Athletics were a large part of my family growing up. Our weekends were spent at the varying sports complex’s in the river bottoms of Irving, Texas. I was fortunate that physical health, athleticism, and working in a team environment were such a formative part of my upbringing.
I loved competing and challenging myself. Although my athletic endeavours mostly came to an end, my hunger to improve grew. After graduating college in 2013, the new playing field became business.
My first 5 years were spent building and rebuilding my clientele and developing programs at multiple facilities. I was learning as much as I could to better serve my clients and gaining experience in customer service, management, and sales.
I loved the flexibility and the obstacles of the job and seeing the impact my work had on others.
Opening a gym was the next step in ascending my career, or so I thought it was. Like many trainers, I reached a point where the greatest limitation was my time. I could no longer continue to add sessions or appointments to my day.
It is quite rare for trainers to see ten years in the industry without proper mentorship. On multiple occasions I sought career paths elsewhere. From 2016-2018, I went through months of the hiring process for multiple fire departments and school districts seeking security and steady income.
I was lost and letting legitimate influences dampen my desire to go all in on myself in the fitness industry.
At the end of 2018 I met my business partner. We discussed different opportuities and ideas around opening a facility. From our first couple of interactions, I appreciated how quickly he moved. It wasn’t simply ideas and conversations about some future interest. We executed. I had a concept, the industry experience, and a burning desire to grow and create change. He complemented this with his experience of running his own company and flexibility to trust that I was the expert in the field.
The gym before the gym.
Opening a gym is unique. Most gyms fail or quit and we learned the obstacles we faced early on in our efforts.
Leases fell through. Landlords understandably don’t want to invest in tenants or businesses that have a less than ideal success rate.
I was fired. As exciting as trying to step out on my own was, it became surreal when I was let go from my job.
I trained a handful of our original Fort Worth Strong clients in about a 150 sq ft space out of my business partners garage for six months. In hindsight, I love that this was a part of the journey. The gym technically was launched in a garage. Some of the best start ups have done the same.
My income dropped significantly and we still hadn’t landed on a space, yet I felt a sense of calm throughout that spring and summer leading up to opening. I took the risk and knew I would be regret free, seeing what could be.
Now, five years into our current location, “what could be”, has really developed into something more special than I ever anticipated.
About Fort Worth Strong.
Fort Worth Strong opened its doors in October of 2019. The concept was built over years of experience working at both large and small scale facilities and both public (chain) and private (individually owned) gyms.
At the core, I knew I wanted to operate a facility that provided massive value to fewer people through instruction and accountability done at the highest level.
The number one diferentiator is that Fort Worth Strong is a coaching vs access model. By providing every individual with a coach at each workout. Whether privately (one on one personal training or nutrition) or in a group (small group training), we are able to oversee and guide each client to success.
- We determine an end goal of the client.
- We determine which of our services would be the best fit based on client experience, needs, and timeline.
- We operate on a schedule and provide a hands on experience to eliminate any confusion or inconsistency in the clients program.
Where does the name come from?
The name Fort Worth Strong is also telling to our philosophy behind training. We are a community first gym. We provide a supportive “second family” and a high level service without losing the ability to create a personalized experience.
Secondly, Strong, is our method. Our primary offering is to help clients to become stronger individuals – physically, mentally, and metabollicaly. With experienced, knowledgeable, and caring coaches, we help both the beginners and the seasoned in the gym. We simplify the complicated parts of health and fitness and we help clients overcome fear and doubts through support.
“Most people struggle finding lasting success when it comes to their health and fitness. So we provide a professional coach, customized plan, and a community for every client. Guiding them to strength, health, and happiness. Like you, we are frustrated with the misinformation and confusion when trying to get healthier. We also understand how it feels to to be new, to start for the first time, or to start again. So we start with a sweat free consultation to build your plan. Book a free appointment on our website today!”
