It was a chance encounter: Manayunk resident Susan Page ran into an old college acquaintance while grabbing a cup of coffee on Main Street.

She didn't know it at the time, but that brief meet-up would change Page for the better.

"I basically said, 'I'll see you tomorrow,' and the rest was history," Page said.

The woman Page ran into was Kasey Manwaring. The conversation topic was Manwaring's new business. And the result would have Page on a new exercise regiment.

Manwaring, 31, a New York native who has lived in Roxborough since her college days, opened Goals, a personal training studio run out of a small storefront at 3997 Mitchell St., in November.

In college, Manwaring studied psychology, but was always been big on fitness, and felt operating her own gym never seemed like it would be much of a stretch.

After she graduated, Manwaring worked in medical sales. She also worked at a string of gyms part-time to supplement her income.

But when she got laid off from her full-time gig last winter, she knew she had to do something to make money fast.

Then it dawned on her: she already had her personal training certification, and she enjoyed working with people. Why not open up a business where she could work out and use her skills to help others find a healthier lifestyle?

Well, that's just what she did.

"I kind of always pictured myself having my own little business," Manwaring said during a recent interview at her studio.

When she worked as a trainer at gyms like L.A. Fitness, a percentage of her sales went toward the host gym; having her own place, though, would mean she could pocket every dollar she made.

But it also meant a new type of responsibility.

"I like the business aspect," Manwaring said. "It's challenging, it's forcing me to learn new things."

Being an entrepreneur, however, hasn't been too stressful, even though her busy times seem to fluctuate according to season.

Manwaring, who currently has around 35 clients and usually works with around eight per day, said she hasn't been hit too hard by the struggling economy, something she attributes to her business outlook.

"I think I've made out, as opposed to other gyms, because I've kept my prices reasonable," she said.

There are also no employees to pay, since Goals is pretty much a one-woman operation.

For her part, Page used her 30th birthday to wish make a resolution to get into shape, and couldn't pass up the chance to get trained by someone she knew and felt comfortable with. She was also interested to train in a personalized setting with a friendly atmosphere.