Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Garcia.
Hi Christopher, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Being a gym owner is amazing! I love helping others and I will never get tired of meeting so many extraordinary people every day. Me and my business partner, Mike, own Snap Fitness in Seabrook, Texas. We are currently a top 10 Snap Fitness Franchise in the nation and have led the franchise in personal training. This has always been my goal and vision but the path was not always so clear. My love for health and fitness started at a young age. Being my mom’s care taker at the age of 17 only made my passion to help and rehabilitate others even stronger. This led me to study Kinesiology exercise science at the University of Houston.
Unfortunately, my mother’s health was declining and I had to make the decision on continuing schooling or continuing taking care of my mom and working. The choice was easy, taking care of my mom came first. Coming from an immigrant Mexican background, family always comes first. She raised me as a single mom and made everything possible for me. I was working at Best Buy at the time and taking care of her when I made the choice to get my personal training certification.
With my certificate in hand, I met my best friend and now business partner Mike. Mike gave me my first training job at Snap Fitness – Pearland with many opportunities for growth. I worked my way from a personal trainer to the general manager. Everything was looking up and in 2017 everything came crashing down when I lost my mom a week before my 25th birthday. This hit me really hard. Those who have lost a very close loved one can understand. I was lucky enough to have a great support system in my family, friends, now wife, and Mike. They were the ones to pick me up when I was down. There would be no way I would be here without their love and support. My vision was still set on the ultimate goal and that was to open my own gym. I wanted to own a gym to help people on a larger scale. I didn’t know where to start and I didn’t have the capital to open my dream gym from the ground up. I thought about just branching off and opening up my own concept gym but I already knew the system after working at Snap Fitness for four years.
After months of inquiring about different Snap Fitness locations and getting turned down on loans, I thought that maybe it just wasn’t meant to be. But even at my lowest, I had my wife there to push me to be better and stay consistent. When we finally found a location and acquired financial backing, COVID hit months later. This was probably the toughest time to be a business owner because of the uncertainty. I can tell you I have never struggled with anxiety until then. Even in this trying time, I continued to make connections with the community and build a talented team.
Fast forward two years, we have now expanded to a bigger location, doubled in members, and grown our team. It is because of them that we were able to come out on the other side of the pandemic with unimaginable success. I owe everything to my team and the continuous love and support of the Seabrook community.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As a small business owner, you are responsible for all aspects of the business. Personally, I manage the gym operations, monitor revenue and budgets, train and manage the team, create content for social media, and strategize on customer relations. Even though I do not do everything alone, I do have to wear multiple hats. These are things that people study and get degrees in. Given the hardships I faced in early adulthood, I didn’t have the opportunity to do that, so I would say it has been and continues to be a struggle today. Regardless, I am grateful for the obstacles and challenges as I have learned so much along the way.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Snap Fitness?
Snap Fitness – Seabrook is a 24-hour private gym with access to Snap Fitness locations globally. We cater to multiple fitness levels and fitness backgrounds (i.e., from powerlifting to general health and fitness). Our newly built facility includes functional equipment, free weights, cable machines, and a vast selection of cardio equipment. Lastly, we have an amazing team of personal trainers that offer tailored fitness plans, one-on-one sessions, and group classes. What sets up apart from other gyms is the ongoing community engagement. We try to make the gym a place you want to be and make working out not feel like a chore.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I think fitness is always going to be a part of people’s lives. It’s impossible to tell the future, but given historical trends, consumers want more options tailored to their current lifestyle. A key business aspect that my team and I value is listening to our customer feedback. Even though it is impossible to cater to every person, it is possible to gradually tailor and adapt your business to surrounding changes.
Contact Info:
- Email: seabrooktx@snapfitness.com
- Website: https://www.snapfitness.com/us/gyms/seabrook-tx/?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=yext
- Instagram: @snapfitnessseabrooktx
- Facebook: Snap Fitness Seabrook
