27 Aug Personal Trainers On Demand
DESTINED
If you ask anyone close to me, they’ll tell you that I always have to be moving, learning, and planning. It’s very true, and it applies to almost every facet of my life – thankfully in the fitness and health realm too. I’m a chronic researcher and real life example that fitness of any sort makes you more aware, conscious, productive, courageous, and happier than ever. It also improves your intellect, but I won’t toot my horn here!
And of course, we know that fitness helps with your outer appearance. I shed about 50 lbs. some time ago and I can proudly say that fitness changed and still continues to change my life. It was when it was failing to do so, that Handstand began brewing. I know that now looking back. It wasn’t college. I had countless hours of available time and I fully took advantage of them. My friends would jokingly ask if they could live with me so I could get them motivated to move! The problem arose when I began my first career. I tried it all. I was that 5am gym goer, but it wasn’t healthy in the slightest. It had me skimping on sleep, missing out on friends, family, and other important aspects of my life. I needed help.
Enter Trainer Number 1. Enter long-term contracts. Enter inflated costs. Enter hidden fees. Enter no flexibility. Enter no variety. Enter inconvenience. I found that hiring a trainer was one of the most outdated processes to date. It was time-consuming, unfair, inconvenient, and expensive. These experts help change lives; they should be more accessible, affordable, and convenient. Right?
Shortly after, I quit my job because it wasn’t the right fit. Nothing had clicked yet and I had one more stop. Meantime, I couldn’t help researching both online and offline looking for a solution. I quickly jumped back into work at a startup and learned how technology could bridge the gap between various markets. Of course, I applied it to my problem. There were so many trainers, instructors, and fitness experts, but they were not reaching or attracting clients with their websites, flyers, or jobs at gyms and studios. I wanted to create a platform where they could be impactful and useful to people who needed and wanted their help. I also needed to improve the user experience drastically because of what I went through with Trainer Number 1. I quit my job at the startup and didn’t look back. Then I met James Hicks and Michael Jones, one of the Founders of Science Inc. and the former CEO of MySpace, and it was the perfect fit. We began incubating Handstand.
WHAT IS HANDSTAND?
Handstand is perceived as the “Uber for personal trainers” but it’s so much more than that. Handstand is disrupting the fitness industry and taking something that was once reserved for the celebrities and the elite, and making it accessible and affordable for you. It’s taking these incredible trainers, instructors, and fitness experts in every fitness field imaginable, and helping them make a living doing what they love the most – teaching you how to start, change, or improve your fitness level and health. Handstand is fulfillment on both sides. One-on-one or small group training of any kind, is proven to be one of the fastest ways to improve your health. To have this App and website as the backbone, is the marriage of two of the fastest growing markets today: health and tech. You can now enjoy kickboxing, yoga, tennis, pilates, resistance training, and an ever-growing list of fitness sessions and types whenever, and wherever.
THE ROUGH ROAD
Don’t let the story fool you. It’s been almost 6 months and I’m essentially a one-person team wearing way too many hats. It’s been rougher than rough, but I can’t say I wasn’t warned. I’ve experienced a lot and have so much to still learn and grow, but that’s all part of the entrepreneurial path and process. I’m more than blessed to have James and Mike to mentor and guide me. I know now firsthand that entrepreneurship is waking up on a Sunday when it’s raining and working your hardest. It’s failing 10 times on Tuesday and thriving on Wednesday morning. It’s taking an idea and translating it into an impeccable execution. It’s having the patience and the vision to see it through all the highs and lows. And most importantly, that there’s really no other way to grow than to go.
Go with passion, persistence, and everything you’ve got.
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