Meet LaTaunya Witherspoon, owner of SpoonFed Training in Renton, WA. LaTaunya, a former track and field athlete, has always had a passion for supporting others on their journeys towards healthier lifestyles. In 2022, LaTaunya hopes to mentor a young woman on how to run a business to share the knowledge she has gained and the community she has created.
Bonus: SpoonFed Training is one of the recipients of the Comcast Rise award!
Get to know more about LaTaunya and SpoonFed Training in this week’s business spotlight Q&A!
What’s something your customers may not know about you or your business?
[Customers] may not know that I’ve competed [for a couple seasons] on American Ninja Warrior. About my business? […] And I say this with complete humility, I’ve been to other gyms where you feel like either you don’t know what you’re doing or you don’t feel like the trainers care. [With] me, I feel like people come in the doors and they have a lot of fun. The environment and the atmosphere is amazing. I get creative with my workouts. I understand there are people who just dread working out, I completely get it. But for people who don’t really know much about my business they should know: if they were to come in the door, I would make sure [they would] have fun while working out.
What’s your favorite part about the community your business is in and why?
My favorite part about being where I am is definitely the people […] because the majority of my community is in the area where my business is located. That is what I love most about being able to have a gym specifically for people in my community, because you don’t see a lot of Black-owned gyms, and a woman at that, because the fitness industry is male dominated. And so being a woman of color, you don’t see a lot of that. So, I like the fact that I am somewhat in the heart of where a lot of my community is located.
Why is it important to you and your business that people #SpendLikeItMatters at small businesses?
For me personally, growing up, I didn’t see a lot of my people owning businesses. And so, I feel like we, and this is just from my experience, have to work a lot harder than most. […] I’m extremely passionate about what I do. It’s not about the money or what you’re putting into the business but, of course, that’s important — it’s how businesses flourish and stay afloat. But my focus is getting people to understand the importance of how to live a healthy lifestyle and being able to have a gym somewhere where [people] feel comfortable. When you walk into my gym, you should be able to feel like you are in a family, a tight knit community. So, I pride myself in creating a business that provides that. Being able to invest in my business, obviously, means a lot to me. I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing if it weren’t for people investing in my business.