Today we’d like to introduce you to Cecelia and La-Toya Facey.
Cecelia and La-Toya, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
The journey to where we are today is one of undeniable sacrifice, resilience, determination, and hope. Our mother, Pauline, was a single mom and we learned from a very young age that you have to dream big and work hard. She instilled in us independence and perseverance. Even with those characteristics, we never imagined that we would be the first African American Sisters to franchise a Bodytek Fitness Studio. We did what we thought was the norm. We went to school, Cecelia graduated from Florida State University with her bachelor’s degree in nursing. She later pursued her graduate degree in nursing from Barry University in South Florida. She is a board-certified Nurse Practitioner working as a Hospitalist for Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Florida. La-Toya graduated with both her master’s and bachelor’s degree in education from Florida Memorial University, an HBCU in Miami, Florida. She is currently a doctoral candidate pursuing her doctoral degree in Educational Leadership. She currently works for the 6th largest school district as an instructional facilitator.
We naturally assumed that we would follow our career goals and excel in our respected fields, which we have but God had other plans.
Cecelia came across the opportunity to franchise Bodytek because she had been a member with the studio for many years prior. She came to La-Toya with the idea and the rest is history. Today, we are the proud owners of the Pembroke Pines location and we are excited to bring all of our education and life experiences to make this one of the best HIIT studios in South Florida.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road to becoming owners was not easy. We experienced many challenges along the way. There were times we were sitting in rooms with millionaires and insecurities would creep in. This is where that resiliency and perseverance was critical. At some points throughout the process, we felt as if we were in way over our heads but we continued knowing that it was going to work out. Our faith was stronger than fear. We had to tell ourselves that “we got this” “we can do this”!
La-Toya was very sick and was going through a very rough transition with her health, she actually did the bank loan interview in the hospital parking lot right before she was admitted for almost a week. Cecelia has clocked out after working 12 hours at night and drove straight to meetings or site visits. The sacrifice is what differentiates you from success and mediocrity. As tired or as sick as we were, we never let the challenges stop us.
We have even had people we know, people we once admired speak negatively to us about leadership and about this process. We silenced the naysayers and kept on moving. Giving our insecurities to God and asking Him for the strength and guidance to continue.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Our dynamic duo is comprised of Cecelia Tilerin and La-Toya Facey. We are young African American sisters who were born in Brooklyn, New York and migrated to South Florida during our adolescent years. So much has changed since our move in the mid-90s. We opened an online jewelry store Kiss My Jewels and we are the first African American women to franchise a Bodytek Fitness Studio in our city of Pembroke Pines, Florida, which will be open in the fall of 2019. There are currently six locations in South Florida, and we will be opening the 7th location. Together we are unstoppable but we each hold our own weight individually.
The youngest sister Cecelia is currently married to her love, Standley Tilerin and together they own and operate Tax Resource Center in Plantation, Florida. She graduated from Florida State University with her bachelor’s degree in nursing.
The eldest sister, La-Toya is recently engaged to her love, David Walker II and together they have two daughters. She graduated with both her master’s and bachelor’s degree in education from Florida Memorial University, an HBCU in Miami, Florida. She is currently a doctoral candidate pursuing her doctoral degree in Educational Leadership. She currently works for the 6th largest school district as an instructional facilitator. La-Toya is a published author of a children’s book titled “Brielle-Elaine Tries to Fit In!” She also dabbles in the beauty industry as a makeup artist. Her work has been seen on runways, music videos, magazines, and television.
Together, we are a force to be reckoned with. In addition to all of our accomplishments, we are both members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. We believe that your payment for being here on earth is service. We are affiliated with numerous philanthropic endeavors, including owning and operating a Foster Home for mentally delayed children with our mother, Pauline Facey. Facey Foster Home has been a true labor of love and has been in operation since the late 90s. Life wasn’t always easy. Being raised by a single mom had its challenges but the reward has been invaluable. We learned from our mother at an early age, that nothing can stop you if you put in the work needed for success. We truly believe that if you work hard, be humble and stay focused you can accomplish anything your heart desires.
We are most proud of helping people become their best self. Whether it is through education, motivating quotes, fitness, makeup, or health our ultimate goal is to leave this world a little bit better than we found it and that is what sets us apart from everyone else.
What are your plans for the future?
The future is so unpredictable because God’s plans is always better than our own. For now, we plan to take our studio to its highest potential. We plan to partner with various community organizations and use our studio as a hub to provide relief to various causes that continue to plague our nation. We also plan to expand our business portfolio so that we are able to provide jobs for others. Overall, we know we are blessed to be a blessing and we plan to use our platform to bless others in some capacity.
Pricing:
- We are offering Pre-Sale rates to the first 50 clients. The lowest rates in franchise history!
- Voted #1 H.I.I.T Studio
- Burn calories up to 36 hours post-workout
- Burn from 800-1200 calories in a 60-minute session
Contact Info:
- Address: Bodytek Fitness Pembroke Pines
9626 Pines Blvd
Pembroke Pines, FL 33024 (Tanglewood Plaza) - Website: https://bodytekfitness.com/pembroke-pines/
- Phone: 9545897780
- Email: pembrokepines@bodytekfitness.com
- Instagram: @bodytekpembrokepines
- Facebook: @bodytekpembrokepines
Image Credit:
Sister Image Travis Daniels Photography, Gym Images Bodytek Fitness
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