training. Creating a Directory of Resources for athletes new to the sport of bodybuilding in an effort to grow the sport. Five years later, SMG has evolved into a publication that promotes the sport of bodybuilding and informs, educates, and inspires athletes to be their best, living a lifestyle dedicated to health and fitness. We strive to show that no matter your starting point, it’s never too late to live healthy, be strong, create shape, and live a quality of life that keeps you feeling young and strong for years to come. Sharing inspirational stories, workouts, nutrition, and wellness tips are all a part of the journey we hope to take the readers on. While we are an annual publication, we provide both new and updated information digitally throughout the year, more now than ever, as we adapt to changes in our lives as a result of the pandemic. It’s not the first time we have been forced to adjust, adapt, reinvent and repurpose.
For a little background, House of Payne Personal Training began in my garage, thus the House of Payne name, and later moved into our current location in 2008, in Lilburn, GA. My husbands’ family owned a furniture store since 1981, but the furniture business took a hit when the economy tanked in 2008. We decided to split the space – half personal training facility and half furniture store. Over the next several years the personal training facility ended up taking over the whole space. It’s been 12 years since we became co-owners of House of Payne Personal Training. We have a great staff of trainers, and we work with both Bodybuilding Competitors and Lifestyle Fit clients to help them achieve their fitness goals. We do both one on one training and small group training, but we also do a significant amount of business through online training. We have set ourselves apart from other personal training facilities and become leaders in our industry. Learning how to maximize our strengths combined with technology to broaden our market has afforded us the opportunity to have clients across the country and even overseas.
Today, the two businesses compliment each other and we have established ourselves in the bodybuilding community. It’s absolutely amazing to be able to do what you love and are passionate about.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There were a lot of struggles along the way. For the personal training business having employees was one of my first challenges. Creating the online portion of our business and then convincing and teaching the trainers to do it was another big challenge. For all the struggles, the reward was great. The online training is what propelled us into the bodybuilding world in a bigger way and led to the creation of the Southern Muscle Guide. I did not have any experience in creating a publication and have done a lot of it on my own. Along the way, I have consulted with several mentors and continue to do what I can to learn all I can. I consider SMG to still be a fairly new publication and I could not have gotten this far without the fantastic and creative graphic designer I have. I would love to find the right partnership to help market, sell, and distribute the magazine on a larger scale.
Please tell us about Southern Muscle Guide.
I am the founder and publisher of SMG. The biggest thing I did was find an amazing graphic designer. Then I got help with social media. Like I mentioned, along the way, I also consulted with others. I write many of the articles or find people to provide content. I do all of the selling and work with creating partnerships to help distribute the publication. I am probably most known for being the detail person behind the scenes. Over 30 years ago, when I first began a career in the fitness industry, I was the front person. I taught aerobics when high impact and step were at their peak and was recognized locally by people who had taken my classes. I trained collegiate and professional athletes in several sports, including tennis, football, and basketball and was an amateur athlete myself in cycling and multi-sport events. These days I am content to push and encourage others to rise up while I stay in the background.
I am most proud of the fact that we have been able to evolve the business, change with the times, and continue to be successful. Even as I sit at home writing this, I am also working on distributing the magazine piece by piece in a new email marketing campaign. It’s new for me, but you do what you gotta do. Every now and then I do sit back and take a moment to pat myself on the back for a job well done; then it’s back to work. I have learned a lot along the way and made plenty of mistakes. But I try to develop a relationship with all those I work with and let people know that I’m honest and will treat them fairly. I feel like that’s what has gotten me to where I am today.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Honesty and integrity, perseverance and determination have been the most important attributes that have helped me be successful. Add in a little stubborn with a lot of patience. It’s been a potent cocktail for me.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4565 Lawrenceville Highway NW, Lilburn, GA 30047
- Website: southernmuscleguide.com, trainwithpayne.com
- Phone: 678.641.9188
- Email: rachel@southernmuscleguide.com, rachel@trainwithpayne.com
- Instagram: @southernmuscleguide, @houseofpaynepersonaltraining
- Facebook: @southernmuscleguide, @teamhouseofpayne
Image Credit:
Michel Brewer, Nvision Photography – took my headshot pic
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