Portrait of a Freelancer: Jade Tremblay
<h3>Freelance Profile - Meet inspiring people who have chosen to earn a living by being self-employed. Through a very humanistic perspective, discover their story, unique lifestyle, and challenges. Today, we meet Jade Tremblay, a personal trainer.</h3>
<h3><strong>1- Tell us about yourself</strong></h3>
<p>My name is Jade Tremblay, I am a private trainer, and in 2017 I started La vie Ô Fit, a business that has the mission to encourage people from the Laurentides to be active. I offer home-based personal training, outdoor group lessons, and the organization of sports events.</p>
<h3><strong>2- Where does your immense passion for physical training come from?</strong></h3>
<p>As far as I can remember, I always have been an active person: soccer, hockey, karate, classical ballet, snowboarding, running, cross-country skiing, etc. I played sports that I loved, some sports for two years and some others for 15, as long I enjoyed them (or that I wanted to copy my older brother). It makes me feel good.</p>
<p>It is in 2016 that everything made sense when I subscribe to become a certified trainer. I wanted to motivate people from my region. Humans are made to move!</p>
<h3><strong>3- How did you become self-employed?</strong></h3>
<p>I have a father who is an entrepreneur and a mother who always told me to do what I love. The idea of being my own boss was then very attractive. When I was in my mid-twenties, after a few trips and different jobs, I decided to leap and become self-employed. I could then start to work for me but also choose who my customers would be. I had no idea what I was getting myself into; the road was my objective, not the final destination.</p>
<h3><strong>4- What is the most challenging part of self-employment?</strong></h3>
<p>When you are a self-employed worker, it often means to be alone; therefore, the most difficult part for me is ‘’brain overload’’ moments. What I want to say is the moments (or day) where it is like roller coasters in your head. It is simply crazy!</p>
<h3><strong>5- Which part of being self-employed do you like the most?</strong></h3>
<p>My schedule freedom is what I like the most, without any doubts. It is very important to me to have a balanced life. Consequently, I accept that some projects may take 2 months to make instead of 3 weeks, for example. But I still keep my sanity.</p>
<h3><strong>6- Tell us about your work routine.</strong></h3>
<p>I do not have a work routine as such. It varies widely from one day to another. Most of my private customers are scheduled during mornings. In the afternoons, I can work on my projects or do some cross-country skiing. I focus on my priorities, but I always take some time for me outside of my job. Group lessons are in the evenings. I can finish my work at 8:30 p.m. as it can be at noon.</p>
<h3><strong>7- What are the online tools you could not live without?</strong></h3>
<p>For promotion: Facebook, Instagram, my website made with Wix</p>
<p>For project and task management: Trello</p>
<p>For accounting and invoicing: Momenteo</p>
<p>For the creation of visuals: Canva</p>
<h3><strong>8. How did you learn about Momenteo and how long have you been using it?</strong></h3>
<p>It is my friend Audrey Racine who told me about Momenteo. Since she is a self-employed worker for some years now, her pieces of advice were very useful. I then choose Momenteo without any doubts 3 years ago!</p>
<h3><strong>9- What makes Momenteo different from other accounting programs?</strong></h3>
<p>Since it is the only accounting software I have used, I cannot make any comparisons. However, I stay with Momenteo because it is user-friendly. It is simple and efficient, and it is a local business too.</p>
<h3><strong>10- How do you find your new customers?</strong></h3>
<p>Mostly with social media, Facebook and Instagram. After my first year, positive word-of-mouth helped me a lot!</p>
<h3><strong>11. What are your tips for someone who would like to get into freelance?</strong></h3>
<p>It is a fantastic road to discover, full of detours that make a real difference. Do not be scared of taking risks; if you believe in yourself, you will find your place.</p>
<p>Otherwise, surround yourself well, do not hesitate to see people and chat with other self-employed workers. Talk about your project as much as possible, be passionate about it, and do not focus only on money. You will not have a paycheck every week.</p>
<p>Finally, government websites are often unclear. It is better to call them directly.</p>
<h3><strong>12. What would you say to someone who would like to be active?</strong></h3>
<p>Start gradually so you can change your life habits, but mostly keep them! Choose a long-term way that includes both nutrition and training. There is no quick fix you can maintain all your life. Beyond motivation, there is discipline. When we do something we like, it will not sound like a chore. Thus, to optimize your results, you must not focus on the 1 hour of training per day but on what you do during the 23 other hours.</p>
<h3><strong>13. Which projects are you most proud of?</strong></h3>
<p>I would say Ô Fit as a whole, including the ups and downs. It is my child. I started from nothing, only with the idea that we can be active and train outside of a gym. Three years later, I am now working full time!</p>
<h3><strong>14. Do you have any big plans for this spring?</strong></h3>
<p>The spring classes will start soon and I will then be preparing the summer classes. It will include running programs and the preparation of an event for this summer. Projects that will make people more active, as well as my regular tasks like training plans for my clients.</p>
<p>I also work on a perseverance project for teenagers, as well as organizing two races (half-marathon and ultra trail) that will happen in the Laurentides region this fall.</p>
<h3><strong>15. How Can We Contact You?</strong></h3>
<p>You can contact me on my website <a href="http://www.lavieofit.com" target="_blank">www.lavieofit.com</a> or send me an email at jade@lavieofit.com. It is also possible to find me on Facebook and Instagram @lavieofit. </p>
<p>Feel free to contact me!</p>
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