Sadikot owns two Fitness Together locations; looking to expand in Windsor

Boo Sadikot knew he wanted something different in his life.

After four years of frustrations working as the director of fitness in a health club, he came to the conclusion he wanted to go into business for himself.

"I wasn't too sure in which direction to go," he said. "Then I came across an opportunity to look into franchising and personal training. I found it was exactly what I was looking for. It was great."

Sadikot currently owns Fitness Together locations in West Bloomfield and the newest one in Novi at the corner of Beck and Ten Mile roads in the Briarpointe Plaza.

A native of Croydon, England, Sadikot has been in the United States for about eight years. Prior, he worked for Carnival Cruise Lines in the retail department. He was in charge of making sure merchandise was up to date in gift shops from ship to ship. His background in England was in retail management for about 10 years.

Though he eventually became burned out on all the travel, there was one thing about the job Sadikot will never regret: It's where he met his wife, Lisa.

"She worked as an accountant on board one of the ships," he said. "She is originally from Garden City."

The couple married eight years ago and have recently moved to a new home in Commerce Township. She's a teacher at Northville High School.

The Fitness Together difference
From a work perspective, one of the nicest things about Sadikot's job is seeing the changes his clients are able to achieve in their lives.

"We have many clients come to us who are very out of shape, have very low energy levels, low self-esteem and confidence levels," said Sadikot. "Through engaging in a structured exercise program and going through the various workouts we've put together, they really do see dramatic changes. That, for me, is a very positive feeling."

Sadikot said in a lot of cases people's lives improve, their confidence levels improve, their outlook on life improves, clothing fits better and they feel much better about themselves after working out.

Fitness Together has been around 15 years, and is now the largest personal training organization in the world. Internationally, Sadikot owns the franchise rights in Ontario and is developing studios there. Two locations are already open in Windsor, with a third going up in Nova Scotia. Studios are also set to open in Spain and Israel.

Sadikot and his staff do their best to appeal to individuals who don't want to be a part of a large public gym and who are serious about making a commitment to change. They work with clients from all different fitness levels.

"Our concept is pretty unique in the sense that we're not just a health club or a gym," said Sadikot. "Each of our studios are fully equipped."

Clients work with fitness professionals in complete privacy. There are never any distractions or lines to wait in. It's not intimidating, and the entire focus is strictly on the client.

"We're able to help our clients reach their goals a lot more efficiently and effectively that way," said Sadikot.

In addition, Fitness Together conducts contests periodically to make it a little more interesting for clients. Currently, the company is running one called "the biggest winner." which started in January.

"We're giving away $300 to the client who loses the most weight by the end of March," said Sadikot. "About 60 clients at both studios are competing against each other."
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