University alumna Andrea Sebatien-Roberts combined entrepreneurial skills and a passion for fitness to start a family-oriented fitness center with capital she earned from winning the LSU Student Incubator Venture Challenge.
The challenge, a business-oriented funding program, helped kick off Sebastien-Roberts’ goal of opening her studio, FamilyFit Athletics.
Sebastien-Roberts graduated from the University with a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s in kinesiology with a concentration in sports and fitness administration and has multiple fitness certifications, including Crossfit-Level One.
Kinesiology instructor Eric Engemann, whose courses focus on sports and exercise administration, said it’s a competitive market, and to succeed, a business must differentiate itself from others and stand out in some way.
Sebastien-Roberts thinks the atmosphere of FamilyFit Athletics combined with the research her programs are based on sets her apart from other fitness centers.
While earning her master’s degree, Sebastien-Roberts took a course in exercise psychology and said the physiological and psychological research she learned there became fundamental in her training.
Exercise psychology focuses on applying principles of human performance like focus, confidence and motivation to physical fitness.
Sebastien-Roberts said exercise psychology interested her and motivated her to open the gym.
“I was really interested in learning about what keeps people going, so I think the foundation of what I’ve started is essentially to make it fun and to get kids to integrate fitness in their lives,” Sebastien-Roberts said.
Her main goal is to help families as a whole understand the importance of physical fitness and healthy habits and eliminate “gym intimidation” so people of all ages and fitness levels feel welcome.
Sebastien-Roberts worked for IBM for 10 years before realizing she didn’t enjoy her career and went back to school to earn her master’s and pursue her passion.
“I just realized I was doing something for money and not because I liked it,” Sebastien-Roberts said. “Fitness had always been a hobby for me, and I wanted to turn it into a career.”
The Student Incubator program helps students with writing business plans and generating revenue, but Sebastien-Roberts said it helped most in networking. Now with FamilyFit Athletics open, the Student Incubator is still setting up opportunities for Sebastien-Roberts to speak about the importance of fitness in public schools around Baton Rouge.
Engemann said he is not surprised at the path Sebastien-Roberts took, but does think it is unusual.
“It is a little bit unique that somebody has that entrepreneurial spirit and a business oriented plan, especially at this stage in their lives and to take it forward and put together a business plan and have success,” Engemann said.
Kenneth Anderson, Student Incubator manager, said the Incubator has seen many non-business majors who enter the challenge.
“We strongly encourage tech and non-business majors to participate in the program, being that oftentimes they are the ones with the great ideas, products or technologies,” Anderson said.
FamilyFit Athletics offers many different options to its clients. Group sessions include Adult Small Group Training, Sports Performance Pre-teen, Sports Performance Teen, Kids Small Group Training, Yogafit, FamilyFit and personal training.
University alumna opens fitness center with help from Student Incubator
February 9, 2015
Newly opened gym Family Fit Athletics is located on Thad Cain.