Salimatu “Salma” Dumbuya is the owner and CEO of Fulani Fitness, a leading body sculpting company that has provided services to numerous fitness studios and gyms throughout the city of Chicago for more than a decade. An educator at heart, Salma’s goal has always been to help others master proper nutrition through natural supplementation and exercise along with a better understanding of their emotional and physical needs.
Walk us through your journey to success. How did you get to this point?
While working my way up the ladder of corporate America, I found myself not entirely happy with what I was doing. I wanted to be in love with what I did for a living even if that meant leaving my career behind. I wanted to make the switch to personal training and wellness because nothing compares to seeing the joy on someone’s face when you show them they can do something physically they didn’t think they could do. I still worked temp jobs because I thought in order to make a living I had to still keep a “real” job.
I started training in a small gym owned by a mentor. I worked the front desk and was responsible for finding my own clients and creating programs. I created classes, did my own marketing, and gradually built my client base. I’ve been going strong since 2005 running boot camps and working with scores of people to achieve their fitness goals, all while solidifying my true fit in this industry. All the hard work has been paying off. I’m still in corporate America but now I show people how to balance a career and maintain a healthy mind, body and spirit.
What do you do to stay on top of your game professionally?
I am always aiming to improve myself. I listen to a lot of audio books that help with business development and personal development. As a wellness coach, clients look to me for tools on how to make their lives more manageable. The best and truest ways for me to not only show them how to achieve this, but to also relate to their roadblocks is for me to do the work too! My intention is to live MY best life and in order to do that I must know MY best self. The journey to know my best self has been a long one and it isn’t over.
How do you balance your personal life with your professional work?
This is always difficult because everything that I do professionally crosses over to my personal life. What I do IS my life. Eating healthy, staying active, and learning new things are not just “relaxing” things to do, they directly tie into how I pay my bills. What I do not compromise on is my “Salma time,” I spend many nights alone in order to re-charge myself. I give energy daily to all of my clients so I am very particular about restoring my own energy. There are a few things I do to restore my energy. I actually have a No Electricity Rule for the first 20-30 minutes when I get home, I light my candles and just sit and re-charge. Sometimes I will listen to an audio book. But the rule for the audio books during the “re-charge time” is that it must be a mindless book; no deep thinking or reflection. My favorites are my paranormal romance novels. I am able to escape to a completely different world and I need that sometimes.
What advice would you give to a budding entrepreneur or career woman?
Stay true to you and don’t allow yourself to be influenced by what others in your industry are doing. You will lose who you are and what differentiates you from them. Don’t be afraid to tell future clients, friends, and even family the wonderful word “no.” You don’t have to have a reason why you are choosing not to do something, just be OK with saying no and calling it a day.
What does being a BOSS mean to you?
Being a BOSS is having a love affair with yourself. It’s creating an environment that represents you and promotes your happiness. To me, being SELFish is a wonderful characteristic to have. Being selfish and putting myself first allows me to be a phenomenal sister, daughter, friend, and coach. I am able to give those that I care about my true self because I make sure I am always taken care of. When you are selfless you put others’ happiness before your own. That means you are settling for scraps and you are relaying the message that others need not put you on a certain level because you don’t even believe you should be put there. It’s OK to live a life of giving. Just start with giving to yourself first.
For more information about Salma Dumbya, please visit www.fulanifitness.com or follow her on Twitter at @FulaniFtness
The BOSS Network is a community of career and entrepreneurial women who support each other through conversation, online and event-based networking. Their mission is to promote and encourage the small business spirit and professional development of women. For more information on The BOSS Network, please visit www.thebossnetwork.org.
