Sarah Cantera now owns the Little Gym she went to as a kid.Courtesy of Sarah CanteraSarah Cantera started working at The Little Gym when she was 14.Now, she co-owns the gym with her mentor, who also bought into the business young.Accepting her grandparents' loan was scary, but she was confident, she says.This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sarah Cantera, co-owner of The Little Gym of Salt Lake City. It has been edited for length and clarity.I quite literally took my first steps at The Little Gym near where I grew up in Salt Lake City. From the time I was a toddler until I was a teenager, I absolutely loved going to the gymnastics and play space.
My sister and I went every Friday night, and often had our birthday parties there. Other activities, like ballet, were more structured, but The Little Gym was a place for me to have fun.Courtesy of Sarah CanteraBy the time I was 14, I was too old to participate in programming at The Little Gym. I wasn't ready to leave it behind, though, so I started working there.
At the time, I thought I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up; I was a bossy older sister who liked being in charge. Before long, I realized that my love for the gym could lead to a different career.Another young woman believed in meAround that time, a woman named Betsy bought the gym. She was only 26 herself and had been working in the gym since she was 16.
I looked up to her and was impressed by the way she taught herself everything about running a business.When I was 16, Betsy took me with her to the national conference for The Little Gym. The fact that she put that belief in me was amazing. By then, I knew I wanted The Little Gym to be my career, and after the conference, I was determined to work as hard as I could to make it happen.I went to college, even though I probably didn't need toWhen I got back from that trip, I started taking on more responsibility.
I wanted to show the gym's managers that I was capable, even though I was young.My family expected me to go to college. I knew I wanted to own a Little Gym, but affording to start my own business felt far off. In the end, I don't think I needed a college degree, but going was a good experience.While I was in school, I helped open a Little Gym in a nearby community.
After college, I moved for my now-husband's job, and I helped run gyms in Chicago and New York City. Those experiences were invaluable in preparing me to run the business.I tried applying for loans, but couldn't get oneI reached out to Betsy once I knew I'd be moving back to Salt Lake City. I was excited to work at my home gym, but she had an even better proposition: she invited me to buy into the gym as a 50/50 owner.Courtesy of The Little GymI knew immediately that I wanted to do it.
I had no reservations, but I wasn't sure how I could make it work financially. I spent about seven months talking with banks about getting a small business loan, but wasn't able to get one to buy into the business.That's when my grandparents offered to take out a home equity loan for me. Accepting that offer was scary: I knew that my decisions would impact my grandparents' lives.
And yet, I felt confident I was ready for this step, and that Betsy and I would be great partners.Betsy now treats me like an equalAs an owner — especially a younger owner — I've had to learn I can't please everybody. I love our members, but they definitely share their opinions, and sometimes argue with me because they know I can make decisions.Betsy has known me since I was a kid, but she treats me like her business partner, not like a child. We meet at least once a week to talk about business and life.
We have a really great relationship on both fronts, and I'm so glad to have her as a mentor.I can't wait for my own children to be at the gym. I felt like I grew up in this gym, but they really will. That's something I've been looking forward to for a long time.Read the original article on Business Insider