Thriving Student: Virgil Brewster

Working as a TV cameraman, Virgil was tired of trying to make ends meet, living paycheck to paycheck, and working a job he wasn’t passionate about.

What’s more, he was tired of living in Amsterdam, a place where 300 days of grey skies a year is the norm. “Quite depressing,” says Virgil.

Together with his business partner Marisa, Virgil dreamed of something different. A healthier, happier, more lucrative lifestyle. A business they love. And most of all, better weather.

“We wanted the ‘flip flop’ life,” says Virgil. “We wanted sun.”

Their goal: to start a gym and  — hopefully — make a living as fitness trainers in Ibiza, Spain.  “We had a dream,” says Virgil. “We just didn’t know how to do it.”

So after a period of “analysis paralysis” they they took a leap of faith and made the move.

No gym, no capital… no problem?

After arriving in Ibiza, Virgil and Marisa didn’t have the money for a bricks and mortar gym so they started offering group training (using kettlebells, body weight training and the like) on the beach.

Their beach workouts became a hit amongst tourists and locals alike, even attracting the attention of the elite; the Princess of Saudi Arabia became a client.

But by the end of their first summer, Virgil realized they had a problem.

Cash flow, time management and burnout were putting his business — and sanity — at risk.

The seasonal nature of Ibiza’s economy was posing a serious challenge. During the summer, the money flows. Tourists pour in and locals are flush with cash. But during the winter months — from October through May — things dry up.

The income disappeared.

In order to make up the difference, Virgil worked himself to the point of burnout in the summer. “I did 9 sessions a day, I was running around, I was burning out completely,” he explains.

Stressed and overwhelmed, “we were in a state of wild panic,” says Virgil. They even started to wonder whether they would have to go back to Amsterdam and turn in their flip flops.

Was online training the solution?

Virgil knew that if he was going to give online training a proper go, he needed some help. “We thought, we’d like to go online, but how…?” The Online Trainer Academy offered the systems and structure to make it work.

Still, given his financial situation, signing up for the Academy felt like a bit of a leap off a bridge.

Virgil did it anyway.

Once in, he discovered that the intro materials within the Academy included a quick client-getting technique. He wasted no time putting it to use, and immediately signed up seven people to the tune of approximately 800 euros a month.

It was clear to him then that things were going to change, for the better.

“It really changed everything for us. It gave us a steady income,” says Virgil. “Now, December, January and February are our best months ever.” The extra stability has also enabled Virgil and Marisa to hire a staff and grow their business more quickly in Ibiza, leapfrogging the local competition.

With a steady income comes more time, more focus, and better client results.

“[Online training] gave me my time back. I’m still busy, but busy in a different way. Now I have the time to concentrate on what I really want to do.”

The most amazing part? The results of his online clients. “Truly you see people really change. The sort of change I have never seen before. And that is really, really something great.”

He says he has learned, “sometimes, when you’re on the fence, you just have to jump off and get things done.”