Today marks the first day I will be training clients at Foundation Fitness, leaving the only location my training business called home since November 2014.
I took a year off from journalism to start AJP Training. I didn't have any clients. No business plan. No capital. Zero loans. I hadn't even been certified by ACE yet.
Somehow, it all worked out. A big thanks to Goalie Academy owner Darren Hersh who, for some reason, let me take over vacated training space upstairs.
This is how it looked after I moved in:
And here's how it looked a couple weeks ago as I prepared for the move a few miles away:
Yes, plenty has changed. As my client count grew, I was able to outfit the gym exactly how I wanted. I thank all those clients who stuck with me as I transformed the space and, as you can see, even add more square footage and some new equipment 12 months ago.
In recent months, it became clear that Darren's new ice facility, the Loudoun Ice Center, wouldn't have space for my training business despite his efforts. So, I'd have to find a new place to train this spring.
A confluence of events led me to Foundation Fitness. The Ashburn location is the chain's sixth in the D.C. region as management for the company had just taken over an existing gym. Lance and Kevin, who head up Foundation Fitness, share the same vision when it comes to training.
So here I am. Most everything has been moved to my new training location. No, you won't see any AJP Training logos around, but since the it's a silhouette, all I'd have to do is pose if you want a reminder.
That logo, created by friend and regular boot camp participant John Kosask, won't be fully retired. Nor is the name AJP Training. Instead, AJPT will be focused on sports performance group training for youth teams, and my online training app. This website, will also remain. My cell numbers and email will also be unchanged.
Really, the only thing that will change is the address. (44927 George Washington Boulevard, Ashburn, VA 20147) I'll be there along with plenty of TRXs, bands, Bosu balls kettlebells. There will be fewer pucks flying around, however.