We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Justin Bowers. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Justin below.

Justin, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s something crazy on unexpected that’s happened to you or your business

This story is one hundred percent true from my point of view.

When I did in home personal training I traveled to clients’ homes. I had this one very eccentric client whose previous two husbands died in mysterious accidents. Yes, two husbands in a row.

I train this widow for months and it’s going great. She’s very into the paranormal and always has a new ghost story every session
Whether I believed or not, it was very entertaining! However one day it became too real for me.

In the middle of our session I hear footsteps upstairs. I ask if she has anyone over. She tells me that it’s the ghost named Austin who inhabits this house. She informs he that he’s gotten more restless the last few weeks because he doesn’t like male visitors.

I continue to hear footsteps from upstairs and even a faucet turn on. My client swears there’s nothing there.

Another time I hear a cabinet open and close in the kitchen. Then a plate crashes to the ground and shatters. She looks at me and shrugs her shoulders and says “Austin”.

Nothing happens for weeks until one day I knock on her door to do our session. She cracks open the door.

“You can’t be here! Austin will harm you or me! He’s not in a good mood! Please take this and go!”

She hands me a check for the session through the crack in the door. I leave bewildered. She never responds to my calls again.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m the owner and personal trainer at 4Life Fitness Studio located in beautiful Greer, South Carolina.

I’ve been doing this for more than fifteen years. I found a niche in pageantry and trained everyone from Miss USA to Miss America and everyone in between.

I started training and decided to live in my car in 2007. It was a huge risk but the only one viable at the time for me since I couldn’t afford to do this part time. It was all or nothing.

The reward paid off. Now we have a full staff of fitness trainers, interns and social media team!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When I decided to pursue personal training full time, I still had a full time job. Obviously trying to work for myself while maintaining a full time job wasn’t going to work with the time involved for both. I needed to be fully immersed in growing my business. Keep in mind this is 2007-8 when we were in a depression.

I decided the best route for me was to cut any costs I could associated with living. I left my job and pursued in-home fitness training. I didn’t have any furniture. Just my clothes, my phone and my car. So what did I do?

I lived in my car.

I lived in my vehicle for about 7 months while growing my in-home training clientele. I slept in 24 hour Walmart parking lots, showered and shaved at the gym, and ate wherever I could find cheap food. Occasionally friends would let me stay on a couch on a weekend, so I wasn’t completely without. And looking back it was the best experience I ever had.

It wasn’t long before I finally saved enough money to get my own place and continue my journey to what it is now– owning a personal training studio with 3 trainers and a booked client list! Dreams can come true, but sometimes you have to say “screw it” and pursue those dreams with the world against you. My dream paid off with hard work.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The lesson I had to unlearn was that my way was the only way to do it. It worked for me, did wonders for me, and produced a successful business. I tried to teach the trainers I hired to be different versions of me. It failed miserably.

Why?

Because they each found their own ways. Over the years I’ve learned to back off and let each trainer do what they do and develop their own training style. Biggest mistake I ever made was micromanaging. I do, however, give advice when asked. Otherwise I allow my trainers to grow and thrive on their own.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.4lifefitnessstudio.com
• Instagram: JustinBowersFit
• Facebook: Facebook.com/JustinBowersFit
• Twitter: JustinBowersFit