Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacy Yip.
Hi Stacy, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
At 24 years old, I became the 24 hour caretaker of my 90 years old grandmother. It taught me to see that if I did not take care of my body, the aging process will take away a lot of functional movements I take for granted. If I can prepare now for the future, I can have more freedom of movement as I get older.
While taking care of my grandmother, I would only leave the house to go to the gym. I became obsessed about learning how to take better care of my own body. My passion pushed me to get two certifications for personal training with NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) and WITS (World Instructor Training Schools). I got a job at Women’s World Fitness Center in San Marino, CA in 2014, where I started training senior women. I love teaching effectively and I have learned many tricks over the years of how to make fitness more fun and still results-oriented.
The reason my clients see results is the patience and love I give to each client to help them be their best health version. Everyone has homework and we check in to make sure they are doing their tailored health homework.
The pandemic made everything virtual over Zoom to do the fitness classes and we call clients over the phone to do their health meetings. Now there is no commute, and there are less excuses! Yip Fitness has clients all over America and Canada. I doubled my clients because of the pandemic and I keep growing everyday. I had to hire employees to help me with expanding. I have a lot of ideas on how I can change the current fitness industry to be more affordable and effective. I made a new method that no one is currently doing, I believe in my system to help clients fix bad health habits. I believe I can change the world to be healthier.
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 broke two disc in my neck in 2014 from dropping something on my neck, I am usually fine without pain, but if my neck starts to get inflamed, my neck cannot turn side to side without a lot of pain. It will be crazy painful for one week every three months or so. I don’t need surgery unless it becomes chronic, but I actually can’t do a lot of the exercise movements because I should avoid putting pressure on my neck to prevent inflammation. I problem solved teaching classes by using videos to explain my movements, I am better able to fix form and focus on my clients during class. I also have a future goal of having a baby, I will still be able to teach when I get pregnant someday, which is a big issue for instructors to have to take time off from working when pregnant.
Finding clients was a struggle, but I found a method after trying many ideas and reading many different books. The best marketing books are from the author Jonah Berger. It gave me insight that my business is difficult to market, I am a boulder not a pebble and so I needed to be creative with how I try to reach my audience. It helped a lot to move my brain forward with thinking outside the box. I am constantly reading a new book to help inspire ideas on leadership, motivation, and marketing.
The biggest challenge is having employees. From people quitting, canceling, expectations not being met, client reactions to employees, I am constantly learning how to choose the right person for the right part and how people don’t fit certain places. I am constantly learning, growing, and trying new ideas. I like this Ted Lasso tv show quote, “Every disadvantage has an advantage,” and I am always looking at a problem and trying new ideas to see what will make the situation better. Sometimes it is just time to adjust, people might complain, but they are complaining about something new, there is nothing wrong with it. I am reading the book called “Nudge” by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein, and it has been helpful to helping me think of new ideas to help my clients be more happy.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Yip Fitness LLC?
My business offers live 1-hour Zoom online bodyweight training group fitness classes. Each client receives free one on one bi-weekly accountability coaching to meal-plan, learn accountability tricks, set daily habit goals, and manage stress. My fitness program is holistic, we focus on water, sleep, stress, foam roll, stretching, cardio, weight training, and nutrition. We check in with our clients constantly to make sure the goals they set are realistic and if not, we constantly change them to what might be difficult but is still achievable.
I specialize in senior women, they need more patience and care because they have spent years doing bad habits. It takes time and care to help them change to better habits. I have been interviewed by the local news station ABC7 LA because of my specialization in senior women. In reality, I have three generations come to my classes: daughter, mother, and grandmother. They all have a level to choose from in the same class to make it easy or advanced.
I have tried many gyms, seven personal trainers, and a lot of fitness classes, but no one prepares personal health homework and assists a client continuously like my program does. Most gyms do a six weeks program, my health meetings are a part of the program with no additional fee, and so my generosity of time and care is felt by each of my clients to help their inner motivation to strive for more. Change takes time, and we will support them forever to be their best self.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Even if you are hiring a part-time employee, make sure to know how much they want to earn per week to help you budget the work and hours you need to give them. I thought part-time employees had less urgency for income, but employees will quit when you don’t have the same expectations.
It is very hard to interview someone, the things they tell you in the interview, they are probably lying just to get the job. I recommend putting them through the hardest parts of the job and seeing if they quit because I noticed they kept quitting at the same point and I believe putting them through that tough part early will hopefully save me time for the future.
Pricing:
- $104.39, monthly unlimited
- $15.93, single class, pay as you go
- $260.46, 20 class package, $13 a class
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://yipfitness.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yipfitness/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YipFitness/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbV3cmEQI-GH9XwKBhi4mTg
- Other: https://www.google.com/search?q=yip+fitness&oq=yip+fitness&aqs=chrome.0.69i59j35i39j69i60j69i61j69i60l2j69i65j69i60.2412j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#lrd=0x80c2dbe413a3ae51:0x68dd4f18399451b,1,,,
Image Credits:
Anthony DeCino and Cassie Barron
