Don’t Sweat Setbacks: How Sweat Club Came to Be

The road to founding Sweat Club has been full of ups and downs.

What people see now is an active gym in the heart of downtown Fredericton. But the journey to get here hasn’t been easy; it’s been nearly a decade in the making! I’ve failed many times, but I never gave up. And I’m so thankful I didn’t. I’m thankful for all the challenges I’ve overcome because each of these experiences pushed me to grow both professionally and personally. They brought me to where I am today.

Let me share with you the Sweat Club origin story.

I knew from a young age that I was passionate about fitness. I was a competitive figure skater until the age of 17, which instilled in me a strong work ethic, commitment and reliability—all crucial skills for entrepreneurs. I decided I wanted to make a career out of fitness, but many people aren’t aware that, prior to Sweat Club, I had four failed business ventures.

Dedicated Not Addicted

First, I created “Dedicated Not Addicted” in 2011 when I lived in Vancouver. This was a huge building block for me as I learned how to create a brand, website and a blog. It was validating because it reassured me that my passion for health and fitness could indeed help others.

TUF LUV Fitness

In 2013, I created “TUF LUV Fitness” where I offered one-on-one personal training services and nutritional programs to clients. With this business, I experienced burnout for the first time. While I pride myself on my ability to push myself (and motivate others to do the same), it’s important to listen to your body. Because I didn’t have a car, I was walking all over Vancouver to meet with clients every day—and it clearly caught up to me!

Knowing I needed to do something different, I soon switched directions and began only offering “TUF LUV Fitness” services online. Although online fitness services are now very common, they were very rare seven years ago. “TUF LUV Fitness” taught me the importance of having a strong online presence and following. 

By Blondes

In 2015, “By Blondes” was my first business partnership. I’d been working independently until this point, so the experience taught me how to be part of a team. Working with a partner allowed me to appreciate different teaching styles and showed me the importance of trusting your coworkers.

Live Now

Perhaps my biggest failure (and the biggest learning lesson) was the “Live Now” bracelets I created with my partner, Fraser, in 2016. Learning how to bring a product to market, arrange shipping, build an ecommerce website and social media marketing strategy were just some of the challenges we faced with trying to sell a product versus a service.

Moving Home 

When I moved back to Fredericton in 2017 I initially thought the transition would be easy. I thought that I would get right back in the fitness industry and that my life would fall into place accordingly. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Life has a tendency to throw curveballs and I was left feeling unmotivated and disconnected from the industry I was so passionate about. With my lack of interest in fitness, I began serving again at 540 Kitchen and Bar. As I began rekindling old friendships and making new connections through serving, I saw an increase in momentum with my online LC28 Day Challenge. Finally, my passion for fitness was coming back, I began training again. Only three months into renting out a private room to train my clients, I got notice that it would soon be closing. This news was pivotal, it pushed me to finish my business plan for Sweat Club and search for training spaces of my own.

Finally, a Successful Business!

Seeing Sweat Club come to life in 2019 was life changing for me. Finally, all of my hard work and dedication is paying off. My dreams of owning a gym, selling well-designed branded merchandise and partnering with other local entrepreneurs have come true!

I am so lucky to work with an amazing team of trainers who provide our clients with the best workouts and the motivation they need to stick with it. The sense of community that Sweat Club has created fills me with gratitude. Being supported by clients who are eager and driven truly makes this a dream job.

Throughout my journey I’ve met lots of people, lived in different cities, and failed forward. The important part was turning my failures into learning opportunities. I looked for ways to continually improve, and worked hard to stay dedicated and overcome the feeling of disappointment along the way.

Sweat Club is proof of what commitment and persistence can do. I’m proud of my personal growth and the growth of the business, but I’m also grateful for what it took to get to where I am today. Never give up on your dreams!