Most businesses start with an idea. Maybe it’s an idea about how to make things easier or one born from a particular need. Regardless of how a company starts, there is always a visionary leader behind its success who uses their passion to turn an idea into a reality that completely disrupts the norm. Meet Richard Decker, a trainer, entrepreneur, and the founder of Roll Fast Fitness.
Richard’s passion for fitness and entrepreneurship started early on in his career when he established his first gym, The American Fitness Factory, marking the genesis of his many ventures within the fitness domain. Over time, Decker’s commitment to delivering exceptional results to clients led him to open Studio 89 and The Rich Decker Method, which quickly gained prominence for their personalized training programs and top-notch facilities. Decker’s entrepreneurial spirit further flourished when he introduced the BodyWedge 21, a stable, foam workout wedge that became immensely popular in the fitness community.
Throughout his journey, Decker realized that traditional gym setups weren’t always conducive to achieving optimal results. He explains, “One of the biggest problems with a brick-and-mortar gym is that all the floors are level, but when you go outside and walk around the streets, your yard, the beach, or park, there’s nothing level. Bringing the workout outside strengthens stabilization muscles, often neglected in traditional gym settings.”
At the age of 55, after closing his previous gym and restaurant, Richard was considering semi-retirement. However, his passion for fitness and a serendipitous series of outdoor workouts in the woods with clients prompted the idea of mobile fitness. These workouts in nature inspired him to repurpose his Rocky Ridge monster truck into a gym on wheels, which developed into AWATfit (All Weather All Terrain Fitness), a groundbreaking mobile fitness concept. This revolutionary approach allowed individuals to engage in high-quality workouts AnyWhere, at Any Time, hence AWAT, regardless of weather or location.
AWATfit was launched in January 2019. Utilizing the same shop that had previously custom-built his gym equipment, Decker engineered 25 workout stations onto a Ram 1500 pickup truck for a fully functional concierge fitness service. The venture achieved impressive financial success within its inaugural year, generating close to $300,000 in revenue with an astounding 80% net profit.
AWAT Fit’s low overhead and high net profits contrasted starkly with traditional brick-and-mortar gyms. Decker realized that his new business model allowed for substantial financial gains with minimal stress and operational constraints, which motivated him to share the success by venturing into a franchise model.
Despite facing challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, which momentarily slowed franchise sales due to travel restrictions and limitations on in-person demonstrations, AWATFit continued to expand. However, expansion had its growing pains. Realizing that the franchise world was not the correct move for AWATFit, the company rebranded as Roll Fast Fitness, now offering retired veterans and first responders an opportunity to become business operators with corporate backing through its RHTBO model. By providing them with subsidiaries, support, and a revenue-sharing model, Roll Fast Fitness aims to create intrepreneurial opportunities for these individuals while leveraging their expertise, discipline, and commitment to serve their communities.
The intrepreneurial program allows Decker’s entrepreneurial vision to come alive in others by fostering an environment where individuals can truly grow and scale along with the business. RollFast Fitness and its RHTBO program share the same mission statement.
“At RollFast Fitness, our mission is to transform the world, one client and one coach at a time. We are passionately dedicated to empowering our clients to achieve a higher quality of life through health and fitness. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our coaches and their unwavering support, as we are equally committed to empowering them to become successful business owners. Together, we’re on a journey to make a positive impact on lives, and we couldn’t be more excited about it!” says Decker.
In addition to its intrepeneurial model, Roll Fast Fitness has introduced “America’s Healthiest Tailgate Party,” a program that serves a dual role in marketing and community engagement. With this program, the company offers free fitness sessions at community centers and college campuses during off-hours when the concierge fitness service is not operational, providing valuable fitness experiences to the community and serving as a platform for branding and product representation for associated brands.
This approach aligns with Roll Fast Fitness’s broader vision of combining experiential marketing with fitness outreach, creating a cost-effective and impactful way to generate brand awareness, loyalty, and referrals. By engaging with communities directly and providing free fitness sessions, Roll Fast Fitness demonstrates its commitment to improving overall health and well-being while effectively promoting its brand and services.
For Richard, “Roll Fast” means efficiency, convenience, and adaptability in fitness. It represents a departure from traditional gym experiences, where individuals spend a lot of time commuting, checking in, and preparing for workouts. Because Roll Fast Fitness comes to you, it can deliver a complete workout within a 45-minute timeframe, from the truck arriving at the client’s location to completing the workout and leaving.
For people with hectic schedules, financial considerations, or preferences for personalized training away from crowded gym settings, Roll Fast Fitness prioritizes delivering fitness services directly to the client’s doorstep. By eliminating the need for lengthy commutes and minimizing the time commitment for a workout, Roll Fast Fitness caters to a diverse clientele and emphasizes Decker’s motto, “NO MORE EXCUSES!!”
Integral to the company is the concept of functional fitness. Having been a powerlifter and bodybuilding competitor, Decker acknowledges the limitations of solely relying on weights. Functional fitness emphasizes movements that engage the entire body using resistance bands and body weight, which helps avoid injuries and promotes overall muscle engagement.
Functional fitness is also beneficial in that it can be tailored to accommodate individuals across all age groups and fitness levels. By adjusting the resistance bands’ levels and varying body angles, Roll Fast Fitness can provide workouts suitable for an eight-year-old or an 80-year-old in the same class.
Roll Fast Fitness has completely reshaped fitness by putting client convenience first and offering personalized workout experiences. Thanks to Richard Decker’s forward-thinking approach, Roll Fast Fitness is charging ahead, determined to boost health, change lives, and make a lasting impact in the fitness world. For more information, visit rollfastfitness.com
Published By: Aize Perez
