The Corporate Monster Comes To Kennebunk

I am tired of hearing about the new gym that is being built 200 yards from my facility. Every day someone asks me " Have you heard about the new gym being built behind you, what are you going to do about it?" I say to them, NOTHING. What am I supposed to do. I don't have a network of doctors and million dollar investors and developers at my disposal like they have. I am just one man who is living his dream of owning a wellness education center. I started Fitness Nut Enterprises 11 years ago here in Kennebunk, Maine. I was newly wed and my wife and I chose Kennebunk to be our home to have a family and to have our kids go through the school system in Kennebunk. I took out a small business loan and opened up my own personal training facility. Immediately the need for my service grew. I expanded 3 times to bigger spaces within the first three years. During this time I developed many successful programs and helped many people lower their cholesterol, get off blood pressure medications, control diabetes, get off depression medication, reduce body fat and increase lean body mass, improve flexibility, and reduce stress. Now we are entering into our 11th year and I am faced with a corporate machine being built behind me.

I am just a small local business providing an honest, hard working ethical service to the community of Kennebunk. I realize that the new place will have fancy architecture, a swimming pool, saunas, elaborate locker rooms, fancy weight machines with computerized non-personal systems, cookie cutter commercialized fitness classes. I have been in this business a long time and I have seen all the bells and whistles. A gym can have all the bells and whistles they want to sell to members but the bottom line is FANCY MACHINES AND GIMMICKS DON'T DO ANYTHING TO CHANGE THE APPEARANCE OF YOUR BODY. How you use the equipment and the correct exercise prescription and nutrition plan is key. I don't need all the fancy equipment if I did need it I would have purchased it. My programs are unique and cannot be duplicated because they come out of my head. They are not cookie cutter, they are not commercialized, they are strictly my creations and I have seen unbelievable results with them. My knowledge in the field of exercise science and nutrition is unmatched to anyone around. I will go head to head with any owner of a gym, any medical board, or any other fitness expert any day to discuss my theories. My concepts and philosophy in exercise science and nutrition are not taught in books or universities. I don't want to invest thousands of dollars into having fancy architecture or saunas, or whirlpools because I don't own my space. I rent it. If I put those services into the business they wouldn't belong to me they would become property of the land lord. There is no reason to do it.

I have learned my knowledge from studying, researching and experimenting on myself for over 26 years. I live, eat and breath exercise and nutrition. This is my passion and it is all do. I guarantee that when the owners of Quest Fitness go home they no longer think about the business. They have their posh house with their 911 porsche parked in the drive way and are only concerned with what outfit they are going to wear to dinner. They are not pioneers in fitness they are only business men who have deep pockets and think that they can buy up everything and everyone. This is not the case with me. After working from 5:00a.m. to 6/7 p.m. I go home play with my kids for a bit. Then I go right back to work. I write programs for my clients and I develop new concepts in fitness, and I write a few pages of my new book "Diet Earth". I might be naive about the happenings of the world (politics, ect) But there is one thing I am not naive in and that is EXERCISE SCIENCE, THE HUMAN BODY AND NUTRITION. I think about it all day and dream about it all night. I am constantly thinking of new routines and ways to help people lose body fat. People can go else where I can't control those folks that need to have saunas, and whirpools and so on. What I provide is something more than any piece of equipment can ever do. I offer my knowledge to those who want it. Over the years I have short sold myself on cost because I just want to help people out. There have been many times when I couldn't take home a pay check because I had to pay my employees first and rent. People think that because a person owns a business that they are wealthy. Well, I am not. I just love what I do and want everyone to be healthy and fit. I have helped many people in this community and have made great friends and long lasting relationships.

Being the underdog is nothing new to me. I have been in this role many times before. Adversity gives me strength and intestinal fortitude. There is nothing that a big corporation can offer in terms of knowledge that I don't or can't offer to anyone. The frustrating thing for me is that many people that are members of my facility don't have any idea what I can do for them. They are stuck in the "standard membership" mentality. They just want a place to work out. They don't ever want me to help them out. No one asks me questions which I can not understand why. I am always offering free advice and I even give invitations for people to email me their questions. I want to help people that is why I opened this business.

I thank all of you who have supported me and the Fitness Nut House over the years. And I hope that I can continue to meet your expectations and always be your place for fitness and nutrition education.

Lastly, I would just like to say that small business has been the corner stone of America for hundreds of years. But with the emergence of big corporations the idea of small business is becoming extinct. I hope that people can see the value of supporting a small local business and do not support the corporate monsters that want to wipe small businesses out.