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Sandra Vazquez of SWT Fitness inside her fitness studio
SWT Fitness

SWT Fitness, Sandra Vazquez

Title / Role: Owner & Operator
Location: Dunkirk, Maryland
Formed in: 2020
www.sistasworktogether.com
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What do you do?

I founded a women's-only gym in a growing Maryland County where no such exercise facility existed.

What inspired you to start your business?

I love being a Personal Trainer and saw the need for a place where women could work out without the pressure of the presence of men.

What's special about your business?

SWT Fitness, aka “Sistas Work Together,” is a fitness studio that exclusively caters to and enthusiastically promotes women’s fitness needs.  SWT Fitness’s mission statement is to provide a fitness environment exclusively for women that is safe, clean, and inviting. In addition, SWT’s goal is to foster a welcoming, encouraging, and supportive atmosphere in a first-class exercise facility.

What have been the high and low points of being a business owner?

The low points have been learning how to assert my authority as a business owner to evaluate and, when necessary, dismiss employees who are not helping the team to succeed.  The high has been the growth of a strong team attracting many women to participate in gym activities.

What influenced you to seek help from SCORE?

As my business maxed out in my home gym, a neighbor with her own business recommended I seek out SCORE for advice on how to “expand into a brick and mortar building.”  My SCORE Mentor, Bob Whitcomb, was the perfect match because Bob previously owned a retail establishment and was also very good with numbers and spreadsheets--not my strong point. So, we started working together on the gym expansion plan in late September 2020. By early 2021, we had frequent Zoom meetings to refine my plan and pull numbers together for presentation to potential lenders.  He also helped me examine several retail locations and their lease obligations in support of lender financial pro formas.

How SCORE helped.

I knew I had a successful business concept because my female-only fitness gym was outgrowing my home’s basement.  SCORE helped me develop the roadmap I needed to follow to secure funding to expand my gym into a prime retail location. 

What's great about my mentor?

Bob was stupendous in always being available to speak to, especially at my lowest moments when funding seemed impossible. His financial knowledge was key. In fact, it was Bob who introduced me to M&T Bank, which became my primary lender. Bob was also instrumental in helping me find a secondary loan through Calvert County’s Economic Development Council.

What have you learned from your experiences as a business owner?

Owning a business involves much more than just leading a class as a personal trainer. It requires continuous recruiting/marketing, paying attention to the financials, running a payroll, and paying monthly leases, loans, utility, and other recurring obligations.  It has required a 24/7 commitment to thought and constant concern in a way much more than I anticipated.

Additional media
Sandra Vazquez of SWT Fitness standing in front of her gym
My mentors
Headshot of Bob Whitcomb
Bob Whitcomb

With 15 years experience as Controller for a 25-person firm, and having started my own packing and...

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712 H St NE PMB 98848
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Washington, DC 20002
(800) 634-0245

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Funded, in part, through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.

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