Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Steven Leveille . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Steven , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?
While Serving in the U.S. Army I was promoted to Sergeant. I was always known as one of Sergeants that always wanted to see my soldiers succeed in all aspects of their lives. Whenever a soldier within the squad would fail a physical fitness test, I would encourage them by telling them that I will do everything possible to get them ready for the make up test. Watching them pass the makeup test and the expression on their faces would bring me satisfaction.
After serving eight years in the Army, I decided that it was time to part ways and start my new journey. I worked as a law enforcement officer for a few years but was missing the joy of training people and seeing them reach their fitness goals. During the pandemic, I decided that it was time to start working towards my ultimate goal of running my own fitness business. The first step for me was getting into a career field that gave me plenty of time to earn my personal training certification. I went to nursing school and became a Dialysis nurse. By doing this I was able to get a position working three days a week instead of five. I went and earned my NASM certification and launched my business in 2022. I’ve spent a major part of my adult life serving people in various ways but nothing compares to helping people reach their fitness goals.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I grew up in Miami, FL to immigrant parents who worked minimum wage jobs. I didn’t have much but I didn’t allow it to stop me from dreaming and thinking big. I started thinking of ways to change my environment without placing a financial burden on my family. I joined the military and started taking college courses. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with it but I wanted to get started. I bring all of this up to give you a glimpse of my mindset. Mindset is the key to success and that’s the major thing I speak about with my clients. I am a motivator and will be there every step of the way and my clients appreciate it. I take pride of the service I provide and don’t take on too many clients so I can make sure I have enough time to get to know the clients that I serve. My company name is Fitness By Siix by design. The two i’s in Siix is symbolic. It signifies two people, the coach and the client. In the military and law enforcement we always used the slogan “I got your six.” And that’s exact message I send to my clients.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
To be brutally honest with you. I had no idea how I was going to fund my business. I grew up in a neighborhood where most people didn’t have much so I didn’t have any role models or anyone in the know to help me through. I spent countless hours watching YouTube videos for solutions and came up with the idea of applying for a credit card. I used the credit card to cover my start up expenses and was very nervous when doing so. I was nervous because I had a lot of doubt about how I was going to pay it back. At the end of the day I told myself that we spend so much time investing in various things, why not spend and invest in myself.
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
At the moment, I still maintain my position as a nurse but as my business grows I will transition to coaching full time.
Contact Info:
- Website: Fitnessbysiix.com
- Instagram: Fitnessbysiix
- Facebook: Fitnessbysiix