We were lucky to catch up with Vladimir Cartev recently and have shared our conversation below.
Vladimir, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?
I always knew one day I will have a business, since I was little kid. When in school we were asked about our parents, one of my friend said: “My dad is a business man” That moment I thought: one day I will say that about myself. Growing up I realized that there is nothing better than to be your own boss. Since my very first day at work here in US I promised myself to save some money every week, cause I knew I’m going to need a capital for my business. Didn’t even have an idea what kind of business it will be, but I knew I’ll need the capital.
Fitness was always my passion, and I was very dedicated to it. At first it was my hobby, later it became my job. Working as a Personal Trainer, loving what I did, I already knew my business will be my own gym. At some point gym where I was working as a freelancer was closed down. In a moment I lost my job. I had a schedule full of clients, 8 people a day, and now I don’t have a place to train them. Commercial gyms want 50-70% of your money, and there was no private gyms in the area where I could go and train my clients.
It was one of the hardest time in my life. I wasn’t making any money, I was just spending. Future didn’t seem promising. I realized that it’s time to make a serious move. I started to look for a commercial space. A lot of factors had to match, task wasn’t easy. Week by week I couldn’t find it. Finally in 2 months I found the right spot. Now I had to pull the trigger. It was definitely one of the toughest decisions I had to make in my life, because amount of financial responsibilities was ridiculous. But I knew I had no choice, now or never…
I started to put all of my knowledge and experience from all these years together, writing down every step of the project that I had in my mind. A lot of it was improvisation along the way, after doing some research I would have to make serous decisions. It took 3 months from the day I took the space till the day CartevFitZone was officially open.
Life is a very mysterious phenomenon, you never know when you’ll win and when you’ll lose. Sometimes we doubt ourselves or trying to get ready, waiting for the right moment. But there are times when you just have to act decisively and confidently. I’m very happy and grateful, that life gave me that tough push towards my dream, which is becoming a reality ! And I’m very happy to help other people to pursue their dreams by doing simply what I love to do !
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 was working as a bartender for 11 years. At some point I realized that I want to do something else. My fitness hobby came to my mind right away, because I would be asked to train people time to time, I would always get compliments about my body and fitness achievements. So one day at the bar I was talking to the guy who was doing all fancy lights, sound adjustments and other technical work for our restaurant-club. He asked me to train his wife. She was my very first client, and that was a lucky moment for me. She was very determined and we achieved tremendous results together: 7 months – 33 pounds down. Her husband never saw her in this weight, she quit smoking and started enjoying nice clothing and high top shoes that wouldn’t fit before. Obviously this had a positive impact on her confidence and life in general. It was very important for me in order to build some confidence as a Personal Trainer. We became very close friends with this couple, and today they are one of the closest people to me.
By the way, this exact guy told me about 7 years ago: ” If you ever build your own gym, I’ll help you with fancy lights.” 7 years later he was the technical mastermind of my crazy idea of 10 panels with 400 feet of LED lights throughout my gym 🙂
That’s how it all started
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I think the most important thing is me being sincere in my desire to help people. For me it’s more than just client and trainer. I try to feel people as a human being, because fitness goals are often not just about technical tools that you have to help your client with. A lot of times it’s about support, motivation and phycological obstacles that people face. Since I went through all that myself, and was studying all the aspects of fitness, I can share with my experience and help people on that path.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
I don’t really have entrepreneurial philosophy. My philosophy is to help people to achieve their goals, to make them healthier and happier. I have a natural desire to do that. I also like to make a difference in the service people get. All that apparently is a perfect recipe for a successful business.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cartevfitzone.com
- Instagram: @cartevfitzone
- Facebook: CartevFitZone
- Yelp: CartevFitZone
- Other: https://goo.gl/maps/hrq75kn7NHHrxePKA