Today we’d like to introduce you to Shatoya Rivers.
So, before we jump into specific questions about what you do, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have a love/hate relationship with fitness. I always struggled with my weight as it will always fluctuate for no reason, lol. I got to the point, I just wanted to get Lipo and workout to maintain the surgery. Every time I would set the appointment for Lipo, something happened which prevented me from getting the surgery; at that point, I knew it was God.
I researched fitness products and vendors for three months before I narrowed my search down to about three vendors and five starting products. Once I narrowed my search down, I began to test the products myself for about 6 months to ensure the quality was to my standard and the products actually work. Once I selected my vendor and products, ‘Elite Style Fitness” was born. We started our brand with four waist shapers and a slimming gel; which all products go hand and hand and work together to help our customers achieve their fitness goals. I wanted to create a brand for all woman by woman. This brand represents the everyday women, the working mom, the mom that’s trying to lose pregnancy weight, or the women that just want a healthier lifestyle. The vision of our brand is endless. The services and products we plan to offer will be unmatched.
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?
Starting this brand has not been easy, I wanted to start a fitness product business in Miami with a friend of mine at the time but when that friendship ended, I figured I may as well do it myself. I relocated from Miami to Atlanta in July 2018 with the intention to build a team and start this brand. In Sept 2018, I started strong, I started to build a team, created a logo, ordered samples and everything. My friend Tobias @five_trophies helped me with my logo, he helped me start the business, if it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t have started but then everything stopped. I became discouraged, I just stopped, I lost focus. I didn’t have the money I needed to start the business the way I wanted. I was walking by sight and not by faith so I just stopped.
I went and got a corporate job and didn’t do anything for my business, nothing. I knew entering 2019, I will always walk by faith and not by sight, I wanted to do more, I wanted to work smarter toward my business, I wanted to use the resources I had, I was ready; then life happened again. In February 2019, my mother was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, my focus became taking care of her and not by business. Watching my mother tackle breast cancer was heartbreaking, knowing it was nothing I could do to take her pain away, but we got through it.
In March of 2019, I received a financial blessing which is something I prayed for, I now had the funds I needed to start my business. In June, I went all in, I started ordering products, packaging, labels, anything needed to enhance my brand. I didn’t know I was starting way too early and I was nowhere near ready to launch. In August 2019, I became overwhelmed and discouraged all over again until I came across this Instagram page @marketingbymonrae and the facebook group she created Marketing With Monrae. That group and her page just gave me hope for my business,
I did a business bootcamp with Monrae in Sept 2019 and she just put life back into me and my business, I learned so much about marketing, do’s and don’ts and so much more. Once I got the push I needed from the facebook group and finding out my mother was cancer-free, I felt like a new person, I felt motivated, seeing my mother beat cancer gave me strength. I knew if my mother can go through chemo and come out cancer-free, I can start this business, I felt like my business was re-born. If it wasn’t for the encouragement from that facebook Group, Monrae, or my family, I would’ve given up a very long time ago.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Elite Style Fitness story. Tell us more about it.
Elite Style Fitness is a fitness brand for all women. We sell fitness products such as waist shapers, slimming gel and more to help women meet their fitness goals. We want to encourage women to love the skin their in by living a healthier lifestyle. We started our business with 5 workout shapers, slimming gel and leggings but we plan to introduce new products quarterly. We will also launch a service that will connect our customers with trainers, nutritionists and chefs in their area directly through our website. We are so much more than a waist shaper company, we’re a Fitness Brand.
I’m most proud of creating a brand ambassador program that will allow our customers to make money just from using our products. We want to support women that’s going to tell their co-workers or family members how much they love our products, why not allow them to make extra money for doing so. I’m most proud of creating a brand that will allow me to create jobs in the near future.
The Elite Style Brand is bigger than social media, this is a brand you will see in stores, or in your favorite hotel gym. Gods willing the vision we have for this brand will make us the “Kylie Jenner” of the fitness industry. There isn’t a non-celebrity individual or company that has entered the fitness industry and conquered it; we plan to be the 1st. We want to enter the fitness industry and create endless possibilities and opportunities for women everywhere. Walking by faith will continue to allow us to appreciate all the blessings God has for our Brand.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t believe in luck, I believe in God, faith and family so luck haven’t played a role in my business, good or bad. Once I started walking by faith every day, blessings for myself and my business have been flowing abundantly. I am a child a God and I know through him all things are possible.
My family have played a huge part in the progression of my business, my mother encourages me daily. Being a witness to my mother’s cancer battle really made me a stronger woman, a better woman, just a stronger person in general. My siblings have encouraged me more than they will ever know, as the oldest, I want them to be proud of me. I want to be a role model to my sisters and brother, I want them to look at me and know they can do anything as long as they walk by faith and accept the love people are willing to give. My family, aunts and cousins have always supported what I wanted to do and have encouraged me to go big at all times. My uncle has invested in me and my business just because he knows my drive and determination. My rider has had my back since I started this journey, he has helped and stayed with me at 10-hour photoshoots, giving me advice about packaging, providing encouraging words when he sees me defeated, being there to wipe my tears when I’m overwhelmed; thank you Chris @adenaikeclothing.
This business is for my family, I want this brand to be successful so I can leave something for my son who’s my biggest inspiration. My goal when starting this business, wasn’t to copy what someone else was doing, or to be like another brand; I wanted a business to reflect something that interests me, something I can build from the ground up, something I can make a household name. That’s why I created “Elite Style Fitness’, so when you ask, what role Luck played in my life or business, I respectfully say It has been all God, Faith and Family. My motto is and will always be, dreams are real!!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.elitestylefitness.com
- Phone: (404) 786-3961
- Email: contact@elitestylefitness.com | elitestylefitness@gmail.com
- Instagram: @fitnesselitestyle
- Facebook: Best Waist Shapers in Atlanta
Image Credit:
Models Credit: (me owner Shatoya @imperfect_fitstoya), Sydne’ Autry @sydneautry, and Sasha @sashbino
Photo Credit: Photographer Hassan Richardson @rarifilmz
Videographer/Photographer: Erick McGee @director_emc
Photoshoot creative director: Monrae @marketingbymonrae
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