Today we’d like to introduce you to Tabora and Toy Laster.
Tabora and Toy, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My name is Tabora (aka T.), my wife is Toy & our story began in our junior high school gymnasium. It’s funny, thinking about that now it seems that we were destined to be in the fitness business. With no prior business experience, we started our first business in 2003 focusing on personal training only. Having nowhere else to go, I use my apartment’s gym to train clients in the evening. During the day, I worked for a big box gym and at night a security job. Toy worked in Corporate America while helping develop the administrative side of our new company Choice Training.
During the development phase, I wrote for a few local magazines and made appearances on Good Morning Texas. With my military background, fitness boot camp’s were an easy addition to our services shortly after that Corporate Wellness became an avenue with Intuit (the makers of Turbo Tax) being our first client in this area. Fast forward to 2009, we opened our first brick and mortar location rebranding ourselves as “Choice Training Group Fitness.” Realizing Group X as our niche market, we included Pole Fitness classes & parties to our updated barrage of services.
Toy was now full time in the business heading up our Pole fitness program and marketing. She seizes the opportunity by blending her theater degree into pole artistry by founding the Kandy & Krome Room. This space became a safe haven for women to feel sexy, more confident and work out in an alternative way. Well on our way to our dream, business was good until it wasn’t. Realizing the grind of a small business forced us to work smarter. After four years and two additional unrelated small business, we closed our doors & moved into our second location.
Learning from our previous experiences, in 2009 we negotiated our new lease better. We refined our look and operations into a franchise model that my wife and I looked forward to growing. A little over seven years, thousands of clients, a roller coaster of financial highs & lows, industry/economy changes, 16 hour days, gained wisdom, and a beautiful baby girl later forced an unavoidable change of direction. It was God again forcing a change in how we did things.
Our goal has always been to scale nationally our past company proved difficult to impossible to do so. August 2018 we sold our business and took our approach back to where it all started. Known now as Fit Choice USA, our business thrives on Community & Corporate Wellness. We service luxury apartments in the DFW area and corporations by bringing fitness classes, personal training & nutrition onsite.
Now we are growing faster than ever. Impacting communities by change the lives of countless people including customers and our staff. A national contract is on the verge of closing and most importantly we can now focus on our family not being defined by need but instead by Choice.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The first years of our business we practically did everything ourselves! As business owners, you wear multiple if not all the hats. This led to working sundown to nightfall hours day after day. That pattern adds pressure & fatigue. We had to find the balance between work vs. personal time. We created a rule at home that all business conversations stayed at the studio or office.
However, it’s difficult when the sum of your income depends on you and your business! Overhead was definitely an issue along with business location due to a flooded market. One of the pros of working together as husband and wife team we shared the same problems and mission.
We quickly learned boundaries and how not to take things “too personal” when one or other had a bad day. Lastly, as business owners finding passionate people who value your company and share your vision is always a hurdle.
Fit Choice USA – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We service luxury apartments in the DFW area and corporations by bringing fitness classes, personal training & nutrition onsite! Residents & employees benefit from our hands-on approach and awesome classes! It’s proven to boost company morale and create stronger communities.
We also host pole dance parties in Carrollton by request. Ladies are always looking for a reason to host a girls night or celebration! We value the relationships we’ve built with our clients & team over the years! We’ve helped countless people change their lifestyles for the better!
Whether it’s been weight loss, running their first marathon, no longer on medication, trying a pole class and becoming more confident or simply building a community! We’ve always held our services in the highest regard by having tact and diplomacy as business owners.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
We define success simply though happiness. When our customers are happy, that means that they see the value. Once the value is established, it is followed by growth. Growth for us means that we are no longer chasing the dream instead we have become it. This causes a chain reaction leading to reinforced personal success. The sum of these things makes us happy.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4004 Belt Line Rd #125b, Addison, TX 75001
- Website: www.FitChoiceUSA.com
- Phone: 1 469-399-1028
- Email: info@fitchoiceusa.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/247532011/fit-choice-usa-headquarters?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FitChoiceUSAheadquarters/
Image Credit:
Ann Austin photography, Photography by Boyatti
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