Folz Fitness & Wellness

Folz Fitness & Wellness, a personal training business located in St. Cloud turned 3 years old last month. Their mission is to improve the overall physical wellness levels within our community. “We aim to do so through training, coaching, and educating individuals within our 4 physical wellness pillars: Mindset, Nutrition, Fitness, and Regeneration,” explained Andy Folz, Fitness & Wellness Director, Owner, Certified Personal Trainer (CPT), Certified Nutrition Coach (CNC).
“I am originally from Spring Grove, MN. Which is a small rural town of 1,200 in the Southeastern corner of MN,” explained Andy. “I was recruited out of high school to play college football for the SCSU Huskies and attend college at St. Cloud State University from 2007-2012. I graduated from SCSU with a Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation & Sports Management with a coaching minor. In my final semester of school, leading up to graduation, I completed an internship with the St. Paul Pioneers semi-pro football organization. I was the first intern they ever hired. I was tasked with promotions and marketing roles for the team, as well as creating all of their initial sponsorship packages and proposals to attract sponsors. I was also signed by the team as a player to compete for them as a running back and in a special teams role.”
“Also in 2012, I obtained my first professional job out of school with the Minnesota Vikings, working at the Metro Dome as part of their sales team for season ticket, group ticket, and suites packages. While working for the Vikings, I continued playing football for the St. Paul Pioneers. After a 1-year seasonal role with the Vikings, a change in roles and industry (transportation logistics) for 2 years eventually led me back towards St. Cloud again in December of 2014 to work for Anderson Trucking.”
“During those eight years of corporate employment in logistics, I was able to become a well-rounded professional and started building a network locally, as well as develop many of the skills and experience I have today. Throughout my years working in a corporate office, I remained passionate about my personal fitness and nutrition. But despite my development as a business professional, there was still something missing for me. I have always been a very active individual and an athlete. I still sought out competition, activity, and physical challenge/movement on a consistent basis, so sitting at a desk all day in an office had long worn out its welcome for me. My passion and drive had started to fade for a while, so I needed to dig deep and figure out a new direction.”
“Throughout my professional and personal adult life, my family, friends, coworkers, sometimes even strangers, would consistently offer me nice compliments and approach me for advice and guidance with working out and nutrition. So I decided to take a part-time position as a personal trainer at a local fitness facility in Waite Park while still working full time in logistics. Here, I was able to gain nearly two years of experience working with fitness clients while I pursued my online schooling for my personal training and nutrition coaching certifications from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). This would be a way I could start to use a passion of mine to help others and give back to my community as well as people I care most about.”
“After 2 years of personal training, obtaining my fitness and nutrition certifications, organizing my own business, and renovating my two-stall garage into a professional quality fitness studio, I launched Folz Fitness and Wellness in June of 2022. Once I took my first client (a local high school athlete), I began taking on a handful of clients (both adult clients and high school athletes) through word of mouth and a little social media advertising. Soon, I was training individuals almost every weekday as early as 5am, then going to work at my full-time job before returning home to train multiple clients again in the evenings. It got to that point where I needed to make the BIG decision. Keep this as a side hustle and work 14-hour days, or take a leap to follow my passion and challenge myself by leaving my current job to run my business full time.”
At Folz Fitness & Wellness, you’re not going to find what you might at any other gym. “I have comprehensive and well-rounded experience that I am able to share with every individual I work with. I am certified in fitness training and nutrition coaching through NASM (one of the highest accredited organizations in the industry), which not every trainer is (and it's not required by law to have a personal training certification).”
“On top of that, I am a former college athlete who has pushed/does push myself to peak physical performance. I am able to walk the walk and not just talk the talk in terms of my profession. There isn't anything I program for my clients or athletes that I don't do or haven't done myself. I pride myself on leading by example and building up others so they can be the best version of themselves to lead in the ways they need to in their lives, family, professional, etc,” shared Andy.
“Currently, my business is a smaller (500 sqft) fitness studio which focuses primarily on 1:1 personal fitness and sports performance training that is tailored specifically towards each individual client that I work with. I not only focus on customizing a fitness program and nutrition coaching for each individual's needs and goals, but they also gain access to my space, coaching, and one-on-one time to themselves. It is not like training at a larger facility or big box gym, where it perhaps can be intimidating for some individuals to exercise in front of many others in a more public atmosphere.”
Like so many great businesses in Central MN, community is central to Folz’s success. “I have become connected with the Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation (GSDC) this year, which has been a phenomenal ecosystem to be a part of. They are extremely supportive and genuinely want to see the area's business owners, founders, and entrepreneurs grow and thrive, which in turn can give back so much to the community to continue blossoming it into a wonderful place to live. I have forged partnerships with other local businesses such as The EnduRUNce Shop, Allied Chiropractic, and All-Star Nutrition, who all have physical wellness visions that align well with the mission of Folz Fitness and Wellness. I have found the Greater St. Cloud community, as well as the network of business owners and fellow entrepreneurs, to be generally very supportive and encouraging. Connecting with like-minded individuals who are seeking positive growth for our community is very invigorating, and I see that culture building rapidly in our region!”
“Having one of my high school athletes earn All-Conference accolades in his sport, followed by a Division II football scholarship, was incredibly memorable and rewarding for me. I really enjoy working with athletes on the sports performance side of fitness training. Having said that, some of the most rewarding feelings I have gotten have been from helping adult clients progress towards and achieve their general fitness goals.”
“I have had individuals who have come to see me that sometimes have so much pain, stiffness, and/or tightness with different muscular, postural imbalances, etc, that everyday movement like walking, navigating stairs, and even sleeping comfortably at night are challenging for them. So, to see individuals become more confident with themselves, improve their energy levels, increase their strength & stability, lose body fat, and/or improve other areas of their physical wellness is phenomenal and exciting!”
Like any business, there are hurdles for Andy and his business, too. “From the fitness and wellness standpoint, I still occasionally am surprised by people's expectations. We live in a world now where so much is at our fingertips, being one click, swipe, or tap away. Especially in health and fitness, so many of us are inundated with quick fixes, "6 Week Challenges", fad diets, or pills/shots to take for "fast results", and most of those things do not set us up for long-term success with maintaining a positive and healthy lifestyle. So, having to consistently work with individuals to set reasonable and realistic goals and time frames to achieve positive progress is typically a challenge that is common, and I did not foresee being so prevalent when I first began.
“From a business standpoint, as an early entrepreneur three years ago, navigating the process of building a business and brand that will grow and last as a positive and well-known pillar of the community has been an eye-opener. The personal and professional growth that I have experienced in the past 3-4 years, as well as the wealth of knowledge I have acquired through not only my own work but the guidance of many others, has been invaluable. Learning to lean on support from others, especially those closest to me who want to see my success (my girlfriend Ashley, my family, close friends, and professional mentors), was something I underestimated when starting. As a former athlete with a competitive personality & large imagination/dreams who focuses on attention to detail, I have to remind myself frequently to just start things even if I don't have all of the answers up front and trust that my supporters, resources and I together can accomplish what we set out to achieve.”
“If you have family members, friends, coworkers, athletes, or anyone you know who could benefit from or wants to improve their fitness, physical wellness, and/or sports performance, I am always open to a visit to see if we would be a great fit to work together. Also, I am BIG on community and very open to collaboration with other individuals, businesses, organizations, and events that promote positive growth and/or experiences. I have a creative imagination and love coming up with collaborative ideas and partnerships both within and outside of the fitness and wellness space.”
“An easy and free way that helps a ton to support my business is to share and follow us at www.folzfitness.com and on social media. Folz Fitness and Wellness has Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn pages as well as a YouTube Channel. And if you've had a positive experience with me or the business, please give us a positive Google Review!”
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