Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Soster.
Hi Michael, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Thank you for having me! Well, after graduating from North Royalton High School, I entered the military in December 2001, where I served 6-years in the United States Air Force as an F-15 Avionics Specialist. I later attended East Carolina University where I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Health Fitness. I got really lucky with a great internship, and was able to go to San Diego to work under the direction of fitness expert Todd Durkin, allowing me the opportunity to work with NFL superstars such as Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Shawn Merriman, and several others. This was a key element for me being successful as an effective Strength and Conditioning coach. After a short time, I returned home to Cleveland, where I completed my Master of Science degree in 2010 from California University of Pennsylvania with a concentration in Human Performance and Injury Prevention.
From there, nothing came easy when it came to finding a respectable job or even “my place” in the fitness world. Typically, gym owners don’t pay you much, you have to usually fight to get your own clients, and it just takes a mental toll on you with the early morning and late night schedule. Eventually, I told myself I need to make a very strong effort going out on my own, and if it doesn’t work out, I need to look at other options.
I started with some in-home training, bringing several clients to my own basement where I barely had any equipment. I realized I needed to invest in a lot of things if I wanted this to be successful long-term. So, I figured out what my minimum monthly financial needs would be and decided to put everything else back into the growing business. This is the definition of being all-in because you don’t have any extra time or money to do anything outside of what’s best for business. In my 20’s, I didn’t live like a normal guy, I felt like I had no money to do anything. I couldn’t go out on the weekends, couldn’t take a date out to a nice dinner, and I didn’t even go on vacation for about 6 years. But I knew what I was in for, and I believed in the process.
If I had a “big break,” it was probably this. I was filling up pipes with sand at Edgewater Beach to create homemade barbells, and a guy stopped me and asked to help him with his car. I quickly refused, thinking I know exactly how this scam plays out, but then he started asking me questions about what I’m doing. It didn’t take long for him to mention that he manages several baseball teams in the local area. Without knowing anything about me, he politely asked if I would train all of his teams in the off-season. I was absolutely thrilled and willing to do anything to make this opportunity work. Although it was a great start, you can’t build a lot around just training athletes. They have tough schedules, half of them can’t drive, certain times of year they can’t train because they are playing sports, and then eventually, you lose them to college. I knew I had to build a base of adult clients as well.
I’ll never forget, as I sat there in my new facility hoping for calls, a tall and fit woman walked in and simply asked about what I do. I’m telling you, I needed some clients very badly, I could barely pay any of my bills. So, I made her and her friends an offer they couldn’t refuse. Lucky for me, if your members really like your gym and the service they get, they become raving fans and will talk about it with everyone they know.
Functions of Life and the services we offered began to spread like wildfire, and it just never stopped for years and years. We continued to provide a fun atmosphere, friendly environment, and an extremely energetic culture, which all played into our success. Customer service began to be a hot topic for us in our weekly meetings. As trainers, we wanted to be the best in every category: fitness classes, youth services, personal training, and even team training. It has now been 12 years in Broadview Heights. We went from only 50 members in our first year to expanding our building to 15,000 sq ft and servicing over 800 members per month.
I was blessed to be in the presence of such great people throughout my earlier years in this business. Not only that, but I was fortunate enough to have them actually care about the direction I took. To give anything less than everything I have to this gym and the people that believe in it would be disrespectful to all those great people that left their legacy within me.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My biggest struggle as a gym owner, like many other business owners, has been managing employees. But one very important thing I have learned is that it’s not impossible. At the younger stages of our business, I realized that not everyone is like me, and that’s a really good thing. They have their own ideas, their own strengths, their own weaknesses…all of us do. I didn’t realize how much I was really hindering their progress as trainers and the progress of the gym by not recognizing how to put certain trainers in more suitable roles and really listening to their needs. Over the years, I have become much better at being more understanding of these things, and you can see how much it creates a better work environment for everyone. I have had my current staff for several years now, and although we have our differences, I think they are some of the greatest trainers I have ever met, and it is definitely a pleasure to work alongside them.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Functions of Life is the hometown mecca gym…it’s my baby. I plan on ONLY having one location, and that location will strive to be the greatest gym facility for athletes, parents, and young professionals. We perform 30-40 classes per week, about 1500 personal training sessions a month, and a lot of specialty youth services. In the next 2-3 years, we plan on building a brand new 20,000 sq ft customized facility.
However, in the past year, I needed a project for myself. I needed to explore some different business models, and try out some other locations. That’s why we created Shred Fitness Downtown, which is more like an open-access membership gym, with fewer classes and of course, personal training. Our target market down there tends to be younger, and the vibes definitely match up with that.
What are your plans for the future?
For Functions of Life, we plan on building a brand new 20,000 sq ft gym only 1-mile away from our current facility. This one will be 20,000 sq ft, with locker rooms, 100+ parking spots, aesthetically appealing front desk and lobby area, and a perfectly designed layout where we can make sure we can provide even better services to our clients, with an array of great amenities and sufficient parking.
Shred Fitness Downtown, based on the success of the 1st location, will be eligible for expansion and even multiple locations within the next 2-4 years as well. But first, we have to see how our first location plays out. We will never attempt another location unless we are beyond certain that our numbers are right. Also, above all else, we need to make sure we are taking care of the people.
In the end, we hope to provide the city of Cleveland with several great options for fitness and performance, while accommodating for an extremely motivational atmosphere and supporting great careers for professionals in our field of work.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.functionsoflife.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/functionsoflife/
