We were lucky to catch up with Lukman Adesanya recently and have shared our conversation below.
Lukman , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry?
A big misconception in Corporate America for trainers is that we’re not serious, don’t have a real job, or even just a financial asset to the gym. The industry is far more than just working people out and forcing them to down food. It’s about being part of each and every individual’s lifestyle I touch. My job as a personal trainer is to take into account of all your limitations, personal goals, and psychological factors of each person who I serve and crafting a specific program that will be most effective to you.
Lukman , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Hi! My name is Lukman and I’m the founder of LukFiT Active, where I focus on both personal training and apparel. I started my brand at first through personal training. I’ve been coaching 1-on-1 since 2019 while in school. Originally when I first started my intention was to help some friends that asked for my help, with a plan to have a PT certification after school. I didn’t pay a lot of mind or extra energy to my hobby until the start of the 2020’s pandemic. With extra time on my hands, I learned how to obtain a business license as well as educate myself on human anatomy. From outdoor bodyweight workouts to resistance bands to in a gym, personal training has always kept me growing. My first piece was resistance hip bands to now I focus more on the apparel side of the brand. Every day, I continue to educate myself and others through social media and even in-person encounters.
Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.
My material for the apparel brand is outsourced. I work with multiple manufacturers throughout Asia and Europe. It all started in Marketing class in college. The subject was outsourcing and my professor at the time went over on how unit rates and currency differ in countries outside the US. He went in about alibaba and aliexpress, with me having no intent on starting a business at the time. A month after Covid’s first outbreak, I was on alibaba looking and messaging different vendors in my price range as well as the relationship from the communication. The biggest lesson was to not be fearful of losing. Anything can happen with packages so it’s important to be patient when dealing with outsourcing.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I recently took a leap of faith of going full time in personal training back in January. There was plans of working for a gym while building clientele on the side as usual (which doesn’t break non compete agreement). After sometime, with a lot of promised false hopes, I switched my focus to continue building my brand. I’m currently at a private gym taking in in-person clients for about 2 years now. 2022 alone, I’ve been through periods with no food or no shelter all to put a smile on my face the very next day. If you truly believe in something, you’ll do whatever it takes. That’s what being comfortable with discomfort comes in action.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lukfit-activewear.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lukgotyou_2
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lukgotyou
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukman-adesanya-058533185/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMFgzyhePwDL7XUW_ZDBb3w
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/lukfitactivewear
Image Credits
NPC Texas Adrian Zepeda