Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Addison.
Hi Sarah , thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve always been an athlete. After college and sports stopped, I found myself struggling with my confidence gaining weight and little desire to grow.
I was focusing on what I thought I was supposed to be focusing on. My career success.
One day I started lifting and my confidence quickly came back when others noticed my work.
I decided to personal train to help others feel as amazing as I felt. I was starting to push myself in my career as well as my relationships with friends and family.
Everything began to get better.
After a year of personal training, I decided to give up my teaching career and fully commit to the gym.
After two years of being fully committed to personal training, I was able to purchase the gym I was training in.
And now after three years of ownership, I’ve taken the revenue up almost 25% and we are still growing!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
While we were in the process of negotiations of me buying the gym, the previous owner’s lease had lapsed. He did not tell me this until after we had decided on a price.
After realizing I was going to be losing half of my space because it was the previous owners responsibility to set up the lease six months prior I thought the Business was over.
We renegotiated, and I moved half of the equipment into storage with a heavy heart. I was purchasing a gym without any space to hold classes now, and I was eliminating half of the equipment.
One client saw the success happening quickly and thought she would try to sue me. Fortunately, I had my legal practices in place and cameras all over the Jim that showed she in fact was just trying to collect a paycheck.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are currently known to be the cleanest, most aesthetically pleasing gym in our area.
We are different because our clients have access to professionals that they may not have access to unless they are paying hundreds of dollars per hour at specialty gyms.
We are known for our clientele being the fittest in the area.
It may be because of the things we offer for the accountability we hold on our clients whatever it is the consistency keeps them looking great.
I’m most proud that this is a 100% female owned Gym that doesn’t have any corporate backing or outside funding.
The bills are paid from one person’s hard work and dedication to this business to keep it running.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memory is the summers growing up on a farm in Michigan.
The days were long but they passed quickly.
Image Credits
Amy wheeler
