383. When Life Threw Her a Curve
Kim Martin
Knowing she had some management skills but was a total newbie in health and fitness, Kim interviewed to be the manager of a local fitness club. On top of that, she had struggled with weight issues all her life. But something dawned on her, and she knew there was nothing random about her being there.
Kim Martin, at age 24, opened her first franchise, Curves Fitness. That was 20 years ago. In August of 2014 she took her passion of motivating people and marketing and founded I’ve Decided, Inc. Her goal with this business is to motivate the people within a given community to make a positive lifestyle choice to fulfill their dream, and provide the resources, via the business members of her organization, to help them achieve success. Kim is a motivational speaker and teacher of the “DECIDE” method, which she created to teach people the steps they need to take in order to achieve their goals.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I fell into Curves Fitness, almost by chance. It just seemed like divine appointment, like it was just where I was supposed to be at that particular time. I applied for a job as a manager at a new Curves opening near where I lived. I’d had some experience in management, but I had no experience in health and wellness. My whole life, I had struggled with being overweight. At the interview, it dawned on me, this could be the opportunity for me to take control of my life, get healthy, and use it as a motivator. I thought, if this works for me, I really believe I can inspire a lot of women and prove that this system works. They bought into that and hired me!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“My most important turning point was the day that I woke up and said, ‘If I can do this for the owners of this franchise, I could do this for myself!’ So, I pretty much stuck a stake in the ground, using the phrase I use all the time, ‘I decided.’ In that moment, I decided I would figure out a way to open my own franchise and do it myself. And that’s what I did! With God’s provision and a truck that we owned, I put up the truck as collateral for a small business loan. With some help from Gary Haven, the founder of Curves, I was able to get it financed. The rest is history. Within a couple of years, we had 1,500 members.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I’ve learned that my greatest talent is my passion for people and my belief that I was born with a purpose, and by grand design, I was created. It’s a grace God has put on me to be able to inspire people.” To make that happen, Kim uses the power to decide. She created an acronym, which forms the word “decide,” made up of six steps she teaches others to achieve their goals.
Steps to Success from Kim Martin
Declare what you truly want.
Envision it, picture it, believe it, dream about it.
Cultivate a mindset that emotion follows the action.
Influences: Pay attention to who you are hanging around, who you admire? Who is influencing you?
Discipline, the hardest step: You’ll never achieve success by living an undisciplined life.
Excel at what you do.
Connecting With Kim Martin
Website: www.ivedecided.org/
Twitter: @ivedecided309
Facebook: facebook.com/ivedecidedpeoria/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kim-martin-speaker-motivator-fitness
