The Club Insider Archives: February 2016
HealthQuest
Reinvesting in the Future of Fitness
By: Justin Cates
Justin CatesThis month, we are very excited to feature HealthQuest of Hunterdon, New Jersey. The story of HealthQuest we will be presenting is one of reinvention and reinvigoration, culminating in an incredible renewed 105,000 square-foot facility on 38 acres that is among the best of the best. Led by General Manager, Wade Williams, and supported greatly by Owner, Jack Cust, HealthQuest's list of offerings is incredible. But, this story, like any club's, is more than just a list of offerings.
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Growing a Successful Gym Requires Consistency in Marketing
By: Jim Thomas
Jim ThomasThe biggest problem your gym has is obscurity. No one knows who you are, and those who do don't have you at top of mind. Job one is to be sure the door is swinging, the phone is ringing and the email is dinging. Most gym owners know the importance of marketing and promoting their gym on a consistent basis, but so many gym owners really struggle at delivering on that promise. What keeps gym owners from marketing consistently? How can owners put a plan in place to make consistent marketing easy?
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Internet Middlemen and the Fitness Industry
Part II
By: Stephen Tharrett
Stephen TharrettIn Part I, Stephen and Mark explained the relatively new category of Internet Middlemen and the different kinds of relationships being seen through their utilization. These relationship types include: Symbiotic, Parasitic and Cannibalistic. They also introduced two of the four major U.S. brands in this category. In Part II, they will introduce the other two major U.S. brands, as well as offer some comparisons to be aware of if deciding to use one of these services.
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Tips for Success and Being the Best
Make Difficult Conversations Effective Conversations
By: Karen Woodard-Chavez
Karen Woodard-ChavezDo you have a difficult conversation that you need to have with someone but have been avoiding having it with him? Sometimes, when we have a prickly situation with a co-worker (or any other important person in our lives), we avoid resolving it because we create too much "stuff" around it. The "stuff" is given life because of all the emotion and perception we wrap around it. The emotion makes the situation a bigger, hairier, uglier deal than it often times actually is, and we end up avoiding it rather than having an effective conversation to remedy the situation.
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Is Your Independent Contractor Truly Independent?
By: Melissa Knowles
Melissa KnowlesOne of the most egregious misclassifications I see frequently in our industry is the 1099 "employee." The fact that I hear many refer to their independent contractors as 1099 employees is a true sign that these employers are getting it wrong. You're either an independent contractor or you're an employee. These two classifications aren't intended to be blended.
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'Perception is Value' or 'Enough is Enough'
By: Angie Pattengale
Angie PattengaleWhich is it? What attracts the club members? Should a club offer more so that it has greater perceived value; or can the club get away with offering just enough?
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How a Death Sentence Saved My Life and Super-Charged My Club!
By: Donna Krech
Donna KrechIt was a little over a year ago, but it feels like only yesterday; I found myself facing death. I'll never forget my son and daughter sitting with me as I told them how my doctor said, "Donna, you are in the worst stage you can be in. The next stage is death!"
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The Best Uses of the SBA Loan Types
By: Paul Bosley
Paul BosleyBusiness owners have a time-sensitive incentive to secure long-term financing because interest rates are near an all-time low, and it is predicted that rates will slowly rise over time. The Small Business Administration (SBA), a division of the Federal Government, guarantees a percentage of all SBA loans to reduce the lender's risk to the portion of the SBA loan that the SBA does not guarantee. The SBA assumes between 75% up to 90% of the SBA loan obligation, which varies depending upon the SBA loan type.
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Programming For The "Fun Of It!"
Step 1 of 7 to Becoming a Programming Professional
By: Laurie Cingle
Laurie CingleA programming professional is a person who is an expert at the skills required to implement and fill programs. What does it take to become a programming professional in your facility? There are seven steps or skills: (1) Find program prospects, (2) Invite them to learn about and understand your program, (3) Present the program, (4) Follow up with program prospects, (5) Enroll them in the program, (6) Ensure success in the program and (7) Grow programs by promoting events and additional programs. Let's focus on Step #1: Find Program Prospects.
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IHRSA Announces 2016 Industry Award Recipients
BOSTON, MA - IHRSA, The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, announced that three award recipients will be honored during IHRSA 2016, the Association's 35th Annual International Convention & Trade Show in Orlando, Florida, March 21-24, 2016.
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Rick Caro's 20th Annual Financial Panel Set for IHRSA 2016 in Orlando
BOSTON, MA - The 20th Annual IHRSA Financial Panel, taking place during IHRSA 2016, features four highly-regarded financial experts with relevant industry experience.
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Norm's Notes for February 2016
By: Norm Cates
Norm CatesHello Everybody! This is your Club Insider Publisher and Tribal Leader Since 1993 checking in! Yahoo! It's just great being a GEEZER! Haha! Seriously though... WOW, what a great feeling it is having hit the BIG 70! BUT... I feel like I'm 50! I just finished walking 3.2 miles, bringing my total miles walked since November 26, 2,000 up to around 15,500 miles! AND, all of my body parts are functioning perfectly as far as I can tell! Now... that's the ticket! Check out the Norm's Note at the end of these Notes, and you'll see my sincere Thanks and Appreciation writing to all of you who attended my 70th Birthday Party, a/ka/ our Trio Party and/or mailed in contributions to Augie's Quest in honor of our Birthdays or both (Just in case you didn't know, on January 16th we threw what we called a Trio Birthday Party, and that evening, we celebrated my son, JUSTIN'S 31st and our good buddy JACKIE KINLAW'S 62nd birthdays with about 200 of our friends).
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