I'm a soldier whose side hustle has helped hundreds of civilians get ready for military training in 8 weeks. Here's why I do it.
- Farren Morgan has been a serving British soldier for seven years.
- His side hustle, The Tactical Athlete, helps civilians prepare for military training in eight weeks.
This as-told-to article is based on a conversation with Lance Sergeant Farren Morgan, a serving British soldier who offers training for those wanting to join the military. It has been edited for length and clarity.
Being a soldier and training more than 400 troops while being a business owner is my way to help people be the best version of themselves.
I never had that person to look up to and I wish I did … I wanted a motivator in my life; someone who instilled confidence in me.
When I joined the army, I wanted to stand out because that's the only way you can get recognized among thousands of other soldiers. I passed the infamous Pegasus Company (P-Company) training and earned my military jump wings in 2016.
The P-Company is an intense training that prepares soldiers to serve in a parachute role. I joined the Guards Parachute Platoon, among 500 other people who are qualified — or have wings, as we say — and spent two years jumping out of planes with them.
That's when I started focusing more on being the fittest. I carried on completing more training and became one of the fittest in the battalion. Then I was sent into a personal training course and started teaching soldiers.
I started the Tactical Athlete as a side hustle because people kept messaging me about being unsure whether to join the army, police force, or fire brigade. Too many people think that joining the army is out of their grasp because of the conditioning involved but it really isn't.
Although the term "tactical athlete" has been around for a long time to describe those who work in law enforcement, military, and rescue professions, it hadn't been used as a brand, however.
My side hustle began due to a deep desire to help people reach optimal physical and mental robustness through a tailored approach to training.
So far, I have helped people from America, New Zealand, Portugal, Kenya, and other countries.
There's no greater feeling than knowing you've helped hundreds of people get into the army, changed someone's life for the better and helped them with their physical condition.
Helping women get into the infantry has been another big turning point for me.
I want to be a pioneer in health and wellbeing technology as much as I can. That's why I introduced and trialed a new wearable technology device into the army, which decreases the chances of spinal injury. The device will coach the user to self-correct movements to prevent the risk of ergonomic injury through an app.
Some days, I may be working 15 to 18 hours, so I might have to start employing people down the line. Ultimately, I am grateful I get to have an impact on so many people's lives — and I wouldn't change that for anything.