I first met Greg through a friend at my local gym (where else do you meet people?) and it was obvious, even way back then that Greg had a genuine passion and drive to push himself to achieve results; his workouts were more than just a bench press competition with his buddies and 12 sets of cable crossovers like most young guys.
Greg's one of the nice guys. He's the first one to arrive if you need a hand moving house or if you need 42 recipes to make tuna taste...well it still tastes like tuna, but Greg will share his secrets. If there's a way Greg can help out, he will and his fitness passion has inadvertently paved the way for another channel that Greg could help people and that was through transforming their bodies and lives.
I wanted to interview Greg, not only because he gets results for his clients (and his retention rate is phenomenal), he actually has a regular full time job and works only part time as a personal trainer out of a small gym in a country town.
He works as a trainer purely for the love of helping people and I'm sure if mortgages and electricity were free then Greg would also train people gratis.
Where are you working from mate and what kind of personal training business are you operating?
I'm working out of Elite Fitness in Taree NSW as a contractor; I don't pay rent to the owners because we have a long standing relationship. However, my clients must be gym members and I represent the gym when I compete in bodybuilding competitions and make mention of it in magazines and, well, things like this.
You only work part time as a trainer, whys that?
Since I train in a small town, I prefer working a full-time job because I don’t have to push to get clients to pay the bills and I can keep my training rates down.
That's a rare quality; so what inspired you to become a personal trainer?
"I think life is not about yourself, it’s about other people."
If you can find something you can help people with you should share it, across all facets of life. I want to help people, they don’t have to be a bodybuilder but if I can help them feel better about one thing in their lives then it’s worth it. I’ve been helping people for years and not being paid for it so it was a natural progression to accept some money. If personal training is solely a business you can’t succeed, you have to pay interest in their goals.
I know you've been training for years; when you finally completed your personal training accreditation course, how well do you feel it prepared you for the real world of operating a personal training business?
Pretty well, you learn more in practice than in theory. I trained for 12 years before I studied so the study became more relevant because I was already putting it in practice.
"If you have never trained yourself and rely on just the course, you will get a wake up call."
No, not at all. Word of mouth has taken me from two clients to 10 in a very short period and I've had to knock clients back because I unfortunately don’t have the time.
That is one big difference between working in a smaller community than working in a corporate gym or large city, if you're good, a lot of your business growth will be purely organic. Have you considered going full time at some stage?
It is the dream, we'll revisit it once the mortgage is paid (laughs).
It seems in your business, you are the brand 100%, what do you think it is about you that draws clients in?
That's a tough question (pause). I think it probably has something to do with being sincere. It's not about just telling people what they want to hear, you need to lead by example and with my competing and consistency over so many years I think people begin to take notice.
You have been involved in the industry for a long time, is there one thing you would have done differently if you could start all over again?
I would have become a trainer sooner. Before I decided to have a family because I can’t risk it just yet. It took me 10 years to win my first bodybuilding show, I'm all about perseverance and patience.
Who do you admire in business and why?
Richard Branson. He believes in what he does, if he’d lost everything tomorrow it wouldn’t bother him. He's one of those guys willing to put his money his mouth is and came from scratch.
Speaking of starting from scratch; what advice would you give a new personal trainer just getting into the industry?
Practice what you preach, try everything on yourself before you prescribe anything to a client. This includes training, nutrition, even the forms you have them fill out. If you find it mind numbing, so will they. Also, never be too egotistical to ask for help.
What has been the toughest hurdle for you as a trainer and working full time?
Staying mentally alert to try and train my clients after they've had bad days and take it out on me. Also finding the time to train myself.
What has been your proudest moment as a personal trainer?
I'm proud of all of my clients every day. If someone pushes out one more rep than the last session I'm proud to have helped. One of my clients that stands out was 135kgs (297lbs) when we started and lost 45kgs (99lbs) in 12 months which qualified him to get into the army which was his dream but he was continually knocked back due to his size.
That's incredible mate, congratulations!
In closing is there anything you would like to add?
I want to thank you Ben, for getting me featured in MuscleMag and for thinking my story is worthwhile for my business is fitness. I also want to thank Danny Chau from the Australian WNBF bodybuilding federation for all his hard work to get the federation where it is today and for his continued support.
I also want to thank my clients for all their hard work and for making me look good!
And finally, my wife Angela; thank you for always supporting me and shouting the loudest at my shows. You've stuck with me through the hard dieting and the tough times and we grow stronger every day..."
Thanks Greg
Additional Reading:
Interview With Personal Trainer Ellena Tsatsos
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