Today we’d like to introduce you to Ria Stuart.
Ria, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
So, I’m a YouTube vlogger, I own a gym and I’m a real estate agent.
When I was in eighth grade, I would walk past a grocery store on the way to school every day. In the Spring, they were selling individual tulips for ten cents a piece and I took a dollar and purchased ten. My plan was to give them away to my friends at school. In the middle of doing so, someone offered me a dollar for one and a light bulb went off. The next day, I bought ten more, came home with ten dollars and knew I had found my calling!
In 2011, my partner Nyles and I moved to Atlanta out of graduate school at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. We had the intention of opening our own gym. We knew no one but heard Atlanta was the place for entrepreneurs and we wanted to make a go at it. That first year, we opened a location and closed it within three months. We had no idea what we were getting into and being completely self-funded, we had no choice but to go in a different direction. We decided we needed to establish our name in the community in order to get people to trust us. Nyles worked as a personal trainer and held pop-up boot camps while I tutored kids and sold handmade crafts at events around Atlanta. I also was fortunate enough to be able to bring in revenue through my youtube channel and sponsorships I received to talk about hair, DIY, and being a mother.
In 2013, we were finally able to open a second gym, Marietta Performance Training, and have kept it open mainly because we had an already established clientele. With a background as a professional track and field athlete for the Bahamas, Nyles focuses on the training track and field athletes of all ages. I’m constantly on the lookout for persons in need of a space like our gym to rent and potential new clients. Further, we offer private and small group personal training. We operate as a private facility and all of our services are by appointment only.
With our gym flourishing, I continued to grow my youtube channel, but I also turned my head in the direction of real estate and am a licensed Georgia Realtor specializing in first time home buyers. I recognize just like we moved to Atlanta for an opportunity, thousands of others are continuing to do the same and they all need to find a place to live! I felt I’d be a fool not to take advantage of the booming real estate market and found my real estate home with Keller Williams Atlanta North.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Not at all! With the internet and social media constantly being in your face, it’s very easy to get discouraged. Many people today are all about outward appearances and thrive on the “fake it ’til you make it” mentality. They do this by posting to Instagram and elsewhere these airbrushed photos of life they want people to think they’re living and for many, it’s not true. There is no overnight success. For me, “try, try again,” was a mantra I had to embrace. Having to shut down our first gym was devastating, financially and mentally. But we kept pushing. You’re not going to be able to fully appreciate the hard work and effort until you get to the other side, so you just have to keep going.
I’d also say, have a backup plan. This is not an alternative plan, like, “if this doesn’t work out then I’ll do this…” but a true back up. Coming from Chicago, I like to think the hustler spirit is in my blood. I found so many ways to continue to earn income in order to fund our vision but that would not take away the time needed to invest in building our business. It’s okay if you are working as a waitperson, or teaching, or mowing lawns to fund your dream. I wouldn’t take on a position that requires just as much attention from home as when I’m in the office though. That could delay the process indefinitely.
Finally, you have to learn to silence the naysayers. I had so many people question how smart it was to run our own business. What about healthcare? What if you don’t get clients? How will you…? Instead, I found and am constantly finding other women in similar situations to surround myself with. We are each other’s cheerleaders. And that is a crucial factor to have when you’re an entrepreneur. I’ve met people by forcing myself to go out “networking” even if it was by myself. As a YouTuber, I go to events hosted by other YouTubers in the area of course, but I’ve also attended events by Ladies Who Brunch Atlanta, Beauteaful Convos, and have been able to create meaningful relationships with other female entrepreneurs.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Marietta Performance Training story. Tell us more about it.
Marietta Performance Training is a private strength and conditioning facility. We cater to athletes of all ages and ability levels but do specialize in track and field performance. My partner, Nyles Stuart, is a professional track and field athlete from the Bahamas and coaches, in addition to training, several of the athletes who attend our gym. We are blessed to have a handful of professional athletes, including Olympians, call our gym home.
We are not a 24/7 work out on your own gym. Our clients come to us because they value coaching and what it can do for them. We not only train our clients, but we educate them on what they can do to improve their lives and take their health and physical fitness into their own hands.
I am huge on education as a Realtor as well. I love first time home buyer because I am naturally prone to teaching people about whatever it is I’m helping them with. I love being able to take the complex concepts found within real estate and make them make sense in order to put my clients at ease with what would otherwise be a daunting transaction. I’ve been told time and time again, I really help people “get it” and I absolutely live for that!
It would be great to hear about any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve used and would recommend to others.
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries, I feel is an absolute must for any would-be entrepreneur.
Carrie Green’s Female Entrepreneur Association, her YouTube videos along with her book She Means Business is currently my everyday motivating factor to keep expanding my wings broader and broader.
The podcast “Money and Merlot” with Racquel Valbrun and her partner Michele Valbrun is amazing too! I love listening to other husband and wife duos talk about the things that really matter in life.
Contact Info:
- Address: Marietta Performance Training
2060 Lower Roswell Road Ste 260
Marietta, GA 30068 - Website: www.riastuart.com (my personal website)
- Email: gonzalezstuart@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sumkindawndrful/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariettaperformancetraining/
- Other: www.youtube.com/sumkindawndrful
Image Credit:
Nyles Stuart, Maria Stuart
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