Work It Wednesday - Liz Rozman
When we discovered Liz Rozman on the 'gram and all the fabulous things she is up to in the fitness community, we: 1. Put on our cutest workout gear and headed to the gym ASAP AND 2. Had to reach out and see if she was interested in being a part of the tribe of amazing Toronto entrepreneurs and influencers that make up #WorkItWednesday
Fortunately for us - and you, because you get to know more about her! - she said yes and we are SO excited because she is the epitome of a BOSS BABE.
Here's what she said..
1. First off, tell us a little about yourself. What kickstarted your journey in the fitness scene?
My name is Liz and I’m from Ottawa, ON. I received my B. Eng in Civil Engineering and currently work as a Performance Analyst for a large construction materials company during the day. However, by night (and weekends, and some very early mornings), I am a fitness enthusiast to the core.
With my full time job, I was transferred to Toronto in 2016 and I am so glad I did. The fitness and wellness community here motivated me to break out of my apartment gym bubble and explore these new types of workouts that I had never tried before. I began working at IAM Yoga and Spinco on weekends as a part of their energy exchange programs and am currently a contributor for WellTODo, which allows me to try out amazing workouts and meet the inspirational people behind them. My routine has completely changed from being quite uninspired to waking up every day with a purpose of bettering myself and improving my wellness in and out of the gym.
2. You’ve recently started a new platform: Sweatabl. How cool! Can you share some deets with us?
I am so excited to announce Sweatabl is a new health and fitness app coming to the GTA this spring! The free app will connect users with hundreds of fitness opportunities that they can filter depending on their schedule and the type of workout that they want to do. The best part is that every workout event on Sweatabl is 100% free to attend. Think Mindbody, but with no pass purchase required.
Because let’s be real, it is expensive to buy class passes or memberships at every gym that you want to try out. Fortunately there are studios, personal trainers and fitness retail stores that offer amazing free workouts to show you what they’re all about. These include regularly scheduled community workouts, running clubs, studio instructor training, free trials, etc. The only problem is that they are very hard to find out about unless you know exactly what you’re looking for. My business partner and I decided we could create this platform that collects all of this information and helps anyone who is looking to try something new, spice up their workout routine and meet new people at no extra cost.
3. What was the hardest part of starting your brand?
The hardest part of creating the Sweatabl brand for me was just that - creating it. I had never thought of timing/promoting my posts, creating a uniform feed, or deciding what social media platforms to use for my personal account. It was difficult to start from zero posts and followers while learning by trial and error how all of these factors affect the Sweatabl image and viewer outreach.
4. Where do you see Sweatabl heading in the near future? Say, the next 1-2 years?
Our goal is to perfect the Sweatabl app for the GTA and to have it available on iOS and Android within the first year after our launch. We have several update features in the development plan already and when those are complete, we can expand to other cities throughout Canada; such as, Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa and Montreal.
5. Who is someone who’s had a significant impact on your entrepreneurial journey and why?
The person who has had the biggest impact on my entrepreneurial journey is my business partner and boyfriend, Rob. I brought up the idea of Sweatabl as a website to him and honestly imagined it to be a hobby that I could work on in a field that I am passionate about. He brought the concept back up to me a couple days later, including a rough draft of the business plan, and said we should “floor it” (that is undoubtedly his quote to live by). His confidence in the idea was the push I needed to invest and commit to making Sweatabl the best it could be. With his business skills and my participation in the Toronto fitness scene, we both compliment each other and create a strong team for Sweatabl.
6. Favourite quote to live by?
The U.S Navy Seals use the saying “get comfortable with being uncomfortable” and I try to remember that as much as possible. The majority of times that I’m proud to look back on are the situations when I knew I was nervous and out of my comfort zone, and I did it anyways.
7. How do you #workit everyday?
I have come to realize that professional fulfillment does not just happen by chance, you have to define your personal version of success and use every day as a chance to make it a reality. I #WorkIt every day by dedicating as much time I can to accomplishing the monthly, weekly and daily goals that I have set for myself. I enjoy being busy and having a full schedule, so every Monday morning I lay out my week and create a realistic overview of what I can complete- including my own workouts and meal prep. It can sometimes be tough coming home from my day job knowing my Sweatabl work day is far from over; however, I know if it was easy it wouldn’t mean half as much.