Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and fitness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Clem Duranseaud, founder of Clem Fitness, located in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

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

I run a personal training business. My typical client is someone that is already fit that's looking to get fitter. I mainly work with people that already have experience working out.

Tell us about yourself

I've been a trainer for almost ten years now. I started out working for a gym and then, four years later, created my own business. I really wanted to train people according to my training philosophy and wanted to set my own hours.

When I started my business, I had to put in a lot of free time with people to get my name known around town. It was a lot of time invested and not a lot of money to show for it, but I was doing something that I loved, on my own term, so that made it easy.

My main goal has always been to deliver the highest quality service to my clients. Now that I have more time to myself, I spend more time taking courses to keep learning about how the human body works. Seeing my clients progress and get to a point where they don't need me is what motivates me to keep doing what I do.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Finding the balance between work and personal life.

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

Honestly, if you love what you do, there's nothing that feels super hard. I don't like doing my accounting. It's not hard per se; I just don't like doing it. When you start out, yes, it can be hard to hustle to get new customers or get a product out, but that's part of having a business. Once you find your stride and get the business know, it's not as stressful. I guess you could also say that you can make it as challenging as you want. As a trainer, you could, in theory, have 60 appointments or more in a week. I guess your life would be a lot harder than if you chose only to make 20 appointments a week. I assume the same is true of any business out there.

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

  1. Do something that you love. Don't do something for the money. If you are truly good at something you love, you will never have difficulties with sales.
  2. Trust yourself. There's a reason you chose to start a business; remember why when things get tough.
  3. If you have a partner, talk to them about what starting a business would mean for your relationship. Starting a business may take a lot of your time, so you need to be on the same page with your partner as to what that entails for your relationship.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Running your business is fun and rewarding and can lead to amazing opportunities in life. Finding the right company to start should almost feel natural to you. If you feel like you are meant to do something, do it. The beginning is always tough in the sense that you may not have everything you want, but that's part of the journey.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.clemfitness.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clemfitness1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clem_fitness_/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clem-duranseaud-a8356b63/

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.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.