Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Weiss.
Chris, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
While attending school at Northern Illinois University, I was also a gymnastics coach at a nearby gym.
Originally, I was studying Kinesiology as a stepping stone towards Chiropractic school. Everything was set as graduation neared; I was accepted and ready to start at the National University of Health Sciences in the Fall of 2006 until a casual conversation with my then boss and now landlord, changed my path. An idea was born. He [boss/landlord] saw something and invested in me. He built out a 605 sq/ft portion of his gym, sat me with his bank and helped me get a start-up loan.
It was a very rocky start. Within the first 18-months, I couldn’t make rent on most, didn’t take a single paycheck and prepared to close my doors. The day before an interview I had with a potential job, I had a change of heart and decided to tough it out a little longer. I honestly can’t say what happened but over the next 12 years, success with one client turned into success with three and then nine. 605 sq/ft turned into 1500 sq/ft and then into a thriving 4500 sq/ft facility with a community of amazing people.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The initial struggles were financial. Fortunately, I had a wife with a good job and in addition to the ends meat I was making as a gymnastics coach in the early years of Custom Fit, it was enough to live. I should have been out of business within the first year. I don’t feel I would be where I am if it wasn’t for my former boss who invested in me. After missing so many months of rent, I would have been out on the curb with anyone else.
There was then a fragile period where I had just enough income to make rent and pay myself an hourly wage but a bad month here and there would have me up at 2:00 AM wondering what I’m doing, oh yea, I just became a father too. Still, I moved forward and managed to grow during a slow economic time (2008-2012). Struggles turned from financial, to keep up with a growing industry. I was the first of my kind in my area. Custom Fit is a private place where guided exercise is the main focus. Its a place where there are no crowds to compete with, no judgment and most importantly, quality training.
I feel laying early roots has helped me get to where I am. We are established in the community and continue to produce results because as local competition continues to grow and choices increase, many still recognize Custom Fit as the gold standard. Struggles still exist but they are very different today. Keeping existing clients happy is a top priority. At the same time, keeping up with continued growth and providing enough room and equipment for our growing community still has me waking up at 2:00 AM.
Please tell us about Custom Fit.
Custom Fit is built opposite to the agenda as your typical large chain fitness center. While they predominantly sell memberships while dabbling in personal training and group fitness on the side, we specialize in one-on-one, small and large group training under the watchful eye of a trainer. We second as a 24/7 fitness center but memberships are very limited to ensure that our clients are getting the best service possible. This allows us to do a lot of things other gyms cannot do.
Many places require a membership to work with a personal trainer (at an additional cost). At Custom Fit, you do not need a membership to use any of our services. In fact, if you are with a personal trainer at least one time per week, you get a FREE gym membership to keep up with what your trainer might ask of you. There are a number of other things that set us apart but it’s all within the experience; people come for the results but stay because it’s something you can’t get anywhere else.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Everything that has happened, good or bad as taught me so much about myself and has made me the person I am. I’m glad that it wasn’t easy, I don’t want it to be easy. Easy is boring and doesn’t make you work and easy doesn’t produce results. I am proud of what I have created and the help I have been able to provide for so many!
Pricing:
- Personal Training rates range between $20-$60 / session.
- Group Fitness rates range between $7-$10 / session.
- 24/7 Gym Memberships are $40 / month.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1715 Dekalb Avenue Sycamore, Illinois 60178
- Website: www.CWFit.com
- Phone: 815.970.2781
- Email: CustomFit@CWFit.com
- Facebook: @customfitsycamore
Image Credit:
Schrock Media
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