This article was originally published in ICON/REFINED Magazine Volume 7.

Photography by James Patrick      Hair/Makeup by Denise Black

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that nearly all businesses pivoted in some way during the pandemic. Whether that meant developing a hybrid model, investing in top-level safety protocols, or, for some, shutting down completely, each entrepreneur experienced the thriving-turned-surviving whiplash seemingly overnight and had to think on their feet to stay afloat. 

In hindsight, though, many of these pivots ended up being for the best. Entrepreneurs found innovative ways to reach more clients than ever before and deepen personal connections to instill mounting brand love. At this point, most entrepreneurs have embraced the changes they implemented because of the pandemic and have found ways to integrate them permanently into their updated (and upgraded) business plans. 

That’s certainly the case for fitness trainer Ashley Wiens. During gym shut-downs, Ashley wasn’t even certain she’d have clientele to train at all—a significant portion of her income took a hit. But instead of folding, she took a risk and invested $30K into her business. “I needed to pivot in my business to not only continue helping my clients, but also offer a service that would provide more value to them,” she says. 

Ashley purchased a Neubie device from Neufit, which is a high-tech system that uses direct current stimulation to help her clients rehab and recover faster. Not only did this pivot help her to continue training clients with limited equipment, but it also niched her offerings with a specialty service that’s not commonly found in her area. 

The investment and commitment weren’t easy decisions to make—but Ashley knew it would pay off in the end. “I invested money up front knowing there would eventually be a return. I had to make a lot of sacrifices, from investing the money, to the time it took to get certified as a Level 1 Neufit Practitioner and Neubie Fitness Practitioner, and even more time offering complimentary sessions to clients to get them interested in potentially switching their training over to this new method of fitness,” she says. 

“My first goal I ever had in this industry was to help spread health and wellness. Now I’m honoring that goal by building a team so we can do that on a bigger scale.”

But now, she’s seeing the returns. Over the last few years, Ashley’s clientele skyrocketed from 40-50 sessions per week to over 80. She’s even had to hire on a team and add another Neubie unit to accommodate the demand. “Now that I have a team, I’m able to serve more people who need this very specific service,” she says. 

Delegating and trusting others to help scale her business was a hefty challenge for Ashley. “I used to want to be the only person who worked for my business. But I was working 12-14 hours each day for years, and my client list kept growing—I knew I had to change my perspective,” she says. 

But hiring on the right team was a more in-depth matter than simply finding the right personalities. Already under time, money, and energy constraints, training her staff was like adding another job to her list. “I had to spend more money and time training new practitioners when I was already at my maximum capacity,” she says. 

Much like the initial investment that catapulted her success, though, this was another investment that paid off. “Now I hire independent contractors so I can gain some freedom while continuing to serve the influx of clients who have been referred,” says Ashley. “I used to have to turn clients away. Now I’m able to fill those new clients with trainers I have working for my business.”

When you’re an ambitious entrepreneur in the thick of it, you might think you’re dreaming as big as possible. But Ashley has learned that there’s so much more room to grow than she ever thought she could muster. “My goals now are way bigger than they were a few years ago,” she says. “Before, my goals were about growing a training business with only one trainer. Now, my goals are to build a team of trainers to each train a full client load,” she says. 

And it’s this commitment to dreaming—and to keep dreaming—that’s solidified how resilient Ashley really is. “I have learned that I can do anything I set my mind to. I am resilient when obstacles are put in my way, and it isn’t a matter of if things can happen—it’s a matter of when.”