Wexford personal trainer discusses the rebuild of his fitness business

For Marc Halpin, fitness isn’t just a job…

Instead, it’s a way of life that grew from personal struggle, self-discovery, and a desire to help others feel more at ease in their own skin.

As the founder of Marc Halpin Fitness, he’s built a business that combines personal training, empathy, and community — whether from the gym floor or his own kitchen table.

Marc explains that his personal training business operates both online and in-person, giving him the flexibility to work around family life while still serving his clients locally.

“Online Personal Training is done from my kitchen table with a couple of kids hanging out of me. Then, 1:1 Personal Training and classes are located in Castletown GAA Club in North Wexford.”

He first began his journey as a personal trainer just before the world changed in 2020, marking the start of a new chapter in his career.

Marc’s inspiration for becoming a personal trainer traces back to his teenage years, when a trip to the gym with his older brother sparked something transformative.

“Being a personal trainer was something I wanted to be ever since my older brother brought me the gym with him when I was 14.”

“I have a natural disposition for depression and anxiety and this was the first thing that gave me a sense of control over my own internal state. Which was crazy to me because it wasn’t what I was looking for in going. I just didn’t want to be a chubby 14 year old anymore,” he shared honestly.

“But the sense of confidence and achievement I got along with the biceps was something I wanted to share with as many other people who may feel the way I felt as possible.”

“My aim is to be a safe person for someone who is uncomfortable in themselves and just needs someone to share the load of changing their habits and lifestyle – to lead with compassion and connection while providing informed and personalised direction,” he told Wexford Weekly.

Running a small business, however, hasn’t always been straightforward. Marc is quick to highlight the ongoing challenges and pinpoints the importance of the people who’ve supported him along the way:

“There are non-stop challenges to running a business of any shape or size but there’s far worse problems to have.”

“I’m not some entrepreneurial mastermind and there’s no way this business of mine would be in any way viable if it wasn’t for the help I receive from my partner who is thankfully an extremely grounded and practical woman, the constant support from my family and friends, and especially my local GAA club and its members and management who I’m incredibly lucky to have.”

A particularly difficult period came when Marc decided to shift his business model for the sake of family life, only to face some major setbacks. He attempted to shift his business model to online and signed up for an annual course. However, he was unimpressed with the process of onboarding new clients, and ultimately, decided to do a u-turn.

“This was actually a very difficult period for me personally. I had a young daughter and while I was doing relatively okay financially the early mornings and late nights on the gym floor paired with the poor sleep that comes with parenthood were taking a toll on me both mentally and physically.”

“I wanted to move my business solely online so that I could have more of a normal daily schedule. So I signed up for a course that would show me how to do that,” he told Wexford Weekly.

“Of course they promised the moon and stars. I would make way more than I was going to be paying for it so I signed up for the required 12 months with a very expensive monthly payment. You can probably tell by the way this is going that it didn’t pan out that way. I was working more hours on the gym floor while trying to build my online business.”

“The sales processes and marketing techniques used both on me and were expected to be used by me did not sit right with me so I didn’t use them.”

“I tried many times to leave but was told that it was impossible that they have a solicitor and the 12 monthly payment must be made. So once I got out of that eventually, I was drained financially mentally and physically.”

“Thankfully my brother took me on in the family business at that time and I still work there to this day while running my own business. I love working there just as much as personal training. Being part of a team of staff and seeing business done the right way really brought my faith back in people and in business so I owe Brendan (Marc’s brother) a lot for that.”

When he decided to restart his business, Marc found that his community hadn’t forgotten him. In actual fact, it was far from it as many of his clients jumped back on board with him:

“I have a great relationship with almost everyone who was a client of mine. So once I put the feelers back out, a lot of previous clients jumped straight back in. It was like I never left,” Marc told Wexford Weekly.

Today, Marc balances two careers — one in fitness and another in the family furniture business Halpin Furniture. It’s a juggling act, but one that he takes in his stride:

“I have a great relationship with my brother who owns the furniture business and he supports me in many ways with that. Having said that the two rarely interfere with each other as I’ll schedule my work outside of my other work.”

“Some days are long and quite often I would work 12 or 13 hour days. But they don’t feel long because I love doing it, and that’s a quote my dad would often say to me — ‘If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.’

“Which I used to think was crazy because he sold couches. But I get it now. It’s not about couches or money or the gym — it’s about people.”

For Marc Halpin, fitness has always been about more than reps, routines, or results. Instead, it’s about resilience, compassion, and connection.

Whether training from Castletown GAA Club or from his kitchen table, his mission remains the same: to help people feel stronger, both inside and out.

For more information, follow Marc Halpin Fitness on Instagram here.