Fitness has never been bigger. In fact, it's the world's biggest sport with 61% of people who exercise regularly doing gym-type activities, according to the Global Consumer Fitness Survey 2013. But retention remains the industry's biggest problem.
And where previous acquisition of new members could fill the gap, new levels of competition and industry segmentation have made gaining and retaining members harder than ever.
If you’ve noticed the fitness trend toward indoor cycling, you’re not alone. According to fitness and sports experts and the organizations that track such data*, “Stationary Cycling” was the 10th-most popular activity in America in a 2015 survey of all activities in which Americans participated.
Of course, if you’re reading these words you already know the health and fitness benefits of indoor cycling, but it’s also nice to know that you’re among the millions who have selected this vigorous, fun, and uplifting fitness regiment.
Summer is here again! If you’re like many of us in the fitness industry, June, July, and August can be brutal months.
The unfortunate part is that instead of planning and preparing for this slow down, many trainers and studio owners are too busy working “in” the business and suffer the consequences such as decreased revenue, less sessions serviced, and lack of profitability.
Over 10 years ago, I took the hardest yet most gratifying step of my career: Getting out of debt.
At just 26, my wife and I accumulated over $220,000 in personal and business debt. My future outlook was bleak to say the least since we just opened Avenu, had a handful of clients and rent was due soon.
The list of personal trainers in Orlando is immense. How could I stand out from the crowd and create a fitness brand that is unique among a sea of others? When I started my business in 2014, I was determined to set it apart in every way possible way.
I have always had a passion for art and, in fact, my first job was as an assistant production manager at Walt Disney Animation where I contributed to films like Lilo and Stitch and Beauty and the Beast.
Reading the news can be dangerous, indeed, especially if runaway or otherwise poorly driven vehicles end up “parking” in your studio. In recent weeks, several such incidents occurred in precisely that way.
The Little Gym in Roxbury, NJ, was the “victim” of a 78-year-old woman who crashed her car through the front window of the fitness center. Police said the woman mistook the gas pedal for the brake.
Fitness is an industry with constant churn in terms of people coming into the mix to workout and those who fall out of fitness – for a variety of reasons. Even with more and more research showing the health and wellness benefits of fitness, many people who would benefit from it, simply don’t start.
As businesses this leaves us with the pool of people who are actually willing to make it into a gym/fitness studio/etc. The good news? Once they start, it’s easier to get them back if they fall out.
It is a well-known fact that one of the biggest challenges facing businesses today is building an engaged and dynamic team. In my experience working in this industry, it’s the power of engaged teams that have proven to facilitate long-term business growth more than any other factor.
In my years of leading teams from smaller spans of 6-8 people up to larger spans of over 50 people, I have discovered a few universal truths that I believe are the cornerstone of success.
How do you change the world? I used to think it was through teaching people how to have a healthy lifestyle because if everyone understood the benefits of exercise and eating nutritious foods we’d have less disease, everyone would feel better, have more energy, live longer and be able to contribute more…you get my point.
I’ve since realized we actually change the world through marketing because it doesn’t matter what incredible information you have to share with the world if you don’t know how to share it with the people who need it.
Fitness studio owners and personal trainers often give very little attention to their liability waivers or hold harmless agreements because they feel they are not going to protect them from claims and they don’t want to pay for legal advice.
The truth is, state laws determine how effective a waiver may be in court, but it is important to always have a well-written waiver in every state.
• Trainer, Manager or Owner • Beginner or Veteran • 500-10,000 sq.ft.