Today we’d like to introduce you to Charles Shepard.
Charles, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
When I started the Body By Nature Fitness Training business in 1999, it was an in-home service only, focusing on post physical therapy fitness or weight loss, shaping, and toning specific body parts. As I’ve grown and developed as a trainer, my business model and training style has changed. While I still do a little of that weight loss and muscle specific toning work, I now train most of my clients to move more, move better, and live life more athletically.
Opening the studio in this Lakeview location was a combination of luck and preparation. I had been looking to open a studio for almost two years, but couldn’t find the right space in the right area for the right price. I overheard a guy at a high school baseball game talking real estate and price per sq. ft. on his cell phone and we struck up a conversation. 4 months later he called, invited me to look at a spot he knows about…. the rest is history.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been everything except a smooth road. The very nature of having a fitness trainer is something of a luxury, so the business is susceptible to the ups & downs of the economy. The two recessions we’ve been through since ’99 were extremely difficult, but I never gave up.
Being a parent of three very active, travel quality, youth baseball players have made it difficult to maximize earning potential. The team practice and game schedules are incredibly demanding and often conflict the potential training hours. And, of course, I’ve made some mistakes, let ego get in the way of good business decisions, and been too stubborn to make changes in a timely manner.
That said, I just don’t know how to quit. My passion for my clients, my business, and simple growth and maturity have taught me to breath, think, be patient, and persevere.
Body By Nature Fitness Studio – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The Body By Nature Fitness Studio is a true reflection of my training style – progressive, creative, functional. We don’t target specific muscles or muscle groups, we improve a client’s ability to move – through different planes, in different directions, at different speeds – better. We make our clients better life athletes.
A prospective client will not recognize most of the equipment we have as it’s ahead of the curve and rather cutting edge. The tools, as we call them, are chosen by me after months of research and testing. They’re selected based on their ability to improve any client’s quality of life.
We’ve created an atmosphere that’s more than just a gym where you work out and leave. It’s a warm, inviting, empowering, polished environment. There’s always fresh fruit (free) on the bar as well as an assortment of healthy snacks. We constructed a really comfortable lounge area where parents of young athletes can sit, chat and watch TV, or children of clients can hang out and play, read, etc., while their parents work with their trainer.
We’re building a community of health, physical, and mental wellbeing. The trainers are incredibly positive, supportive, and encouraging because we truly care about what’s in the client’s best interest. Each private session is designed to make sure the client is better than they were when they arrived, and each group training session will challenge those that are more advanced while taking into account those who have some limitations.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The day I got a call from former MLB player Lou Collier about hiring me to work with his 12-year-old son, Cam. Lou was an MLB shortstop for 7+ years, and is fairly knowledgeable about athletic training himself. He’s not inclined to turn his son over to just any old trainer. I’d worked with a handful of players on Lou’s elite youth travel teams, he’d been impressed with their improvement, and wanted to put his son on proper path to athletic success. He chose me.
When the conversation ended and we’d set up a schedule – and he’d paid – I hung up the phone, jumped up and down until I couldn’t jump up and down anymore, Then I said a prayer or two, thankful for the opportunity and the success.
Pricing:
- Private training starts at $50 per session
- Group Training starts at $$20 per session
Contact Info:
- Address: Body By Nature Fitness
3660 N. Lake Shore Drive (inside the New York Private Residence Building)
2nd floor, Chicago, IL 60613 - Website: www.bodybynaturefitness.com
- Phone: 312 448 7221
- Email: cshepard@bodybynaturefitness.com
- Instagram: buildabodybynature
- Facebook: Body By Nature Fitness Training
- Twitter: @charlesrshepard
- Yelp: Body By Nature Fitness Training
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