Anthony Wilkins, co-owner of Alloy for Women, shares his experience transitioning from a trainer to a business owner. He discusses the challenges he faced and offers insights for those considering opening their own gym. Topics include conducting research, building relationships in the community, managing cashflow, and the importance of asking for help. He also emphasizes the need to adapt and be open to learning.
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Quick takeaways
Doing thorough research before establishing a gym and choosing a specific location is essential.
Building relationships and connections within the community can be crucial for the success of a gym.
Deep dives
Building a Strong Community and Cultivating a Supportive Culture
The gym owner emphasizes the importance of creating a supportive community and cultivating a culture of empowerment and strength. He focuses on developing personal connections with clients and ensuring that everyone feels welcome and supported. The gym aims to promote a sense of camaraderie among members, encouraging them to cheer each other on and celebrate individual progress. The owner believes in the power of building relationships and fostering a positive environment that values personal goals and achievements beyond mere aesthetics.
Balancing High-Intensity Training with Rest and Recovery
The owner addresses the prevailing trend of high-intensity workouts and discusses the importance of balancing high-intensity training with adequate rest and recovery. He emphasizes that pushing oneself to the limit every workout is not sustainable in the long run and can lead to burnout and injuries. Instead, he encourages clients to prioritize recovery and listen to their bodies, mixing high-intensity workouts with lower-intensity activities like walking or lighter workouts. The owner promotes the idea that consistency and sustainable training practices are key to long-term success.
Creating a Personalized and Inclusive Training Environment
The owner highlights the importance of personalization in training and tailoring workouts to individual goals and abilities. He suggests that instead of pursuing multiple goals simultaneously, it's more effective to focus on a few specific objectives and work towards them consistently. By creating a training environment where everyone feels included and supported, regardless of age or fitness level, the gym fosters a sense of community and eliminates the hierarchical or judgmental atmosphere that can sometimes exist in fitness spaces.
Transitioning from Trainer to Business Owner
The owner reflects on his transition from being a trainer to a business owner and shares the challenges and rewards of that journey. He emphasizes the significance of learning to delegate tasks and ask for help, as well as understanding the importance of building relationships in the community and establishing trust with clients. As the business grows, he recognizes the need to find and train talented coaches who align with the gym's values and drive its success. Overall, he affirms the value of being an owner-operator and the deep connections and impact that can be forged within a fitness community.
In this episode, we speak with Anthony Wilkins, co-owner of Alloy for Women, about his transition from trainer to business owner and the challenges he's overcome.
He also lets us in on his background, how the women’s concept gym got to where it is, and the things he’s learned along the way. His experiences can help those of you who are maybe thinking about opening your own gym or maybe changing your personal training model.
Anthony also talks about how he dealt with some sort of an identity crisis around going from being a coach at an established center to an owner, starting from scratch and gaining a foothold in Suwanee, Georgia.
Key Takeaways:
Zeroing in on Suwanee after research. “You have to do your research.” (9:07)
Getting to know people big in the community, and leveraging that (12:27)
Figuring out how much cashflow one wants to always have on hand (15:11)
There's no clocking out when it is your baby (16:52)
The ability to ask for help is the biggest skill that one’s going to need... (17:50)
“80% is what I think you can do. The other 20, you need to come along.” (24:52)
In the light of close relationships built, it’s tough when changing location (35:28)