Club Insider

The Club Insider Archives: February 2015

IHRSA's Public Policy Team, Led By Helen Durkin, J.D., Is There to Prevent Disaster By Government For Your Clubs!
Taking The Time To Understand This Now May Save Your Club One Day

By: Norm Cates

Norm CatesNorm CatesClose your eyes... and imagine that you've awakened from a sound night's sleep only to learn that your State Government Legislature had passed a new State Law out of the blue prohibiting your club from collecting monthly dues via EFT, or even keeping Credit Card Authorizations on file any more. Or, as in the example Helen Durkin provided in this interview where she mentioned stopping new laws that would prohibit automatic renewals of monthly membership agreements. Read More

Are We Asking The Right Question?
By: Bill McBride

Bill McBrideBill McBrideI read an interesting article on Zite last week from Business Insider that highlighted Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' advice for anyone running a business. The advice was simple yet profound, even brilliant. Read More

Spring: The Real Season of Opportunity
By: Deneen Laprade

Deneen LapradeDeneen LapradeSpring is coming, and regardless of warmer weather or not, this season truly embodies the essence of starting fresh. From your point of view, as the owner or operator of a fitness business, spring sometimes feels like the beginning of the end of that concept, especially as it relates to new member sales. Take a step back, and in the spirit of spring, take a fresh look at the opportunities this season represents to your members, prospects, and ultimately, your business. Read More

"Now What?"
Your 2015 EFT PT Report Card

By: Ron Alterio

Ron AlterioRon AlterioJanuary is now over, and soon, the mad rush will be a thing of the past. What better time to take a step back and analyze just how efficient and effective you are at driving and sustaining your EFT Personal Training (PT) business. Remember, an EFT PT draft is a 2-prong business model: new client acquisition and existing client retention. The aim of this 2-prong goal should be to focus on getting the number of new PT clients added each month to be as high as possible, and concurrently, to keep the number of existing PT clients that drop off each month to be as low as possible. Read More

Feel Like Adding Video Content Is Too Hard?
Think Value, Not Viral - Part I

By: Joe Imbrogno

Joe ImbrognoJoe Imbrogno800,218,212. That's the number of times the YouTube video sensation Charlie Bit My Finger had been watched when I looked it up. For the heck of it, I went back ten minutes later only to find that it had been watched a whopping 406 more times. Ten minutes! Read More

Are You Ready to Grow Your Business?
By: Jim Thomas

Jim ThomasJim ThomasI just recently completed several different gym projects that all had one thing in common. They wanted to improve sales performance. They wanted to improve profitability. They wanted growth. They all wanted their version of Gym Rescue. Read More

The Resolution Revolution
By: Billy Dawson

Billy DawsonBilly DawsonMillions of people have begun to pursue their New Year's Day resolution. For many, that resolution is to lead a healthier lifestyle. This means joining a gym, health and wellness center, community center or recreation center and starting a personal journey. It's no secret; this is a busy, and in many cases, make-or-break month for clubs trying to sign up new members and deliver the experience that helps their members stay committed to their resolutions and achieving their goals. Read More

Programming For The "Fun Of It!"
Small Group Training Management - 7 Keys To Success

By: Laurie Cingle

Laurie CingleLaurie CingleSmall Group Training, Personal Training and Group Fitness are three distinct business models within facilities. Each unique model requires its own recipe for success. Clubs know that Personal Training and Group Fitness must be managed differently, the majority employing separate individuals with specific skills and credentials to lead each area. Read More

2015 IHRSA Awards To Be Presented At IHRSA Los Angeles
BOSTON, MA - Three award recipients will be honored during IHRSA 2015, the Association's 34th Annual International Convention and Trade Show in Los Angeles, California, March 11-14, 2015. Read More

Rick Caro's 19th Annual Financial Panel Set For IHRSA 2015
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Rick Caro's 19th Annual Financial Panel will convene on Friday, March 13th at 11AM, right after the morning keynote speech. The IHRSA Financial Panel is aimed at the leaders of the club industry. This event is wide ranging from owners of small clubs to CEOs, CFOs, COOs, GMs of very large clubs and those who are interested in club finances, etc., no matter what kind of club. It involves a question-and-answer format after opening presentations, so all can get their questions answered by outside financial experts. This is also appropriate for leaders in other countries. Read More

iGo360 Software From iGo Figure
All The Features At No Extra Cost

HOUSTON, TX - iGo Figure's all-in-one fitness club management software, iGo360, includes all features at one low price. "We wanted to be able to tell customers that $79 per month gets you all the features you need to run your club," said Kyle Zagrodzky, President and CEO of iGo Figure Software. "A lot of our customers became customers because they were tired of being nickeled and dimed by other companies for extra features like scheduling, automated marketing, multiple employee logins or even if their club membership became too large," Zagrodzky continued. Read More

World Gym Announces Two New Locations In Russia
LOS ANGELES, CA - World Gym, the iconic brand for bodybuilding and serious fitness, announced the January and February 2015 openings of their newest locations: World Gym Sterlitamak and World Gym Veshki. Read More

CSI Software Launches Mobility, A New Mobile App for Health and Fitness Clubs
HOUSTON, TX - CSI Software has launched a new mobile app for health and fitness facilities. Mobility is a branded mobile application written in native iOS and Android, giving users powerful features and facilities tools to engage a mobile audience. The new app is fully integrated with SpectrumNG, the company's flagship management and accounting software. Mobility is a self-service application allowing customers to manage their account, search and book classes, schedule appointments, share through social media and more. The app delivers a fast, clean and intuitive experience for customers now choosing mobile devices to manage their time and fitness. Read More

New Associate Partner, Bill Lemanski, Joins New Paradigm Partners
PRINCETON, N.J. - The New Paradigm Partners is pleased to announce that Bill Lemanski has joined the team as the new Associate Partner. He joins the team of Maria Parrella-Turco, Christian Pacifico, Ray Coassin, Senior Partners, and Jennifer Mayer and Greg Maurer, Associate Partners. Read More

U.S. Fitness Holdings Adds Atlanta Fitness To Its Portfolio
MCLEAN, VA - US Fitness Holdings, LLC (US Fitness) is pleased to announce its first expansion into the Southeastern region through the acquisition of Atlanta Fitness. US Fitness, the largest health club operator in the Mid-Atlantic, currently has a portfolio of 45 health clubs that includes Sport&Health Clubs and Onelife Fitness. Read More

Ultimate Resource Manual For Implementing Standards Offers 1-Stop Resource
DALLAS, TX - A new book entitled, The Ultimate Resource Manual for Implementing Health/Fitness Facility Standards and Guidelines, has recently been published by Healthy Learning, a Monterey, California publishing company that currently operates the IHRSA bookstore. The book's two authors, Stephen Tharrett, M.S., and James Peterson, Ph.D., say they authored it with the intent of providing club operators with a comprehensive one-stop resource that can assist them in effectively and efficiently executing policies, practices and systems that will help ensure their compliance with health and fitness facility standards, such as those promulgated by the American College of Sports Medicine. Read More

Norm's Notes for February 2015
By: Norm Cates

Norm CatesNorm CatesHello Everybody! This is your Publisher and Tribal Leader Since 1993 checking in! Read More

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