Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Carpenter.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was trapped… again.
It had been several years since I had quit the safe, white-collar corporate job to pursue (against the advice of nearly everyone) a job in something that I had was passionate about – health and fitness.
But that ended up paying off.
After earning the appropriate education and starting anew as a personal trainer in a big-box gym, I began changing lives for the better! Because it was what I really wanted to do, I found that I was good at it. Good enough to earn a couple promotions in a few years to where I was managing the department and around 20-30 trainers at any given point in time.
And that is where I ran into my biggest obstacle.
The problem was, is that the big-box gym corporate culture valued revenue at all costs- over customer service, client results, and job satisfaction. It became all about the sale, and not about changing peoples’ lives – and that is why I got into this business in the first place! I couldn’t find any personal training business that truly built everything from the ground up to create the best possible client experience. I realized that the only way to go was to build it myself.
So, once again, I left the safety of the corporate job and started Underground Fitness, a boutique personal training and nutrition coaching studio. At Underground Fitness, we personalize every exercise and nutrition program to meet the needs of that unique individual- greatly multiplying their chances of success and continued results. We let our clients’ experiences speak for themselves, and let them be the hero of their own story.
And, luckily, this approach has worked! We now have six locations throughout the valley and six years in business.
Has it been a smooth road?
If only small business was easy!
In 2012, business lending was still very tight. I was forced to bootstrap everything to get this business off the ground and made many personal sacrifices along the way.
I can remember driving a car I bought for $2,000 for months on end with a bad starter (took 5-12 cranks) and always wondering where I would be when it would finally give out.
And, of course, I wasn’t equipped with all the skill sets to operate a small business. I had to simultaneously learn and acquire skills with finance, accounting, marketing, coaching, real estate, insurance, social media, licenses, hiring… the list goes on.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I am most proud, by far, of the lives we have SAVED.
One might think that is a tad dramatic, but many of the radical transformations we have had with our clients have given them an entirely new quality of life. They have become their own hero in life, and that is a beautiful thing to see. It isn’t easy to help clients achieve this kind of physical and mental transformation.
Many diets and exercise programs can work for weight loss, but without personalizing the details and execution so that it works synergistically with an individual’s lifestyle, it will fail. With our systems, Underground Fitness coaches have mastered the art of changing lives.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I moved to Scottsdale from Chicago land when I first made my transition into personal training. I immediately fell in love with the valley, and couldn’t imagine a better place to live and work.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.UndergroundFitnessAZ.com
- Email: info@ufitaz.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachscottcarpenter/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coachscottcarpenter/


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