Personal trainer turns adversity to opportunity

When personal trainer and small business owner Fallon Forde failed at his first business attempt years ago, he used it as a lesson instead of a loss.

He spent more time with persons who were already successful in the field and even took a semester abroad, where he further honed his skills in strength and conditioning.

Today, his personal training business Falcon Fitness and Performance is growing more and more into a success story, and even a cursory glanceat the business’s social media pages would reveal his clients’ impressive body transformations.

Having received his foundation at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus’ student gym, Forde, who is also an educator and holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Sports Science told Today’s BUSINESS that the typical office job setup was not for him, so he decided to create a career in sports and exercise.

Although he is clear that having a Master’s degree in the field does not necessarily set him apart from his peers, he believes that the depth of study in various areas such as psychology, sociology, management, marketing, and human resources has made his second attempt at his business a success.

“I think that is what elevates me as opposed to doing a personal training certificate where I just know about dieting and exercise. It is not just personal training; it is a business. Although some of it [university courses] I didn’t really like to do, it came to help me later on,” he admitted.

Being a people’s person is one of the driving factors of Falcon Fitness and Performance. According to Forde, he takes pride in seeing people excel, whether they are clients or fellow business owners.

“I share information about my struggles—how I got where I am, the problems I faced, and how I got over them. Any way I could help, I would help.

“I might have run into some issues in university or issues with my first start-up, but I will share those things with people so they would not face the same situations or if they face the same situations that I faced, they would be able to navigate around them,” he revealed.

When it comes to his clients, his goal is simple: seeing them achieve optimal health.

“When a person comes to me and says, I don’t feel healthy; I want to drop 20 pounds, and I help them drop 20 pounds and they feel good about their bodies, that gives me motivation. That makes me happy . . . that brings joy to me,” he told Today’s BUSINESS.

With fitness centres being closed for more than six weeks, Forde, who mainly operates out of gyms, admitted that the impact on his business has been significant.

He explained that people usually prefer a physical gym environment for their workouts. And even though he has pivoted his personal training business to an online platform, most of his clients have stopped training because they preferred to wait until gyms reopen.

While the business owner thinks that gyms have long been practising social distancing and sanitisation protocols, he ultimately believes that government officials know best.

In the meantime, Forde advised fellow small business owners to persevere during these difficult times as the country slowly reopens and regains a sense of normalcy.

“This is time you could use to look at other ways to make your business better or even start another business. These are trying times for everybody. It is easier said than done, but honestly, just keep it moving.

“That would occupy your mind with the struggles that are going on right now. You could use this time wisely to find another avenue to make money, to make your business better, to grow it. Think of specials and so on for when you are actually able to operate,” he said.