Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexander Serrano.
Alexander, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I worked the front desk at different public gyms while I was in college. I was also personal training some friends on the side. I’ve always been known as the fitness guy/ gym rat, so my friends always came to me for help. I quickly realized I could do personal training for a living during this time, but I would have to wait until I finished school. After graduating college with a Bachelor’s in Exercise Science in 2018, I decided to leave the public gym scene and go my own way. I had no money at the time, so I took the 1500 dollars I got back from my tax returns and went all in. I bought 1500 dollars worth of gym equipment and set up shop in my parents’ garage in February of 2019. I started training some close friends those first few months and word of mouth took care of bringing in other clients. During that first year of training, I managed to get enough clients to train full-time while also working full-time hours at my other college job at DFW Airport. By the time COVID-19 arrived in March of 2020, I was working 75+ hours a week between clients and a full-time job. Although COVID changed the world from one day to the next, it was one of the best things that could’ve happened to my business. I was laid off my airport job as soon as quarantine began and that forced me to go all in on my business once again. I used social media to attract more clients and by the end of 2020, I had a waitlist of clients waiting on me. By May of 2021, I managed to completely fill out my parents’ garage with gym equipment and also pay off all debt the business owed as far as gym equipment goes. I spent the rest of the year saving money, growing my clientele, and networking with other business owners. In 2022 I decided to start an apparel line next to my personal training business and began pushing and marketing that apparel line using social media. I also started regularly posting informational content to help others in their fitness journey and this helped both businesses grow. Now in 2023, it’s finally time to begin the search for a small industrial space to relocate the businesses into so we can continue to grow and help clients accomplish their goals.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Business has definitely not been smooth. Apart from the usual struggles that all business owners face like a lack of funding, the COVID-19 quarantine shutdown period, and lack of knowledge in certain key areas of marketing and accounting, I think the biggest struggle I’ve faced has been mental. My business didn’t take off from one day to the next like others do and there’s been a lot of adjustments, self-doubt, and growth. It’s tough to get up every morning and get to work when you have no money and very little to no clients for long periods of time. It’s also tough to have to make sacrifice after sacrifice in friendships, relationships, and other wants and needs when you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. The first few years of trying to get a business up and running are ROUGH.
We’ve been impressed with IAM1ONE Training LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
At IAM1ONE Training LLC we focus on helping individuals become better versions of themselves through fitness. We try to push fitness as a lifestyle rather than just a 6-week diet program. IAM1ONE Training LLC takes on all types of clients but our most preferred is the beginner who has never touched a weight before. We introduce these clients into the weight room and give them the tools to look better, feel better and live better. We also put out educational fitness content on most social media platforms to help our followers with quick tips and tricks to help them reach their goals.
At IAM1ONE Apparel we design and produce stylish gym wear. We use quality garments and screen pressing to put out a message of self-accountability and nonconformity.
As the owner of both of these businesses, I am most proud of the relationships we have built with past, present, and future customers. We wouldn’t exist without the support from our customers, so we try to give and give everyone the equal amount of support and care throughout their journey or purchase.
We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Something surprising about me is that I am just a normal human being like everyone else. Most people think that because I’m a personal trainer I eat nothing but salads and protein shakes and workout 15 times a week but it’s actually quite the opposite. I skip workouts from time to time and I also enjoy bone-in wings and a cold beer some weekends as well. I ditch the sweats, hoodies, and running shoes for boots and jeans, and buttoned shirt from time to time and bar hop in Deep Ellum in Dallas or off of 7th Street in Fort Worth. I promise all trainers are like this! My life revolves around gyms and cameras but I’m a normal human being like everyone else outside of that.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://iam1one.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iam1one_/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@iam1one_
Image Credits
Angel Palacios
Mauro Martinez
Samuel Palacios
