We had the good fortune of connecting with Maria Guerrero and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maria, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
There was honestly no concrete thought process behind starting my business. I truly just took messy action. There’s a saying: “messy action is better than no action” and that’s 100% true. I know I was passionate about health and fitness so I figured why not make some money doing just that. I truly never imagined growing my business to where it is today. When I started getting into fitness and nutrition, I gained a lot of knowledge and figured I could help some friends and family reach their health goals. I was doing it just as a little side hustle and mostly for fun until I saw that this is actually something I could see myself doing for the rest of my life. I wanted others to feel how I felt when I discovered the power of a healthy lifestyle! Obviously no one wants to work for someone else so having the opportunity to be my own boss and create a business that supports my vision and morals was a huge plus! 

What started as a side hustle with friends and family has now become a full time job and I couldn’t be more proud of how far my business has come! It was not an easy road though. There were several times where I was ready to give up my business because I wasn’t seeing any growth. I started to tell myself I wasn’t made to run a business. I suffered from impostor syndrome and kept telling myself I was not qualified to be a coach or business owner.

When I finally decided to give it my all and invest in a business mentor, that was truly the turning point for my business. Before investing in a mentor I was a penny pincher with my business. I didn’t want to invest in anything expensive for my business because I didn’t have much income. But just as they say “you have to spend money to make money.” BOY IS THAT TRUE!

What should our readers know about your business?
MPFITNESS ways created in 2019 by me, Maria, to help women take back their health and improve their quality of life! MPFITNESS is an online 1:1 fitness coaching service that gives women the knowledge and flexibility to create healthy habits and change their health and body for good! I help women drop 10-25lbs without ever giving up their favorite foods or going on a “diet.” I work mainly with women because there is so much societal pressure on the female body. This causes women to crash diet, restrict food and run themselves into the ground in attempts to lose weight. I wanted to change the narrative of skinny = pretty or that you have to starve yourself to lose body fat.

My advice for anyone starting a business is 1) Messy action is better than no action 2) you deserve to be successful just as much as anyone else and 3) don’t be afraid to invest in your business, you’ll only regret not investing!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Atlanta has so many fun little spots to visit for a newcomer! My favorite day plan is adventuring on the beltline and checking out the restaurants and bars along the way! The beltline is perfect for walking, biking, running and seeing cool little spots in Atlanta. Of course I wouldn’t miss showing my friend around the Coca-Cola Factory because no matter how old you are, that place is always a fun time! Next stop would definitely be Ponce City Market and the rooftop. Ponce is a unique shopping center filled with stores and a food court. But the best thing about Ponce is the rooftop! Fun for kids or adults, Because the rooftop has games like mini golf but also has a bar for the big kids! Another no-brainer activity is Piedmont park which is perfect for a picnic and bike ride while enjoying a spectacular view of the city. Of course we would have to go out at night so I would definitely take my friend one night to Havana for a mixture of Hip-Hop and Latin music and another night to Believe for EDM!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
All of my past, current and future clients deserve recognition in helping me build a successful coaching business. If they would not have trusted in me there would be no business. They help me learn and grow more and more every single day. And I’ve developed some beautiful friendships with my clients which I will always hold close to my heart.

I could not go without giving recognition to IFCA (@impactfitnesscoachingacademy), my business mentors who truly got me to where I am today. Without their never ending support, knowledge and faith, it would have taken me years to build the business that I have now.

Website: https://mpfitness.kartra.com/page/consultation-page

Instagram: @maripfit_

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/765819190854464/

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