Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Adrienne Mcghee. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Adrienne, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

Owning your own business needs to be described from two different perspectives. The business model must depict your passion to that field. It is hard enough to start anything let alone the business that you must bring income and make profits and manage your staff harmoniously is simply a task you must not undertake lightly.

I consider your business as your craft. Your craft might start with an idea with no shapes or forms but as your plans are being carefully executed, it starts forming its shape the way you envision it to be molded.

During the process, it brings you joy ( when you start seeing your ideas coming into fruition) but also frustrations coming along when things do not go the way you hoped.

Unlike your 9-5 regular job, running a business gets influenced by so much more complicated outside forces like Economy, cultural events, politics and natural disasters. A.k.A COVID! There was NO sector of industry has not been affected by this unprecedented disaster and especially Gym and healthcare industry in the recent years! Gyms were closed down big or small, franchised or independently owned.. I went through some dark time. All gym owners and corporates did. It almost looked and felt like, we lost any hopes of that if the day we can reopen our gyms would ever come. Dar age of gym owners.

Getting a paycheck from your 9-5 job never looked and sounded better during this rough time. I bet any gym owners would relate to this feeling looking back.

I started my professional career as a diplomat which is somewhat beyond most people’s reach and looking glamorous and fancy to say the least. This first step on my career path has shown me so many successful and paths to the higher level. Yes every task accomplished and achieved in this breathtaking and glamorous jobs I held brought me such a reward and sense of accomplishment to myself but there has nothing more rewarding than owning my own with my own vision and craftmanship.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Though I pride myself as a business owner ( Yes I own multiple locations of 24 hour Gym-Anytime Fitness franchise), I find more pride and joy in introducing myself as a Professional Trainer. Workout, training and competing may not have been my lifelong health regimen, I danced ballet for 10 years right before my college. Discipline and staying committed to my commitment have always been in me since I firmly believe that quality and traits of one person is either you have it in you or you don’t.

I have always been the kid who never wanted to lose or come behind anybody growing up. Once I started something, I got to see it through and be the number one in that field or my class. That sense of competitiveness and drive ( yes you can say I am extremely competitive and a goal driven person) has many stories my parents love to tell people.

2nd grade, I was not awarded the student of the year award since I had a b+ in my PT. My parents got worried when they found out I was not home after school. only then they found me on the playground running laps because I thought it was that laps failed me get that award. What a little fiery little rabbit I was.

Started my gym life or fitness life at the Athletic club by simply wanting to workout a little bit. Then I met my legendary Bikini coach ( Jamil whom now happily retired with his family) back in 2006. His won words- Adrienne you got the most beautiful figure I ever saw, you only need fine tuning. For some reason I saw his genuine character, started working with him. Few months later, competing underwent, from then on, won 3 shows straight.

The rest is history!

Though competing amateur and professionally was fun but I found my happy place turning and changing people’s lives. The depth of knowledge I accumulated through my competing years I realized I could use to help people to bring their best version of themselves. The idea introduced me to the world of personal training.

Started my personal training career only for the competing athletes and bikini posing clients. As my reputation of 100% success rate of transformation via words of mouth, the number of clients as competing athletes and regular clients grow. . At first I subleased local gym as all other startup professionals.

My life experience through good and bad has taught me that do not ever take anything for granted. Treat others with respect and pure heart. Your pure intention will be reciprocated ten folds.

When I work with my client ( every one of them), my favorite thing to tell them is :

“I know you do not know how you look like down the road but I do. You got to trust me. I am probably the only one who wants you look fine and be fabulous more desperately than you every will be. Because you have never been there but I will take you there. You just got trust me. I can say this, because you are not my paycheck. YOU ARE MY CRAFT THAT I PUT MY NAME ON. YOU ARE MY REPUTATION”.

This statement holds true and accountable not only for me but also for my client. Since they do not want to disappoint me, they work harder. Since they work harder, they see the progress and transformation they never imagined possible.

I tell them ” WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER”

How’d you meet your business partner?

Not too long after I started training my clients at the subleased gym like most trainers, I realized my clientele is growing a lot faster than I planned. So I needed to spread my training facility to accommodate more people. Then I met a client who was a member of Anytime Fitness Suwanee then not too long after that , I was approached by the owner of Anytime Fitness Suwanee, now who became my dear friend and my brother with an offer to be his partner.

You all know we Asians do not trust nobody but instantly I knew it was the opportunity I do not want to miss with this genuinely amazing and trustworthy human being.

I am so thankful for him being the most amazing business partner anybody could ever wish to encounter in their life. And friendship he has shown me along with the respect he has displayed with his words and actions.

He has made me feel like I am completely in charge of any business decisions we make together. Very rare in any business or personal partnership. The way we work together is purely based on mutual respect and trust. Thats why it has been amazingly working out going on 6th year now!

Through my time on this earth, I think I have walked around few blocks of career and life experience. But I can say this. By the grace of God, I have always been placed in the hands of great friends and people. My business Partner is definitely one of the people God has chosen to be in my path of life.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Personal training brand and business itself includes way more dynamic aspects than most people assume. As a professional trainer, I deal with so many different personalities with different backgrounds. Each individuals needs totally his or her focused customized methods to see the progress of their goals. Most times they come in to meet me with no goals that they are capable of since they just do not know what they are capable of.

As a coach, my job is to identify what we can do to bring the bestest version of her or him and building a personal but respectful relationship with them. I only take clients through referrals and interviews.

Being a Personal trainer sounds so mediocre -like and also viewed so average jane job title since through pandemic, Fitness and competing at the bodybuilding show has become a mainstream and a hyped trend in health conscious generation of ours.

Watching my clients from timid, withdrawn phase at first time meeting them to the confident, Diva level 3 with wings wide spread is something very few are given the privilege to witness.

The level of respect and trust entrusted to me from my clients is the epitome of what kind of job I have done and the joy I get from their happiness and confidence is the reward regular 9-5jobs rarely award you generally.

Completely loving what you do for a living incorporated by witnessing the craft you molded and created shines brighter than anything out there insights what it is lke to be the boss of your own decision and course of your own doing.

When I work with my client ( every one of them), my favorite thing to tell them is :

“I know you do not know how you look like down the road but I do. You got to trust me. I am probably the only one who wants you look fine and be fabulous more desperately than you ever will be. Because you have never been there but I will take you there. You just got trust me. I can say this, because you are not my paycheck. YOU ARE MY CRAFT THAT I PUT MY NAME ON. YOU ARE MY REPUTATION”.

This statement holds true and accountable not only for me but also for my client. Since they do not want to disappoint me, they work harder. Since they work harder, they see the progress and transformation they never imagined possible.

I tell them ” WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER”

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @fitbyapm
• Facebook: Adrienne McGhee
• Linkedin: Adrienne McGhee

Image Credits
Michael Hill B and P studio Andy Ace David Trotter