To make ends meet, Anneliese started cleaning homes. She was not above good old-fashioned hard work. As she set up a home for herself and her daughter, she taught herself how to paint faux-finished walls in her home. She discovered her artistic side and realized she was quite good at it. A friend admired her work and asked Anneliese to paint her office. From there, word of Anneliese’s talent for faux finishing spread.

Anneliese’s entrepreneurial spirit and drive for achieving the American Dream led to her establish a successful business providing faux-finish painting for customers in surrounding areas. During the seven years she operated her paint business, she developed the motto, “To be able to help someone is a gift.” She loved helping others and often developed a personal bond with her customers.

Anneliese had always been a fitness fanatic and was a regular at the local gym. In 2006, while working out, she met Jarrod Gelling, a passionate bodybuilder. The two became fast friends and workout partners. Jarrod was interested in starting a business selling nutritional supplements. He turned to his friend Anneliese, already a successful business owner, for advice on how to start and run a business. They decided to embark on the retail nutrition supplement business together, and in 2007, Anneliese and Jarrod opened the first Southern Muscle Sports Nutrition store in Brandon, Florida.

“To be able to help someone is a gift.” Anneliese’s motto led to the quick success of the store. Her passion for her customers was apparent to all who walked in the door. Customers came to Southern Muscle Sports Nutrition not just because she sold only the best-quality nutritional supplements, but because of her enthusiasm and broad knowledge base.

During that time, Anneliese took her passion for fitness to the next level. She began training harder than ever and started competing in bodybuilding competitions with great success. In her first National Physique Committee (NPC) competition, she won the overall prize (1st among all the category finalists). This was unheard of! One year later, she went to Nationals and took 2nd place out of 28 competitors.

Her success in professional bodybuilding only added to her credibility. Bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts from all over Florida would travel to the Brandon store to seek Anneliese’s advice on nutrition and fitness.

Besides giving her customers advice on the supplemental products sold at Southern Muscle, Anneliese also gave them eating plans they could use at home to optimize their goals in the gym. Word spread about her detailed eating plans, and they quickly became in high demand by both bodybuilders and people just looking to get healthy through nutrition and exercise.

Anneliese, always the giver, thinks it is extremely important to give back to the community. Every year, Southern Muscle Sports Nutrition supports the local church by donating school supplies for under-privileged children, donating toys at Christmas and turkeys at Thanksgiving. Southern Muscle Sports Nutrition makes it a priority to give back to the community whenever possible.

The huge success of the first Southern Muscle Sports Nutrition store and the high demand for Anneliese’s meal plans led to the opening of a second Southern Muscle Sports Nutrition store in Plant City, Florida, in October 2015. In 2017, Anneliese took full control of the business, becoming the sole proprietor of both Southern Muscle Sports Nutrition locations. Always remembering her motto, “To be able to help someone is a gift,” she decided the best way to reach as many people as possible and help them achieve their nutrition and fitness goals was to open more locations. To do this, sheturned to franchising.

Anneliese hopes to continue expanding her business while maintaining the strong reputation for which Southern Muscle Sports Nutrition is known. Through franchising her business, she will be able to offer individuals the same opportunity she has enjoyed throughout the years—the ability to operate a fun, fulfilling, and profitable business while at the same time expanding Southern Muscle Sports Nutrition throughout the nation. 

EXTRA:

Anneliese was anxious to see how her business model might work in an area with different demographics. The new location did not cater primarily to bodybuilders, but to amateurs looking to improve their health and fitness levels. The second store was a good test to see how transferable the business was to other, more common markets. Anneliese imparted her vast book of knowledge on nutrition and fitness to the store manager, who has seen steady growth in the business ever since.