STARTING OVER: Entrepreneurs offer new hope in recession

DENVER - If you are out of work you are not alone. The U.S. Labor Department reports 15.7 million Americans are unemployed. 9NEWS set out to find people who are unemployed but have decided to take matters into their own hands.

All this week we will showcase five entrepreneurs who bring new meaning to being your own boss.

Starting Over: Altitude Peak Fitness

For Boot Camp Instructor Danica Ansardy, taking action is not always easy.

"Sometimes we are running six miles and sometimes we are doing wind sprints," Ansardy said.

But taking action is exactly what Ansardy needed to do during the recession.

"I was stuck in a rut," Ansardy said as she checked her stopwatch to countdown students during their drill.

She started her career in the corporate sector working in finance. She loved the people but says she hated her job. So, when the economy bottomed out she took a risk.

"I did my research. I looked at the demographics. I made sure it was a viable place to have a business," Ansardy said.

That business is Altitude Peak Fitness located at 2151 Larimer St. in the heart of downtown Denver.

"There are 65,000 people who live within a mile and a half of the gym," Ansardy said.

It is 6:45 a.m. on a Wednesday and Ansardy has a full class. Her students are mostly young professionals, men and women, looking to shape up for winter.

"I know it sounds corny but these people who come in here have a new found respect for themselves once class is over," Ansardy said.

They show up before sunrise five days a week, ready to get drilled by their instructor.

"I know how to push people," Ansardy said as she yelled "switch" to keep the class moving from one circuit to the other.

Students say her energy is incredible and they say it is paying off. One student has even shed 40 pounds since joining Ansardy's Boot Camp last January.

As a young business owner Ansardy knows she has her work cut out for her. But she says she loves being her own boss and she encourages others to take the risk.

"Do what you love. If what you love is making clothes make clothes. If you love fitness, teach fitness," Ansardy said. "Just find what you love, and have a reason to get up in the mornings and feel good about what you do."

For more information on how to start your own business click on the following Web sites: 

Denver Metro Small Business Development Center  

 
SBA - Small Business Administration  

The Denver Office of Economic Development: Business Assistance Center  

 
SCORE - Counselors to America's Small Business