Aaron's business is fighting fit and ready to grow
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Aaron James Cashell is the owner of AJC Fitness in Throckley, Newcastle.
The son of British boxing champion John Davison, Aaron has looked forward to having his own space and sharing his family’s fitness ethos for years.
Aaron tells us how a Start Up Loan made that possible…
"My dad always inspired me to be fit and healthy and I love the whole culture of fitness. He built a legacy, by himself, as WBC and British Champion. He boxed for England 17 times and captained the England boxing squad nine times before going pro at the age of 30."
"Dad was the first man in 60 years to bring the British title to Newcastle and now he’s helping here in the gym, bringing decades of knowledge and expertise to AJC Fitness."
I want to build my own legacy.
"I need to do something that inspires people and makes me want to get up in the morning. Fitness in the gym does that for me."
I want to sit in my old people's home one day and be like, “I did alright”.
You can't do that working for somebody else."
"My business is based around personal training and small group classes. What makes this gym special is that there are no egos in this gym: it’s for everybody. Everybody has to start somewhere, so we’re creating a really inclusive atmosphere that you won't find anywhere else."
"I think if I worked at somebody else's gym, I'd be sacked straight away because I treat people like they're my best friends!"
"I know we're here to make money, but especially for kids that have just started their fitness journey, and for the families that are struggling, if there’s a way to do something better for the community, I just want to help.
The health and longevity of these people is my priority."
"People come here because they know I want the best for them, not just what’s best for my business."
"I've had a lot of clients who felt really intimidated when they first walked into the gym, and left feeling great. It’s a privilege to see their transformations. It can be life changing."
Being able to work for myself is a blessing. For me to thrive, I need to be my own boss.
"I can’t ever see myself working for anybody else because I’m too headstrong. I'm a very excitable person. I want to see people do well, I want to act on every great idea!
In the future I’d love to expand the business and open a few more gyms - different locations but all with the same ethos. But in the meantime, with the help of Transmit Startups and my amazing business partner, I’m launching AJC’s own range of boxing gloves and equipment - The AJC Legacy Range, which I hope will become one of the UK's best boxing glove brands, used by all the pros."
"Transmit, and my business advisor, Alan (pictured), have been a huge help in making this dream happen."
"Without my Startup Loan there'd be no gloves. The finance has allowed me to pay for the manufacturing of the gloves, cover the shipping and packaging costs, as well as investing in marketing.
We feel very fortunate to have been able to get this loan from Transmit Startups and have their support to keep pushing our ambitions forwards."
I'm not great on applications or academic stuff. I'm a physical guy. I live in the physical.
"I can't take any credit for us having a successful application, all of that was down to my amazing business partner. After we applied, we couldn't have had better support from Transmit. We'd rate the experience really well."
"I think we have a product that could really take off in the UK and even go global."
"I'm looking forward to seeing our gloves at a professional boxing show one day. But also young kids who are just starting to learn boxing or starting to get fit in the gym."
Has Aaron's story inspired you to start building a brand you can be proud of in the future?
Take a look at what you need to apply for a Start Up Loan.
"We’re delighted to be the 2000th loan recipients!"