Today we’d like to introduce you to Crissy and Shane Glarrow.
Hi Crissy and Shane, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
We actually met through a fitness avenue, so fitness and health were a pillar of our relationship from Day 1. After we got married, we set some life goals and directions we wanted to accomplish. One of those goals was to work with our community through health and fitness – namely, a gym. At the time, it seemed like a pipe dream. Crissy was working as a trainer and manager of a fitness facility at the time. Shane was working full-time as a Civil Engineer, but fitness and health remained a constant in our life.
Early on in our relationship, we adopted the “life phrase” of Always Moving Forward. Essentially it meant that no matter what, we would keep taking steps forward in life. Whether that meant moving forward in our relationship, towards our dreams/goals, or moving forward when situations got hard, this life phrase is what kept us going.
With the dream of opening a gym, “moving forward” meant taking steps, no matter how small they were. Slowly, we started saving a few dollars each month with the hopes of one day opening a facility. We believed creating a fitness facility would be a 5 to 10 year goal; however, each month when we literally set aside $20, the dream grew and got closer. We made our first purchase and bought some dumbbells, then a barbell, and eventually a rowing machine. Before we knew it, we were buying equipment to outfit an entire gym.
We started driving around Knoxville on the weekends exploring and looking for the right community. We knew that we wanted to live in the community in that we opened our facility which meant we would have to move as well.
On South Knoxville:
We fell in love with the community of South Knoxville. The people, the outdoor activities, it just seemed like a slower pace of life compared to other pockets of Knoxville. We sold our house, picked up everything, and moved to South Knoxville and haven’t looked back.
As for the business, we started doing free workouts in Island Home Park on the weekend, and then after looking at several different spaces to rent, we signed a lease and the rest is history. Sevier Avenue is now the home to South Landing Fitness, and in November we will celebrate being open for 5 years.
Sevier Avenue has continued to come to life, which has been fun to see. Apartment complexes have opened up. Coffee shops and restaurants have followed. And we have loved being a small part of this wonderful community. While we started small and still look back at our park workouts with fond memories, we also realized early on in order to create the impact in the community we wanted to, we needed a team.
Over the past 5 years, our team has continued to grow, and we cannot say enough about the importance of having a high-quality team. Our team is the reason we are where we are today. Our head coach just happened to walk in our doors a few weeks after we opened, and he has impacted many in our community since. We now have several full time coaches, part time coaches, and support staff that allow our “once pipe dream” to have legs and create a lasting impact. Our team inspires us and continues to push hard daily. We get to work alongside individuals who have the same mission as we do, and it has been a privilege to see them impact lives within (and outside of) our four walls each and every day.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Is small business ever a smooth road? I would love to meet that small business owner. Haha, we have had so many ups and downs, twists and turns, and every other kind of bump along the way.
But, it has 100% been one of the best experiences of our lives.
One obstacle we had to overcome was taking the final leap for us both to be full-time in the business. When we opened, Shane remained a full-time Civil Engineer; however, the goal was for us to do this together. Three years ago, with a new baby on the way, we took the leap to go all in. In hindsight, this is what has allowed us to grow and expand these last few years with both of us fully committed to the journey. We love working together, and we will always look back on this time grateful to be able to do this together, regardless of the challenges we might face.
In addition, I think this past year has shown us that something you have worked so hard for, something you have put time, money, energy, and every other resource at your discretion can be taken away in an instant… even the healthy and successful businesses can and will face hard times. We saw gyms, restaurants, and other businesses have to close their doors for things that were almost completely outside of their control.
However, rather than create a fear mindset and dwelling on the struggles, we were reminded that we are living our dream. We aren’t promised a business tomorrow; but today, we are in the middle of the dream and goals that we set many years ago. The past year and a half really taught us to pivot our business based on what the current need is and to constantly learn and listen to what those needs are.
We’ve been impressed with South Landing Fitness, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Always Move Forward.
This is our Mission Statement, and it has become the words we constantly come back to not only personally, but with our staff and our clients as well. Our focus is on helping our clients and our community live their healthiest life. We believe health is a lifestyle – and a lifestyle cannot be completed in 30-days or 60-days or some other short-term fix.
It is our role as Coaches to walk alongside them every step of the way guiding them as needed. We are constantly reminding clients that consistency, sustainability, and following a proven process is the path to success. Our goal is that each of our clients Move Often, Move Well, Move Confidently, and Always Move Forward.
We help our clients accomplish the above through Group Training, Semi-Private Training (4 clients to 1 Coach), Personal Training, and other forms of Individualized Coaching. Each of our clients is unique and need a unique approach to help them live their healthiest life.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
It is easy to spend our energy focusing on things outside of our control, the fears of small business owners, and the million other distractions vying for our attention. However, we believe the most important thing is staying true to the mission, vision, and passion we started with.
It means putting our blinders on when needed, and always staying authentic to who we are and our commitment to impact our community.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@southlandingfitness.com
- Website: southlandingfitness.com
- Instagram: @southlandingfitness
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southlandingfitness
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtnnhZO0AuJFql2byj42qUg/about
- Other: https://southlandingfitnessappointments.as.me/FreeIntro
