Meet Beverley Cheng, Founder of Born to Sweat

After leaving her secure, full-time job in insurance, Beverley Cheng took the plunge into entrepreneurship, focusing her time and energy on building her brand, Born to Sweat. Now, she’s a self-employed fitness trainer, sports-model, and blogger in Toronto. Her blog, Born to Sweat, published its first post in January 2014, and since then has continued to grow exponentially each year, becoming a go-to platform for workout videos, exercise variations, pescatarian recipes, and any other tips or tricks towards living a healthy and happier lifestyle. Beyond the blog, Beverley’s funny, candid personality and high-quality workout regimens have attracted over 70,000 followers on social media. The motto she lives and works by? We were all Born to Sweat.

My first job ever was… Working at a library, shelving books! It was so boring. I couldn’t even listen to music as I did it. My mom made me stay there for 6 months before I was allowed to quit.

I would tell my 20-year-old self… That no matter what happens, you will end up where you are supposed to be. Don’t compare yourself to everyone else at university or in your business school. You are meant to be you, and not anyone else.

I decided to be an entrepreneur because… I have good ideas, I have passion, and I have the ability to get shit done when I put my mind to it. I have always envisioned doing my own thing and building my own brand and that’s what has stuck with me throughout my entire life.

My proudest accomplishment is…  Modeling for huge brands like Lululemon, New Balance, Adidas, and Athleta.

My boldest move to date was… When I moved to Spain and lived there for four months without knowing a single word of Spanish. Except for cerveza, of course.

I surprise people when I tell them… That I used to work a full-time job in insurance. That one always stumps people.

My best advice to people starting a business is… Literally just start with an idea and get it done. The worst thing you can do to yourself is going back and fixing things over and over, trying to make it perfect, before ever letting anyone see it. No. Just get it out there, and fix as you go along. Otherwise you will never get anything done.

My best advice from a mentor was… My old rugby coach always told me not be soft.

“The worst thing you can do to yourself is going back and fixing things over and over, trying to make it perfect, before ever letting anyone see it. No. Just get it out there, and fix as you go along.”

My biggest setback was… I got pneumonia when I was 21 and was hospitalized for a week. I lost 15 lbs and all my strength. It was extremely hard to go from being a very strong and fit athlete, to someone who couldn’t even jog for 30 seconds. I had to take a month off work and two months off from the gym to recover.

I overcame it by… It took a lot of dedication, tears, early mornings, and frustration to get myself back to where I started, but I stuck with it every day until I got back to where I began. 

Work/life balance is…  So key. I honestly think the key to happiness is being able to comfortably balance both and achieving that feeling of fulfillment.

If you googled me, you still wouldn’t know… Oh man. Everything is up there for everyone to see. You might not know that I love to read. When I was a kid I would leave the library with a stack of books higher than my head. Now I try to read every night before I go to bed.

I stay inspired by… My Instagram followers/friends, blog readers, and the people who consistently come out to my workout classes. I’m always inspired to continue creating great content, coming up with new ideas, and wanting to better myself for them.

The future excites me because…  Maybe one day I will be able to sustain this lifestyle and travel at the same time.

My next step is…  Ooo that would be telling! But hopefully a video series, more massive group workouts, and Born to Sweat apparel.