The man behind the newest gym in Inverness has revealed how he knew it would succeed.
And 28-year-old Ian Findlay is proving it true, with more than 100 people signing up to become members at Centr Fit in the first two weeks.
After becoming a dad, he woke up one day and decided to put his all into bringing “something different” to the Highlands.
The gym on Thornbush Road has seen an investment of £50,000 in its refurbishment and equipment.
Ian said Centr Fit is more than just a gym, with one-to-one coaching and nutrition advice also available.
Becoming ‘more than one piece in the puzzle’
Making his transition from group coaching, Ian said he wanted to be more than just one piece of the puzzle in terms of seeing results.
He said: “For results, you need more than just fitness. There are three pillars, with nutrition and accountability the other two.
“I had my own group sessions before and then I also offered online coaching. Online I was seeing phenomenal results.
“I thought, why can’t I just combine the two and make an elite training facility in Inverness.”
Ian said once the idea had popped into his head, he was determined to go forward with the gym.
After deciding to go for it in July, it took him around eight weeks to make sure Centr Fit was ready.
Ian added: “In terms of how did I do it, I just woke up one day and decided I’m going for it, as simple as that.
“It was pretty messy, I didn’t have much help and was doing most of it myself. It just came down to working morning, noon and night every day.”
Centr Fit has seen ‘amazing response’
Ian is very happy with the response so far, but knows Centr Fit has the potential to go a lot further.
He said: “We’ve had an amazing response, I couldn’t tell you the exact figure because it keeps rising but it’s well over 100 now.
“It’s a different approach with dynamic lighting and it’s a bit more fun and entertaining.
“We’ve also got the right atmosphere already which is great.
“We try to encourage people that no matter who walks through the door, it doesn’t matter if it’s your first time or if you’ve been doing it for 10 years.
“A big part of what’s on offer is that community feel and it all just fell into place without much planning.”
On the future of Centr Fit, Ian wants to use the name as inspiration for what’s next.
He added: “We want to be known for getting better results than anywhere else, I want us to be the place to go.
“The name allows us to add arms and legs and keep expanding and I aim to be the centre of all things fitness.”
Conversation