Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and fitness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Brendan Sloan, trainer, and founder of EVOLVE Youth Fitness Training, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

EVOLVE Youth Fitness Training is a company that helps young clients achieve goals related to healthy living, self-esteem, and sport-specific training. As a business, we operate out of gym facilities, studios, and outdoor parks in the summertime. Any youth aged 5-18 are our ideal customers, regardless of their goals. We have had great success making exercise accessible and enjoyable for clients of any fitness ability!

Tell us about yourself

I work full-time as a Secondary Teacher here in Toronto but have also worked as a Personal Trainer for years. During my early days as a substitute teacher, I was concerned by how few students were using time like recess and break actually to move their bodies. Using my background in education, I am motivated during each session to inform youth about the benefits of exercise and hope to inspire each client to incorporate daily movement as a life-long habit.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

During the earlier days of being a business owner, I continued to train adult clients to provide some supplemental income. Although I enjoyed training adults and valued each friendship I made with my clients; my heart wasn't in it anymore. Within a few months, I had built my youth training business to the point where I had to cease training my adult clients. Although it was sad to leave my older clients at various points in their training journey, I had proven to myself that EVOLVE's success was viable and that I could operate my own business successfully.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Most individuals in the fitness industry would agree that having a social media presence is important to developing your brand, and I definitely agree. My trouble is that I personally do not value social media or spend much time on various platforms. In running my business, I often find myself in an internal struggle of trying to spread awareness for my brand while also not falling into the habit of obsessing over likes, messages, and notifications. I need to find a perfect balance of "Good for my business and good for my health," but that can be easier said than done.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

I'll answer this section with some quotes that help me get through the daily challenges:

  1. My favorite quote lately is: "Nothing changes if nothing changes." I think this is relevant to starting a business, as I've learned that in order to grow and progress as a business (or person), you need to take that first step to make a positive change.
  2. "It's about the size of the pie, not the size of your slice." In any industry, a business owner can fall into the trap of comparing oneself to the competition. I've noticed that when I stop being preoccupied with what others are doing and instead focus on making youth training more accessible and appealing, EVOLVE will see the benefits in the long term. So, support others in your environment and focus on making meaningful connections.
  3. "Begin as you mean to go on." Running a business is a grind, especially if you have another career or find that it takes up a lot of your personal time. To me, each session needs to be as high-quality as the last to ensure that every one of my clients is reaping the benefits of my training and advice. Reflect regularly on whether your product/service is reaching your own standards and if not, get it there.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

We offer training for youth who love exercise, hate exercise, or have never exercised at all! Through games, drills, and the incorporation of fundamental movement patterns, I believe EVOLVE Youth Fitness Training can help any kids/teens develop their own exercise identity!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.evolveyouthfit.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evolveyouthfit/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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