Today we’d like to introduce you to Shawn Martinez.
Hi Shawn, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up in South, TX but came to Austin for 5th grade and never left. Being lower-income and attending an inner-city school, I was lucky to get into UT Austin. During college years, I went from pre-med to Kinesiology. My passion and discovery of fitness changed my life forever. I knew that preventative health and physical activity was something I would pursue personally and professionally for the rest of my life.
I interned at Lifetime Fitness in 2007 and learned how to build a personal training business. As I started to think about my financial future, I decided to transition into nursing school (still battling my pre-med interests). However, I started training a couple of clients in their apartment gym as I went through nursing school.
God pretty much struck me in the head with a lightning bolt during a session in the gym. I suddenly realized that a niche in the luxury apartment world for fitness is a fantastic idea.
From that moment, I focused on catering high-end fitness services to the luxury apartment. In 2011, I founded a company based on this concept.
What began as a personal training company for fitness amenities evolved into a whole solution for fitness and wellness in the apartment gym. Our services were a retention and attraction tool for apartment and the niche venture became a marketplace for all our fitness professionals.
In 2019, we were at our peak. We had grown to 20 locations in two states. We managed over 100 fitness professionals and had a leadership team of six. We were in legal transitions of venture capital the road ahead was full scale.
In March 2020, God humbled me to a different future. With the lockdown hitting the fitness industry pretty hard, we were impacted significantly. We lost 60% of our revenue and 80% of our staff over the next few months. I stopped taking a paycheck to save jobs, we pivoted hard to bring in money through new revenue streams, we were granted PPP, and I was on my knees in prayer. We made it through the year and with record-breaking revenue.
In January of 2021, I was done. I had worked 18 hour days for a year and I had lost my parents (Dad and Step Mom) in the fall of 2020. My emotional, mental, and physical endurance were depleted. The only thing I had in me was my faith. I knew God would provide in some great way. This is what grounded me to wake up and go everyday.
Not taking a paycheck finally caught up with me and for the 1st time in 15 years, I began looking for a “job”. I decided to keep the jobs remaining at Gym Studios and sidestep into something so I can take care of my family but keep the company afloat. I wish I can tell you that I had amazing interviews and I had a lot of promising invitations. The honest truth is that that process sucked and I was deflated in confidence as a leader. It was clear that my purpose was to stick it out and get the company back on a new path.
I focused on my connections and skill-set in building gyms. Outfitting gyms had been a side-hustle of mine for about ten years. In fact, it was my preferred way to spend my time. However, that side of the business is hard because leads are difficult to come by. That said, I went all in. Building gyms became our new bread and butter. From a side-hustle to a solid venture, our company had a new course.
At the end of 2021, we broke the $1M mark for the 1st time. This was affirmation for me that God wanted me where I was.
It’s now 2022. I am starting from scratch. We have a new company. We have a new team. We have a new business model. When I reflect on what has happened over the past ten years, it is traumatic and difficult. To build something up for ten years and have to start over is something that you can only experience to understand. However, the humility and endurance that I have had to embrace is a gift I will always be grateful for.
I have no idea what the future has in store for me as a CEO, but I’m keeping my head down and focusing on all the amazing things that are happening in my life. You may not be able to predict your future, but you can always nourish everything you have.
Alright, 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?
The two most significant challenges.
1. The Pandemic
My company primarily made money two ways. The first was apartment revenue. Luxury apartments paid us monthly to provide fitness services. When the lockdown took place, most of the apartments we served allowed us to switch to a virtual service. However, we lost about 30% of revenue from losing contracts and downgrading services due to global restrictions. Having to stop taking a paycheck to save jobs, laying off managers who I cared about, and watching my entire company fall brick by brick was the most traumatic thing I have lived through. I questioned everything about myself. My confidence came to a halt. I’ve never felt so lost.
2. Losing my Dad and Step Mom of 20 years.
I just shared how I was already living through the most difficult time. One morning in September of 2020, I woke up to a phone call that my parents had died. This was a sudden incident. They were 56 years young, completely healthy, and we had just spent a vacation together. In short, this changed me in ways I can’t express. Life had an entirely different meaning for me. I am grateful for my story. I am committed to finishing it out.
We’ve been impressed with Gym Studios, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Gym Studios is a fitness and wellness company. We specialize in building gyms and providing management. Our most ideal and common client is an apartment developer who wants their gym to stand out. After the gym is build, our services help with retention of the tenants that use the gym.
What’s awesome about our model is that we can serve commercial spaces and home spaces. From building garage gyms in the suburbs to providing fitness management consulting for Samsung, our model is adaptable.
What I think sets us apart from competitors is our ability to adapt to any situation and our customer service culture. Our team has one purpose, to serve those we partner with. I believe that a servant leadership posture will take us to incredible places.
Our message to our readers is that we build the best gyms and provide the best fitness professional to any environment. If you are an apartment developer or if you want your employees to be happier, we can help bring the best gym experience anywhere.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I’m an open book so most people know my faith, my adversities, and my lifestyle. What I have shared so far, I imagine is pretty revealing to who I am.
However to lighten up who I am, I am a family man. I love my Canadian wife and three kids. Being home and having dinner with them is something I fight for. It’s important to me to pray with my kids at least once a day. We have too many pets, three dogs and two cats to be exact. Our house is a zoo of love.
I love to workout, make hot sauce, and listen to music. I can’t seem to read my Bible enough and love to be around people older and smarter than me. I do my best to balance my life based upon these values. I know I fail everyday, but by grace, everyday is a new try.
Contact Info:
- Email: shawnmartinez@gymstudios.com
- Website: gymstudios.com
- Instagram: @gym.studios
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GymStudiosAustin
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYW3arKQ35odKvWjb5Ermsg/featured
- Yelp: https://biz.yelp.com/biz_info/PwZ3ptSecJoRosQ_XMP3ow
Image Credits:
https://www.instagram.com/authenticexposurestudio/ Logan Lepper
