Today we’d like to introduce you to Tommie Sykes.
Hi Tommie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Starting a business from scratch is not an easy feat, especially when it’s in a highly competitive industry like fitness. However, for me, it was a passion that started in the most unexpected place – the military. I was deployed in Mardin, Turkey, in 2003, and during downtime, I would lead my battle buddies in an hour workout to stay fit and active. After my military stint, I attended Western Colorado University, where I played football and mentored youth in Gunnison County. My passion for fitness continued, and I always found ways to incorporate it into the mentorship program. Later, I moved back to the San Fernando Valley and worked as a mechanic building oil pumps for a company named Dynapump. During lunch breaks, I would host push-up competitions and races for my coworkers. It was then I realized that being a mechanic was not my calling.
I asked my brother, who was a fitness trainer running a business if I could start shadowing him while he trained his boot camp members in Oxnard. After getting certified, I felt comfortable training members alone and started a boot camp at Petit Park in Granada Hills in 2009, naming it Valley’s A4dable Fitness. My first client was sent my way by my brother, and for about a year, I showed up at Petit Park at 6 pm M, W, F, training my one client, hoping others would join I ended up with a group 30 members. I sat down with my brother and said that we should start a business together and we said let’s name it SB Fitness because me and my brothers were known as the Sykes Boys but with longer thought, we decided to come up with Slim Body. After sub-leasing at several facilities in the valley me and my wife Paloma saw an opportunity to get our own location in Chatsworth and we have been here since June 2015.
With hard work, dedication, and a passion for fitness, Slim Body Fitness was born. Starting small and building gradually, I am proud to say that the business has grown and thrived over the years, helping people achieve their fitness goals and lead healthier lives. We are going on our 8th year at our Chatsworth location; my wife runs the back office and I am a trainer along with my brother, niece, nephew, cousin, friend and business partners from Formula4speed.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I have faced a number of challenges over the years. One of my biggest hurdles was likely when me and my wife initially tried to lease our own facility but did not have good credit, which required us to ask the then-current tenant to leave the lease in her name until we built up our credit. It allowed us to eventually put the lease in our own names after several years of making payments on time.
Most recently, the pandemic hit, causing us to lose over 80% of my fitness members. However, we were able to pivot by offering online Zoom classes and changing our business structure to focus on semi-private and private training sessions. This allowed us to provide a higher quality of training to our members and bounce back from the pandemic. We have to adapt and evolve so that we can continue to grow our business and provide high-quality fitness training to our members.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Slim Body Fitness is more than just a gym – it’s a family-owned business that’s dedicated to helping people become the best version of themselves, both physically and mentally. As a US Army Veteran, I know the importance of strength and resilience, and that’s reflected in the functional training methods that our trainers use to help people of all fitness levels get stronger, lose body fat, become more flexible, and build muscle. We offer Personal Training and Simi private classes we open up at 5am and end the day at 9pm.
One of our unique offerings is our partnership with Formula4speed, which allows us to provide a top-of-the-line youth fitness program that builds confidence, muscle, and more. At Slim Body Fitness, we develop relationships with our members and adjust our workouts as needed to ensure that everyone is getting the support and guidance they need to succeed.
But what really sets Slim Body Fitness apart is our commitment to community service. Over the past seven years, we’ve raised over $35,000 to help those in need. We’ve clothed and fed the homeless, paid for medical procedures for people with cancer and Lyme disease, and even sponsored college trips for underprivileged families. Last year, we even launched our own water brand, Slim Body Fitness Water, with proceeds going directly to student-athletes to fund their college trips.
But that’s not all – we’re also committed to helping the next generation of fitness trainers and entrepreneurs. Our junior leader program offers internships for college students and fitness enthusiasts who are interested in pursuing careers in the fitness industry.
So when you join Slim Body Fitness, you’re not just joining a gym – you’re joining a family that’s dedicated to making a positive impact in our community and helping you achieve your fitness goals.
We offer in-person training and zoom training sessions Monday-Saturday.
How do you think about happiness?
What makes me happy is spending time with my wife and two children. We have a 21 yr old son who playing College football in Colorado and an 18yr old daughter who is about to graduate HS and go to College. Helping others makes me happy as well as taking long hikes being in the nature.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.slimbodyfitness1.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/slimbodyfitness1?igshid=ZjE2NGZiNDQ=
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/slimbodyfitness1
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@SlimBodyFitness
- Yelp: https://yelp.to/xgFLnTj5tyb
- Other: https://www.schedulicity.com/scheduling/SBFU6C/classes
Image Credits
Slim Body Family
