Today we’d like to introduce you to Cynthia Lett.
Hi Cynthia, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstory.
After 38 years as an expert, trainer, and author in international etiquette and protocol, I retired for 20 minutes. My son, Cameron Lett, had just earned his fourth national certification in fitness, including personal training, group fitness training, youth fitness training, and elite fitness training. He has wanted to make his career in the fitness business and is particularly interested in youth and special needs fitness. He wanted to start a business serving the special needs community (he has fought through his learning difficulties over his lifetime), and with research, we found this community is underserved in Charleston. Additionally, the pandemic increased the number of homeschooled elementary-age children who don’t have a formal gym class to attend like their friends in typical schools. That’s how our concept was developed. Beach Cowboy Fitness was the name Cameron came up with because he identifies as a beach cowboy, much like the country music star Kenny Chesney does. He wanted to design fitness programs that utilized our beautiful surroundings – the parks, the beaches, and our studio in Mount Pleasant. As a serial entrepreneur, I handle the business part of the organization, and Cameron and another coach (also multi-certified) manage the games and activities. Beach Cowboy Fitness is a 501 ( c )(3) nonprofit, and donations go to providing at-risk youth and adults with special needs the chance to attend fitness classes and hosted activities.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Being an entrepreneur is always fraught with twists and turns. When we wanted to work with nonprofits to help them with their mission, we found that we had a better chance to do that if we were a nonprofit. So we became a 501c3 charitable nonprofit corporation. Our business plan should have included the length of time before we got our first clients.
Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Beach Cowboy Fitness offers gym and fitness classes for homeschooled kids K-5 and special needs kids and adults from age 5+. Our classes are small – 10 is the max – and our coaches are all multi-certified, including the Adaptive Fitness Training for Special Needs (Strong Education). We use games instead of repetitive exercises to build strength and balance. We are a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization, and donations allow families dealing with special needs financial support to have their children attend our classes. We are so proud that we have designed a sensory-friendly studio and that our experienced and trained coaching staff are filling a need in our community that has yet to be filled.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Cameron Lett, co-owner and coach, developed the idea and the business’s name. His struggle with learning difficulties and fitting in inspired the business. His desire to serve the communities that we serve drives us to reach out more and to be patient with the growth of Beach Cowboy Fitness. We have received so much cheerleading from community members and friends who can see the need and our desire to fill that need.
Pricing:
- $20 per class with discounts for multiple classes
- $225 per week for Summer Camp with discounts for multiple weeks
Contact Info:
- Website: https://beachcowboyfitness.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beachcowboyfitness/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeachCowboyFitness
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beach-cowboy-fitness/?viewAsMember=true
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@beachcowboyfitness6934
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/beach-cowboy-fitness-mount-pleasant
