Club Insider

The Club Insider Archives: July 2022

Ben Marciano's Zone Health and Fitness
Fulfillment Through Serving Others

By: Justin Cates

Justin CatesJustin CatesWhen most think of success, they do so in terms of dollars and cents. Simple as that. The more money you have and make, the more successful you are. But, I offer that there are other, more fulfilling ways to think of success. Dollars and cents cannot fill the hole inside one's soul. If you feel incomplete, money will not fix it. Instead, maybe a more defined purpose, one's "Why," can. When you define purpose, you can attain it, and with that, one becomes complete. This month's Club Insider Cover Story is about Ben Marciano, Owner of Zone Health and Fitness, and he is one who has lived on both sides in terms of the definition of success. Read More

Finding Group Fitness Pros to Facilitate Growth
By: Sara Kooperman, JD

Sara Kooperman, JDSara Kooperman, JDHealth clubs are facing great challenges in staffing, especially in the group fitness arena. Group Fitness Instructors left their respective positions in droves during the pandemic. This is primarily because our group areas were forced to close, and virtual training is not something that comes naturally to all instructors. Also, this happened in large part because Group Fitness Instructors get paid the least amount of money for their time and efforts, and unfortunately, they are not respected by our industry as a whole. They usually appear as the last on the importance totem pole of our clubs. Our owners, CEOs, CFOs, Directors and Managers still look at group fitness as a non-revenue generating line in our chart of accounts. Yet, we all know that community connectors are in greater demand than ever. Read More

Equipment Financing
By: Paul Bosley

Paul BosleyPaul BosleyEquipment financing is a common option available to owners of fitness centers, group fitness centers and personal training studios when purchasing fitness equipment and non-fitness equipment. Non-fitness equipment that can be financed include security systems, entertainment systems, computer hardware and software, flooring, outdoor and indoor signage, as well as any tangible items needed to operate your business. Read More

Five Keys to Opening a New Facility
By: Chris Stevenson

Chris StevensonChris StevensonWhen I opened our last club well over ten years ago, I remember it being a very stressful, crazy and exciting time. We weren't a franchise, so we literally had to do everything from scratch and by ourselves, from finding the location to creating all of the operating systems and everything in between. We had no compass; it was just us. Having been through that process, I thought it might be helpful to share things to consider when opening a club. As I started prepping this article, I had a hard time figuring out where to start, since there are so many concerns that have to be addressed. Then, I came across a great article that IHRSA published entitled, Top 5 Things Americans Consider When Choosing a Gym. I figured that, since IHRSA identified what consumers are looking for, why not use these same ideas to guide best practices for opening and operating a facility? Read More

Are You Ready for the Bubble to Burst?
By: Thomas Plummer

Thomas PlummerThomas PlummerThe fitness industry is balancing precariously on top of the perfect bubble, and this bubble, as they all do, will burst, causing yet another reset in an already unstable fitness business environment. Our economy has been dancing bubble to bubble since the early 1900s, which presents itself as the typical cycle in any capitalistic society. We had the mind-numbing correction of 1929 we labeled The Great Depression, the cooldown of the 1950s, the gas crash of the '70s, the real estate busts of the mid '80s and late '90s, then The Great Recession in 2007, and of course, a number of bubble busts such as real estate and tech collapses. Bubbles are what we do in the U.S., and we do them well. As a country, we have used them as a correction device that allows us to reset, cool off a sector, then move on to the next level of play. Read More

The Rocky Road That Got Us Here
By: Jeffrey Pinkerton

Jeffrey PinkertonJeffrey PinkertonIn early March of 2009, when my boys were ten and thirteen, I coerced them into mountain biking. By that, I mean we bought them new bikes, helmets, gloves, and I convinced them it would be a ton of fun. I had been a road cyclist for a few years and was looking for a way to spend more time with them and less time on the busy roads of the Atlanta suburbs. All smiles on a Saturday morning, we set off with a few snacks, a few water bottles, a map of the park and a can-do attitude; we were ready and excited. Things were looking pretty good. Read More

Crunch Fitness Celebrates Two Million Member Mark
NORWALK, CT - Crunch Fitness marks the milestone of reaching two million members at the full-service fitness brand. This achievement comes as Crunch continues to outpace the industry in membership growth, earning its spot as the number one high-value, low-price franchise gym. The two-millionth member, Julia Dever, signed up at Crunch Norwalk in Connecticut, where she was surprised with a special celebration and awarded $2,000 worth of prizes, including a complimentary two-year gym membership and various gifts. Read More

HealthyCARE®
Your Pathway to Future Growth

MIAMI, FL - Smart Health Clubs and GENAVIX announce the merger of their two companies, which are focused on bridging the gap between healthcare and fitness with the introduction of HealthyCARE®. Read More

REX Roundtables Announces Partnership with ITR Economics
NEW YORK - REX Roundtables announces its new partnership with ITR Economics, an economic forecasting firm that will provide REX Roundtables members and their companies with additional economic intelligence to drive practical and profitable business decisions. Read More

IHRSA 2022 Slideshow
Check out photos from IHRSA 2022! Read More

Norm's Notes for July 2022
By: Norm Cates

Norm CatesNorm CatesHello Everybody! This is your Club Insider Founder and Tribal Leader Since 1993 checking in with our 343rd monthly edition of this "Labor of Love" we call Club Insider! Summer is rolling along, and we hope you and your family are having a GREAT ONE! Read More

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