Spotlight on Meagan Hazlewood of BeFit in Edmonton, Alberta

BeFit is a boutique style gym, personal training studio and wellness centre focused on whole body fitness and training in Edmonton, Alberta. We had a chance to chat with owner, Meagan Hazlewood about her business, and what a day in her life looks like.

Tell us a bit about your business

We assist men, women and families to set health and fitness goals then allow our fitness community to provide support and inspiration needed on the journey to achieve them. By believing each person is an individual we create a personal journey to a lifestyle of health and wellness. Our intimate group fitness classes, semi-private and one-on-one personal training sessions are designed to ensure safe, effective fitness practices. Our community atmosphere ensures our clients can have fun, feel confident and inspire each other to achieve all their fitness goals.

While we offer all the fun, service and serious athletic training of other personal training studios we are proud to encourage fitness in a variety of populations including seniors, rehabilitation clients, clients with disabilities, maternity fitness and more.

BeFit’s mission is to help members find that internal desire and inspiration. To achieve this, the studio atmosphere is friendly and inviting. Staff enjoys sharing their passion for fitness while also demonstrating compassion and empathy for those struggling to make changes.

We also believe that people who are committed to achieving their goals and put in the work should be rewarded. This is why we recently started our new program: the more you work, the less you pay. With this program literally the more you show up and workout the less you pay for your workouts. I am really passionate about this program as I think it speaks to our philosophy of wanting to assist people get to their goals, and create an inspiring, community based fitness centre that is accessible to a wide range of clients.

How would you describe your current role in your business?

It is my job to guide the business and keep it true to the philosophy under which it was built. I am responsible for selecting and organizing events, overseeing the marketing plan, meeting with clients, and stakeholders in the community that can assist us in spreading the word about the company, and gaining more clientele. I also look after our relationship with our retail product providers including selecting and ordering product, plus attending meetings and trade shows.

It is important to me that I still know exactly what my clients are experiencing and I make sure to make time to still have my own personal training clients so that I can engage in the studio and see the inspiration and community we are building. This keeps me excited and passionate about my job.

Do you have a morning ritual or routine that helps set the tone for the day?

My hours tend to vary widely depending on my day, but my day always starts with Bena (my dog) smothering me with kisses the second the alarm goes off. She is a great reminder of one of the reasons I own a business, it has always been a dream to take my dog to work. My late dog, Thai, inspired this and had the opportunity to soak up how amazing it was to come to work with his Mom. This legacy has been passed down to his sister.

After I am awake I review my notes in my Passion Planner making sure I am on track for the week, before heading out the door for a walk or jog. I listen to an inspiring podcast or eBook while I shower, and then grab some breakfast before heading out the door. At some point before noon, I also make a point of reviewing the newspaper to keep up with the current events in our world.

The one thing I go out of my way not to do first thing in the morning is check my email. I try to make sure that I have a plan for how the day will go and I focus on that. Checking emails first thing creates an opportunity for distraction.

What does a typical day in the life look like for you while running your business?

My day is always different depending on when I see my personal training clients, but each day includes 2-3 hours of personal training, 1 hour or prospecting for new clients, 1 hour to deal with store/product business, an hour of time to respond to priority email or delegate staff that can respond, 1 hour a day to spend with staff, and my flex hour—the hour per day that is put aside to deal with whatever has come up that is urgent.

I also make time to work out and mediate, follow the news and see what is trending in fitness fashion and personal training. Each day I try to do at least one thing that encourages me to get outside of my comfort zone. Even when I am at home I am often working, I know I work way too many hours, and I am trying to work towards rebalancing this so I can excel at the things I do.

As an entrepreneur, we know random things always seem to pop up on the day-to-day, how do you make sure you have allocated time in your regular duties to make room for these things? 

I have a flex hour built into each day. That is the hour per day I have to deal with all the things that pop up. I prioritize them and then deal with them in the order that they fall into priority. If I can delegate something, great, but I try not to allow everything to seem urgent. It is easy to run around constantly dealing with these things but that won’t see your business move forward.

What are your tips for staying on top of everything you’re juggling?

You have to be able to prioritize. Get a Passion Planner—write it down and check it off. Being organized is key, and being honest with just how urgent that urgent thing is. Schedule your workout and schedule at least one day a week where you have a break. Unless a staff member calls you with an emergency, try to force yourself to take time away. You will be more productive all week long, and you will thank yourself for your sanity.

The other thing I have done is set Monday aside as my appointment day. I don’t see any personal training clients on a Monday, and I use that day to try and have all my meetings (media, advertising, product representatives, and staff follow ups, etc.). It helps to contain the chaos and prevent you from being constantly interrupted as you move from one task to the next.

Anything else you’d like to share?

Always get everything, absolutely everything in writing. I have had several very unfortunate learning lessons with contractors and suppliers, and you never know when you might need a very great paper trail. File your emails, make sure you can find them, and know that anything you put in writing can be held accountable on. Get a good lawyer, a good accountant a good banker and a great business coach—they are the basis of your team, the team that will set you up for success.

My other advice is to know that you will have to adapt. When we started our business this time last year, oil prices were high and people were excited about one-on-one personal training. With oil prices around $40/barrel, people are scared to make a financial commitment. We have had to adapt our business model and are doing some re-directing in order to survive. If you can adapt on your feet, you can survive. We will never give up our desire to build an inspiring fitness community, but the way in which we build it may look different based on the challenges that come to meet us.

My last comment is my gratitude to those who have helped in my last year, especially my Mom and Dad. I couldn’t ever be successful without them!