Becky Williamson
1.Becky, congratulations on becoming this weeks "PTU Member Of The Week" Why don't you start off by telling us about yourself and your business?
Gosh, I'm truly humbled and honored to be chosen by our fearless leaders as the PTU member of the week. Thank you!
To help you get to know me, I'll give you a little background on how I ended up in the fitness business as well as some lessons I learned along the way:
I was born and raised and currently live in San Jose, California. I got my start in the fitness industry when I was offered an internship in a corporate fitness center while I was pursuing my Master's Degree in Kinesiology. This was a long, long time ago. Way before Al Gore invented the internet—and while spandex and leg warmers were really "in". Yes, a long, long time ago.
After I'd worked at the corporate fitness center for about 3 years (I was the Assistant Director by that time), I got a little restless and decided I needed to make a change. I thought it might be cool to use my physiology knowledge a little more, so I took a job as a Research Exercise Physiologist at NASA. I worked with a bunch of engineers who were trying to advance space suit technology. I set up a testing lab, wrote proposals, ran human research studies and wrote papers. Boy, did I miss fitness and working with "normal" people! Luckily I had a very supportive boss who allowed me to work a flexible schedule and I set up a "side" business doing just a little in-home fitness training. I spent the next 10 years working at NASA and training part time. I had a couple of kids in that time frame, too. It was a busy time.
About 1997, I decided I wanted to spend more time with my kids and be active in their school. So I left NASA and took the plunge into total self-employment. Best decision (and to date, the scariest) I've ever made. Oh, how I wish PTU had been around then! Working as a solo-preneur without other professionals around to bounce ideas off of is rather isolating. I did very little marketing, had no clue how to use a very young internet, and had to get by on my talent of developing relationships.
Some lessons from that time in my life that I share with you:
Relationships are important. I got the corporate fitness internship because a professor recommended I apply for it. She thought I was a good match for corporate fitness and put in a call on my behalf to the Director of the corporate program. I got the job at NASA because I confidentially "put it out there" to some of the trusted users of the corporate gym that I was looking to do something else. They supplied me w/a NASA connection and I took it from there.
Do what you love. I thought I'd like being a researcher, but it turned out I'm more of a people person. If you get into a career situation you don't like—change it! I don't consider my move to NASA a mistake. I learned more about what I wanted as a career (or didn't want!) by working there, and it also opened some doors for me later on.
I currently own and operate lifeSport Fitness out of a home office. I do in-home personal training, corporate fitness programs, and run boot camps. Aside from my local fitness business, I also have a blog just for baby boomer women (www.beckywilliamson.com). My goal is to become the internet "go to" resource for baby boomer women with regard to all things fitness and exercise.
My kids are now teenagers and competitive athletes and I'm able to see most of their games and be a part of their lives because I work my business around my life. I have been married for 21 years to a terrific guy who shares my love for fitness. I love dogs and have a Golden Retriever named Noah. I feel very fortunate.
2. You've been an active member for a while now how has being a part of PTU impacted your career / business?
PTU has helped me be a better marketer. Networking and learning from the wonderful folks at PTU has given me TONS motivation and new ideas on how to market. Seeing some of you folks that are young enough to be my kids kickin' butt and takin' names is extremely motivating and pushes me to be at the top of my game!
PTU is my one-stop resource when I need to ask for help. I also really enjoy offering help. With PTU, I have colleagues to bounce ideas off of, give me help when I need it, and offer help to when I am able. It is the ultimate mastermind group!
3. What are your 3 biggest tips for your fellow PTU Members?
1) Get involved at the PTU site. PTU is a "give and take" system. Offer help when you are able, ask for help when you need it. We strengthen our profession when we work together to improve it.
2) Always continue to learn. The human body hasn't changed much since when I was born a bazillion years ago, but the theories on how to best train it have. Read. Attend conferences. Educate yourself.
3) Don't be afraid to ask for help. This is an area I am still working on today. I thought after my degree that I should "know it all". Wrong. My ego back in the day didn't allow me to ask for help building my business. Please don't do this. Make connections, build relationships and be willing to "put it out there" when you need help—and be willing to step up and pay it back by helping someone else someday.
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