We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Adam Tenny a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Adam, appreciate you joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

I have been in the construction world for the entirety of my adult life. I started my first business at 19 with one of my roommates and am still self-employed in the industry today. About 4 years ago I started going to a local gym at the request of a good friend who had been training there for a while. As time went on I began to really enjoy my time at the gym and developed a friendship with the owner. A year and a half ago, Clint, the owner of the gym I attended began mentioning wanting to expand/franchise his gym model. I have always known that I do not want to work in construction forever and my passion for health and fitness was growing. After some back and forth with Clint, and a discussion with my wife we decided to open another branch of Creed Fitness in Athens GA. This was a big risk for us as I had very little experience in the industry and the startup costs were quite substantial for my wife and I. After deciding to go for it we went about recruiting my little sister and her husband to help run the gym as they had the industry experience and we officially opened in Jan 2022. We are still writing this story currently but so far things are going very well, our monthly membership revenue has already surpassed our reoccurring monthly expenses. As for why we took the risk, other than me knowing that I did not want to stay in construction forever, the gym fit our financial goals as well. I wanted my next venture to be something that I could take part in and could eventually produce an income without requiring my time day to day. I am so glad I took the risk, the work is new and exciting, challenging, and fulfilling, and on top of that we get to help people make positive change in their lives which is amazing.

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

As I discussed in the previous question, I have worked in the construction industry for almost 10 years but about a year ago I opened the second location of Creed Fitness located in Athens, GA. I had been training at Creed’s original corporate location located in Watkinsville, GA for about 3 years when I began discussions with the owner about the potential of a franchise. I knew that I was going to need a team to make this work as I had only 3 years as a gym member for experience in the industry. To my surprise, My sister Rachel, and her husband Austin agreed to join my wife and I on this venture which was all the confidence I needed to pull the trigger. Austin is a fitness guru and ex-collegiate tennis player who has been coaching for almost a decade already and he hasn’t even hit 30 yet.

Creed Fitness is a gym unlike any other I had ever experienced. The work out style is functional fitness with movements including dumbbells, kettle bells, barbells, and calisthenics. What really sets Creed apart though is the culture that they cultivate. They are balanced in an industry that has none. The fitness industry is saturated with vanity, obsession, competitiveness, judgement, and arrogance. It just takes one scroll through your instagram to realize this. Creed is none of those things. Our coaches are humble but knowledgeable, programming is built with all fitness levels in mind, and the members and coaches form a community committed to encourage all who enter. Now we have opened a second location, and have already begun to recreate this culture and help our members pursue their best self.

How’d you meet your business partner?

I have found my opinion in this area to be slightly controversial, but I stand by it. I have almost exclusively done business with family and friends and it has served me very well over the last 10 years. I have had ownership in 6 different companies, the first I started with my college roommate. We met our freshman year on campus at UGA and lived together for several years while working to complete our undergrad degree. We remain close friends to this day after navigating close to 8 years in business together between 2 different companies. Most recently, at Creed Fitness, I co-own the gym with my younger sister and her husband. There are a few guidelines that I have learned to follow that I think have helped these partnerships flourish: 1.) ALWAYS have an operating agreement and an exit strategy before you make even your first penny – hash out every possible “what if” (no matter how unlikely) you can before there is any money on the line.
2.) Make sure you share the same core values and motives before you sign on
3.) Go into it knowing that you will have conflict and there will be times that you disagree and that is OK just be sure to have an agreed upon way forward (appoint someone with the final say on day one, this person can be different by category)
4.) This is the hardest one although it is very unlikely it will come to this if you do the 3 above, be prepared to walk away from it all if it all falls apart despite your best efforts. Relationships are worth more than money and success.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Referrals, Referrals, Referrals. We believe that our members are our best advertising. Trust is a tough thing to earn in the fitness industry, and really in any industry these days. There are so many companies out there making promises that they have what you need to be healthier, stronger, faster, thinner, and so on, but rarely do they take the time necessary to qualify themselves as a trustworthy source worth listening to. When these promises come from a family member or a coworker that they trust with nothing to gain, it immediately becomes a more compelling invitation.

At Creed we spend our time focused on attacking this from both ends: We create an environment that our members love and will rave about to their friends and family and removing any barriers that might make the invitation unattractive to potential prospects.

Some examples of that in practice: referral rewards for existing members if they bring a friend and they join, member perks such as free drinks and events, first week free for all prospects, hiring qualified coaching staff and paying them well enough to avoid high turnover rate, quarterly member check-ins.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://creedgym.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creedgym
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creedathens