Q&A with Ryan Dobroff

Ryan Dobroff is a prominent coach and business owner in the Sacramento area. Ryan has 6 years of experience as a US Marine, his military occupational specialty was a parachute rigger. Ryan has his Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with a concentration in Exercise Science from Sacramento State University. Ryan has 11 years of experience working in various fitness facilities such as private studios, commercial gyms, and interning on the Sacramento State strength and Conditioning team. RoyalFitnessByRyan.com

I was inspired to start my business by accident. I completed my personal training certification during the summer as I transferred from Los Medanos Community College to Sacramento State University. When I transferred, I wanted to get experience as a personal trainer before starting on my own. I worked for 24-hour fitness for a few months and decided to leave once I got said experience. I then started to slowly build my own client list as I left. I trained my clients in their homes, and at parks.

Toward the end of that year, I was preparing for a large influx of new clients with the holiday season around the corner, so I started calling gyms in the area if they had room for any trainers. I called over 15 gyms, only one called back. It was CJ from “The Gym” in Rancho Cordova. Little did I know how much this gym would mean to me. It was the perfect set up for me to be successful. “The Gym” gave me the perfect opportunity to be successful. I am thankful every day for this opportunity. I would not be where I am at today without it.

Fast forward 2 years, I prepare to graduate. I had a decision to make, do I stay with my business, continue onto Physical Therapy school, or look for a career in the health care industry. My original plan was to use personal training as stepping into physical therapy school but decided against it. I was having too much fun doing personal training and enjoying all of the relationships I had already. It was a tough decision, but I am so happy I made the decision I did. I am in awe of how far I have come since then. I was inspired by my clients and love of helping others to continue the start of my business. My clients bring out the best in me and teach me more than I teach them. It has been almost 2 years since I have made that decision.

The first step I took toward building my business was delivering excellent service with integrity, word of mouth is the best marketing technique. I also placed lead generation and client retention as my top priorities. All while going to school full time and performing my US Marine reservist obligations. The most effective way of raising awareness for my business was and is word of mouth, lead generation, and website. In recent events, I have been pushing more brand awareness by creating towels and apparel, as well as pushing more into social media.

The biggest challenges I have faced and still currently face is self-confidence in the rough times, other peoples’ opinions, and negative self-talk in my head. I overcome them day by day and do my best to not let these affect me and my work. It has been a constant struggle, and I doubt it will stop any time in the future. I stay focused by remembering that this is bigger than me. This is about my clients and those I serve. Their well-being, happiness, and of course goals are top of my mind for me. I do my best to accommodate any needs they have, make time for them, and educate them on how to lead a healthier lifestyle.

I remind our clients this is not a quick and easy route; these are lifestyle changes that are meant to stay. That is what separates me from my competition. My niche. My niche is Health and Fitness coaching. I consider Health and Fitness coaching to be an art form. I consider it an art form because, within a short period of time (typically 2 hours out of the 168 hours in a week), I need to persuade our clients to become the best version of themselves by eliciting positive change.

I help bring about this change by convincing them that their health is important and that they need to incorporate these changes and lead a healthier and more active lifestyle. I help them realize the big picture, and what needs to happen for them to get there. A lot of people do not realize this, but I am slowly replacing our client’s bad habits with healthier habit choices. This is not easy. In a sense, I am convincing someone that their way of thinking is wrong, and mine is better. I do not put it so bluntly with them, but that is a general idea. Their way put them in front of me, our recommendations will help them build their foundation for success. Our goal is to help our clients become self-sufficient.

One of my favorite books is “Success Principles” by Jack Canfield. In his book, he shows you how to be successful in whatever you do. He helps you build your foundation for success by having you complete the workbook, I reflect and re-read this every April to track my progress from years past.

My favorite business tool or resource is my website. My website is a direct reflection of me. My website is the first thing potential clients see, it’s my first impression on them.

 My business role models are Gary Vaynerchuk and Mark Coles, for different reasons. Gary is who I base the business model off of by leading with compassion, love, and kindness. Always providing value to others with or without payment and expecting nothing in return. Mark, because he is all about training the trainer. He is all about professional development, constantly and never stopping continuous learning.

I balance work and life by doing what I love and making time for myself. I love what I do, so more than half the time I do not feel like I am working. Sometimes I cannot believe I get paid to do what I do. I nurture and build relationships and hang out with people all day while they workout. I also get internal fulfillment by helping others reach their goals, I love the “A-ha” and “congratulatory” moments. I ensure I do make time for myself. I have been to the point of burnout plenty of times, and it is a sweet balancing act. I almost always have something on the calendar to look forward to for a vacation, have consistent and scheduled “Me” time. I also am not afraid to take a mental health day, as well as make time for family. My clients understand how important family is to me. For me to help others, I must first take care of myself. This allows me to be better.

My favorite way to decompress is a night out drinking with the guys, attending a music festival, working out, hanging out with friends, eating food with good company, going for a nice drive, or just kicking back and playing some Xbox.

In the next 6 months, I have a lot of planning. I have recently become a Realtor for Mimi Nassif Luxury Estates, Inc. My goal is to buy/sell my first home for a client. As far as Royal Fitness by Ryan is concerned, I am looking to expand my reach. Recently I have been taking on coaches and finding them work through my lead generation techniques. This is nice because this will allow me to grow my business and help friends find work now. I am in the process of building and developing my team. I am excited about this next quantum leap. I am also developing a clothing line for Royal Fitness By Ryan as well. We just pushed out branded towels. Next is hoodies, tank tops, and masks.

Readers can connect with us in various ways. The simplest and easiest is our website RoyalFitnessByRyan.com. There’s also Instagram - @RoyalFitnessByRyan, YouTube – Royal Fitness by Ryan (Here we upload 1-minute explanations of exercises. No more fluff-filled exercise explanation videos), Facebook – Royal Fitness By Ryan, Email – RoyalFitnessByRyan@gmail.com, or phone: 925.334.8111