RC: How did you get started in strength and conditioning?

RD: I first got started in strength and conditioning after college. I came back to Rochester High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and started coaching football. I have run the weight room and coached for six years. I have been into training since the age of 12 as well.

RC: When did you decide you wanted to open your own gym?

RD: I knew after a few years of running the weight room that I could have my own gym. I felt that it was my niche, and why not take what I was doing with the football players and make a living out of it? I've always wanted to own a gym and just decided to go after it and make it happen. Too much wishing and not enough taking action. Once I switched my thought process, the decision to move forward was easy. I opened DST on November 30, 2009.

RC: What type of business obstacles did you face first starting out?

RD: My first obstacle was being able to cover my rent. I knew that once the doors opened, I had to have athletes ready to train. With the gym opening up in December, I also knew that I had a heating bill to cover as well. That’s never cheap. I actually started signing up athletes two to three months before I opened my doors. If you're opening a gym and want to know how I had my bills covered before opening the gym, you can contact me at damanstrength@gmail.com.

RC: What type of marketing tactics do you use to maximize your clientele?

RD: The marketing tactics are referrals though gift cards, free month of training, and bring a friend, although I've found out quickly that word of mouth has brought quite a lot of clients. The good word travels fast and the bad word travels even faster. So if you're producing serious results, gaining respect, and building that trust in your gym, the good work will spread. I recently held a Strongman fundraiser at my gym with about 17 athletes. Before the fundraiser, I spoke with the local newspaper to help promote and cover it.

RC: Describe your business’s core purpose and values.

RD: The values that I try and instill in the athletes are accountability (being on time, eating the right foods), discipline (training hard, know when you train), and most importantly, mental toughness (pushing yourself, completing each workout). I want to have athletes who want to make a difference not only physically but mentally as well. Too many young athletes make excuses, sit around on the computer, and play way too many video games. I also want the gym to be the place where the athletes can unleash all their energy and truly find themselves.

RC: What has been your greatest success since you’ve opened Daman’s Strength Training?

RD: My greatest success over the past eight months has been just getting the good word out about the athletes and the results they're getting. People see our athletes and want to know where they are training. All the recognition goes to the athletes. They are the ones who are training hard, dieting, and working to be the best. My job is to coach the athletes and make sure I find their weaknesses and make them stronger.

RC: What makes your gym unique?

RD: The unique part about the gym is that these athletes have built friendships. When they come every day to train, they're giving each other high fives, talking about the weekend, what they did, what they are going to do, and setting up when they're going to hang out. It’s a great environment to train in, and the athletes all have learned to push each other. As a gym, we're going to see the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Friday, August 6, 2011. We will be grilling out and hanging out as a gym before the summer comes to an end.

RC: Have you developed a three- to five-year strategic plan for your company and, if so, can you share the highlights?

RD: My three- to five-year plan is to just have my gym/business established and well respected. I want to have a constant flow of athletes year around. I want to be coaching 40–50 athletes throughout the year.

Rick Daman's facility, Daman’s Strength Training , is located at 398 6th Street, Monaca, Pennsylvania, 15061 or visit www.damanstrength.com.