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

Hi Jim, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?

During the housing crisis in 2009, the company I worked for closed its sales office in Alpharetta, I was having difficulty finding a job because so many others were out of work also.  No one was hiring.  As I continued to look for a job, I took odd jobs, painting houses, cutting grass, even delivering pizza for a while, you name it.  These were very tough times.  Then My wife, Linda, encouraged me and said “why not try to find something you ENJOY and see if there is a market for it”. So she got me thinking. I used to coach a really cool sport called Trampoline and Tumbling down in Florida years ago. I was a former college gymnast and I coached gymnastics part time for years.  I searched our community and saw there were no other gyms in the area that were offering anything except traditional artistic gymnastics.  So I begin to believe there just may be a market for this type of program.
With my sales and business background I was able to do much of the marketing on my own so I poured my heart and soul into this and began looking around for other gyms who might be interested in starting a new source of revenue in their gym with my program.  There were no gyms interested!  So I expanded my search to Cheerleading facilities.  I found a cheerleading facility (formerly ALLSTAR Cheerleading, now The Stingray Allstars in Johns Creek)  that had an inground trampoline.  I asked the owner, “are you making any money with your trampoline?”  He said “No”. So I asked “would you like to?  And so it began.
My daughter Emily, at that time, was 10 years old and was certainly a big inspiration to me, She competed and went on to become an Elite competitive athlete before graduating and going on to college.

What should our readers know about your business?
I wanted to share the sport of Trampoline and Tumbling to the community because whether you are a former gymnast or have no experience in gymnastics, this sport allows for both. I really like the fact we are able to take an individual and give them an opportunity to compete at their level. Building self respect and confidence and being part of a team experience.  

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Tour downtown and have Lunch at the Varsity. I’d take them to IFLY indoor Skydiving. Then a Braves game, if they were in season. Later in the evening I’d take them either to Top Golf, or head out and play a round of Whirlyball. You have to try Whirlyball sometime. That is a lot of fun!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
When I was laid off and was having difficulty finding a new job because the housing crisis in 2009 laid off many many people. My wife, Linda, said “why not try to find something you would like to do”. So she got me thinking. I used to coach a really cool sport called Trampoline and Tumbling. I was a former gymnast and coach and this was a really fun part time job I enjoyed in the past. I searched our community I lived in and saw there were no other gyms in the area that were offering anything except artistic gymnastics.

Website: JUMPTNT.net

Instagram: Jump_tnt

Facebook: JUMP TnT

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