We recently connected with Olya Schaefer and have shared our conversation below.

Olya, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about your team building process? How did you recruit and train your team and knowing what you know now would you have done anything differently?

When we started, I had just one part time trainer. At the beginning, everything was trial and error, including hiring. I was fortunate in that I had been a manager in the tech industry and so had experience hiring, training, promoting and offboarding employees. It was definitely challenging and still is. Fitness is not a regulated industry, there are of course degrees and certifications but people with those credentials are not necessarily great trainers. Often, personal trainers are excellent sales people, whose success in the industry depends on their ability to upsell packages and supplements, or present well on social media. Being an expert and excellent trainer are often secondary, or not even that. Since I want to consistently hire the very best trainers, I’ve had to learn to look beyond resumes. Our interview process always screens for a minimum level education and experience (at least a bachelor’s degree in sports science and at least 3 years of training experience). A quick call determines their punctuality, personality, level of enthusiasm and ability to communicate well. Then it’s an in person practical interview, coaching one of our trainers. After that, the candidate coaches a few clients, while being shadowed. We usually take 3-4 months to find, hire and onboard a great new trainer but the rogorous process pays off. Our clients consistently say that the number 1 reason they love us is our team.

Olya, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

The Athleticus is an elite personal training studio. No group classes, no walk ins, no open gym and no packages. We provide excellent one on one personal training and members-only recovery services. That’s it!

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

My funding story is pretty old school – I worked 2 full time jobs for 2 years to save enough money to open The Athleticus. I took no loans, no investors, and no partners. for me, this has been the absolute best way to do it.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I thought that there would be a clear upward trajectory if I work hard and follow through but small business isn’t like that. Last year, we had two major back to back hurricanes in Florida which seriously affected my business. The setback was of course unexpected, definitely outside my ability to outwork it and simply had to be dealt with. It didn’t fit the plan, but we were able to stay in business and still grow. So, even though logically I knew that things wouldn’t always go according to plan, it was a challenge when it happened.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.theathleticus.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theathleticus/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAthleticusFL
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olya-schaefer-pmp/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheAthleticus