Meet Billy Thomas Iii

We were lucky to catch up with Billy Thomas Iii recently and have shared our conversation below.

Billy , thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

My resilience has came from turning the hardest moments in my life into positive outcomes that benefit my life more than once. I always focus on moving forward and taking the lesson despite how much the situations hurt in the moment. Just a couple that pop into my head are the following:

1. When I was only 4 years old my dad passed away. At about 8 years old I fully was able to comprehend that my situation was different, that I didn’t have a dad like all of my friends did, I couldn’t go outside to play catch with him, I realized that I was being raised only by my mom. I’ll never forget the day I was in the shower as a kid just crying, super sad, asking God why me? Why can’t I have a dad? Why can’t I be normal? Then something came over me, and I made a decision in that very moment. I decided I wasn’t going to keep feeling sorry for myself or make excuses, I decided I was going to use my dad passing away as fuel to be the absolute best I can in school and in sports in order to make him proud. I kept that fire in me to be the best my entire elementary, middle, and high school career. This led me to consistently having a 4.0 GPA and performing above average compared to my peer in basketball and football growing up, winning team MVP numerous times. I always thought about my dad in the process, it was my motivation and drive.

2. All my life I wanted to earn a Division 1 scholarship to play football at the next level. I did everything in my power or so I thought to make that dream a reality. I worked extremely hard at practice, I did my best every single game, I got straight A’s, and I stood out of any kind of trouble. Despite all of that I got very close to earning a D1 scholarship, but in the end it didn’t work out. I was recruited heavily by only 1 D1 school and they were going to sign 2 athletes at my position my graduating year and I was the 3rd guy on their list. 1 guy already committed to them and the other guy had multiple offers so I was playing the waiting game, if he chose to go somewhere else then that scholarship would be mine and my dream would come true, if he chose to go to that school, I was the odd man out. What ended up happening is the school that was recruiting me hired an entire new head coach and he came in and said they didn’t need anymore athletes at my position. And just like that my dream was crushed. I wasn’t going to earn a D1 scholarship how I had dreamed of my entire life. So naturally I felt like a failure. I felt like I let my family down and everyone that believed in me at my high school. So then I took matters into my own hand and started to send out hundreds of emails to Division 2, division 3, and NAIA schools sending them my highlight tape and my transcripts. I ended up earning about 6 offers from these very small schools, and ultimately I ended up committing to play football for a division 3 school. I was very grateful but deep down I knew it wasn’t my dream come true. I went on to play football for that school for 4 years and earned my bachelors degree In Kinesiology and Nutrition Science in those 4 years. It was then once I graduated and started my own sports performance training business that I realized me not going D1 a and living out my dream was now serving me as an advantage in my market place. My team and I train athletes of all sports ages 5-18. We help them get faster, stronger, and more athletic. But the best part is I am able to genuinely pour into young athletes and their families about the harsh reality of sports and the business it is at the next level. I teach them first hand that it’s going to take more than good grades, working hard at practice and doing their best at games because I know they didn’t work for me. I teach them and explain to them everything I wish I someone would of taught me. I explain to them they have to be obsessed, they have to outwork their competition and do more outside of practice and outside of games to get to that next level. I give them everything I have because If a young athlete is truly dedicated I want them to know the reality of what it’s going to take, no fluff or sugar coating.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

What I get to do for a living is help transform peoples lives through owning my own private studio gym. I help youth athletes of all sports ages 5-18 get better at their sport. Whether they want to get faster, get stronger, become more athletic, become more confident, become mentally tough, or enhance their sports specific skills. We offer private 1on1 training, buddy training or group workouts for athletes. I also help adults of all ages get into the best shape of their life and love their body again. I do this through providing high intensity bootcamp classes along with providing high quality supplements and teaching our clients the lifestyle of how to eat the correct foods and use nutrition as the key factor in them getting the results they desire.

The thing I feel is most exciting about what I get to do for a living is the fact that I can honestly change an entire household for the better. I can help little John and Susie become better athletes, become faster, become stronger, and overall more confident in themselves raising the quality of life for them when they play their sport. But I can also help little John and Susie’s Mom and Dad lose 20-40 lbs that they’ve been trying to lose the last 10 years all under the same roof. Not only creating better athletes, but creating better moms and dads for these athletes because they will be happier and more content when they look in the mirror. I teach parents how to lead by example, and show their kids what dedication, consistency, and hard work look like.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

1. Understand that business and life is just like sports. You are always competing with someone else out there who does exactly what you do. What is going to separate you from them? What is going to make a potential customer choose you over them?

2. Understand Rome wasn’t built in a day. You must be hungry for more and excited about building your business/your future, but you must also be patient at the same time. You get what you give in life, you may not get everything you desire in the time frame you want it to happen, but if you stay down, stay focused, it will happen in the right time.

3. Understand there is a difference between being great at your craft and being a great business person. They are two completely different things but they are both required if you want to be the best and take your business/life to the next level. In my specific industry for example, it’s one thing to be a great trainer, but it is another thing to be a great trainer who is also a great businessman. Being able to become both will take you much farther than solely relying on one or the other.

Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?

An ideal client for me would be a youth athlete between the age of 5-18 years old with the following characteristics: they work the hardest, they are the most consistent, they have the most energy, they have the best attitude, they are the most coachable, they show up to every session with passion and purpose, they make zero excuses, they don’t complain, they don’t cry, they don’t care how they feel, they want all the work I have for them and use every single day to get better and embody what it means to be a Grindathon Athlete.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @grindathonathletics @grindathonbill @victory.nutrition.fitness
• Youtube: @grindathonathletics
• Other: 3 separate instagrams: My sports performance company, my personal account, and my adult fitness/nutrition company.