Leaf Lifestyle Inc., a personal training and wellness company in Santa Monica

EMPLOYEES: 6

FINANCIALS: Profitable.

Before they launched a business that lets them get out on the beach to do personal training with clients, Luke Sniewski and Tanner Martty used to work office jobs.

Sniewski was a certified public accountant and Martty was a manager at a medical device company. But two years ago, both guys realized the 9-to-5 jobs they had weren’t enough to satisfy them.

“I needed to be in an environment that allowed me to cultivate ideas and create things,” Sniewski said. “The organizational and physical structures of most companies make it very difficult for full and free expression. I felt claustrophobic.”

So the duo founded Leaf Lifestyle Inc., a personal training and wellness company in Santa Monica. They put the startup expenses on their Visa and MasterCard accounts, and also used personal savings from previous jobs. Martty even cashed out his 401(k).

“Hey, if you aren’t willing to gamble on yourself, then who else are you going to gamble on?” he asked.

Martty said that even though he and Sniewski are young, they’ve never had a problem working with and managing people who are older. At his management job, Martty was directly in charge of more than 20 people, most of whom were older.

“I never had any problems because I was always honest and I worked my butt off every day,” he said. “I think people respect honesty and work ethic over age. I take that same approach with Leaf.”

Now that they’re working for themselves, they have a hard time imagining working for anyone else. Instead, they can see themselves expanding Leaf or starting another company.

“Leaf is only the beginning,” Martty said. “I’m a person who likes to see my ideas come to life. When I develop an idea, I become obsessed with seeing how it will turn out.