We recently connected with Wes Linsley and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Wes, thanks for joining us today. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?
It’s been fifteen years this year since I opened my gym. We opened in 2007. Before opening my own gym, I was doing personal training at another small local building only getting paid pennies and nickels. Let’s just say I was struggling, behind on rent, and had no money in the bank account. It was a tough time.

I had a client, which their name will remain anonymous, after a session one day ask me if I ever thought about opening my own gym. My immediate answer was no. At the time it hadn’t even crossed my mind, due to finances. They asked, “do you think 10K would do it”? I replied, “I’ve never had 10K, but I would make it work.” I just thought they were making conversation.

Long story short, they brought to me a cashier’s check for 10k and said this is non-negotiable to take and to open a gym for your services, and don’t worry about paying me back. Here I am today, 15 years later in one of the best gyms in Wylie, Alpha Family Fitness, home of Wylie Boxing Club.

This was the kindest and craziest thing that anyone has ever done for me. Without their belief in me and the leap they took to have faith that I would make it work, my life would be completely different than it is now. That one day changed it all for me and created a domino effect in this community.

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 started training in boxing and mixed martial arts at the age of 17 years old. After several years of training and competing I decided that I wanted to introduce boxing to my community and train both kids and adults. Today my gym offers classes in boxing, weightlifting and strongman training. I’m most proud of how far the gym has come and all the young boxers I’ve turned into champions. The biggest take away for my members is that I help them all build self-confidence physically and mentally. I am very passionate about what I do and hope that my followers see that in everything that I do. I am always trying to evolve and offer the best training to my community. I feel that all this is reflected in that our community has multiple families that train together as well as generations that keep coming back. I think half our community come from entire households, a father/child or mother/child pair and new kids coming from parents I used to train when they were kids!

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
I met my business partner, Tanya, through a mutual friend. She started to come to the gym, and we eventually started dating, the rest is history! We are now married with an amazing five-year-old son named Finn. We both share mutual and individual responsibility to the gym. I coach the fitness classes and she provides nutrition coaching to our members, but also to individuals outside of the gym.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Being in the Wylie area for fifteen years alone has helped with consistent referrals that has led to my reputation. Our members are very loyal and always talking about us to friends, family, and social media. Also, my reputation is backed by my boxers who compete and participate in tournaments. Our Wylie Boxing Club athletes always do very well, and our skills and showmanship stand out.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.alphafamilyfitness.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alphafamilyfitness/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alphafamilyfitness

Image Credits
Side B Productions