The Making of Guerrilla Prince

DERRICK BELL

Do you know how to make a bad situation work for you?

Let me tell you the story of how I turned a challenging situation into a platform to help underserved youth in my community.

It was a Saturday morning over 20 years ago. I’m living in my childhood bedroom at my mom’s house with my future ex-wife and our three children. It’s cramped, crowded, and borderline chaotic with the kids running around. I had just been released from a federal halfway house after doing five years for a drug conviction. I needed to make a change to our situation. After a few months of searching, I found work at a lighting company that supplies everything needed for movie sets. It was easy work, but it was not fulfilling.

One day, I got a phone call from my friend, Roscoe, who told me about a personal trainer job. Huh? Me, a trainer? I said, “I ain’t no trainer!” - along with some other choice words. Being a good friend, Roscoe wouldn’t take no for an answer. He tried to talk me into it; convincing me that, with some modifications, the training routines we did in the Feds would suit the stay-at-home moms & high-level execs the gym had as clients. And the pièce de résistance? He told me he had already given my name to the manager at Crunch Fitness, and I better not make him look bad. So, with trepidation, I went & met Neil, a short, white guy with a mean sneaker game. He explained the possibilities & urged me to try the training position for 30 days. He said I could return to my warehouse job if I didn’t like working at Crunch. What did I have to lose?

I went to my warehouse managers & told them I was going to take a month’s leave. They had no problem because it was an unpaid leave, so this training thing needed to work. Neil showed me how to prospect clients, work the floor, & host orientations for new members. Another challenge presented itself: talking to strangers. Part of my job entailed approaching potential clients while they were on treadmills or coming out of spin class. Doing penitentiary time can force you to adopt a closed-off attitude. These new job requirements put me way outside my comfort zone by requiring me to start conversations with people who I felt were already looking at me like I was some sort of nuisance. My guard was up and I wondered if maybe they did not want to talk to me because I am black. What’s up with that?

Looking back now, one could make a case for my perceptions. I saw my white colleagues get responses that I felt I should have gotten. They got a “yes” when I was told, ”maybe later.” Or when they sold training packages to clients who wouldn’t buy from me. I couldn’t get caught up in that. I had to be Pi & work on my approach, which I knew would change everything. I needed to do something different.

Next door to Crunch was a Barnes & Noble bookstore. I would sit in there & read a myriad of books - how to start conversations, different staples of athletic training, and understanding the body. If I wanted this to work, I learned I would have to be vulnerable because people appreciate honesty, transparency, and humility, no matter who or where you are. It took about five days until I landed my first client, a travel nurse who was funny & showed me how to be accommodating but firm.

That was the beginning of my 20+ year career in fitness & training. When I received my first check, I realized it was a no-brainer - I’m a trainer! I called my manager at the lighting warehouse & said, “Hey Arnold, I want to thank you guys for everything, but

I’m not returning.” I had found something I was passionate about that would allow me to provide for my family how I wanted.

My run at Crunch lasted five years. During that time, I gained the courage to start Guerrilla Prince Athletics, an athletic development company that doesn’t train players but develops athletes. That venture has made such a positive impact on my community that I, with my exceptional business partner, Kimberley Downer, created two supporting ventures: Guerrilla Prince Consulting, an educational consulting organization that provides academic options to talented student-athletes, and GP In the Midst Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to shrinking the wealth gap by using athletics to create education cornerstones in families. With our support, belief, and commitment, we are making an impact and doing great work together.

Looking back now, I’m not sure where I would be today if I didn’t get that call that Saturday morning. Shout out to Roscoe for making me jump in the deep end.

Coach Derrick “Pi” Bell - Founder, CEO, and head trainer at Guerrilla Prince Fitness & Athletics.

He holds certifications in multiple fitness categories, such as strength & conditioning, sports performance training, and boxing. With over 20 years of experience in personal training, Derrick’s focus is to help all fitness-level enthusiasts reach their goals.

What distinguishes Derrick from other trainers is his commitment to scholar-athletes. He realizes a disconnect within his community concerning their expectations and aspirations with the public school system. Too many talented athletes are being overlooked academically or taken advantage of athletically. He works with scholar-athletes to bring them to their next training level. Derrick’s goal is for his scholar-athletes to dominate their sport and studies. His dedication to helping athletes inspired the creation of Guerrilla Prince Consulting. Ten years in high school consulting and placement resulted in scholar-athletes being placed in boarding schools such as Taft, Trinity-Pawling, St. Thomas Moore, and the Brunswick School. Some of the country’s top high school football players participate in his football combines. They have gone on to schools such as The University of Wisconsin, Cornell University, Duke, the University of Albany, and the University of New Hampshire. To find out more about any of the programs that Derrick runs, please visit: Guerrilla Prince Athletics, Guerrilla Prince Consulting or GP In the Midst Inc.