The Club Insider Archives: March 2018

AUGIE
By: Justin Cates

Justin CatesAugie Nieto is a man who needs no introduction. From the early days of Life Fitness to today, on the verge of bringing Augie's Quest across the finish line of finding the cure for ALS, Augie is pure and simply a warrior for good. As its leader, Augie's Quest has become a veritable force that truly proves the concept of strength in numbers. The strength of the numbers in our industry has become visible to many outside our circle, and with the cure for ALS, it will become visible to all, opening doors this industry never could have imagined. As history has shown, every great leader has an incredible partner in life who stands side by side with him through anything and everything that comes. Lynne is that to Augie. Augie is that to Lynne. Together, I believe it is safe to say that Augie and Lynne have accomplished more than even they could have imagined, and it is beautiful. Read More

Exercise IS Medicine!
By: Shannon Malooly

Shannon MaloolyI, along with 1.4 million other people, follow a non-profit organization on Instagram: @discoverocean. I am in complete amazement with each post. The life that lies beneath the sea is incredible. The movement, fluidity and life that exits made me realize something: Nothing about the ocean is still. There is constant movement. The ocean and the life beneath never cease. Even an idle piece of reef life is in motion, drifting and flowing against the current. Read More

No & Low-Cost Marketing
Does It Still Exist?
By: Casey Conrad

Casey ConradI belong to a local, "boutique" functional fitness facility that's less than five minutes from my home. Although it is not a CrossFit, it has the same type of workouts, just safer. I call it, "CrossFit for the joint conscious." At 53 years of age (how did that happen!?), I am right in the middle of the pack for a member profile. I don't know exact numbers, but the facility probably has about 250 members with the prime-time classes almost always full or close to capacity. The owner has run a very occasional Facebook ad, and once in the three years in which I have been a member, he ran a referral promotion with internal signage advertising a free T-shirt when you bring a friend who joins. Five years in existence, doing a bang-up business and has barely spent a dime on marketing... Hmmmm. The physical location is "B" at best. It's drafty, there are no locker rooms and one small shower... You get the picture. Read More

Dinosaurs...
By: Thomas Plummer

Thomas PlummerYour cell phone is less than two years old. Your new flat screen is, at best, a few years old. Your fitness wearable represents technology that didn't even exist just a few years back. My old box computer is in the back of the closet, dead and gone, replaced by laptops and pads. My news comes from scrolling on my phone to see the latest from all sources. And, who is left on the planet who schedules his life around a television when there are a dozen apps that let you choose what you want to watch and when? Yet, the fitness facility you just built, and expect the public to buy, hasn't changed its basic concept since 1985. Read More

Data Breach Protection and Actions to Take Should One Occur
By: Paul R. Bedard, Esquire

Paul R. Bedard, EsquireNot that long ago, nearly all health club membership agreements and other club forms were in paper form. These paper agreements and forms required physical safekeeping to guard against unauthorized access to information. However, health clubs have continued to embrace advances in technology, and the industry has largely moved to paperless operations. Nowadays, signing up new members and handling in-club purchases rarely requires putting pen to paper. Yet, as the industry becomes more reliant on digital information and technology, the risk of members' payment card information and personally identifiable information becoming compromised is omnipresent. Read More

Stop the Bleeding
By: Michael Gelfgot

Michael GelfgotWhile operating 21 Anytime Fitness locations, most are doing well, a few are rocking and there are a few that are dogs and MUST get turned around. No one ever plans on having a club or two hemorrhaging money, but when it happens, it's what you do next that matters most. First of all, what happened? How did we allow such a thing to occur? Aren't we better than that? No one plans on this, but here is what happened... Read More

Eleven Predictions for the Fitness Industry in 2018
Part II
By: Stephen Tharrett

Stephen TharrettLast month, we presented the first five of eleven fitness industry predictions for 2018. They were: 1. Business Model Migration to the Poles Accelerates. 2. Cut Rate Clubs Get Cut Throat. 3. Mobile Apps become a Requirement. 4. Monetization and Engagement will be "CRISPRed" into the Industry Genome. 5. Social Fitness will become the Norm. This month, we will complete the article with predictions six through eleven... Read More

How to Skyrocket Sales in Your Gym Immediately!
By: Jim Thomas

Jim ThomasDo you have a quality gym but are having difficulty getting more people to join? I've found that the solution to getting more people to join can be very basic. There are many little things that can be adjusted to make the membership sales process more effective. Here are a few thoughts I can share with you to increase your membership sales immediately. These methods will work regardless of what your dues are or what system you are using to sell. That's the simplicity of this! These strategies can make a huge difference in your gym sales production if you just apply them. Read More

Planet Fitness Franchisees Join Forces to Focus on Member-first Culture and Accelerated Growth
PALO ALTO, CA; AUSTIN, TX; and RALEIGH, N.C. - Altamont Capital Partners (Altamont) announced that it has acquired PF Eastern NC, the largest Planet Fitness franchisee in North Carolina, a deal that brings together two franchisee powerhouses and expands their group to 56 clubs across the United States. Read More

Town Sports International Holdings, Inc. to Acquire Total Woman Gym and Spa
JUPITER, FL - Town Sports International Holdings, Inc. ("TSI" or the "Company") (NASDAQ:CLUB) announced that, through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, it has entered into an asset purchase agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of the Total Woman Gym and Spa business ("Total Woman"). Once consummated, this acquisition will add another women-focused fitness brand to the Company's growing fitness portfolio. Read More

Norm's Notes for March 2018
By: Norm Cates

Norm CatesHello Everybody! This is your Club Insider Publisher and Tribal Leader Since 1993 Checking In! Is America a great country, or what!? Each month, when the time comes for me to write these Norm's Notes for y'all, I always think to myself: "Self... what are you going to write here today that will (A) Be HELPFUL to our readers, in their day-to-day club operations, and (B) be something that's really interesting so you'll won't just read it yourself, but you'll also pass it on to your friends and associates in our wonderful industry?" Read More

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