Edinburgh Napier University

Christopher Anderson has never had a career plan. Hailing from a small town in the west of Scotland, he took a gap year after high school but was stumped when trying to decide his next steps. There were only two things that he was sure of: he wanted to go to university, and he wanted to live in Scotland’s capital city. Edinburgh Napier University was recommended to him, and he enrolled in 2014. 

“I studied Business Management at Higher. I was good at it, so I decided to give it a go at university. However, there was no grand plan in place about what I’d actually do with the degree.”

At ENU, Christopher embraced the entrepreneurship modules offered as part of the course and the social life provided by the students’ association. He would later make use of these business and people skills to set up his own business. 

“I didn’t join any clubs at first. I didn’t need to. My friends sat on various committees, and they invited me to all their social events. After a couple of years one of my friends wanted to set up a sailing club and I got roped in to help as Development Officer. 

“I’d never sailed a day in my life, and I still haven't been on a sailing boat, but no-one else wanted the job, so at every election I magically got re-elected!

“I made some really good friends at university who remain good friends to this day. I was recently at one of their weddings!”

When graduation time came around, history repeated itself and once again Christopher was at a loss at what to do next. He was surrounded by classmates who had already set in motion their career plans, but Christopher was in a state of limbo. He decided he was going to work in a bar for a year and then go travelling. 

“Graduation was a weird feeling. Most folks had a clear idea of what they were going to do and already had jobs lined up. I felt lost and unsure of what to do next. I quickly realised that a bartending wage doesn’t pay for travelling which added to the uncertainty. All I knew was that I didn’t want to work in an office.

“I had a friend who had previously studied at Edinburgh Napier. He had a nutrition business which I used as a case study for one of my entrepreneurship modules. I spoke to him, and he suggested I become a personal trainer as I had developed good people skills at university, and I was interested in fitness. He proposed I try it for a few months, and the rest is history.”

That was in 2018 and since then Christopher has gone on to build a very successful personal training business. He began his career working shifts at Puregym Exchange Crescent and is now a full time freelance personal trainer based at the same gym. He works with clients via face-to-face appointments as well as through online coaching. 

“At university I chose to study as many entrepreneurship modules as I could, so I felt comfortable going self-employed immediately after graduating. 

“However, it was still very tough at the beginning. I don't think I made any money in the first three to six months, so I continued working at a bar to make ends meet. I was paid to run fitness classes, but I established my own client base mainly by talking to people on the gym floor.”

An unlikely springboard to Christopher’s success was the Covid pandemic as demand for fitness support skyrocketed. The forced closure of gyms drove Christopher to use the marketing skills he’d learned at university to develop an online presence for the first time which widened his customer pool. What also helped Christopher thrive during this time was his ability to plan ahead. 

“When the pandemic hit, I didn’t have to change how I delivered my services too much because I was already an experienced online fitness coach.

“In February 2020 when it looked like something was going to happen, I bought a load of gym equipment just in case. I’m so glad that I did because prices and demand shot up. I also spoke with my clients and set out a clear strategy of how I’d continue coaching them in the case of a country-wide lockdown. I ended up retaining all but one client who decided to pause their membership instead. The process ended up being quite seamless.” 

During the first lockdown Christopher had built up a loyal pool of clients which prompted him to make the leap and become fully self-employed. However, he has faced challenges as a freelancer. 

“When things opened up, I didn’t want to return to gym shifts. I’d been running things on my own terms for a while, and I didn’t want to revert back to working for someone else. 

“Being a freelancer can be lonely and it is hard work. I wouldn’t advise anyone to do it if they weren’t committed. You have to do everything yourself, from marketing to accounting – don’t ever mention the words self-assessment tax form to me!”

“It can be tough watching people excel in traditional career paths. They get graduate positions and then go on to other great roles and I sometime feel like I should have done the same. However, I also see the same people be put under tremendous pressure from their bosses. I can feel stressed, of course, but I can control it. I can decide my working schedule and the life I want.”

Christopher is committed to supporting his clients reach their goals and has recruited his own support system to help him achieve his business ambitions. 

“I have a mentor and I believe everyone should have one. It’s nice being able to chat through any issues and get honest feedback. As my business develops, having a mentor is just as important as when I first started out, as I can discuss what I need to prioritise, or they can help me take a step back and remember the long-term plan.

“I also hired an online fitness coach during the first lockdown. When you’re busy coaching other people you can neglect your own training. I wanted to be able to work to the best of my ability and be as physically sharp as I can.”