Today we’d like to introduce you to Vernon Harris.
Hi Vernon, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m from Orangeburg, SC. I am 25 years old. I’m a father of two, Vernon Jr and Ke-Nya Harris. I first started my fitness career in January 2016. I was tired of being the smallest person out of my family and friends and dedicated myself to fitness from that point on. By 2018, I started seeing crazy results on my body and was up 25 pounds of lean muscle. Everyone around me was asking what I did and if I worked with a trainer, the answer was no every time. Every gain and all the progress I got was from hard work and dedication. Shortly after, I started thinking if I can do this for myself, then I know I can do this for other people as well.
I started training people out of local gyms like planet fitness and the YMCA. I noticed in the beginning of my training career that I didn’t have all the knowledge that I thought I needed. I went online and discovered ISSA and chose them to receive my certification. During the process, I was receiving a lot of knowledge but needed to be more hands-on. My cousin Trey introduced me to David Erby, who is the Strength and Conditioning coach at South Carolina State University. He allowed me to work out with them all summer to be able to perfect my craft. By the end of the summer, I was a totally different trainer and had gained over 15 new clients. My business partner Sade Johnson and I started hosting HIIT classes on Saturday mornings. When we went to start our third class, covid-19 shut us down. The world went on shut down and I had to put training on a brief hold. My full-time job of six years was considered essential, so I was able to still bring in an income. When we were able to leave our homes, some of my clients agreed to let me come to train them at their homes. The money was not what it was before covid, but I was still able to do what I love. Shortly after, I walked out on faith and left my job of six years and decided to chase my dreams of being the best personal trainer in Atlanta, Georgia.
Alright, 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?
It was not the smoothest road once I got to Atlanta. I only had two consistent clients, who were childhood friends supporting my business. I didn’t have a job and needed to pick up clientele but didn’t know where to start. I reached out to my friend Sharnise who has a successful nail business here in Atlanta and asked her to teach me the game. From there, she taught me how to study the market, study social media insights and how to brand myself when I am out in public. From that point on I was determined to pick up clientele quickly. I also had another friend here in Atlanta named Joirdin. She pointed me in the direction of every park and nutrition club to be able to pass out my business cards.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Vernfitness?
I am a top of the line personal trainer here in Atlanta. I specialize in sports training, weight loss, weight gain, and HIIT training at 24fitness. I am known for being a team leader but great at understanding when I need to be a team player. I am not afraid to ask questions and learn new skills and techniques. Even now, I go to guys like Smooth and Joe to get advice on how to make my workouts more fun and more difficult. I am so proud of my rebrand of Only the strong arrive to Vernfitness. Vernfitness was the start of a new beginning that I am willing to put my last into. My services: * 1 on one training * group training * mobile training (additional fee) * group online HIIT training.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Do not be afraid to ask questions on things you already know. It is nothing wrong with getting another point of view on something. Never be afraid to fail. If you fail, keep failing forward until you reach your goal.
Contact Info:
- Email: Vernfitness@yahoo.com
- Instagram: _vernfitness
Image Credits
@vonniiexvisions @jarrettpolite
