Towns as small as Potosi and Tennyson don’t often have local gyms, but thanks to a Potosi High School alum and a current teacher, Well Built Humans is bringing health and wellness to our community.
Mathew Eastlick and Brent Curtis came together to start this unique kettlebell workout gym. It was opened on July 13th, 2020. Brent and Matt became friends through coaching the High School Football team here in town. As they got to know each other, Matt introduced Brent to the kettlebell training. After about a half year of Brent doing kettlebell workouts at home, he came up with the idea to start a business. Brent sent a message to Matt and asked him, “If he was interested in starting a fitness gym here in town, and it snowballed from there. Three months later we opened.”
Curtis and Eastlick decided they wanted to start Well Built Humans in Potosi/Tennyson. This is a big move considering neither Potosi nor Tennyson are big towns, so the reasoning was a little deeper. Brent said, “We love the community and love the people in it. We saw a need in the community and wanted to help as many people out as we possibly could.” Eastlick also wanted to help the Potosi/Tennyson community. Eastlick said, “I feel like small towns always get the short end of the stick when it comes to workout business, and I wanted to help the community I live in.”
Brent Curtis had many different reasons behind starting this business. Most of the time, people start businesses for money and recognition, but Brent's reasoning was different. He was more focused on health and wellness, and helping others. “The reasons for wanting to start a business in the health and wellness field are almost endless.” He went on to explain how health and wellness has been a huge piece of his life. Curtis talked about some of the ways having a healthy body will help you in the future. Your body is a huge part of your life, and if there is something you would like to go and do, the last thing you want is to be limited or not be able to do it at all because of your body. Curtis stated, “Your body is something you take with you EVERYWHERE you go.” He also talked about the possibility of having a family in the future. If he was too out of shape to enjoy his time with his wife and kids, it would be a shame. He spoke about how he would be failing them as a father, spouse, and friend. Curtis made it clear he wants to help as many people as possible to avoid situations like these. Matt Eastlick had a similar reasoning. Eastlick said, “I like to workout and I found kettlebell workouts, and I liked how efficient and effective they were and Brent Curtis asked if we wanted to join together and start a gym.” Eastlick also talked about how he wanted to spread the effectiveness of these workouts to other people in our community.
Starting a business is not an easy task. You need to figure out a business plan. This includes elements such as funding the business, finding a physical space for your business, figuring out advertising, and many other challenges. Eastlick said, “Some of our initial challenges were finding enough equipment, paying for all the equipment, finding a location, and trying to manage time.” The company has overcome those challenges and now has a different type of issue. One of the issues they are experiencing is trying to get people to continue with their program, and getting new clients. Eastlick said, “We have added supplements, and a small business from Darlington provides a five day meal plan, which all has helped.”
Well Built Humans also has plans for improvement. Eastlick said, “I think our plans for the future are to increase in-person and virtual membership, and continue to improve our services, and emphasize nutritional guidance - help clients have more success with how they eat and what they eat. We're also going to have a summer Performance Enhancing program for high school students.” If you are interested in Well Built Humans you can schedule your workout on their website today.