We were lucky to catch up with Meghan Nelson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Meghan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?
We went into lock down in spring 2020, so I decided to change career paths and start a new business.
In college I studied music and business. After I graduated I did a lot of busking and various singing gigs to make ends meet. I decided to get a “real” job at a small marketing firm to try to build some more experience. I worked for that company for about a year and learned everything I possibly could from them! It was exactly the learning experience that I needed, So I felt ready to open my own marketing firm. I ran that company for a few years and ended up selling it in 2019. When I decided to become a personal trainer in 2020 and started working on the concept for my gym shortly after, it wasn’t a big surprise to me because I’ve been an entrepreneur for most of my adult life.
During lockdown, I was deciding what the next step in my career path was. I was always interested in the fitness industry and active in various ways growing up. I also had a phenomenal experience with another personal trainer of my own. So I decided to get certified online – Especially since we didn’t have anything else to do at the time! We were all stuck at home. At the time I didn’t own any exercise equipment and I was completely starting fresh on my client base.
I decided to post in some women’s groups online for free trials of personal training sessions and I ended up booking 60 people at Wash Park. I converted 15 of those into clients so my first week as a personal trainer. I already had a pretty decent schedule. From there I continued to build my clientele, I started renting at a small studio when it got too cold to train outside, I acquired various miscellaneous equipment pieces from Facebook marketplace and wherever I could find them, and things were going pretty okay. I had over 40 personal training clients, and I was making good money and working a lot for only being a few months in.
At the time we were still only at 10% capacity due to the pandemic. But the more I talk to clients and other fitness professionals, I learned about so many awful experiences people (specifically women) had had in commercial fitness environments. I saw the need for a specialized facility geared towards women and non-binary people. I asked myself why would I wait for someone else to solve this problem? I felt very called to start working on the concept immediately. People told me I was crazy for wanting to open a gym in the middle of the pandemic (it was nov 2020), but I knew we would be in a different place in one or two years when it was time to open the doors. I was working towards the future, trying to stay two steps ahead.
I hit every single obstacle in the book trying to get my gym open. Which was very different than my PT business! I got really lucky with how smooth that went! Between the pandemic, being denied for every business loan and Grant, I applied to, being shut out by brokers and accountants and other professionals that didn’t believe in my concept, the naysayers and the skeptics, buildings that wouldn’t even give me a tour because of being a startup. I hit extreme burn out and was exhausted. My goal was to open in November 2021, then January 2022, and finally we launched April 2022. (Just in time for my 30th birthday!)
We have been open a month now and we are thriving! We have an amazing membership base already. We have had such positive feedback from the community. We have over 40 classes a week on the schedule, personal trainers, free child care and red light therapy, smart mirrors for virtual classes, an on site nutritionist, massage therapist, esthetician and other services and special events! Sometimes I forget how new everything still is because I feel like I’ve crammed 10 years of work into the last two. But something in me just knew I had to make this happen, for myself and the community.
I’m very grateful for my personality and my background in business. Along with all of the contacts I openly networked with and the cheerleaders in my life that got me through it along the way. My team at vibe is incredible. My brokers and branding team and accounting team are life savors as well.
People ask me if I knew my whole life I wanted to open a gym. And I always say no. I’ve never known. I started college as a music education major! I finished my music degree, but dropped Ed my sophomore year. Then I picked up business because I seemed to be ok at it, and I knew it was versatile enough to use after school. Some where in the last 10 years I transitioned from a band nerd to a jock. I didn’t know until 2 years ago that I even wanted to be involved in the fitness industry professionally. But when an opportunity presents itself, It’s hard for me to back down. Once I set my sights on it, I will stop at nothing to make it happen.
My advice for people trying to decide if opening a business is right for them, or people that are afraid to take the leap of faith- DONT just do it. A lot of people will say just go for it, but I’m not an advocate for blind faith. I am a huge believer in calculated risk though. If you have the skill set and the determination and the consistency, then you can do it too. Know what you are good at and outsource what your bad at. Build a rock star team around you and let them shine their lights too. Invest in yourself and your business. If you don’t foster an environment for growth, It won’t happen.
I don’t know if this is the last business I’ll open or what it will look like by this time next year or 5 years from now. But I can’t wait to find out!
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?
I still personal train people simultaneously while running vibe from the business side. And I teach lifting classes and program the running club at Vibe as well. Other classes at Vibe include dance, cardio, Pilates, hiit classes, meditation, yoga, and so much more. The membership includes everything at Vibe for just a hundred bucks a month. (Personal training sold separately)
The main thing that sets us apart is that we are specifically geared towards our target market. We can offer free child care because we know it is such a critical service towards our membership base. We have tons of classes to cater towards different skill levels as well as open gym for 14 hours a day. I’m essentially trying to knock out every reason why people don’t go to the gym or work on their health and wellness goals. All you have to do is show up to vibe and the rest is easy. Plus you’re not going to find a community anywhere else like ours!
Safety, community, and love are the pillars to our brand. And I work everyday to make sure we are honoring those pillars. Just come check it out and you’ll totally get the vibe !
Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?
I think for anybody opening a small business, There is a difference between being great at your craft and being great at running a company. I know many people that are phenomenal at their craft (such as personal training, cutting hair, making art, cooking, etc) But that doesn’t mean that they know how to run a company. And somebody who is really good at what they do can accidentally sabotage themselves by taking on too much or not being prepared for the entire business side of what they’re trying to accomplish. You need to know just as much about accounting, marketing, business planning, branding, client relations, business retention and more. On top of what you’re actually doing as a service or product.
We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.
Rachel is my partner in crime at Vibe! She’s been a personal trainer in the Denver area and worked at a few gyms and is now self-employed as well.
She actually dropped into my DMs on Instagram lol!! She said she had a similar goal and loved what I was working towards and wanted to be involved in some way. We got a few beers and talked about our goals and visions. It made sense and it was the perfect time for me to get help! I brought her on board and she has been a tremendous help to me!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.vibegymandwellness.com
- Instagram: @vibe.gym @megncoaching
Image Credits
Photo Irina Rojas photography and Bailey Ashlynn Photography