We were lucky to catch up with Eric Sulzer recently and have shared our conversation below.

Eric, appreciate you joining us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

I had been teaching middle school for close to a decade and I while I loved the teaching aspect, my real passion was always fitness. I have been able to combine those two as a personal trainer.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am happily married to my wife Eden of almost 24 years and I have two amazing children, Darren 19 and Mia 15.

My foray into the fitness business started in 2010 when I discovered CrossFit. I was a middle school history teacher, and I had continued to stay in shape but never seriously or consistently. I couldn’t believe how challenging CrossFit was and, at the same time, how much I didn’t know about fitness. I started going to classes 3-4 times per week and then signed up for a competition at the gym.

Although I didn’t do very well, I loved the feeling of competing. I was able to do things I couldn’t have done otherwise. The more I competed, the better I got. So, I decided to learn as much about functional fitness as I could and got my coaching certifications. I began coaching 3-4 nights a week while I was still teaching middle school during the day. The longer this went on, the more I fell in love with helping others get in shape and feeling better about themselves. The turning point happened when a colleague of mine asked if I could train her at her house. I decided to give it a try. It went so well that she referred me to one of her friends; at that point, I knew I was on to something.

In 2015, after much thought and consideration, I decided to leave my teaching job and start my own mobile fitness training company. I decided to call it MyFitness Butler because I wanted people to feel like they could receive a superior level of service in the convenience of their home compared to what they would get at a gym. As my business grew, and I also saw the need for companies to use fitness to help their employees get and stay healthy and therefore reduce insurance costs, I began taking on corporate clients as well. This led to me developing an online program for employees that I would later use for individual clients. People liked it so much that currently 70% of my clients are online.

The most satisfying part of my work is knowing that I am helping people live better, healthier lives. I am excited to get up each day and I plan to continue doing this as long as I can.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

You have to be able to problem solve and do so quickly. That’s one of the best parts of the job. I can’t count how many times I’ve had to change my plan with a client at a moment’s notice. Examples include modifying a movement so the person can do it safely and most effectively for them or adapting the weights or environment to give them the best chance for success.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Switching from mostly in-person clients to all online clients during the COVID lockdown was challenging at first. Fortunately, I already was using my app for live video workouts, so I had the infrastructure and processes in place to switch everyone fairly quickly. As a result, a number of my clients chose to stick with the online option based on the ease and convenience it provided.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.myfitnessbutler.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myfitness_butler/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myfitbutler
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-sulzer-88b725b9/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/fitness_butler
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDf-Apf2hadsOSwgF4nBxug
• Other: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd0xaDKf6-Muz2wCXUYzTVZ66U68UQxRBxTs_0C9fdWmrPklw/viewform