Inspiring Conversations with Ricardo Avila of Prime Training Facility

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ricardo Avila.

Hi Ricardo, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
In 2018 I started personal training based on a passion for weight lifting and helping my friends get in better shape. I thought, “Why not get paid for this? I’m good at it, and I like it”. From there, I grew my clientele predominantly of women over two and a half years. One of my original clients then approached me and asked me if I had ever thought about opening a gym, and I told him I had but wasn’t quite ready yet.

Fast forward like 6 months, and I reached back out and asked if the offer was still on the table, to which he told me only if we got it done by the end of the year (this was 2020). So I set off to find a location working with a local commercial real estate agent. Over about 3 months and losing one business partner along the way, we finally opened, found our spot, and signed the lease in November.

In January 2021, we opened our gym, Prime Training Facility in Tempe. We dedicated our gym to be curated for main women because many women are afraid of the gym because of either insecurities or the intimidation of men watching them work out.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road at all. Besides losing a business partner along the way, we have run into many roadblocks. Early on, one of the many struggles was finding a spot and knowing what we did and didn’t want along with location and then settling on a price point with the landlord. Another struggle we faced early on was finding suppliers for our windows, floors, paint, equipment, speakers, and security systems while staying within budget. Along with this, we had to figure out how commercial real estate operates, what is covered in our lease, and what isn’t while trying to get the landlord to be flexible with us. Of course, on top of it all. Every day for us is a new learning experience. The struggle of everyday life is unpredictable and can get in the way of your business in the blink of an eye. The biggest struggle of them all was falling into being comfortable with the way things were going and not preparing for even more roadblocks to come.

We’ve been impressed with Prime Training Facility, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a gym catered to women in the Valley at 1290 N Scottsdale Rd Suite 121, Tempe, AZ 85281. We are proud of the community of women. We have brought together those who uplift and encourage each other to improve in and out of the gym. We have fostered a space that makes women comfortable walking into and better themselves without feeling intimidated. We specialize in women’s training and small group training. We are opening up big group classes at the beginning of August and are now offering a limited amount of memberships to the public.

How do you define success?
Success is defined by fulfillment. Someone can have all the money in the world and not be fulfilled, while someone making $20k a year who loves what they do is fulfilled. The latter is more likely to leave a mark on this world due to their passion, which makes them more successful. So yeah, success derives from being fulfilled.

Contact Info:

• Website: primetrainingfacility.com
• Instagram: primetrainingfacility
• Facebook: primetrainingfacility