Friend, thank you for tuning into the Jasmine star show today. I am so happy you're here. My guest today is a good friend of mine, Amanda tress, and she founded the faster way to fat loss in 2016 and quickly scaled it to become one of the fastest growing health and fitness companies on the market today. No, we are not going to be talking about dieting or exercise. Although if you wanted to talk to Amanda about it, I couldn't think of a better person to give you real insight today. We're going to take a spin on her business. Now, when I tell you that the faster way grew by more than 1600% in 2019 alone, and has already surpassed over a hundred million in revenues in a year. Like, and it happened because Amanda's leadership as CEO, yo , I'm telling you she's legit in this conversation, Amanda and I talk about how to stand out in a saturated market and some of the major decisions she made to scale her business from serving 5,000 people to over a hundred thousand people. I love getting a front row seat into the way Amanda's brilliant mind has created such an incredible business alongside her husband, Brandon. I know no matter what industry you're in, even if you're not in the fitness and wellness profession, I am positive. You're going to learn something from hearing her story and the advice she has for entrepreneurs. So without further ado and me talking too much, here's my conversation with Amanda tress friends . I'm so excited to be chatting today with my friend, Amanda. Now let's back up the story a little bit. We just met a couple months ago and we met by way of zoom, which is crazy, but that's how the world is working. These days. Most business conversations are happening online and we have the pleasure of myself and a few other entrepreneurs. We gathered together. Once a month, we have conversations about what our business is doing, and then we also loop in other fascinating, intriguing, and brilliant business owners to walk us through their journey. Well, on comes the scene, this fabulous pregnant mother, or shown up, ready to shine. And she walks us through the journey of her starting her business. And I knew in that moment that Amanda had to be in the podcast because not only was I inspired, I was challenged to see a very similar situation from a different perspective. So Amanda, thank you for being here. Thank you for having me. I'm thrilled to be here. Okay. So I want to take us back and this is where most podcasts start. However, it's so important for this podcast. Like I'm just like, no, no, no, we can't actually appreciate everything that you've done without taking us back to the point to where you were kind of like new married, you had your husband and I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start to where you're currently in Florida. How did we get to Florida and talk us about those beginning days of this is something I want to do. Is this going to work?
Speaker 2Yeah, really good question. So first and foremost, I started in the fitness industry specifically when I was a freshman in college. I became a trainer after struggling with my own health issues and overcoming those issues. I was on blood pressure medication as a 17 year old, I had a metabolic disorder. I had blood sugar issues as well. I was able to wean myself off of medication with proper nutrition and with a focus on a healthy lifestyle. And so I immediately knew that I needed to help other people do the same. I became a trainer and then a certified nutrition coach as well. Uh, and , and through the years I maintained fitness as a side hustle. Uh, and then , uh, went on to pursue a career in digital marketing while I had my first baby who is now in second grade, which is unbelievable. And I was pregnant with my second while still working full time outside of the home and , uh, bringing on more and more gym clients. I was working about 80 hours per week with , uh , a career in digital marketing, my side hustle in , uh , fitness. And I decided that it would be much better for my family. If I became 100% self-employed and started in agency serving female entrepreneurs in the wellness industry. So about seven years ago now I took that particular leap, which ended up being the best decision that I've made for my career. Fast forward a couple years after that, I was really gaining traction with my digital marketing agency. I looked at my husband one day and said, listen, I would much rather be doing this from the beach than from the Midwest where we were currently living at the time. Uh , and he agreed. So he decided to start working with me for my agency. We moved down to Florida where we currently reside and , uh , we are now enjoying the sunshine each and every day, we wake up with a smile on our faces every day of the year. And uh , so happy we made that move.
Speaker 1So that was years in the making. And we just kind of gave you like a bite sized chunk of what that looks like when I look at this and I hear this story, I can't help, but hear so many people on similar paths, right? You had the choice to pivot. You had the choice to be overworked and doing too many things. You have the choice to say, what do I want to do? And how can I make this work? So I just want to like take a breath and say, if you're listening right now and you're hearing the story, you're hearing a person who consistently chose what she wanted, regardless if it was like the sharp path, like the sure path of I'm going to have a paycheck. Well , we're not quite sure I'm going to bring my partner on. We're not quite sure how this is exactly work and you know what? We're going to move across the States to ensure it's sunny and amazing more days of the year than not. So I kind of just want to put a pin there. And when we go back, you're in Florida. Talk to me about what you're thinking, what you're feeling and the ideas that are percolating to say, okay, this is going to be the business or the version of the business that I'm going to build out here.
Speaker 2Yeah. Moving to Florida was such an important step for our career because now my husband and I were able to work together. We've known each other since literally elementary school. I met Brandon when he was burping the alphabet on the playground in first grade. So we have known each other for quite some time and we've worked together for a while . He was actually my vice president when I was the president of the student body
Speaker 1Stop. Right. Stop girls , stop. You guys were destined. You guys were destined to have a business together.
Speaker 2Yeah . So we've always worked really well together. We went to college together and now working together in the business has been so powerful. It's not for everyone. It's most certainly for us. Uh , we are such a powerful partnership when it comes to , uh , running the company, raising our children. We had the opportunity to put our heads down. When we moved to Florida and really focus on the business we chose to live in our condo. We didn't have a house payment, we didn't have to take care of the lawn. We just put her head down for about 15 months and scaled my agency at the time. Uh , and we got a lot of great traction. It was a very exciting time. This was now gosh, a few years ago, but then we also saw an opportunity to really take my fitness side hustle to the next level.
Speaker 1Okay. So before we get there, I have to, I just, I want to make sure that I'm bringing everybody along because this is a massive thing right now, you're in Florida, you're managing your costs. You're not doing anything extravagant. You're like, what is the most cost effective way for us to continue to build our digital agency? And when you say you're building a digital agency for female entrepreneurs, these are women who are going to you saying, Hey, I have a business and I want you to help me market it. Um, digitally social media, ad words , things of that nature. And then at the same time, you're like, you know what? As if we're not busy enough, Brandon, we want to do what I just want to make sure that we're like really understanding the gravity of what's happening here. It's amazing. Okay.
Speaker 2Oh my gosh. I love you. This is such a fun conversation. Yeah. You know, we were serving female entrepreneurs specifically in the wellness industry. I had chosen that niche for my digital marketing love and, and through the years, serving female entrepreneurs in the wellness industry, what I found was I can help a gal market on social media. I could give someone tips regarding how to leverage Instagram or show up powerfully online video. However, many of our agency clients were not fantastic with programming . So, you know, Jasmine , I could help you launch a fitness company and take it to the next level from an eyeballs on your content perspective. But if you're not good at writing workouts, then it's kind of a moot point. So I was still simultaneously running my virtual online boot camps. My boot camps in particular were very effective for my clients. And so I said, you know what, what if we provided a turnkey solution for our agency clients, where they could actually become certified to run my programming with their own clients? Uh , so a couple of few years ago, that's exactly what we did. We built an accredited certification around my programming, and then we offered to our agency clients that they could become certified to run what is called the faster way to fat loss program with their own community. Uh, and since then that was about two and a half years ago. We really focused on that. We've gone from about 1 million in revenue for that particular vertical, to now over 60 million in gross revenue. Uh, and it's been very, very exciting.
Speaker 1Okay. So if you have noticed that Amanda just talks like this is just very normal. I went from one to 16 million in 2.5 years. Okay. So let's just peel back a few layers here. You saw a highly saturated market where other people say, Oh, I'm not sure I want to get into fitness. I'm not sure I want to get into training because so many people do that instead. Amanda's said , okay, so many people do it. I know my program gets results and I know my power play is programming . I know what I can deliver on. And so you saw that you had people who had a different skillset. You also had a skillset, but you're like, how can I look at the exact same situation where VR for training is one on one virtual training is one on phew , what Amanda saw the same situation. And she said, how do I focus in, on supporting people who will then funnel into the program? Y'all I just want, when I heard this, I said, how many of us can take our skillsets that are different? And look at opportunities, instead of saying, this is the way it has been done. Amanda said, this is the way I think it could be done. And as a result of managing her costs, as a result of building longstanding relationships with her clients, as a result of building trust, she said, Hey, do you want to try this crazy thing I want to do? And low and behold it's worked out really, really well. So for somebody who's listening, Amanda, they're saying, okay, but how does it actually work? Like what if I want to try to do something not the same, but different in my industry? How can I see the same situation differently? So that's what this focus is going to be on the podcast. Three things that Amanda did or saw differently that really impacted the way that she's grown her business. What do you think one of those early first things were like, Hey, this is the way it's done. This is what I want to do and how they could apply to other industries.
Speaker 2Yeah, that's a really good question. So for me, the fitness industry was a tricky industry because it is so oversaturated . It's similar to the photography and , uh, you know, coaching , uh, you know, frankly business coaching, but instead of saying, Oh, this is such a competitive industry, it's going to be really hard for me to cut through the clutter and break through the white noise. I said, let me lean into my core competency. And instead of just simply trying to compete, I'm actually going to take the opportunity to empower those around me and, and maintain that abundance mentality. Not only am I going to empower those around me, my competitors to market well, based on the strategies that I know is working, I'm going to literally certify people to run my exact same program and then expand the movement in a really effective way. And you have to look for pin and blessings or opportunities when you face a challenge. So instead of just saying, Oh, this is a huge obstacle. You look for ways that you can turn it around and use it to your advantage or, or have an even more powerful way to make an impact. Uh , and so that's what I chose today to do. I, I said there are so many fitness professionals and female entrepreneurs in the wellness industry who want to make an impact and earn a significant income. Why not really kind of bring them into the fold of what I'm doing, certify them to essentially be my competitors and make a huge, positive impact in dent on the universe.
Speaker 1So what I hear is point number one, empower don't compete. So she saw a singular situation and she said, Hey, and I think it's less. If you can't beat them, join them. It's more of like, how can I do something you don't really want to do in your business or has proven to be a tough spot? So what Amanda saw do is having these strong personal brands, these specific female fitness and people in the fitness and the wellness space, and she sees that's your power play. And then all the other stuff on the backend, the support, the programming, the filming, the all the behind the scenes, the planning , uh , the hiring of the videographers. Amanda's just saying, how about we become your production house? And you do the thing that you want to do. The question now becomes, as we listen, is there anything that we can do with our audiences to empower them and not look at them as competition? So you start growing, you start having this team. What was like one of the first things like what was like that first, like pitfall that you're like, Oh Lord, have mercy. Was this the right thing?
Speaker 2That's such a good question. Oh my goodness, there are so many failures and pitfalls. It's hard to even count Adam's in two feet. If I'm being completely honest, thankfully my team has been willing to iterate very quickly. So we failed fast and filled forward, I think is the expression. One of the mistakes that we made initially was that we had the wrong model. And so pretty quickly we had to iterate on model and we did lose some coaches because of that. Some certified affiliate coaches were promoting the brand because change is hard for people. And when you're first starting out and you're first partnering with someone, and then all of a sudden they change things up on you. It can be hard to trust that, you know, it's not going to happen again in the future to your detriment. Uh , thankfully it was only about five or six people that we lost out of a hundred, you know, starting out. Now we have 2000 certified coaches who are just rocking and rolling and making a huge impact. But the model itself was a bit of an issue as we got started. Uh, and , and specifically the, the initial model was that a coach would pay for the certification and they would retain 100% commission on all clients sales. And if they did really well, then they would turn around and pay my agency for services. So we had a managed services model with the agency. The problem became, we didn't have the staff team to scale the agency in addition to scaling the faster way to fat loss certification program. Uh , and because we were growing so quickly, my team had to really focus on one thing. So we switched up the model to focus more on the certified affiliate coach side. Uh , and that has been far more beneficial for both the coaches and the company.
Speaker 1So the first was to empower, not to look at other people as competition. And what I hear, the second thing would be understand when it's time to make a change and own it. And I think if, if, if, if what I hear is correct, and what I can assume is if you had waited longer, you would have lost more than five to six coaches. So Amanda, early on saw, this was a new idea. It had never been done in the marketplace and she had the humility enough to be like that first try , not so great, like it's inequitable. And so if Amanda, if Amanda had built an inequitable business, she would have gone under. So she had to make the very hard decision to say, I'm changing the structure, which could make people feel unsafe, but she said, this is what it's going to be in since then has iterated. That's amazing. That's fantastic. So now when you have the ability to look at like an ocean and say, this is the people who I'm going to serve, you're going to get on my boat and this is how we're going to do it. And then in the middle of it, you're like, you know what, we're going to switch boats. So everybody come over here on this boat, and now you're on this like cruise ship and you're floating along Florida. Now at this point in your business, what do you look back on and say, that was the best thing I could have done because I mean, when we say, look back on, it's just been a few years that you've just completely changed the game, but in this short amount of time, what do you wish that you can go back and say, like, that was a really good thing that happened.
Speaker 2Mm , the model shift was absolutely vital. And, and you're right, you know, for me, it wasn't about making money and that wasn't the motivation for the model shifts . It was really scalability, sustainability for the company as a whole, but mostly for our coaches. Uh , one of the most important shifts that we've made over the past 18 months is that we went from a focus on new clients sales in our six week fast way to fat loss program, to a focus on a recurring membership model. So now we have a VIP membership program and not only is it much better for our certified coaches who are ramping up their own business with the faster way, it's far better for the client. Now, when a client comes to the table and joins the six week fast, what a fat loss program, they aren't simply looking to do a quick fix. They are really considering a lifestyle. And so our clients are far more successful longterm. And in turn, our coaches are much more successful as they build a sustainable business.
Speaker 1So the third, what I hear, okay, so clearly I have a membership model. I am the CEO and founder of social curator. It's a monthly membership. So I could see the value in that. I started very similar to you where I had courses. And then I felt like just like weight loss, building your business, isn't a onetime done. It is a lifestyle change. It's a dedication on the daily. So one thing that I heard right here is that you had the wherewithal to create multiple streams, multiple verticals in your business to sustain not just the business, but to incentivize your business, your coaches, longterm, to stay with you and encourage the front end acquisition, but also the cultivation. I think that that's brilliant. I think that's an amazing diversification of the business. So number one, empower, it's not competition. Number two, having the wherewithal and the humility to iterate early on when you know, the model's wrong and giving yourself grace, you're like, I'm the first person to do it. It's not going to be perfect on the way on the first run. And then also diversifying our revenue streams to incentivize your coaches and your clients to stay with you longterm . That is everything I heard in that first conversation that we had, like you to spell it out. So clearly for people that are listening right now, if you had to go back and you look at different versions of who you were when you first started out those 80 hour weeks with Brandon and the days that you had, like a really long day training clients, and then a really long day in the digital agency like that night, when it's cold and snowy, like, what do you tell that version of Amanda?
Speaker 2Wow. I love that question. You know, I always have made the best of situations and I've tried to remain positive and use obstacles or challenges to my advantage even now, you know, even through the past year. But , uh, what I would tell that version of Amanda is it's not actually gonna get easier, but it will become more satisfying and fulfilling. Uh, as I've scaled, it has become more challenging to lead a rocket ship. You know, we are on a rocket ship and I'm not going to lie and say that it's more simple or straightforward now than it was when I was working 80 hour weeks, because let's be clear, I'm still grinding and hustling and having to deal with bigger problems and bigger issues, but it has become more satisfying, fulfilling I'm 120% confident in my purpose. I feel like I put a Cape on every single day to serve the marketplace and to lead my team and continue motivating and inspiring. My coaches, a fulfillment for me is, is really important. It's not about monetary success. It's not about the number of people that we bring through the program. It's about fulfilling my own purpose so that I feel satisfied.
Speaker 1I love that. I love that with just , um , the remainder time we've spoken about your business journey, the advice that you have for other people who are looking at what you do and seeing the promise, like, can you just imagine, like, what's happened like in two and a half years, like, that's crazy to me. Like, that's so incredible, but it should be hopeful for so many people. So what do you think now that you're there and now you're playing on a different field and you're connecting with other business owners. How do you find, where do you get guidance? How do you synergize? Like who are you networking with? Like how, you know, like the person who is running a $1 million business is having different questions and quandaries and somebody who's running a $60 million , 60 million plus a dollar business.
Speaker 2Yeah, right now I have done my very best to plug in with people who are running $100 million plus companies. And we're talking $100 million in annual revenue. So not just, you know, over time, but I always want to be corresponding with people who have been there, done that, got the tee shirt, literally with the bigger problems and the more complicated issues. I'm also very, very blessed to live in Tampa, Florida, where we have an incredible ecosystem for entrepreneurs. My neighbor across the street recently sold his business for 500 million. I have , uh , many other entrepreneurs, even on my little Island where I live, who I'm able to correspond with on a consistent basis regarding business challenges. And that for me has been key, especially in the fitness industry. It can feel like you are on an Island of one. Now I literally live on an Island, but I have many other, you know , colleagues and friends who are running businesses, who I'm able to interact with on a regular basis and hear their insight and wisdom. And, you know, I go to lunch as often as possible with fellow entrepreneurs and just hearing the things that they're struggling with makes me feel that I'm not alone in the challenges. And so that's been important.
Speaker 1So talk to me about the differences, or are there differences , um, of the networking that you were doing at Lee ? Were you still going to lunch? You know, is this how you were pursuing, like your networking and your consolidating of ideas? Was it the same thing, but just different people at the table?
Speaker 2That's a great question. When I first started out, I was in a lot of industry groups. So I would work with people in the wellness industry , uh, to be completely honest. When I was plugged into mastermind groups four years ago, five years ago, it was essentially me and a hundred guys. You know, it'd be a bit of a different type of event. Then I go to now, I went from kind of the sausage Fest to enjoying some masterminds with only women. So I went from like the two extremes. I was at my industry events. And then I started going to events with only female entrepreneurs. And now I have a bit of a mix where I've been really strategic about , uh , engaging with people from many different industries, because the perspectives that I hear from entrepreneurs in the security industry or in , uh, one of my colleagues, he , uh , literally sprays copper materials, planes , and , uh, that's been so, so valuable even as I consider continuing to grow a sustainable, scalable and salable company. Uh, I also just want to mention, I have no plans to sell, but many of my colleagues have been down that path. And it's very smart to , uh, correspond with people who have created a salable company, because that is going to be the strongest type of company to continue running longterm .
Speaker 1I couldn't agree more so people are hearing okay. But how did you get into those things? How did you know which mastermind to join? How did you, how did that work? And I know it's not as easy as being like, these are the exact steps, but insights, when you said I started getting involved, how, what did that look like?
Speaker 2Yeah, really good question. So many times I will listen to a podcast. I will hear someone, you know, be interviewed on a podcast and then hear that that particular individual has a mastermind group right now. I'm working with Les McKeown who has an incredible mastermind group of individuals with very, very successful businesses. He himself has been involved in 40 different companies. Uh, and it's a mix of people. It's a little eclectic, but again, I love it. Uh, and it's not , um, kind of the traditional, you know, online Instagram influencer type mastermind group. It's a bit of a different level. And for me, it's been important to go up to that particular level. Uh, for my current conversations in my town, it's just been, you know, good old fashioned networking. We are , uh, we're the fastest growing company in all of Tampa Bay for the past two years. So that has been really powerful as well , uh, just to bring an additional level of networking and support to my company. And we've been getting really, really involved here with the community. So we've had some, some nice attention that way. I think it's so
Speaker 1Incredible for somebody who's watching from a distance, the fact that you have positioned your business and the fact that it's a strong female lead and the fact that you're diversifying who's pouring into. And then the fact that also your , you spend time with your children and your husband and you practice a regular date night as much as possible considering everything's on lockdown, but it looks like it looks, it looks like public , uh, public outings w might be a thing. Um, but I just want to say, thank you, thank you for modeling what other people would say could look impossible. And thank you for having the humility enough to like sit down and have conversations and encourage people to say, like, what you think is over-saturation and what you think is impossibility could simply just be a perspective shift. And they think that when you see somebody who does the thing that you want to in your imagination, it opens up the pathways. So you opened so many pathways for so many people today. I want to say, thank you.
Speaker 2Oh , well, thank you, Jasmine. And I just want to acknowledge you for the positivity that you are spreading online. I'm such a huge fan of what you're doing, and , uh , I'm just privileged to be here to speak with your listeners.
Speaker 1Thank you. How can people find out more about what you do? Let's like talk about websites. Let's talk about social. Where can we find you?
Speaker 2You can find me on instagram@amandatrustoratfastwaytofatloss.com . Our website is fast way to fat loss.com and forward slash certification. If you're interested in becoming a certified coach, we typically reserve slots for wellness professionals, but we have made exceptions to that particular role . Uh, and I'd be happy to speak with anyone about that opportunity.
Speaker 1I absolutely love that. Can you all do me a favor? Can you tag Amanda at Amanda tress and at Jasmine star, we like to connect. I actually connected truth. Be told with Amanda on DM. Like I am , Amanda is in her DMS the way I'm , I'm in my DMS . I'm like, Oh, I'm with my people. So you'll shut her out. Let her know what she has done in your business and the hope that she doesn't be sure to follow her, follow the journey so that we can celebrate all the things that you're doing in Tampa and how you're just changing. How business is designed specifically for women. Thank you, Melinda .
Speaker 2Thank you, Jasmine
Speaker 1Yall . Isn't she just the real deal. I can't think of a better person to shed some light in how you can scale your business. Even if you're in a saturated market, just like Amanda. If you enjoyed this conversation, I would love for you to leave a review on Apple podcast by simply searching the Jasmine star show on iTunes. You can click writer view and let me know what you think about the podcast and how we can make it better. I'm obsessed reading your kind words, but y'all, I never liked to ask for something without giving something in return. After you leave an iTunes review, head over to Jasmine star.com forward slash IgG branding to snag my three-part Instagram branding course for free. This is a mini audio course designed to help you intentionally show on Instagram and create a recognizable brand for your business by creating purpose driven content, playing up your profile. So your followers recognize you instantly and getting real engagement with your audience, and it's all yours. If you leave an iTunes review and then, you know, you can grab it@jasminestar.com forward slash IgG branding, friends here to support you along the way. Well, friend, I have to go and hop on a few team meetings. I have to pop into the social curator community and give them a little love and pep-talk for the upcoming week. And then I get to relax with my husband and our baby girl. I hope that whatever you're doing, you're doing it wonderfully and you're doing it joyfully. I hope you guys have a great day.
Speaker 3[inaudible] .