The rewarding business of fitness
CYCLING COACH and personal trainer Kate Slegrova has built a strong client base and kept them healthy while making a healthy profit during the challenges of the past year.
The fitness business has been tough as lockdown restrictions affected whether gyms could operate, with personal trainers and staff facing uncertain times.
Slegrova is one of the many personal trainers affected. But she was quick to react to the changes and provided her services online.
Slegrova was born in the Czech Republic and moved to South Africa 15 years ago. She has a sports management degree back home and has worked for a gym group in Cape Town for more than 12 years.
“Since the lockdown last year March, I left the gym,” she said. “There were some clients that stayed on with me and we did Zoom sessions but it was also challenging because I have two small children, one is 6 years old and the other is 3.”
Her children were at home, so Slegrova only managed two Zoom sessions a day. But she built on the strength of her reputation and used social media to lead by example.
“I posted video workouts every day on social media and tried to motivate clients by showing them that I’m also keeping fit and trying to exercise, even though I didn’t have a nanny. It was hard. but when the clients see that I’m moving that helps them to also move.”
Cycling is her speciality. Slegrova has completed two Cape Epic mountain bike races and five Cape Town Cycle Tours. So she focused her business on the sport.
“While I was at the gym I did cycling training, like mountain bike skills coaching, but also specific training plans for the Cape Town Cycle Tour and the Cape Epic. I’ve done all of those races so I have that experience. I’ve been doing cycling coaching since 2012.”
As restrictions eased, she now also does face-to-face training with her clients.
“I personally don’t feel that the gym is the safest place to train right now because it’s inside. Unless its pouring with rain, we train outdoors. Clients can either pay ahead for 10 sessions, or the clients that I’ve had for years, I invoice them at the end of the month.”
One of her other business advantages is that at the beginning of 2020, a few months before the lockdown was announced, Slegrova started her all-female mountain biking group called Pretty Pedal.
“Ladies on their bikes sometimes feel intimidated by men because men are often a bit stronger and better skilled on the mountain bike,” she said. “It’s been growing and I’ve built up the client base.”
The cycling club does the rounds on the Atlantic Seaboard and Southern Suburbs.
“It’s rewarding to see how some of the women clients who couldn’t ride before love it now, and it’s given them a great new hobby and made new friends through us. It empowers women as well, when they’re confident in riding.”
Slegrova believes that as the world is changing, so must her business.
“People now also like it that they don’t have to go anywhere, but there’s still the demand for one-on-one in-person training because people are working on their computers all day and then don’t want to exercise on Zoom.”