As a former physics teacher, I never imagined that one day I’d be running a seven-figure business. My path to entrepreneurship was not smooth or straightforward, and in fact, it started at the darkest point of my life. But it’s that journey—from teaching science to nearly losing my ability to walk and then finding business success as an owner—that taught me some of the most valuable lessons for running a business. If you’re a small business owner or startup founder, perhaps my story can offer you some insight into overcoming adversity and the importance of adaptability in business.
From 2013 to 2017, I worked as a science teacher. While it was a stable job, I felt unfulfilled and uncertain if this was the life I wanted for myself. I’ve always believed in taking risks, so I decided to leave teaching and follow my passion for fitness. I became a personal trainer and jumped headfirst into building my new career.
Just when I thought I had found my calling, a freak gym accident that snapped both of my patella tendons. The damage was so bad I was told by doctors I’d never be able to walk unaided again. Overnight, I went from helping people improve their fitness to fighting for my own mobility. The physical pain was brutal, but the emotional toll was worse. I spiraled into debt and found myself battling an addiction to painkillers prescribed during my recovery.
There were days when I wanted to give up—on everything. But it was during those dark times that I learned one of the most important lessons for any business owner: resilience. Things will not always go as planned, and failure, even catastrophe, is part of the process. What matters most is how you get back up when life knocks you down.
After a year of intense rehabilitation, I relearned how to walk and finally found my way back to the world of fitness. But this time, I had a new perspective. Using the final £5000 from my loan, taking my total debt to £20k, I invested in a business course and that is where my story of success began. I decided that instead of going back to personal training in a gym, I was going to take my services online and launch Get Results Training in March 2019.
This was my first taste of entrepreneurship, and it wasn’t without its challenges. Learning the ropes of online marketing, managing clients, and building a digital presence from scratch was a daunting task. But I quickly realised that running a small business isn’t about having the perfect plan—it’s about being adaptable. Especially in the startup world, you need to be ready to pivot at a moment’s notice. I had to master skills that went beyond fitness, from managing client expectations to scaling a service-based business. I also learned the power of outsourcing and automation, which saved me time and allowed me to focus on what I do best.
Though Get Results Training was a business success, after two years, I felt ready for the next step. After the success of my online coaching, I had a lot of other fitness professionals coming to me for advice on how I’d built my business to the point where I was having to start charging for my time. I saw a gap in the market for fitness entrepreneurs like me, people who were great at training but needed help scaling their businesses. So, in January 2022, I launched Collective CEO Consultancy, which I later rebranded to Fitness Business University in 2023.
With Fitness Business University, I work one-on-one with fitness professionals, helping them streamline their operations, build teams, and grow their businesses. We focus on CEO management—essentially, teaching other business owners the skills needed to step away from day-to-day tasks so they can focus on scaling. This was a combination of all things that I needed when I was growing my business, all provided in one service.
What I learned through launching two businesses in less than five years is that systems are everything. You need the right systems in place for hiring, training staff, and automating processes. These are not just “nice-to-haves” for scaling a business—they are non-negotiable. Small business owners often get bogged down in the operational side, and that’s where they struggle to grow. By implementing these systems, I was able to end my year achieving a turnover of £1.5 million.
Another key lesson is the importance of mentorship. It’s easy to think you can do it all on your own, but that mindset can be a fast track to burnout. I now work with a trusted team of business professionals who help guide me through the challenges of scaling. No one achieves success alone, and that’s something every business owner needs to understand.
If there’s one thing I want to share with fellow entrepreneurs, it’s that adversity can be your greatest teacher for business success. My journey from a near-career-ending injury to building two businesses taught me that success is rarely a straight line. It’s full of ups and downs, but the lessons you learn along the way are invaluable.
As a business owner, you’ll face countless obstacles, whether it’s financial difficulties, market shifts, or personal challenges. What will determine your success is your ability to adapt, your willingness to learn new skills, and most importantly, your resilience. If I can rebuild my life and business after nearly losing everything, so can you. Take it one step at a time, and remember that failure is only the beginning of your next great success.
Author: Ste McGrath is the founder of Fitness Business University.
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