From an early age, I had a clear vision: I wanted to create something meaningful. I grew up a natural leader and found myself constantly creating and driving anything and everything forward. I was one of those kids that had a lemonade stand and cut neighbors lawns and was always hustling for any way to make a few bucks. When I got tired of having to stop playing street hockey every 10 minutes as cars drove through I petitioned the town I grew up in to build us a hockey rink.
I distinctly remember the moment I knew I was meant to be an entrepreneur. My dad took my brother and I to California on vacation. First stop was San Francisco and I really wanted to see Alcatraz. Somehow I ended up ordering 9 tickets online for the 3 of us… my dad wasn’t very happy. When we visited the retailer in-person to see if we could return them, the line of people waiting to buy tickets was massive. I tried to convince my dad to resell the tickets to no avail. We could have sold them at a profit, covered our own tickets, and saved someone the headache of waiting in line! This seemed way more attractive than working for an hourly wage for someone else. Alcatraz was awesome by the way!
Fast forward. I kept my focus at Wayne State as broad as possible because I didn’t know how I wanted to apply myself. So I went with Business Admin. Graduation. I decide I want to get into sports and after 0 calls or emails from probably 100 applications I decide I need experience and get an unpaid internship with the Detroit Pistons. It forces me to give up my full-time job but I know it’s necessary to get a job in the industry. This leads to an $8/hour inside sales position with the Nashville Predators. It’s a 6-month program with no future promises.
So I pack up and move. Inside sales is brutal! You’re expected to make 100+ calls a day to people who may or may not have ever used your product and convince them to do it again. In this case it’s ice hockey in the bible belt. Also, this is before the team and city was what it is now… very popular. Day after day is a mental grind. You’re constantly rejected. I didn’t know it at the time, but this job changed my life in ways I couldn’t imagine.
I knew I needed to hustle if I was going to land a full-time gig, either there or somewhere else. So I studied and I applied what I was learning. Lot’s of trial and error, but I was fine tuning my sales skills. I always exceled at problem solving and have a tenacious work ethic. Combined, I kicked ass and ended up getting hired on full-time. I stayed there for 4 years until I got bored and moved back to Michigan, unemployed and lost.
A year of unemployment. I left at a bad economical time and told myself I really didn’t want to be in sales any more. It was a grind and you have to always be on. So I struggled to find work. I even had to take a part-time gig at a retail store just to pay some bills. It sucked!
Desperate, I end up accepting a position at a start-up that my cousin was working at. Didn’t love the work, but start-ups are different. Very quickly I realized I could apply my entrepreneurialism at my 9-5. It was great! I could implement ideas that would better the business. I advanced through different roles and within 3 years I had tripled my salary and was now a director. I was running my own team and business unit within a larger organization. I was fulfilled.
Until I wasn’t. Ambitions had changed. I wanted complete autonomy and to be honest, I had zero passion for automotive software. I got bored and when reporting structure changed I didn’t click with my new boss.
Rewind a few years. I’ve always idolized professional athletes and the dedication they put into their craft. During that year of unemployment I decide to focus on my health and get in shape. More studying and applying. I lose 40lbs and feel the best I ever have!
The startup I’m working for gets bought out by a larger organization and overnight the office moves to Detroit. So I follow. Life is busier now and I’ve regained a good amount of weight. Time is limited so I decide I need to join a gym that runs classes. I don’t have the time or interest to program my own workouts and hold myself accountable.
I fall in love with group fitness. It’s so much more fun! Plus I’m a social person so I meet a ton of new people. That gym closes abruptly, permanently. A friend recommends I try a place called TRVFIT. My first impression was terrible, but I give it another try anyway. This is it. I found my home. It’s fun! The workouts are amazing. The community is super supportive. I’m getting amazing results in much less time than I was on my own.
Fast forward. Covid. The gym is forced to temporarily shut down. The world opens back up, but Covid certainly took it’s toll on small businesses. I’m now coaching at the gym and passing on everything I’ve learned to help others. I’m bored with my day job and certainly want to keep this alive and well for others to enjoy just as much as I have. So I offer to invest. One conversation leads to another and I end up buying the gym outright. Up to this point I still had no idea what, but just that I wanted my own thing. This seems to makes sense. I’m passionate about it. Did I just find my calling?
Fast forward 2 years. To this point I’m working my full-time job and running the gym on the side. I’m not able to put much time into it. It’s slightly profitable, but I’m also not paying myself. In comes that new boss mentioned earlier. I spend 6 months contemplating leaving my job and going all-in on the business.
April 2023. It’s now or never. I leap. The dream has come true.