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Meet Mike Littrel of X3 Sports in Marietta, West Midtown, and Inman Park

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Littrel.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My story……well it begins on a cool morning in a small town in Iowa on April 9, 1977 at 7:11am 🙂 But let’s skip past all that and jump to where my business was born. Like most people that go into business there were many intermediate steps that led me and my partner to taking a risk and going for it. Working many jobs from high school through college and beyond allowed me to see multiple industries and get a feel for what I might want to do (or not do) with my life. My first job was at McDonald’s, followed by TrueValue hardware store, Clo White bleach factory, Champs Sports, UPS, Delta and Massell Commercial Real Estate have given me insights to lots of ways companies operate, do business with customers and their employees. During my college days, like most students, I was barely able to keep a roof over my head so paying for a gym was almost impossible. But for me to workout was like needing to breath. It was an escape and therapy that all humans can turn to even if there is nowhere else and boy did I need it! I scraped up the $30/mo. which may as well have been $3000 at the time, to pay my dues since it was sometimes that or food but the money was well invested. Finally the owner let me clean the gym 3x a week in exchange for my membership dues and that is when I began to understand what running and taking care of gym might entail.

Unfortunately I didn’t always have the clarity of direction but I did know that I wanted to be economically successful while being personally fulfilled. One thing I loved was exercise and fitness. I played every sport I could…some I excelled and others not so much. There was football for a couple years, wrestling, and baseball since the age of 5 and then short stints with basketball and track only to find out I was really terrible at those last two 😉 . I really loved being a part of team but nothing compared to the exhilaration of winning a one on one combat sport. Most of what has shaped my character I would attribute to starting wrestling in the 7th grade at 12 years old. I wrestled ~20 matches as a beginning wrestler in my first year and won a whopping 0! Talk about failure. I had to learn at that early age what to do in the face of adversity. It would have been easy to quit, skip the hard work of going to practice each day, making my weight class, avoid the embarrassment of losing at each meet in front of your friends, family and teammates but then I would not have earned the joy of accomplishment and success due to hard work. It wasn’t until my 2nd year in my first match of the season that I won my first match. I had thought I was in for another year of frustration but the desire to be on a team and feel significant was so strong that it pushed me through the fear. So grateful for that! I went on to have moderate success in that sport in my senior year of HS we won the State Championships and were ranked as 1 of the top teams in the country. I was also named most valuable wrestler my senior year even though I was not the best on the team. I learned a lot by watching my teammates. Somewhere so talented and I admired their ability. Somewhere so tough and resilient that win or lose they never stopped fighting! I think I wanted to be all of that but learned very fast that you had to earn it. So let’s fast forward again. After moving from Iowa to Georgia to attend Georgia State University (go Panthers) and earn my BA with a major in Real Estate I went to work with a small boutique firm Massell Commercial Real Estate. There I got the chance to work with some amazing people in my office and clients that were all small business owners that needed space for their business. I realized quickly the complexities of running a business and the talent that it takes to juggle so many elements just to be in business. While I thought getting my degree made me educated….my real education had just begun.

My wrestling had lead me to kickboxing, boxing and MMA and by 2002 I was competing and won the WKA USA Light Heavyweight title with a 9-0 record while working for Delta Airlines and Massell CRE. I really loved the competition and how fit and strong my body and mind was from this. I wondered why more people didn’t at least train or workout this way???? It dawned on me that most might be intimidated to walk into any fitness place with no background and be vulnerable about their personal fitness goals let alone an aggressive gym where you feel like you don’t belong. That is when the idea of providing the style of training that empowered people, made them part of a team or culture, and allowed them to feel comfortable no matter where they are starting their fitness journey. If we could start by teaching fundamental kickboxing, boxing or Jiu jitsu disguised as fitness or self defense, then maybe we could get others to try it and see all the benefits that I loved from it. Along with my innate desire to help people succeed like my coaches did for me, I had found a way to take what I loved as a hobby and make it my life’s work! Over the last 15 years I have worked, reworked and evolved to push myself and X3 Sports to be more than a fitness gym or MMA gym but an into a TRAINING CENTER!!!! With over a decade in this industry and in our niche I have seen lots of changes and I like to think X3 and our team are on the leading edge of making that happen for the better!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Just like many small businesses there have been some struggles. We had many make or break moments that we have been fortunate enough to survive. I think the biggest challenge has been learning how to grow and scale a service that is people driven without sacrificing quality to our members or the values of our staff. If business is good then there is the inclination to continue to grow or expand. Sometimes those decisions can seem obvious but are really not.

Learning to play in the sport of business is much like playing any other sport. Y0u must understand the objective or outcome you are after. Learn the rules of the game or it can cost you dearly. Get the best players possible. Find the best coach to lead those players. Make sure that everyone is all going for the same outcome and works together to get there. Finally once you have done all that…..then you really start the work of measuring, coaching, guiding, adjusting and continuously looking to improve not matter what.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about X3 Sports – what should we know?
We specialize in group fitness training classes that promote health, wellness, strength, cardio and muscle conditioning along with self defense. We do this through sports and martial arts disciplines. If you have a target and goal that is important for more than one reason, it is more likely that you will align things in your life to get that goal. It is no different with fitness and sports. We try to understand each persons “why”? This keeps people engaged and focused on a deeper goal than just to work out. Once we do that, we can put a map together that will help you get from where you are to where you want to go. That is why we strive to live up to one of our mottos of “Real Training Real Results!” We have been voted best Kickboxing and Gym in Atlanta multiple times by numerous outlets, fitness focused groups and organizations. We change lives every day and that is something I along with Team X3 are most proud of!

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
There have been many people along the way that have supported and encouraged me to keep progressing our mission. Our team of membership coaches, trainers, coaches, instructors, front desk staff, admin and office personnel have all made X3 what it is today. Additionally it is our thousands of current members and thousands more over the last 12 years that have given me and the X3 Team to do what we love every single day!!!! Without the members we all don’t have a job or the culture that has become X3 Sports!

Pricing:

  • We have prices that range from $89-$139 a month

Contact Info:

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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