Your Next 10 Years: Entrepreneur Christian Guzman Speaks On Setting Goals

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When he dropped out of college in his sophomore year, fitness guru Christian Guzman didn’t receive the support he had hoped to have. His mother begged him to reconsider, fearing that abandoning school to start his own business would set him up for failure. At that time, Guzman already owned a slow-growing YouTube channel that had yet to show any sign of success, but he was not scared to dream big.

Though the road to success was tricky, today, Guzman is a YouTubestar, gym owner, and an entrepreneur with his very own clothing line– with an estimated worth of $2 million. “I didn’t have any doubts about dropping out,” Guzman remembers, “but everyone else did.”

But how did the young fitness enthusiast go from rags to riches within a relatively short time?

It all started in high school. Dissatisfied with his physique and wishing to improve his health and strength, he became interested in fitness. He looked up videos of various experts, searching for ways to get into shape.

“I would sit there and watch videos for hours,” he explains. “I watched every fitness video on YouTube, trying to learn everything.”

While his peers went drinking and partying, Guzman worked out regularly and applied all the advice from his online role models. Within a few years, he was armed with enough knowledge and experience to start making his own videos.

Soon after enrolling in college, he started a YouTube channel to track his progress and share his own tips and tricks with all those interested in self-improvement. Growth was slow, but he remained patient and posted videos regularly, unwilling to let go of his dream.

“It took me one year to get to 5000 subscribers and two years to get 20,000,” Guzman recalls.

He quickly became disillusioned with the college lifestyle and decided to drop out. The idea was to continue making videos, start a coaching business, take on some personal-training clients, and finally open his own gym. Before long, he attracted over 300 clients and opened his first facility called CGFitness in Sugar Land, Texas.

As his channel gained momentum and the profit from his online business grew, so did Guzman’s ambitions.

“I wanted to be the best,” he says. “I had pure intentions and wasn’t scared to dream big. I was willing to jump without thinking about any consequences.”

That was how he set himself on an impressive “10 goals in 10 years” challenge. Expanding on his previous success, Guzman decided to raise the bar even higher. He embarked on an incredible journey he hoped would take him where few others had ever been.

One of his goals was to post 1000 videos in 10 years. Guzman worked tirelessly, not letting a week pass by without posting a video until he could cross the goal off the list.

Another one was to expand his gym business. In 2014, he could finally move to a larger facility and re-brand. Alphalete became the new brand name, and within just a few years, it accrued enough profit to allow Guzman to dream bigger. A new complex, Alphaland, houses three gyms, a restaurant, and a hotel.

Another goal was to start his own clothing brand, which developed virtually alongside the gym business. It started off as a niche brand. However, owing to large amounts of money poured into campaigns and photoshoots during launch weeks and collaboration with famous influencers, today, Alphalete apparel is a multi-million dollar business aiming to produce functional workout pieces and lifestyle attire.

Despite the long list of accomplishments, Guzman is not done. Some of his ambitions include starting a non-profit, building himself a forever home, and starting a business in a completely new industry. He does not fear the goals he has set out for himself, and he continues raising the bar further in life and business.

Christian remains optimistic and enthusiastic about the future. As tough as it is, he views his work as a playground. While he knows that the final of his ten goals will remain a challenge, he reminds himself to be more mindful of the present moment and that he is human. While ambition is healthy, it takes its toll.

He notes that success is not only about achieving all your goals but to enjoy the journey. He says, “I hope to pause every once in a while to check in with myself and absorb the moment.” If one stays present, focused, and committed to the task at hand, staying on the path of success will come naturally.

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