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

Hi Myke, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
It’s kinda funny and sad at the same time. When I graduated college, I got a job in my field pretty quickly. Then I had a disagreement with the Director and decided to leave. My next job wasn’t in my field and it got old fast so I left there too. Fast forward about 10-12 years and I was in a resume writing workshop. One of the facilitators was saying at that time that it looked bad on a resume if you left a job in less than 5 years. I had been in the workforce for 15 years had yet to stay at a job for more than 3 years. This was around 2005-2006. I had been training soccer teams and young athletes since 1998 and realized that was an area where I was consistently engaged and didn’t burn out. I started seriously considering becoming a trainer. Once I became a trainer and started growing an audience, my next logical step was to turn that into a formal business.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Currently I own a fitness studio. We provide individual and small group training, nutrition coaching, and lifestyle guidance. I take great pride in the fact that our program is not a microwave style system. Many trainers tell their clients “what” to do to get results. In a lot of cases, this leaves people not achieving sustainable results and they end up losing the same 10-12lbs over and over again. Our program focuses on the “HOW”. We help our clients understand the physical (exercise), mental (psychology) AND emotional (stress, work/life balance, etc) aspects of fitness and weight loss. We currently have just over 100 regular clients and we see another 100-150 throughout the year during the Challenges that we run. There was absolutely nothing easy about getting to this point. We have experienced some huge obstacles along the way. Overcoming challenges as a business owner has always been due to mindset. I don’t think in terms of 2 options with the success of my business. In my mind, every shot I take is going in…every client we work with is going to get results…every person we encounter is going to be impacted positively. Our brand = FAMILY period. If you are a client, you are a member of an extended fitness family, like it or not. We are going to push you, we are going to change you, and most of all we are going to show you love.

Any great local spots you’d like to shoutout?
Being in fitness, we are definitely gonna get moving while they are in town lol. Stone Mountain walk up trail is one of my regular spots. I also love Slingshot Entertainment. If there happens to be a Spartan Race in town, then it’s going down. I enjoy supporting small businesses so I don’t have a single spot that I always go to. Cafe Sunflower in Sandy Springs is a vegan spot that I like. Tassili’s Raw Reality is another good one. Pit Boss BBQ is amazing!! The Basement, Painted Pin and High Note Rooftop Bar are real cool hangout spots that we would make a point to visit.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shannon Hamilton was a gym owner that gave me my first job as a trainer in Atlanta. He was also a helluva mentor on fitness and business.

Website: www.fitbodyconyers.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/conyersfitbodybootcamp
Twitter: @mepps5
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mrmyke1911
Other: Online Training Programs: https://mytrainermyke.fitform.biz/store/packages

Image Credits
Phlawless Phocus Photography