Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Rebecca Cathey, owner of Fit Biz Assist, located in Hammond, LA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Fit Biz Assist is a team of virtual assistants that support the membership-based franchise and independent fitness/wellness businesses. We assist our clients with membership sales, class bookings, member support and account management, promotions, and more. We can temporarily fill in employment gaps or become a long-term part of their team to improve their sales and member retention.
Tell us about yourself
I started in the fitness industry 15 years ago as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor. Over the years, I have worked for various types of gyms as a trainer, instructor, nutrition coach, general manager, and even owner. While I love training and helping others lead a healthier lifestyle, I realized there was an area of need, particularly for franchise fitness studios. Small studios typically offer amazing fitness programs and have wonderful coaches, but they operate with very little staff, leaving the owners/GM to wear multiple hats. This often leads to tasks falling through the cracks, lower profitability, and burnout. I realized that if I could provide the service of addressing lead management, membership sales, and other administrative tasks, it would free up the in-studio team to provide a better experience for their members. And because I could provide the service remotely, I would be more efficient, saving the business owner money.
I could also support multiple studios at one time, helping exponentially more people in their health and fitness journey. Once I began offering this service, I quickly realized that the need for this type of support was far more than I could handle on my own, so I began creating a team of professional women who, like me, are experienced in the fitness industry and passionate about helping people reach their goals. Over the last four years, we've been able to support over 100 fitness and wellness studios.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
The biggest accomplishment has been creating a team of incredibly talented and driven women, who are passionate about helping our clients, and providing them with the flexibility and work/life balance that can't be found working in a single gym/studio. Even though we are all located in different states, and many of us have never met face-to-face, we have incredible working relationships and almost no turnover. I trust this amazing group of women to provide a great service, and they trust me to support them every step of the way. Many of my VA's could, and have, worked in high-level positions within the industry and could earn more money, but they are loyal to Fit Biz Assist because they know that I value them, and do everything that I can to ensure they enjoy the work, are compensated well and still have ample freedom and flexibility to also enjoy other areas of their lives.
It's also pretty cool that what started as a side hustle, with just me, my laptop, and my smartphone, is now supporting ten employees and providing service to dozens of fitness/wellness brands in 2 countries. And we continue to grow!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Every business has multiple moving parts. Structure, systems, and a great team make it easier to manage/juggle it all, but it can still be overwhelming at times. And knowing that people rely on you for their livelihood and, to a certain extent, their quality of life can be stressful.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Start your business with the long-term goal in mind. Even if you plan to be the only employee, create streamlined systems and processes that can be easily taught and duplicated. Define job roles, and create an employee manual and training guides so that when it's time to grow, you can give your team the tools to be successful and on the same page.
- Be a subservient leader. Provide your team with the tools, training, and resources that they need to be successful, then step back and allow them to do their job. You should absolutely provide ongoing training, set expectations, and address issues as they arise, but micromanaging undervalues your team and takes up your time and energy that could be better spent growing your business. Take care of the people that take care of your business and clients, show appreciation and encourage a work/life balance. Don't be afraid to "outsource" and truly delegate areas of your business that are not within your strengths, passions, or capacity. While you may think that you can save money by doing it all yourself, in the long run, overextending yourself will be very costly.
- Create a culture of "selling." "Sales" can be a scary word to some. But you aren't a business if you're not "selling" something. Every customer-facing team member should be a "salesperson." Normalize asking for the sale, the follow-up appointment, and/or the upsell with regular sales training for yourself and your team.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.fitbizassist.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fitbizassist
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fit-biz-assist-llc/
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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