This month’s professional spotlight features Robel Woldu, Founder and CEO of Athletic Form. Read this month’s spotlight to learn more about Robel, his passion for fitness, and his path to entrepreneurship.
Could you briefly explain some of your responsibilities in your current career role?
That’s a loaded question for the Founder and CEO of a gym to answer simply because responsibilities are constantly shifting and attention is driven to whatever is the highest priority of the day / week / month. However, I am currently focusing on four key aspects of the business: acquiring cutting-edge equipment, identifying and analyzing prospective clients, designing floor plans, and building an online presence.
How did you come to decide that this was the right career path for you?
My mother fought hypothyroidism disease most of her life, which is what sparked my interest in health and wellness. From a young age, I saw firsthand what health issues can do to the body, mind, and to a person’s will to live. She’s a fighter, and figuring out a solution to help remedy my mother’s conditions came in the form of fitness. Without my mother, I wouldn’t be living out my purpose. What started out as a way to stay healthy and fit, turned into an obsession to help my family, and on a larger scale, the community. I wanted to help people learn more about their bodies and how health and wellness is vital to living a long and joyful life. Athletic Form is a place where you can find community, find support, and most importantly find yourself. The transformation I’ve witnessed in the last decade has been nothing short of amazing and inspiring.
For someone looking to turn their passion into a business, what advice would you give them?
Become an expert in your industry as well as all aspects of business. You need know what you are talking about. Don’t say you want to start a circus because you love animals but disregard the fact that you don’t understand things such as maintenance, real estate, insurance and marketing. You must know your industry inside and out, as well as how to operate within it.
What are some of the challenges associated with running your own business?
The biggest challenge is building a client base and increasing membership. The problem with the fitness industry is that it’s very hard to access new customer markets. Once you’ve gained an initial batch of customers to start your operations the question now becomes, ‘how are you going to diversify and expand’? This is especially troublesome in areas where there’s limited gym-going population. During the first few months of operation, you’ll capture most of the market (assuming your gym is genuinely good), but then gradually your membership numbers will cease growing and profits will start to stagnate. Sure, you can spend a bit of money on advertising and try to get more people interested in your programs, but ultimately you’ll have to expand into other areas of your business.
What are the joys in running your own business?
You control who represents your brand. The team you surround yourself with plays a major role in your success you can assemble a team of like-minded individuals that share your same drive and passion. You have an opportunity to change lives, and an idea for a service that has the potential to make a huge impact in your community.
Social Distancing has us all at home, what are some tips for people looking to be a bit more active?
Take regular breaks from continuous sitting in front of your computer, tablet, or smartphone every 20 to 30 minutes. For example, you could take a few minutes to walk around the house, take some fresh air on the balcony, in the garden or yard, or play with your dog. Another great strategy is to make stairs your best friend – using the stairs is an extremely time-efficient way to maintain fitness. As little as three 20-second fast stair climbs a day can improve fitness in only six weeks. Use your own bodyweight – home based strength exercises that utilize your own bodyweight such as push ups, sit-ups, and planks are as important for health as aerobic exercise.
What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?
The mental release, the ability to say yes to adventure, the whole-body benefits, the joy factor, the power to inspire others, the results, the mental strength, the connections, the habit, the pressure of achieving your goals. I could go on and on and on so I’ll stop there.
To date, what is your greatest professional accomplishment?
My biggest accomplishment has been hiring our amazing staff. Our team is growing fast, and we’re excited about the results of our extensive interview process. We pride ourselves on offering our clients the best services possible, and our most recent hires are a perfect fit for our mission. The future looks bright if you surround yourself with great people.
Getting physically fit can be a frustrating process. What can people do to keep pushing forward when they don’t see results?
Find a workout you *enjoy* and look forward to. Just because all your friends love Spinning or CrossFit doesn’t mean you do too. Finding a workout you genuinely enjoy will make you that much more likely to stick with it over time. Begin by really thinking about the things you enjoy be it nature, group settings, playing sports, quiet time, or being challenged. Then, look for activities that meet one or more of those criterion. Consider your personality, too. Do you like competition? Then working out with a friend who challenges you or taking a group fitness class may be helpful. Do you like immediately seeing the results of your efforts? Then workouts associated with an app that tracks your progress, like Apple Watch or Nike training for running and workouts, may be very motivating.
What’s one piece of advice you would give someone looking to transition into your line of work?
LISTEN. I learned this the hard way. As a new owner, I thought I knew it all and boy, did that screw things up! Instead, take time to listen to your team and evaluate the situation from many angles. I found that even if I had a disagreement with an employee they were ok with the different direction if I listened to where they were coming from. People want to be heard and valued. I’ve learned this is what separates the ok leaders from the great ones.
Outside of all of your hard work and efforts toward building your brand, what do you do for fun? What are your Hobbies?
Believe it or not I took up boxing a little less than 10 months ago to understand and connect with my community on a deeper level. Full transparency: in all my years being a coach and trainer, I’d always found a way to connect with the work in a deeper way. I think somewhere along the way, as my professional goals were ascending, I was losing a sense of connection with my community and that feeling was foreign. Rather than sit idle, I decided to take action and before I knew it, I found myself training to be a boxer. The mental, physical and emotional experience was both shocking and eye opening. It was the greatest lesson in understanding my privilege as an able-bodied, physically active trainer. Through boxing, I truly began to understand what my clients and community face on a mental, emotional and physical level and through this challenging experience, it’s given me a deeper understanding of empathy in a way that can only make one a better trainer to his clients. It’s taught me that giving up is a lot easier than showing up consistently every single day and the mental strength it takes to workout is similar to the punches I’d take during my training sessions. The beauty in showing up everyday, regardless of what pain or stretching you’re going through, is that you reap what you sow. It may not happen overnight but if you stay committed to your dream, you can do anything you put your mind to. My hope is that in going through this experience that I inspire my community to see the visual manifestation of logging in your hours towards a dream and reaping the blessings that bear fruit from your sacrifices.