You just know when it’s time. A few years ago I knew with certainty that I was going to open my own fitness studio. I was over the moon to open it. Fast forward a few years and I also knew it was time to look for a larger space to accommodate my clients.
When I came across what was to become my new location at 5420 Douglas Blvd in Granite Bay, it was serendipitous. The owner of the building just happened to be there and was open to the idea of housing my business in the corner location. The negotiation process took only a day, so I knew this was meant to be. The owners had other potential prospects and needed to know my decision within 24 hours. I was ready.
But that doesn’t mean everyone else in my life was sold on this place. This former smoke shop looked pretty awful. It had green walls, a workshop area, some paneling with worn carpeting throughout. ”Are you sure you can do something with this?” was the general reaction I got. People were trying not to insult me while knowing I thought of it as a diamond in the rough. It had great bones. Like a potential client who comes to me to sculpt her body, I was ready to transform this place.
The plan? I knew I did not want the treadmills facing a wall as in my old location. I wanted an area for functional fitness, to do sled runs and a place to throw fitness balls against a wall. It was all about enhancing the training experience for my clients. And my clients were key in this transformation. Why? For one, I was blessed to have one of my clients refer a contractor named Kenny to me to help me meet my opening deadline. We had exactly 5 weeks to renovate 2.000 square feet of flooring, knock a wall down, paint baseboards, install galvanized metal to accent walls and completely gut and remodel a bathroom that look as if it belonged in a gas station.
I was the “gofer” for Kenny, making dozens of trips to Ace Hardware and Home Depot, where sales personnel got to know me on a first name basis. I would buy what I thought Kenny requested and would not always come back with the right item. Back I went, returning it for the correct item. Anyone who knows me knows I despise hardware stores. Frequenting them did not make me like them any more. But I loved the feeling that I was saving him time by doing this.
How about all those affirmations all over the walls of my new space? Have you seen them? Here are a few:
“You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.”
“Wake up with determination. Go to bed with satisfaction.”
“Be your own kind of beautiful.”
“If it doesn’t challenge you it won’t change you”
They were all given to me by my clients — quotes from memes that had inspired them from our private Facebook page. We finished off the little office area, added a coffee bar, a fridge, a microwave, and — voila! I now have a space where my clients can all be doing many of the same exercise sets at the same time; I also have a new home away from home. My clients are happy, my family finally understood my vision was real, and I am one thrilled fitness trainer.
Welcome to my world… and to catch some glimpses of what went on, see the photos below: