Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and fitness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Randy Nguyen, Owner of Royal Blue Fitness, located in Pleasant Hill, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are a Personal Training Studio dedicated to helping clients reach their fitness goals. We have trainers on staff who specialize in a variety of fields, such as weight loss, strength training, and senior fitness.
Tell us about yourself
I was the first in my family to go to college. I graduated with a microbiology degree. I worked in the biotech industry on the graveyard shift and, in a surprisingly quick amount of time, lost a significant amount of weight and started getting health issues. I decided to leave the industry I had just started being a part of to take the time to self-reflect. My happiest was when I was healthiest, back in my high school years of playing sports. I decided to enter the fitness industry to help others look and feel good about themselves, especially in this day and age where we're overworked mentally and underactive physically. After several years of working as a personal trainer, I realized I could only help a small number of people at a time because of my schedule. I decided to found Royal Blue Fitness to put together a team of like-minded in wanting to help others and teach my staff how to properly train clients and give the best personal experience possible while delivering results.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment as a business owner, I believe, is being able to motivate, encourage, and empower the trainers. I have to believe in the Company's vision and position them to succeed in what they like to do best, to help others.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
The hardest thing that comes with being a new business owner to me is dividing up the time to manage everything.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
My top 3 things are 1. Get organized. 2. Be disciplined, and 3. Get a mentor.
Running a business requires know-how in a wide range of fields. It is no longer about your skillset delivering a service anymore. Now you have to be good at marketing, finances, leadership, talent development, legal, etc. You have to put on multiple hats to make things work.
Being disciplined is key. You will have bumps in the road and successes. Being disciplined is having a plan and sticking to it even when times get rough and also not going overboard in celebrating your successes. Giving up before you really get started or overspending money you just got on things that don't give you a return are two of the ways I see businesses crash and burn before they even start.
Lastly, I hired a mentor and talked to peers and others that have succeeded in business already before me. I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel; just putting my tires on it. My business coach is industry specific to the fitness business, and they help me navigate and avoid pitfalls. It shortens my time to be successful. I also talk to clients of mine or others I know that are in different phases of their business, whether they've recently started, been in business for years, or retired. They don't have to be specific to my business. There are a lot of core principles in business that carry over across industries, and these are the things I learn from them. Without my mentors, I wouldn't have such a clear direction and plan moving forward.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.royalbluefitness.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RoyalBlueFitness1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/royalbluefitness.1/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randymicro/
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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