Today we’d like to introduce you to Tony Velasco.
Tony, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am the Founder and President of Afterburn Fitness. I have been in the fitness industry for 12 years, beginning as a personal trainer in 2005. If I have one fear, it is the fear of regret. I have built my entire life on the idea that I would rather try and fail 100 times versus waking up 30 years later wondering, “what if.” And so in 2011, I took the leap of faith and opened the first Afterburn Fitness location in Valencia, CA. At the time, it was 12,000 square feet. Not only have we since doubled the size of our Valencia location from to 25,000 square feet but we opened our second location in Manhattan Beach in October 2015. We are currently working on our locations for our 3rd and 4th locations which should be open by the end of 2017 or first quarter 2018. Not only do I believe that the key to success is not just about having the right business model or being able to put the right people in place, but that the importance of company culture is second to none. Ensuring that the culture within a company is not just felt by the members or customers it brings in, but even more so by the people that work there every day is paramount to the long-term viability of a company. I also believe that no matter what industry you are in, there is massive opportunity as long as you are well aware of the work that it takes to make your dreams come true. Dream big and remember that regret should always be a much bigger deterrent than the possibility of failure.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road to success is never smooth. Maybe on the surface to others it appears to be, but for those that are in the trenches it is anything but. We failed a lot in the beginning. Fortunately those failures were small, but we were always ready and willing to adapt. I think that is one of the most underrated qualities that any business owner must have. You have to be passionate without being emotional. You must be willing to change. You must be willing to adapt to the market. We spent 4 years adjusting and perfecting our business model. It wasn’t even remotely perfect. It still isn’t perfect. It never will be perfect. Business is about perfection, because perfection doesn’t exist. It is about the endless pursuit. There were times where there was little to no money in the bank in the beginning. I remember sleepless nights and 18-hour work days. But all of those struggles are what made the success that much sweeter.
Please tell us about Afterburn Fitness.
Afterburn Fitness is a full-scale health club with two locations currently. One in Valencia, CA and one in Manhattan Beach, CA. We are set to open our third location along the 101 corridors this Fall and our 4th location beginning of 2018. Our clubs are 20-30k square feet and are offer the amenities of a premier health club including upscale locker rooms, towel service, smoothie bars and more, with a level of classes and coaching not seen anywhere else. We offer everything from cycle classes to high intensity interval, to boxing and kick boxing, to an open gym with the best equipment a club can offer. Our classes are all lined with 60″ flat screen monitors that display performance output and other interactive programs so that you can see exactly what you are doing in the class. We also offer 60 day challenges 2x a year where we give a grand prize of $20,000 to the individual or team that can change their body the most. Our company is quickly growing and we anticipate to be at 3-4 locations by the end of the year, and 6-10 by the end of 2018.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Playing sports as a kid, and large family get togethers on Christmas eve.
Pricing:
- Memberships are $129/month
Contact Info:
- Address: 1133 Artesia Blvd.
Manhattan Beach, CA9026626007 Ave Hall
Valencia, CA 91355 - Website: www.afterburnfitness.com
- Phone: 310-651-5124 (Manhattan Beach location), 661-295-5876 (Valencia location)
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: afterburnfitness
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/afterburnfitness
- Twitter: aftrburnfitness
- Yelp: Afterburn Fitness South Bay, Afterburn Fitness Valencia
