We recently connected with Betsy Anderson and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Betsy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
As someone who has been in the Personal Training/Wellness Coaching field for the last 15 years, I knew that I was meant to do more for myself than punch a time card, submit PTO when needed and stress over business performance metrics set by someone other than myself. I enjoyed helping people change their perception of health and wellness and I enjoyed seeing their personal growth, which always translates nicely into their fitness goals. But big, box gyms were not it for me.
The pandemic was what set the wheels in motion and challenged me to start thinking big picture, and how I could get there. I had 9 years of experience at that point and have experienced what works and doesn’t work when it comes to a client’s needs and was all too familiar with the barriers I faced when trying to recruit new business. So I wanted to do it better, and in a way that felt good and purposeful. I don’t believe Personal Training and Wellness Coaching should cost what it does, and ironically when you price gouge someone for services, you limit the number of people you can help, which seems a bit counterintuitive when usually the reason a person goes into Personal Training is … to help people! I had many clients that were not comfortable returning to a large facility and ultimately terminated their gym memberships and started outfitting their homes with home gym set ups – this opened the door for me to continue helping them without breaching my non-compete at the time.
After weighing the risks and rewards, I knew I just had to make a run for it. So I started with training in my garage, only able to use 1/2 the square footage available, purchased equipment that would fit in the space properly (and purchased it as I made money), and I installed a forced-air heater since Minnesota winters are typically very cold, very snowy and very unforgiving. I started eventually branching out from training in my garage, to doing in-home training services if coming to my garage wasn’t realistic with their schedule. I then started doing virtual coaching in addition to custom programming, nutrition and lifestyle coaching – I was finding ways to strike on all chords to help meet the needs of people and optimizing my time. As things started to pick up, I knew I needed to move out from my garage and that’s when I found an opportunity to sub-lease a brick-and-mortar commercial space from a client (who is also a business owner) and expanded my business to 1,300 square feet of training space in October 2022. This past May, I have now expanded into a 2,500 square foot commercial space and have since added more equipment and now have additional Fitness Professionals that are seeking a space to rent out for their Personal Training businesses – all this has been possible with a willingness to try, take chances and make a run at my BHAG (aka Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal) of financial freedom while doing something I am passionate about.
Making a run at getting started is terrifying and honestly there is never a “good time” to start. However, if you have the focus and a general “map” of how to get there, it’s worth taking the chance. You’ll learn more along the way and figure out what is necessary and what is not, or perhaps not a priority at that time, but it’s better to try and learn than never take the chance and wonder.
Betsy, 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?
I didn’t have plans on making a career in the Fitness Industry as Personal Trainer when I graduated college; perhaps see it as an “evolution” of my expectations through various learning curves, professional relationships and life experiences. Today, I am a Certified Personal Trainer, Nutrition Coach, Level 1 Neuromuscular Therapist and Dietary Supplement Advisor. I have been in the Personal Training/Wellness industry now for over 15 years and graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire with a degree in Kinesiology and emphasis in Movement Studies.
When I graduated, I initially had my mind set on pursuing Strength and Conditioning Coaching – as someone that grew up in the athletics since I was 5 years old, I enjoyed the discipline, intensity and mentality that athletes carry. When I graduated I knew I needed to get my foot in the door and getting a Strength and Conditioning job is anything but easy, especially if you want to get a chance at a D1 University, Semi-Pro or Professional team. So I started working at a Woman-Owned Personal Training and Wellness studio in Green Bay, Wisconsin – Fitnessology. I was mentored and coached by several of the most knowledgeable trainers I have ever had the privilege of working with – I knew I wanted to be as knowledgeable and talented as these people were.
It was during my first year of observation and in my own training with clients, that I learned quickly how wrong I was about working with the general population. The everyday person wanted to work just as hard as I have observed and experienced with an athlete, if not more! There wasn’t any ego, matter of fact there was more introspective work that these clients did that I was able to learn for myself. After almost two years of employment with Fitnessology, I was ready to challenge myself and move onto a bigger beast – big box gyms. Okay, I actually was moving in with my long-distance boyfriend and we decided after six years we needed to take the next step. Nonetheless, we moved to Minnesota and I applied for work where I knew I might be able to land a training gig – and it just so happened to be a big box gym. I was warned by others that it’s not what I think it will be, that building a business in that environment is cut-throat and many don’t make it … so simply put, I was determined to prove them wrong and make them eat their words. And I did prove them wrong. I worked over nine years with this company, grew my business to over $13k in business monthly – I was making more money than my boyfriend was as a salaried engineer! But the burn out was real, and I was exhausted all the time. So I took a step back and worked my way into management, coaching new hires into being the best trainers they can be for their clients and build their confidence in a tough environment that requires grit and constant focus.
And here is where I am today. Doing my own thing, being a lady boss while also helping people take control of their lives again – one step at a time.
I offer at bWell : 1v1 Personal Training (in-person, in-home, virtual), Nutrition Coaching (in-person, virtual), Supplement Advisory (in-person, virtual), Digital Custom Programming, and recovery work (KT tape, Neuromuscular Therapy, assisted stretching, percussion therapy). The goal is find the means to connect with a person, truly listen to what they are asking for and wanting, and then communicating what they need attention to the most at that time. It is then through behavioral coaching, habit stacking and optimizing their lifestyle in exercise, nutrition, stress, sleep, recovery, etc. (with realistic expectations) that generates consistency and success. I’ll be honest, I’m not reinventing the wheel so to speak. I’m simply making myself more accessible than what some of my competitors can offer. You can be the smartest person in the room but if you don’t know how to speak to people or create rapport and respect in your first interaction, you’re not going to make it very far in this industry. You must to be willing to check your ego at the door and acknowledge that you don’t know it all or have it all figured out. People do not want to be talked to, they want support and guidance and showing them “the way” versus telling them “the way”.
What I am truly the most proud of is how far I have come. I remember when I was working at my first job in Green Bay my Dad made the comment to me, “You should open your own gym someday, honey!” and I looked at him like he was certifiably insane and said, “Not a chance in hell, the upfront costs and maintenance would cripple me … no way do I want to shoulder that burden.”
Looks like I am eating my own words.
Jokes aside, it’s been easy to forget how much I have accomplished and how far I have come. How much I have learned and infused my experiences into what I do today. I know what I have isn’t perfect, and I don’t expect it to be – but if you told me back in June 2020 that in five years this is where I would be … I would call your bluff. So if you’re in a similar situation whether it’s like my start-up story or similar to what I have today, don’t forget where you started. Be humble but don’t forget and be proud of your work.
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
Remember that even the best coaches need coaches. I don’t necessarily mean you need to hire a Personal Trainer (although that is an excellent idea to have someone else push you around), but consider a career coach, a therapist to help you navigate your mental and emotional wellness (starting and running a business is A LOT), a financial planner … don’t hold yourself back from taking care of yourself in a way that not only supports your business needs but your mental and physical needs too! When you are healthy and your head is right, everything feels and flows much easier with less anxiety and you will have more confidence and assurance in who you are and what you are setting out to achieve. Even more so, people will notice and gravitate to you – people naturally gravitate towards positivity!
Can you talk to us about how your funded your firm or practice?
I started with just using the money I was making to purchase equipment as I could. I still expensed and declared for tax season, but I started with a mat, stability ball, 5#, 10#, and 15# kettlebells and a small set of resistance bands. I took them to homes and used them in the garage. And I saved up money. Then I got a stretching table that could be folded up and transported. Then I bought more stability tools. And eventually, I committed and bought a squat rack with barbell, pull up bar and plates. But I always purchased as I made money because I didn’t want to overextend my personal finances or mix finances. Plus, when I first started, I had no idea how this was going to go – I was initially doing this to supplement lost income from clients that didn’t return after I was taken off furlough. When 2021 rolled around I realized how much income I generated and that was when I applied for an LLC, made bWell a reality and starting working towards getting a healthy financial safety net so when it was time to leave the garage, I had the means to do it. It was a slow and hard grind for over 2 years working 7 days a week … but it was well worth its weight in gold.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bwellbfitstudio.com
- Instagram: @bwell_fitness
- Facebook: bWell Fitness Studio
Image Credits
All photos self taken by Betsy Anderson