AYC Health & Fitness, Kansas City’s Original Personal Training  Studio

The AYC Health & Fitness Story

I founded At Your Convenience Personal Fitness Training, now known as AYC Health & Fitness, in May 1986 and my first training session happened on June 22. With gross revenue of $5,090 during my first year of operation, I knew I was on to something…

Fresh out of graduate school with no job and no money, I had a vision…and a five-year business plan that I developed during my final semester of grad school. My vision was developed from the purchase of a book titled Body by Jake, at a garage sale. It cost me 25 cents.

The book was written by Jake Steinfeld, a Hollywood trainer and fitness entrepreneur. I mentioned the idea to the owner of a local fitness center where I worked, and he said, “Kansas City isn’t a big enough market to support that type of business.” I disagreed.

The Plan Takes Shape

Upon returning to Kansas City, I had a brochure printed, bought a new pair of tennis shoes, and started nurturing relationships with clients of the workout center I formerly managed.

That’s it…that was the plan.

I laced up my tennis shoes and began walking door-to-door, throughout an affluent suburb of Kansas City, creating relationships and selling personal training door-to-door.

I would probably get arrested if I tried that today.

Then the magic began to happen…

One client (Laura Welch – who is still a client today) turned into two…two clients turned into four…four clients turned into eight.

In November 1987, AYC Health & Fitness signed its first lease at 7501 Mission Rd. in Prairie Village, Kansas, where it remained for 23+ years.

I hired my first employee, Tim Johnson in December 1987, to train clients and manage the facility, because I also had taken a full-time job, as a corporate wellness supervisor, to supplement my income. That corporate wellness job has paid BIG dividends that I could have never imagined back then.

In December of 1988, my wife, Dana, said to me, “You really need to choose one job, either the corporate wellness job or your personal training job, because I’m going to need you here when our baby is born.” Yes, she was five months pregnant, and I needed to be there for my family.

My strong Christian faith, lots of prayers, and an entrepreneurial spirit, guided me to make the logical choice of owning my own business and controlling my destiny.

Full Steam Ahead

As I transitioned out of the corporate wellness job and devoted my full attention to growing AYC Health & Fitness, business really took off. Our revenue doubled year after year and so did our training staff.

In January of 2011, AYC Health & Fitness relocated to its current location at 7830 State Line Rd. in Prairie Village, Kansas where we continue to grow and help our clients achieve their goals.

AYC Health & Fitness’ success lies with our staff past and present. I couldn’t have been successful in the early years without Tim Johnson, Glenn Haney, Nadine Price-Rojas, Darin Fletcher, Jeff Nelson, Ryan Layman, and Nancy Levin.

Our current associates are on their way to creating their own legacy at AYC Health & Fitness, and they include; Glenn Haney, Nadine Price-Rojas, Ellen Breeding, Derek Newman, Nancy McDonald, Trina Warren, David Justice, Stephanie Heschemeyer, and Jeleanna Edwards.

Today, AYC Health & Fitness specializes in Personal Training and onsite Corporate Wellness, along with Pilates, Sports Conditioning, Pilates, Yoga, and Licensed Massage Therapy. Call AYC Health & Fitness today at 913-642-4437 or click to book a consultation.