Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cindy Twedt. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Cindy, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?
Large rewards in life, sometimes require taking a large risk! From childhood, most of us learn all about the “lack of” in our lives. A lack of money to buy the newest trend in clothing, or a new car to keep up with the neighbors, or even a lack of opportunities due to our upbringing, our city, or our environment. This “lack of” mentality, was embedded in us at an early age and has now been carried subconsciously into our adult lives! I am here to tell you, that you “can” change your life, your job, your lifestyle, etc, by simply shifting your perspective and thought pattern. In doing so, this will also affect the way you feel, talk, and think, and what opportunities you may encounter on a daily basis. Today’s society is very fear-based and people are afraid to take risks. One of the number one fears a person has, is the fear of loss. That they will lose something they have, something they have worked hard for. So they hang onto it closely, tightly, in hopes of never losing it! But the problem with that is that the more tightly you hang onto things, the more you will close off open channels for “better” things to come into your life. You MUST TAKE A RISK in life, and in doing so, you will be rewarded with GREAT BLESSINGS and OPPORTUNITIES! I am a certified high-end fitness trainer. My forte is training bodybuilders. That’s where I really excel and shine! I am a petite woman, and I totally had to take a risk and put myself out there, in order to try and gain the trust and respect of these 250 lb bodybuilders! They would look at petite me, and think “what can she teach me, that I don’t already know… or how can she train me, better than I can train myself!!” But I was up for the challenge to prove myself to these huge muscle-bound men! In the gym one day, one of the guys came up to me to ask for a “spot” while he was doing leg press. I think he asked me, in an attempt to try and show me that I was “not” able to train the “big guys”! lol So I asked him, “do you want a mental spot or a physical spot”? He looked at me and just said “huh??” So I repeated myself, and he said, “I don’t know, just SPOT me!” I decided I was going to provide a “mental” spot for him. I asked him how many reps he wanted to do, and he said his max was 6 reps, but he would settle for 4. I said “ok” and then squat down beside him as he was sitting in the leg press carriage. He proceeded to unrack this carriage that was completely maxed out with as many 45lb plates on it that the machine could hold. Hundreds of pounds! I immediately started saying things to him as his legs pushed up this carriage full of hundreds of pounds of weights, and I continued talking, mentally getting inside his head. Would you know, his legs pushed that carriage 12 full reps and I didn’t even touch the carriage once! He was astonished as what he just did!!! WOW!! He had NEVER in his life been able to do something like that! Needless to say, I became his trainer starting that day forward. After 3 months of training with me, he had made such great gains physically as well as the weights he could use, that I became “the trainer” for the bodybuilders! I also became the trainer, for “other” trainers! This was all due to me taking a risk, and just putting myself out there. I didn’t allow the fear of working with such heavy, huge bodybuilders put me down, or keep me from pursuing my passion. Each one of us has been given talents, passions, and gifts, and it’s up to us to explore those things in our life and to take action in pursuing our goals and dreams. You must be a risk taker! Never be afraid of what others will think, or how you aren’t qualified to do something. I don’t have a college education, and yet I have started companies and overcome my fears all by taking a leap of faith into the unknown, and passionately pursued those things that made me happy. You must go all-in!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
In addition to being a high-end fitness trainer, I also own the Entourage Model & Talent Agency. I started right after high school and absolutely love the industry. I represent everyone from baby models up through senior citizens. We just completed our 2nd shoot for LOUIS VUITTON! They flew the Talent all-expense paid from Texas to New Mexico to take pictures at the while sands! How beautiful!! We truly feel blessed for all the amazing models and actors we represent and for all the awesome clients, who hire our talent on a regular basis! I started the Agency without really knowing what to do, but with lots of hard work and dedication, Entourage has become a top prestigious Agency in Texas with over 500 models and actors on exclusive contracts! I am also a fashion photographer and take photos of models on a regular basis. I have taken photos for magazines, editorials, calendars, models portfolios, and social media influencers. When you have a passion for something, it no longer feels like a “job”. It’s more like something that you are doing that brings joy and happiness to not only yourself, but to others as well! I wake up each day giving thanks for the day ahead and look with excitement at all the possibilities and opportunities that the day may bring. I love journaling and write in my journal and also in my calendar all the time. This helps me stay focused and grounded and allows me to get through each super busy day, as seamlessly as possible. At Entourage, we market our talent for a wide variety of things in the entertainment industry. From print ads, TV commercials and fashion shows, to landing speaking roles in TV series and in films or movies. Texas has really grown as far as the talent industry goes and is now being called the “mini LA”!
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I am actually in the process of needing to pivot in one of my businesses at this time. When covid hit, I decided to start some online stores. I had no idea as this was uncharted waters for me. I hired web designers, found products, and got to work on this new store idea I had. Well,… it didn’t go as I had hoped. I am used to doing business pretty hands on, and this new world of marketing through social media platforms and marketing online, was and still is, a bit new to me. Since starting my store, www.bestnailsathome.com, I have learned that for the best success, you need to find what products are popular and being bought and sold the most, and start an online store with those items. Even if they are not items of personal interest to you personally. During the pandemic ladies could no longer go to the nail salons and so I thought it was such a good business idea, but it hadn’t turned out to be as successful as I had hoped. So, I am now needing to learn what the trending items are, the popular things people are purchasing at this time and give it another go!
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
For my Talent Agency Entourage, the best source for new clients is definitely. word of mouth! What better way to find someone to do business with, than a business that your friend or family member is recommending to you! We have built the Agency up over the years by providing quality professional services to both our models and actors as well as our clients! Lots of clients keep coming back over and over again to hire our talent since they are extremely happy with the service we are providing. We have lots of models and actors that keep renewing their contract with the agency year after year, because they are pleased with all the awesome opportunities, we have provided for them! The Agency works on a commission basis, and this has worked out well since when Entourage started May 2, 1988!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.entourageagency.com
- Instagram: entouragemodels
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/entouragetalentagency
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindy-twedt-0b2394159/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TexasEntourage
- Youtube: Calling Towards Purpose and Cyntha Travel are both my personal youTube channels