Richie Garard training with She Fitness
Start the week off with some healthy inspiration…
Entrepreneur and fitness expert Richie Garard is the Founder and CEO of She Fitness, a Sydney-based group and personal fitness training business for women. Richie shares with us some of his secrets for motivation, success, business savvy and what inspires him.
Describe yourself in two sentences
I’m a passionate fitness entrepreneur, women’s fitness expert and CEO of She Fitness. I love dogs, travelling, diving, basketball and boxing.
What inspirational thought/s gets you up in the morning?
I have a rubber bracelet (similar to the Livestrong ones) which I had made with the words:
Think Positive.
Dream Big. Take Action.
I look at it every morning and it reminds me that positive thoughts are at the core of achieving my dreams and having no limits in life. It also reminds me to continue to stay true to having a big vision, but that my dream will remain just a dream unless I take action.
Who do you most admire, and why?
I admire a lot of people from all walks of life, but two that I admire the most are Michael Jordan and Leo Babauta.
I’ve always been a huge basketball fan, but I admire Michael Jordan because of his work ethic, mental toughness and the way that he carries himself as a champion.
I’m a huge fan of Leo Babauta and his blog, Zen Habits, mostly because of what he has been able to achieve in simplifying his life, achieving balance, living his passion and inspiring others through his work.
What is your biggest achievement to date?
My biggest achievement to date is She Fitness. I’m really proud of it, and of the fact that over the last four years we’ve been able to help many women live fitter, happier and healthier lives. It’s really rewarding to be able to see and hear the changes in our members from when they first started their journey with us – and I love that we still have members that have been with us from the very beginning.
What inspired you to start your own business?
I’ve always been entrepreneurial. Even as a kid I would buy and sell basketball cards. After university, I tried working a corporate job for a few years and really hated it because it just wasn’t me. This may sound bad, but the honest truth is that I came to realise that I just wasn’t a very good employee because I was an entrepreneur at heart, and I was always thinking of how to do my own thing, coming up with new business ideas and creating new ventures.
I also gained a lot of weight while working at my desk job, so I decided to join a boot camp (after wasting money on gym memberships). It really worked for me and I lost 22 kgs in the process. I also realised that this was a perfect profession for me that would allow me to be my own boss, work outside and help people get fit and change their lives. I decided to become a personal trainer, completed my certification and started training my wife’s girlfriends after work. It grew organically from there through word-of-mouth and referrals, and it was after a few months of running a women-only boot camp that I started to realise we really had something special to build from.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced, and how did you overcome it?
I’d have to say growing my business has been the biggest challenge I’ve faced so far (but it’s one that I love). When I first started She Fitness, things were a lot simpler to manage as there were only a handful of members, one location and only me as the trainer. Now that we’ve grown to eight locations with a team of trainers and support staff, I’ve had to learn a completely different skill set, change my role and experience ‘growing pains’ that are normal with every small business.
As an entrepreneur and business owner, you can read all the books, take all the courses and spend money on coaching, but until you actually do it for yourself and really give it a shot, you are still just sitting on the sidelines.
I’ve learnt to invest in myself, through coaching and mentoring, and to also invest in my team by training them to be better trainers and to work on various roles within the company as it grows.
About Richie
Richie Garard is the Founder and CEO of She Fitness, which specialises in helping women of all ages and fitness levels live fitter, happier and healthier lives through personal training and women-only bootcamps. For a Free Trial session at one of their eight convenient locations, visit www.shefitness.com.au or facebook.com/shefitness.
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