We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Milan Nichols. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Milan below.

Alright, Milan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

Always More Fitness is built on the foundation that there is Always More within you. Prior to opening a gym, I used to be a first responder. We had to go through a 22 week academy and many times I felt like I wanted to give up and just quit right then and there. One morning at 4am I was talking to my mom about how I just could not do it anymore physically or mentally and she reminded me that there is always more within you and to not give up. Every time I felt like wanting to give up I would remind myself that there is always more within you. This quote resonated with me and my brother who also was going through some long challenging days during football training as well. So fast forward to when I was opening up my business, it was a no brainer that Always More Fitness would not just be a name but also motivation for people to keep going and keep pushing no matter how hard or challenging things may get.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am the owner of a small gym in Canoga Park called Always More Fitness. I played basketball, soccer, and softball. Sports were my life! I got injured playing basketball my Junior year of high school, this injury resulted in 3 knee surgeries! Unfortunately my basketball career was cut short. After high school, I went to college for Kinesiology and fell in love with all things sports medicine. I had a physical therapy internship and I knew I always wanted to help athletes and people get through their injuries. From being injured and having what I thought was going to be my future, taken away from me I knew I wanted to play a roll in peoples recovery process.

Fast forward a few months, I had a conversation with a firefighter who mentioned how much he loves his job because of how rewarding it is helping people and the high demand for being physically fit really attracted me to the job as well, I had always been into working out. He mentioned a cadet program and as soon as I heard that I immediately started looking into cadet programs near me. Once I passed the physical test to becoming a cadet, I got assigned to a fire station where I completed ride alongs, post meetings and a 10 week cadet academy. This became something I fell in love with and dedicated all my time and effort into becoming a firefighter. After about a year to year and a half of applying, interviews, written and physical tests, background investigations, and medical and psych evaluation I finally got hired onto a department. Everything I had worked for for the last 4+ years finally payed off and I was beyond happy and excited. I got my academy date and although I was extremely nervous I could not wait to start this 22 week academy. That academy was the hardest thing I have ever had to do in all of my life, especially being the smallest I had to work 20x harder to prove myself and I did. I finished the academy 12 out of 51 people, was class leader week 10, and 1 of 4 females to graduate. After getting placed at my first station, I realized that the treatment I got was not worth all the hard work I put in. So it was then I decided to follow my dream and take a risk on myself, become a certified personal trainer and start building my brand. I resigned from the fire department, this was one of the hardest decisions of my life since I had worked so hard to get to where I was, but it turned out to be the best decision.

I started with family, I had some family members who I did personal training with and eventually advertised myself enough that I found clients outside of my family. I remember this was the best feeling ever, that people were taking a chance on me and trusting me with getting them to where they want to be. And that is exactly what I did. I grew to having multiple personal training clients and began doing park bootcamps. These bootcamps were the most fun time of my life! I absolutely loved the park bootcamps and it got a lot of attention from people just passing by. Eventually it grew to a point to where I was ready to open up a gym, and me being the risk taker I am, found a location and immediately capitalized on it. I opened up my first Always More Fitness studio May 2022! The grand opening was absolutely incredible and the support I got right off the bat was amazing. I got my gym up and running in 1 week!

At Always More Fitness we offer group classes where we are open 7 days a week! We focus on strength and conditioning and program every single workout to help you achieve your goals. Each workout is different so you will never get bored and each workout has a purpose. We have helped transformed not only peoples bodies but their minds as well. Most people are so weary about gyms because the gym culture can be intimidating, what sets AMF apart from the others is the community- this is probably the MOST supportive community where we are all family and all support each other. I wish more people knew about how amazing the community is because then people would realize that they should not be scared or nervous to try it out because everyone is all here for the same goal – to better themselves and no one will judge you here at AMF.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I have created such a family oriented community that all of my members have become my friends and I have a close connection with every single person that walks into the gym. Always More Fitness is a judgement free zone where I make sure everyone feels comfortable. If I haven’t seen people in awhile, I will text them or randomly sign them up for a class with a follow up text of “See you at 8:30,” to keep people accountable but to also make it fun. I don’t care to take people’s money, I care to get people results and to hear “I feel so much more confident since starting the gym,” or “I have so much more energy, and feel 100x better” or “You have saved my life from where I used to be until now,” these types of messages are the reason why I keep doing what I do with the best energy, questionable dance moves and biggest smile on my face. Being 100% genuine and true to who you are makes it easy for people to enjoy being around you or seeing you everyday, and that’s what I do!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I used to find myself constantly comparing myself to people or other gyms and this got me nowhere other than worried about how I could be where they were. After awhile I realized that all of that worrying and comparing myself was not worth it. I had to remind myself that comparison is the thief of all joy and that I am exactly where I need to be right now. Sometimes it is hard to see that, but I truly believe that everything happens for a reason and I have had to learn this the hard way. A few months ago, I was forced to take a deeper look at myself and everything around me and it helped me realize a lot about myself. Everyone is different, so everyone brings something different to the table and we can’t sit back and compare ourselves to others because what we have to offer is way different than what someone else might have to. So the best thing I have learned is focus on being the best I can be for not only myself but the community I have built and the people I surround myself with.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.alwaysmorefitness.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alwaysmorefitness/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alwaysmorefitness/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/always-more-fitness-canoga-park

Image Credits
Gerardo Munoz