Maryland Women-Owned Business series - June

As a small business, I love supporting, recognizing, and connecting with other female entrepreneurs out there in the community. And as a mompreneur myself, I know how hard they work for themselves, their families, and their clients. They are each vital influencers of people all around you. I’d like to give some recognition to a few ladies who work hard every day, in the hopes of making a connection to someone that needs their services. We appreciate you more than you know, and we’re so proud to feature your business. We will be highlighting one business per month for the entire year of 2019!

Heather is the Owner of FIT4MOM Montgomery County. She is a Certified Fit4Baby, Stroller Strides, Stroller Barre, Body Back & Run Club Instructor. Heather is mom to 3 girls: Adeline, Lillian & Violet. She is thrilled to be the owner of FIT4MOM Montgomery County! Heather has been a member of Stroller Strides since her oldest daughter, Addie, was 5 months old. She loved it from the first class and was excited to become an instructor in 2012. Heather loves teaching and coaching run club! She's excited to bring new programs, more locations and even more Our Village programs to FIT4MOMMOCO! She's passionate about helping every mom find her village!

Introducing the sixth interview in our Maryland women-owned businesses series……  

Heather Galladora | Fit4Mom
4 Years in Business
https://montgomerycounty.fit4mom.com

1. What is the name of your company, and what product or service do you provide?

I am the proud owner FIT4MOM Montgomery County. FIT4MOM is is the nation’s leading prenatal and postnatal fitness program, providing fitness classes and a network of moms to support every stage of motherhood. From pregnancy, through postpartum and well beyond, our fitness and wellness programs help make moms strong in body, mind, and spirit.

2. What made you choose this type of business, and/or how did you get your idea or concept for the business?

The very short answer to why I chose this type of business: FIT4MOM changed my own life as a client, and I think every mom should have the community that results from the programs we offer. But here’s the fuller story: When my oldest daughter was born 7 years ago, I knew I’d stay home with her. I loved my job as a second grade teacher in Fairfax, but I was ready to be a full-time mom instead. I honestly loved being home, and I kept myself busy with activities and spending time with my favorite people. But when I was introduced to FIT4MOM through the class called Stroller Strides, there was a void in my life that was filled….a void I didn’t even know existed until then. I got to take care of myself and exercise without using a daycare or babysitter. She came with me! I made friends who understood exactly what I was going through, and my daughter made friends and learned the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle at that very young age as well. A few months later, I became a certified instructor for the owner, whom I adore and am still friends with, and when I caught wind of her considering selling I KNEW I had to take my vision and make it a reality. We’ve grown dramatically in four years, and we now offer programs for every single stage of motherhood; we have classes for moms with children and for mom alone, and the community of moms is the greatest gift of it all.

3. What is unique about your business?

I think there are a few things that make FIT4MOM Montgomery County unique. I think the biggest thing that sets us apart from other fitness programs is that we don’t focus solely on our programming or on our product alone. We truly believe in giving moms the resources and connections they need to be the best moms, partners, and self they can be. We provide opportunities (often!) to give back to the community, we partner up with other local businesses regularly, and we focus on family by offering free playgroups, family workouts on the weekends (several dads can be spotted at Stroller Strides on Saturday mornings!), and fun family events throughout the year. We host a moms night out each month, and we set up for meal trains for our moms who need extra support. We are here to support moms in all stages of motherhood, in and out of class!

10. What is your favorite thing about running your own business?

Owning your own business definitely has its fair share of challenges, but it also has SO many benefits. I love making my own hours, choosing which days are focused totally on work while other days are focused on my family. I can adjust my work hours to fit my family needs fairly easily most days and have time with my children during the day!  But my absolute favorite part of owning FIT4MOM Montgomery County is stepping back and seeing the community that we’ve been able to foster. From friendships that have been established between moms, children and families to relationships that we’ve formed within our community at large, there is no doubt we’ve grown in both size and in strength over the past four years. I look at the moms in my village and the relationships they’ve grown, and my heart melts.  So many of these moms wouldn’t even know one another if it weren’t for this community we’ve built. When I see moms posting photos and videos from events we’ve organized with other local businesses, I know that both the families and the businesses are benefiting. When I get emails from local shelters with photos of children playing with the toys and cards we got together and brought them, I know we are making a difference. And yet none of it would’ve happened without the community structure we built.  And as a result, our members are constantly looking for new ways we can team up and give back to our community. They’re teaching their children that giving back to the community isn’t only necessary, but it can be done in many different ways. It just feels good knowing the impact we’re having both IN the community and as our own community.

11 . Do you have a special offer for blog readers that you’d like to share?

We’d LOVE to have you give us a try! Your first class is always free with us, but blog readers are welcome to have a free week. Simply mention this feature, and we’ll drop a free week of drop-in classes into your account and even help you figure out which program(s) are best for you and your needs. We cannot wait to meet you!  Pssssst….not local to Montgomery County, MD but would love a community to go through the crazy beautiful journey of motherhood with you? Look up a FIT4MOM near you or reach out to me to help connect you to the one nearest you! You’ll be so glad you did!