Larry Nolan is the CEO Hardcore Fitness Gyms, founded in the suburbs of Los Angeles, where there are more gyms per square mile than any other city in the United States.

Larry is also creator of Hardcore Nutrition supplements and host of the Go Hard podcast; he's all about being real to his clients and adding value wherever he can.

This episode of the Escape Your Limits podcast is a lesson in risk for reward, overcoming adversity and always staying true to your customers.

Watch the full episode on YouTube

At 16, Larry Nolan got diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and Raynaud's phenomenon, a circulatory condition. Doctors told him that he couldn't work out. Through a passion for fitness and the rebellious nature of being young, he got back to exercising anyway. He soon found that, for him, working out and understanding the importance of rest periods could combat the symptoms of his conditions. Through his own experiences, Larry found passion in personal training to help others appreciate what their own bodies can do.

He started a career training as a profession with 24 Hour Fitness and worked through all the areas of gyms in corporate America, whether it was training, sales, and more – the fundamentals of setting up a gym, management and the benefits of being around great talent, but the but the business side of training killed his passion for fitness.

Starting his own group fitness initiative training clients in a local park, eventually Larry sacrificed everything to invest in an indoor space, even giving up his first holiday with his wife after years together.

Fuelled every day with hard work to create his vision, from physical creation of the space to personal growth with education and earning his place as worthy of the customers he wanted to attract.

Larry and Nadia Nolan founded Hardcore Fitness in 2007 in Santa Clarita. Known as the "transformation gym," it's all about motivating and supporting a community, whether a member is an athlete or has never stepped foot in a fitness space.

As the crossover between PT and group exercise, Larry and his team focus on the needs of each member, offering energetic classes and facilities or resources for weight training, cardio, core, nutrition, motivation and accountability. With 18 locations now open, Hardcore Fitness is also recruiting for franchise opportunities to further its network.

Larry is also creator of Hardcore Nutrition supplements and host of the Go Hard podcast.

Episode highlights:

• How you can overcome mental obstacles such as the fear of competing against other PTs in a huge fitness space.
• Ways in which, even at a young age, medical conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and Raynaud's can be combatted by working out and planned rest periods.
• Why internships and networking are vital for experience and understanding, but may scare you as they reveal the side of business that you don't see. It's not all glamour.
• How adding value for the customer is important to any business, even if it's not necessary.
• How you can overcome anything, even a bad track record and two felonies, to build a successful business and follow your passion.
• The importance of every single client, and how they're precious.
• Understanding the fundamentals of a trainer and what business models you can implement to make the most of their strengths and passions.
• How to keep going, even when everything is going wrong.
• Why jealously and hate are such negative results from looking at someone else's success on social media, and how you can translate your reaction into something much more positive.
• How the finance works out in a successful venture, transitioning from outdoor group training to an indoor fitness space while still adding client value and scaling your business.

Join Matthew Januszek in conversation with Larry Nolan…