Today we’d like to introduce you to Erik Leonoudakis.
Hi Erik, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My introduction to personal training began in 2002 when I was 10 years old. My mother got me involved with a personal trainer at a young age in part to build strength and build self-confidence but the main reason was more for rehabilitation purposes. A year earlier, I had a severe brain infection that resulted in brain surgery which affected the entire right side of my body by partially paralyzing my right side and also affecting my balance.
Fast forward to 2002 my mother signed me up to work with a personal trainer at a local gym in California, A.J. Mccloud Working with A.J. for almost 3 years was incredible, strength in my right side dramatically increased and to this day I can say that working with a trainer at a young age helped improve my right side! But, with that being said, the main reason I enjoyed having a trainer, was the fun! AJ made every session so much fun I looked forward to each time I met with him, not only did we work out but we also played games and mixed in pushups and squats into each game.
Looking back at those times, working with A.J. was hands down the best part of my childhood. The joy that I received from my training sessions was so influential that I knew fitness was going to be a part of my life! Fast forward to 2019, it was time to give personal training a shot, so I walked into Club Fitness at Hampton Village to begin my personal training career. I had played sports my entire life, wrestled in college, and have remained fit so I figured becoming a trainer would be second nature. I was wrong, the thing that makes personal training difficult is having empathy and patience for each client.
Each client starts out differently some require more patience than others, starting with the most basic exercises to the more advanced clients who are already, ready for sprints and bench-press. I was able to pick this up quickly remembering my time with AJ, and remembering that the main reason I was a trainer was to provide the same level of joy that received, although it was a little different because I was working with adults, not kids.
In 2 and half years at Club Fitness, I worked with hundreds of different people, started working with amazing clients, and then realized my next step was to open my own studio, ELO Training Center! Thanks to the experience, I’ve gained in the fitness industry and the amazing clients I have (Ron, Marina, Bobbi Steve, Andrew, Christina and so many others) I was able to make ELO Training Center a reality and have now been open since October 19th!!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Getting to the point where I felt comfortable enough to open the ELO Training Center was mostly a smooth ride with some notable speed bumps. The first major speed bump occurred in 2015 when I was 23. I, unfortunately, had another health scare and suffered a stroke. There was no rime or reason that caused the stroke, I was healthy and fit, with exercise and fitness already the main part of my life. I simply woke up and had a stroke.
I was fortunate enough to bounce back rather quickly with no lasting impact, but after attending a stroke support group I realized how lucky I was because the vast majority of people in the group did not recover the same way I did. I decided I wanted help in any way I could, I knew that I could educate people through fitness and nutrition to live a healthier lifestyle. The second main hurdle was the financial status of being a personal trainer. There is not a lot of money in training, in fact, my first paycheck was a whopping $36.00.
Which I think would make anybody take a step back and say “wow, am I going to be able to make this happen” It did teach me a valuable lesson, though, work ethic. The best way to make it as a personal trainer is to be at the gym from sunrise to sunset, what I mean is to always go that extra mile, work with that extra client because it will pay off.
This is a lesson I take into my own business knowing that it can be a tough market but by having that work ethic and the willingness to work with all types of people ELO Training Center will thrive!
As you know, we’re big fans of the ELO Training Center. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
ELO Training center focuses on 1 on 1 personal training and also offers small group classes. I specialize in personal training, group training, youth training, and senior training. My training styles are functional fitness training, high-intensity training, aerobic training, and strength training.
I work with people of all ages, currently, my youngest client is 24 and my oldest client is 88. What sets me apart as a fitness studio owner and trainer is my desire to work with any type of person. As I mentioned above, I have been working with my 88-year-old client, Ann for 3 years and absolutely love it.
I also enjoy working with my 30-year-old clients, training them to go all out each session. I love meeting new people and educating them on why fitness is so important, by teaching and showing them the benefits and also teaching people how fun fitness can be!
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I believe I’ve taken two main risks in the fitness industry. The first one: Starting a small fitness studio I view starting ELO Training Center as a risk because the fitness industry can be viewed as over-saturated. With different types of gyms seemingly on every corner, it could be hard to make a name for yourself when you are going up against big box gyms with all the resources that a corporation has.
There is also the risk of gaining and maintaining clientele as this is the main financial source. There is also the overhead that I did not have to deal with as an employee. The second risk I have taken is putting myself out there. I am the owner/trainer of ELO Training Center, no employees, no other trainers, just me.
So everything falls on me and I have to plan, my days, weeks, months accordingly so I have enough time to accomplish all my goals so that my business will be a success.
Pricing:
- Introductory Package- 5, 1 Hour Sessions for $200.00 total
- Other Prices Per Inquiry
- $25.00 group classes
Contact Info:
- Email: elotrainingcenter@gmail.com
- Website: elotrainingcenter.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elo.training/?hl=en
