Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and fitness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Alen McKnight, Owner of Athletic Republic, located in Cary, NC, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Athletic Republic offers adult fitness training and student-athlete sports performance training. For our adult clients, we offer small-group circuit training with elements of HIIT to help individuals move better, get stronger, and stay healthy. All are welcome, regardless of fitness level or ability. The small-group, trainer-led format allows us to customize the workout to accommodate anyone within each class.
For student-athletes, we use a small-group, trainer-led format to develop speed, power, agility, and stamina. Key elements include: Super Running Treadmills for developing speed and running efficiency, plyometrics for improving movement skills, foot speed, agility and stability strength work for explosive speed, injury prevention and power and sport-specific skill development designed to help athletes move better and more efficiently during competition. For both adults and student-athletes, we also offer personal training and private team training that can be fully customized to help individuals with any fitness or athletic goals.
Tell us about yourself
I worked for 24+ years in a variety of sales and operations leadership roles. While I enjoyed that time tremendously and worked with and learned from some amazing leaders, peers, and clients, I was ready to take on a new challenge focused on personal passion and my local community.
Sports have always played a role in my life, from swimming, basketball, and baseball growing up to coaching and supporting my kids in a myriad of sports through the years. A few years back, we were trying to find a training center in our local area that could help my son with speed and agility improvement (vertical jump, 40 yd speed, etc.) while he was continuing his sport-specific training for football and basketball. When we couldn’t find anything nearby that met that need, I knew we had found our small business opportunity.
I spent time researching various franchisors who provided both adult fitness and sports performance training and was blown away when I found Athletic Republic. I knew the science-based, results-driven approach to training was the perfect fit for families in our community.
As we approach our second anniversary, one of the things I enjoy most about what we have built here is getting to know the individual members, seeing their progress, and hearing their stories about how the training here at Athletic Republic is positively impacting them in everyday life and/or in the sport(s) they play.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
In our first two years of operations, we have twice been voted as a finalist in the WRAL Voter’s Choice Awards for Best Fitness Center/Gym. We were also voted as a 2022 NextDoor Neighborhood favorite, and we’re proud to have 70+ 5-star Google reviews and counting.
Within the Athletic Republic franchise network, we were recently recognized as a “TNT-Most Explosive” finalist (a training center that prioritizes sales & marketing and is hyper-focused on improving unit economics as well as athlete experience), our Lead Trainer was selected as a finalist for Trainer of the Year, and we were selected as one of five centers to be recognized as “First Team AR” (awarded to the top performing training centers based upon a combination of consumer engagement, lead generation and sales, revenue, and athlete development). I was also humbled to receive the “Spirit of the Republic” award (an individual who best embodies AR core values, leads the network as a mentor and teammate, and serves the community to build better athletes and teams).
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Staying focused and prioritizing your time & resources based on what is most important for the business (see #2 below). It’s easy to get pulled in a number of directions that can water down your effectiveness as a business owner.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Be sure you have a passion for the business and the product/service you’ll provide. Don’t make the decision based solely on anticipated profitability.
- Build a strategic plan with 4-6 measurable goals/priorities that will ensure the accomplishment of the plan and serve as your business roadmap. Make sure that where you spend your time, effort, and investments specifically map to the goals/priorities in your strategic plan. Re-evaluate the plan quarterly and adjust as needed.
- Be ultra-selective in your hiring of employees. Focus on culture as much as competence. Your team represents you and your business - and, therefore, the success of your business.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://cary.athleticrepublic.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AthleticRepublicCary
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/athleticrepubliccary/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AthRepublicCary
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alenmcknight/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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