We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tyler Townes a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Tyler , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
Being an entrepreneur is a tough task which involves several risks. Taking a risk was never something that was foreign to me, but always gave me an uneasy feeling no matter how many times I did it. When starting Trained 2 The T, I knew that it was possible and I knew that I was capable of doing so. I knew that working a corporate job all my life was not what I wanted to do so what better time to start my business than the present? After quitting my first full time job at Lifetime Fitness as a personal trainer, I went all in with my business. I honestly had NO IDEA what I was doing, but I knew that I wasn’t going to be denied no matter the circumstances. That’s what taking risks is about, right? There was a lot of uncertainty working through my first year in business. I wasn’t used to not having to punch someone’s clock. That routine took some time to adjust to. When starting a business, everything depends on you. There is no one sending you clients to train, marketing for you on social media, keeping track of your funds, etc. Your success depends on how successful you want to be. Some days were harder than others. Going through the recession, this past year I learned a lot about who I am as a person. There were times where I didn’t know if I was going to be able to put gas in my car to travel to the few clients that I had. There were times that I didn’t know if my business was going to be sustainable and I thought that I was going to have to hang it up. I kept waking up everyday and showing up. Showing up was the biggest thing in my opinion. I couldn’t let my clients see that I was down or stressed because I still had a service to provide and an image to uphold. Throughout the year, I worked a total of 3 jobs to make sure my finances were intact. I was running my business Trained 2 The T, working as a strength and conditioning coach at D1 Training, and working as a coach for a non-profit called Trinity Athletics. This was probably the hardest year of my life, but I feel like it was life testing me to see if I believed in myself enough to keep going and I did. I took this risk to show myself that it was possible. I took this risk to prove to myself that I could do something that I enjoy and make a living as well without having to be miserable every time I woke up to do my job. 2022 was an extremely tough year for, but fast forward to January 2023, I am a strength and conditioning intern at SMU working with the football for the spring semester with a flourishing business that is only going to continue to grow.
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
My name is Tyler Townes and I am a first generation business owner of Trained 2 The T. At Trained 2 The T, we help athletes become the best versions of themselves through fitness and fellowship. I am the owner and Head Strength and Conditioning Coach. At Trained 2 The T our motto is “Educate. Implement. Execute.” Our services include personal training services in a 1-on-1 setting, semi-private training, small group training, virtual training, and personalized programming. Health and wellness is something that is taken serious and Trained 2 The T and we take great pride in helping our clients achieve their fitness goals. One thing that sets Trained 2 The T apart form others is education. Anyone can call themselves a personal trainer, strength coach, etc. Not many can get clients to understand why they’re doing what they’re doing in the gym and how it will help them in the long run. When providing a service, you have to make sure your clients are your top priority. For anyone who is interested in being a potential client with Trained 2 The T, they should know that their lives will be changed for the better if they are willing to stick to the plan provided for them. Fitness is a life-long journey and should be treated as such.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
The most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been producing results. When working in the fitness industry, there is only one thing that clients want and that is results. This is a result driven industry so if I, as the coach, am not giving the clients what they pay for, then I am doing them a disservice. This also paints my business in a bad light. Utilizing social media is one of my best tools. The engagement that comes from my followers and the knowledge that I provide via my posts is what allows me to continuously grow my clientele. Putting myself in uncomfortable situations allows me to avoid stagnation.
Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?
If I could go back, I would definitely choose the same profession again. Before I became a strength coach I had dreams of being an anesthesiologist, an athletic trainer, and a director of basketball operations. As I continued to explore careers, I actually stumbled upon the fitness industry in 2019 after graduating college. My first job postgrad was at D1 Training in North Dallas where I was the Marketing Coordinator. I became fascinated with the work that the strength coaches at the facility would do and how they were able to reach their clients. I knew once I saw the work they did that was the career path I wanted to follow. One thing I would do different is work in the field a little bit before I went to graduate school. I feel like I rushed graduate school because I was so eager to get into my career that I didn’t weigh my options before making that decision. I also would have been a graduate assistant to learn more about the strength and conditioning industry instead of trying to learn it on the backend. I explored other career options when business slowed down for me but it always lead me back to what I am doing right now. This is how I know I am in the best profession for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.talktometylert.com
- Instagram: trained2thet