Brad Tillery, founder of BCS Fitness in College Station, Texas and our January 2017 PFP Trainer of the Month, has been raising the bar in the industry for over 14 years. Brad has been nationally recognized on TLC’s “My 600 lb Life” and continues to have a significant impact on his community, the men and women he serves and the team of fitness professionals he leads. Here is how Brad is raising the bar for his clients and in the industry…

Website: www.bcsfitness.com

Certifications/qualifications: B.S Degree, Texas A&M University; Certified Personal Trainer, American Council on Exercise; Member, American College of Sports Medicine.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BCSFitness

Twitter: www.twitter.com/BCSFITNESS

Year started in business: 2003

List any PR/recognition/awards received: PFP Trainer of the Month, January 2017; featured trainer on TLC's television show, "My 600 lb Life," Best Training Studio-College Station, Texas

What inspired you to start your business?

Back in 2003, people were not familiar with small group personal training at the 1:5 ratio.

My wife and I saw a need in our community to serve and impact those who wanted and needed more coaching, but were not able to or interested in paying the big bucks for a private trainer.

BCS Fitness was built on that 1:5 ratio and continues strong 14 years later as the primary service we provide.

What is one hard lesson you’ve learned in business you believe has been most valuable?

You must check you pride at the door to be successful in this business.

So many times, in my early days of training, I felt offended, taken advantage of, or emotionally beat up by the people I was serving.

Over the years, the more I learned to put the needs and interests of others before my own, even when it was to the detriment of my ego or our bank account, the more we saw favor from the community and our business grew.

If I asked one of your clients why they choose you over other places/gyms/trainers, what would they likely say?

We've gained a strong reputation in our community for having a very high-performing staff.

In 14 years, I've learned that one of the best investments I can make is in our staff.

I spend a good bit of my time each week in private one-on-one coaching sessions with our trainers and creating or finding content that will help them in professional development.

Name one or two ways you are trying to raise the bar in the industry?

We've seen a lot of success since switching to a 30-minute training model back in 2013.

We are constantly evolving the ways we train our people and how we coach them toward nutritional habit changes that are more efficient and time-saving.

We believe time will continue to be a precious commodity to our members and it's up to us to help them get the very most out of their 60-90 minutes with us each week.