Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Will Lofton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Will thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

I decided to become a trainer/coach in college after I realized I did not want to be a school teacher anymore. I had gone through school from K-College and I got physically sick from the thought of having to go to school everyday for work AFTER i had finally finished school as a student.

So I asked myself

“how do I use the knowledge and experience of a physical education teacher to make a living outside of a school setting?”

Becoming a private trainer was what I ended up on since it would allow me to remain active and around sports while also not forcing me to wear dress clothes.

During that time I was also taking a black studies business course that had us working on mock business plans as a project. Which was perfect since I’d just had the idea to create a business. I took the opportunity to create the best business plan that I could have with the program I’d come up with and named it “Will Power”. The name was corny to me but I just needed a title for the project. My real goal was to get a college level business professor to look it over and give me honest feedback. The business plan included marketing plans, financial plans, locations plans, and even had ideas for retirement built in. The professor graded the project and gave me an A and gave me a lot of great feedback. I was told that it was incredibly detailed for what the assignment had needed but it was a solid plan regardless.

This was the first step for me. Finding out that an objective view of my idea was received well by a stranger was huge. Now I knew that I wasn’t crazy. It was then I knew it would work. I held onto the project as a reference and a reminder after I graduated. Once I moved out of the college town and back into the real world I spent the next year working with both the name and the image. I came up with the name “WILL TRAINeM” after I had a friend who made music change his stage name to “Benjamin Chase”. I fell in love with the way the name actually formed a sentence and also told you exactly what he was about. I decided I needed something in the same breath. Green and black as always been my favorite colors so having those be the main colors of the logo was easy. For my actual logo I reached out to a friend of my wife’s who had started a graphic design company. He made me a logo and then right after that ended up winning an award to design cans for Arizona iced tea. Lucky for me I got in early!

After I formed both a name and logo I began the journey of gaining the experience I would need to later live up to the name. I worked in 3 counties at a time and held jobs at 7 gyms at one point as a trainer. My mindset was “it’d be easier to get one client in 7 gyms that it would be to get 7 clients in one gym where all the trainers are battling for the same people.

I built up my skills and reputation over the next 4 years and finally ended up at one of the top youth basketball programs in the state as their head speed agility coach. I was then brought into coaching. It was amazing but short lived because after only one season I moved out of the state to Arizona. Once I landed in Arizona I was tasked with restarting the momentum I’d built up across the country while learning a completely new state. Over the next 10 years I helped grow and support multiple programs and non profit organizations as everything from front desk to program director.

Once the pandemic hit it made me realize that I needed to maximize both my talent and influence. I quit working everywhere else and went full time as a basketball instructor. I boosted my personal credit so that I could use business credit to help finance some of the things I knew I wanted. Things like my websites, cars, and equipment were all acquired by leveraging my credit. In order to build up my name and reputation I volunteered to coach 6 -7 teams at the local YMCA for 2 years which allowed me to meet hundreds of athletes and parents. I turned that influence into my own club program last spring. We began with one team and look to have at least a couple more by this fall.

The most challenging thing I think I had to face as a start up was myself. I had to find a way to motivate myself to do something I’d never done or seen anyone do. I had to believe in myself when nobody else was able to support me or see what I was creating. I allow myself to become the villain of some people’s story in order to make myself the hero of my own. The training, the LLC’s, the credit, the launch all came after I decided who and what I was.

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 love of the sport is what brought me to the industry of basketball. I have been successful because I fill a void in the education chain of sports. Most youth coaches are part time or volunteer so they do not expend the energy to teach basics and lower level kids are often left behind. I create an environment where we emphasize learning but not at the expense of winning or more importantly the love of the game. Kids still need to be able to be kids. Kids still need to be held accountable and prepared for the next level. My trainings and teams do just that. We also offer clothing as well.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The YMCA and social media (Instagram)

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Coaching multiple teams at once. Building relationships with multiple programs and gyms. Being consistent with your location and your level of service. Love what you do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://willtrainem.com
• Instagram: @will_trainem
• Facebook: Will Lofton
• Youtube: @WILLTRAINeM
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/will-trainem?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
• Other: Clothing and Apparel – willtrainemathletics.com

Image Credits

None