A young businessman who took his first step up the entrepreneurial ladder in his bedroom has opened a private gym.
Sean Parkinson, 26, launched SPPT in Pembroke Park, Three Bridges, on March 17, five years after being bitten by the personal training bug.
Sean, who grew up in Copthorne, said: “I started it from my bedroom and it just grew, so I moved it into a garage and then it got a little bit bigger and now we’ve got the new premises.
“The business is really going from strength to strength.”
In the gym, he and his colleagues Jon Barker and George Searl, offer one-to-one training to people looking to lose weight, increase their muscle mass, improve their eating and exercise habits, tone up and generally improve their health.
The personal touch is something the team rates highly – and Sean, Jon and George stay in touch with their clients by phone as well as at the gym.
Sean said: “We try to stay in the client’s head and, even when they are not here, stay in touch with them and make sure they are still on track.
“We want to show them that we care more about them than filling our bank accounts.
“They need that angel sitting on their shoulder to keep them going and keep them motivated.”
Sean needed to heed his own advice about determination when he was searching for premises to house the gym.
The search was not an easy one – and his advice to others looking to start their own businesses was to stick with it and not to be put off by the bureaucracy involved.
The trio looked at four or five other locations but found themselves scuppered by planning regulations which would not allow them to adapt the properties for use as a gym.
While the delays were frustrating, Sean, Jon and George stuck with it.
Sean said: “It’s just a game of patience. It’s out of your hands. It wouldn’t have been much of an example to our clients if we had given up at the first hurdle!”
As well as patience, Sean said a determination to succeed was needed.
He said: “My advice is to work hard. There’s no magic formula. You are going to get people who knock you back and say no. The way we progressed was because of our work ethic.”
SPPT has around 40 clients of all shapes and sizes on its books. The oldest is 62.
Sean said: “We have people who are low on confidence or need a boost or need guidance. It’s a real local thing.”
To find out more, log on to sp-pt.com , email sean@sp-pt.com or call Sean on 07525 925373.