GREAT FALLS — While gyms lost clients during coronavirus closures, Great Falls Personal Trainer Erin Palma managed to keep her clientele.
After opening her personal training service, JET Performance, in 2017, Palma’s 2 years of business gave her enough of a stronghold to support her during the pandemic.
“There’s been lulls, and I’ve just kind of moved through them, but I haven’t really lost business,” Palma said.
She has had to adapt to a new type of training, however.
“I went from working in a gym full time to working out of my garage,” Palma explained.
She also began hosting free, monthly workouts in the park, as a means of supporting her current clients and meeting new ones.
“I wanted to continue to give back in a way that my clients are able to come, get something free from me, because they’ve been coming to me so much. And I wanted to meet more people in the community, so I just figured this would give people a chance to move during covid and not feel the pressure to be touching anything that they shouldn’t be,” Palma said.
Her new business model has not only kept her clients satisfied with the quality of their training but also safe from the dangers of coronavirus.
“I’m able to control the environment, so that I can keep cleaning things and know everything that hasn't been touched,” Palma said.
While under a new method of operation, Palma has attracted clients who find it easier to workout outside of a gym - like Paige Evans.
"One of my friends suggested her doing my personal training and that’s just how I got linked with her,” Evans said.
Since seeking out Palma three months ago, Evans joined Palma’s Biggest Loser Challenge - a 7-week group weight loss challenge - and has already lost 20 pounds.
Evans’ success results from Palma’s online support and monthly community workouts. Thanks to those resources, Evans can continue to workout from home should covid closures prevent her from being able to access the gym in upcoming months.
“Now that she’s shown me different workouts for arms, abs and all that, I’m able to do those at home when I can’t get to the gym. And so that’s what I use as an alternative when I know I can’t get to the gym,” Evans said.
This method of training will allow Evans to maintain her current level of fitness and Palma to maintain her current level of business, long-term.
For those interested in Palma’s services, you can contact her via Facebook, here [facebook.com].
Or, if you’d like to attend next month’s free community workout, you can do so at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 13th at Memorial Park.
