Check out the inspiring stories of Intuit IDEAS program entrepreneurs who are making a difference in their communities.
Building something personal
For Audra, BeautiFitStrong Fitness is more than just her company; it’s a business that’s deeply connected to her own story.
While employed in human services and social work, Audra experienced burnout and found herself needing a reset.
During that period, Audra discovered competitive bodybuilding. Stepping onstage for her first competition marked a turning point. It pushed her outside her comfort zone and helped her reconnect with her strength and confidence.
That experience helped inspire BeautiFitStrong, a women-focused fitness studio in East Falls, Philadelphia, where women come not just to work out, but to feel stronger, more confident, and more supported.
“Little Audra would be so proud,” she says. “Little Audra was strong because she had to be strong. Little Audra was tough because she had to be tough.”
Creating a space that feels safe
Today, BeautiFitStrong has a team of instructors, and offers personal training, semi-private training, group fitness classes, and corporate wellness programs.
The studio has been operating for more than 10 years, with no client injuries on record. For Audra, safety is not a side note. It is part of the experience she wants every client to have. “Clients that come here know that we’re going to keep them safe as well,” she says. To Audra, safety means paying attention to clients’ recovery, form, and long-term health, all while guiding them toward goals they may not have thought were possible.
She has seen clients come in for all kinds of reasons. Some want to build strength. Some want to manage stress. Some are recovering from injury. One 79-year-old client keeps training because she wants to stay strong enough to shop for groceries and live independently. Another client came back after a serious car accident because she trusted Audra to help her recover in a safe manner.
Audra’s work is grounded in a simple belief: when women are cared for, entire communities benefit. “When you take care of women, you take care of everybody,” she says.
Growing with Intuit IDEAS
While training clients came naturally to Audra, the back-office side of the business did not. With a background in human services, she had to learn how to manage the financial and operational aspects as BeautiFitStrong grew. “That back-office stuff doesn’t come naturally to me,” she says.
Through the Intuit IDEAS program, Audra received support that helped strengthen those foundations. Working with a QuickBooks bookkeeper gave her a clearer understanding of her financial picture, and how to use it to guide decisions, instead of reacting after the fact. She became more confident in what the business could afford in the present and how to plan ahead for the future.
Mailchimp became a major time-saver, helping her communicate with clients more efficiently. Also, her TurboTax expert helped surface tax issues that could have created problems for the business down the line.
For Audra, the biggest shift came from the coaching and accountability. Having both a Zella Life coach and a business coach from the Urban League gave her space to think more clearly and work through challenges.
“It was really, really refreshing,” she says. “Having someone who could listen to me without judgment.” By the end of the program, her confidence as a leader and decision-maker had noticeably strengthened.
Building more than a studio
Audra creates a sense of community inside the studio; her clients support one another and often connect beyond their workouts. But her vision has always gone beyond the walls of the gym. For her, being a small business owner means giving back to your community. So, along with running BeautiFitStrong, she leads movement and healthy eating workshops, partners with local organizations, speaks at career days, supports school fundraisers, and stays active in community leadership.
Looking ahead, Audra is focused on growing BeautiFitStrong in a way that is both meaningful and sustainable. She sees opportunities to expand her reach through new partnerships, additional wellness programming, and eventually a larger footprint in Philadelphia and beyond. More than anything, she wants to keep reaching women, supporting her community, and being for others what others once were for her.
About Intuit IDEAS
IDEAS stands for Invest, Develop, Empower, Accelerate and Scale.
Intuit IDEAS is a program empowering small business owners in cities across the United States to help improve entrepreneurs with their functioning, efficiency, earnings, and capital readiness.
Through Intuit IDEAS, small business owners receive free access to Intuit’s AI-driven expert platform and products, including QuickBooks, Mailchimp, and TurboTax. In addition to support from Intuit’s expert network, Intuit IDEAS participants also receive business counseling, executive coaching, and a grant to help them grow their businesses. Small business owners are boosting their revenue by an average of 23% and saving 16.5 hours monthly, enabling them to focus on growing their businesses and make a bigger impact in their communities.