Meet George Pagan III | Personal Trainer & Fitness Industry Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with George Pagan III and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi George, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I think about risk all the time. Throughout my career, I have had to get more comfortable taking risks because it’s the only way to challenge yourself to grow. Getting more comfortable taking risks has allowed me to place “risks” in my decision-making model, think about the future, and be more calculated when pulling the proverbial trigger on doing something. After many years of building my business, I recently took an enormous but calculated risk. I became more independent and opened my headquarters for FITLETE. It was an undertaking, but with the right help from Caldera Law, my friend and real estate advisors Romain Liberman, Mirna Zarate, and Lisa Rosen, I was able to find the space in Miami to support this risky decision best. While it will always be scary, I encourage creative professionals to take risks when possible because it keeps your eyes focused on the future.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
In some way or another, I have always been a coach, and when I had the opportunity to make coaching my career, I chose to dive head-first into this path of being a self-employed personal trainer; that was in 2010. There are many different populations a personal trainer can work with. I think I have worked in jobs that covered every demographic you could imagine, whether teaching an elderly workout class, assisting someone after their physical therapy, helping an athlete get better at their sport, or helping other entrepreneurs in Miami lose weight and build muscle. One of the aspects they don’t teach you in university or basic certifications is how difficult it can be to stay afloat when starting your career as a personal trainer. It’s a job that doesn’t fit the “9 to 5” employee mindset; you must hustle through long days and overcome many people telling you no. Other than the people I know who started as a personal trainer with me, I have read reports stating that 80% of new personal trainers leave the industry in 12 months. So, when I look back at my journey, I am most proud that I made it past those early struggle years of incredibly long hours and seasonal lower-revenue periods. Most people who want to become personal trainers do it to help people through fitness. Unfortunately, this altruistic feeling can overshadow any sense of having a sustainable business practice. The biggest lesson I learned was that If I genuinely wanted to help more people, I had to do it from within the industry, and If I am running a business that can not sustain itself, I end up helping nobody.

My brand, FITLETE, is about teaching and continued learning through fitness. Whether you are looking to improve your own strength and physique or you are a personal trainer who wants to hone their skills as a coach to improve the lives of others, FITLETE is on your side.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Here’s what I doing if my friend comes into town. Starting the day grabbing a breakfast and coffee at We We’s Bakery & Bistro, you cant beat the full We We’s Waffle Breakfast, with a cappuccino. If we are feeling up for it Ill sneak in some of their pastries. After breakfast we are going to Crandon Golf Course to play a quick 18. Then It’d prime time for lunch…and a Cafecito and I want a pressed sandwich from Sanguich in Little Haiti. I like art and graffiti so I’m going to take them on a stroll around Wynwood and explore some of the new murals and tags, especially if it’s December around Art Basel week. We are going to be hungry from all the walking and it’s time to chow down for dinner at Fiorito on NE 2nd Ave, if you like steak you will be in heaven. I’m not a big partier so maybe we will go to Magic 13 Brewery in the Magic City Innovation District for a local beer and some live music.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Lindsey Mandler from Caldera Law- https://www.caldera.law/team/lindsey-mandler

Romain Liberman, Mirna Zarate & Lisa Rosen at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices EWM Realty Miami

Jessica Boudreaux- https://www.boudreauxdesignstudio.com/

Carmen Sturniolo- https://www.carmensturniolo.com/

David Senra- https://www.founderspodcast.com/

Megan Cooper- https://www.studiomefitness.com/blog/2014/09/meet-the-owners

Books:
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg

Website: https://fitletes.com/miami

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fitletenation/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgepagan3rd/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fitletes

Other: Google Business Listing: https://g.page/r/CRnS4anMuZl-EBM/