Today we’d like to introduce you to Molly Harris.
Hi Molly, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My passion for the fitness industry began in 2009 when I became a Zumba instructor. I fell in love with teaching fitness and knew I wanted to make it a career. It was a pipe dream at the time, but I never fully let it go.
Life took me in a different direction, and I was a stylist at a salon when Covid hit. The salon had to shut down temporarily, and I knew I had to figure something out to keep me busy and keep my income flowing. I re-certified my personal training license and began writing up simple pdf documents of workouts to sell online. I thought few people would be interested in buying them, but I was wrong. I posted on social media and was overwhelmed with positive feedback and purchases. In the spring of 2021, I started training people out of my garage. I only had a handful of people come that year, but by the time spring 2021 came, I had to limit classes to 30 people.
That fall I started to look for buildings to rent so that we would have a space for training during the winter. There was a vacant building in my area I had my eye on, but it was already under contract. About a month after my search started, I got a phone call from the now owner asking if I wanted to lease the building from him and now here we are in our 9th month and the gym is continually growing and thriving.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Besides learning everything it takes to run a business, my biggest struggle has been juggling life as a single mom and having another career as a hairstylist. It was overwhelming at first trying to be present in all of these areas, but I’ve adapted and learned how to make it work.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
One of my biggest priorities with opening Black Iron Fitness was to help people feel comfortable and less intimidated in a new gym, no matter their fitness background. From novices to experienced athletes, we have something for everyone. We intentionally keep our group classes small to hone in on technique. Our aim with workouts is not just to have people show up and sweat but to teach them proper form and give them the confidence to come to work out on their own. Our members are the backbone of the gym. They truly care about each other and have developed friendships beyond just working out. That’s what makes Black Iron Fitness an amazing gym, the people.
Who else deserves credit for your story?
I started Black Iron Fitness on my own, but my friend Laura Leh became an integral part of the business along the way. She expressed an interest in wanting to train people and so she began coaching classes out of my garage while I would go to work at the salon. She quickly realized she loved it and quit her full-time job to work alongside me. She coaches 6 days a week, and I couldn’t do it without her! We work very well together because we know it is not about us; our focus is on our members and how we can best support them. Outside of my friends and family, the people in the community have been a huge support. I never fathomed having so many people rally behind me in this.
Pricing:
- Unlimited Classes with Monthly Membership $125
- 10 Class Punchcard $100
- Drop-in class $12
- Gym Membership (no classes) $45
Contact Info:
- Website: blackironfitness.com
- Instagram: black_iron_fitness
- Facebook: Black Iron Fitness
Image Credits:
Holly Glatt Andrew Gegg Brandon Spaulding
