This Month in Club Insider: January 2019
VASA Fitness
The Rise of HV/LP 3.0
By: Justin Cates
Justin CatesThe year is 2014, and 17 Utah-area Gold's Gyms are operating as they have been for years. The iconic black and yellow are on the walls, the main gym area is bustling, and the available amenity areas are adding value. Enter 2015, and those 17 gyms are now the founding locations of VASA Fitness, having completed a Herculean conversion and rebrand effort to complete the year. At the time, having the Gold's Gym name across an array of locations, it would seem that Founders, Scott and Lynette Felsted, risked everything to bring the vision of their own brand, VASA Fitness, into existence... But, it paid off! Now, five years later, those 17 re-branded locations are almost 40 and ushering in the next phase of the High-Value, Low-Price (HV/LP) evolution. Read More...
Six Reasons The Fitness Industry Is Booming
By: Ben Midgley
Ben MidgleyAccording to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), the $30 billion health and fitness industry in the United States has been growing by at least 3 - 4% annually for the last ten years and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. If anything, it's accelerating. Currently, about 20% of American adults have a fitness club membership, a number that, in my opinion, could easily double in the next 10 - 15 years. So, what is driving this historic boom? Read More...
Nadia
By: Mike Alpert
Mike AlpertThe story I want to share with you this month is about a beautiful young girl by the name of Nadia. I met her two years ago after my Facility Director shared a link to her story that was on NBC News Los Angeles. I was absolutely mesmerized as I watched the segment unfold, and I could not stop thinking about how lucky I was to be living a healthy and independent life in the United States. Read More...
Let's Roll The Tape
By: Michael Gelfgot
Michael Gelfgot"Let's roll the tape" is what my wrestling coach would tell us at the end of every wrestling practice. The entire wrestling team would sit around a TV, and we would all watch a few wrestling matches from the previous weekend. The goal was to find one thing that a wrestler did well during the match and one thing that the wrestler could improve on during this week's practice. Once that was discovered, then at least 20% of the time during practice, the focus would be on that one thing that wasn't done so well. The impact this approach had on our skill set as wrestlers was massive. Read More...
My Most Important Coaching "Mission"
By: Jarod Cogswell
Jarod CogswellI recently received the honor of being selected as a coach for this year's U.S. Army's BOSS Strong Competition, to serve our country's most important athletes, the U.S. military. To say I was proud to lead my team of soldiers, rub elbows with some of the world's best fitness professionals and represent the Alpha Warrior coaching team is a huge understatement. Admittedly, I was a bit nervous not knowing what to fully expect from a physical, mental and emotional perspective. However, as a long-time mountain climber and rescuer, I relished the opportunity to support and lead the team that chose me in any/all conditions we were to be dealt. Read More...
Your Task List for 2019
By: Melissa Knowles
Melissa KnowlesAs we find ourselves at the beginning of a new year, we find ourselves either in a state of premature nostalgia for 2018 (ruminating over our accomplishments and wins with the losses and missteps already diminished by the glow of the holiday lights) or stressing over the mounting To-Do List for 2019. January is a wild time in this industry of ours! The resolutioners are upon us, bringing with them their cash, and hopefully, yielding a nice bottom line to launch into a prosperous new year in business. Now, I don't want to add any more to your To-Do List or take away from the impending rush of your best sales month, but there are a few critical items that are must-dos for 2019. Read More...
Age Discrimination in the Workplace
By: Paul R. Bedard, Esquire
Paul R. Bedard, EsquireCharges of age discrimination represent a significant portion of complaints filed alleging workplace discrimination. Age discrimination occurs when an employer treats an applicant or employee less favorably based upon the person's age. According to AARP, the following statistics apply to workers between the ages of 45 and 74... Read More...
How to Improve Sales at Your Fitness Center
By: Jim Thomas
Jim ThomasOwning a fitness center or gym can be a great investment and career choice as it can be very profitable in all economies. While a fitness center can be successful and profitable, it does count on sales and other efforts to drive enrollment and overall revenue. I continue to work with many gym owners that continually say, "I thought it would be easier than this." When evaluating their business, it will many times come down to simply a failure to properly understand and implement sales and marketing strategies. When you are looking to improve your sales efforts at your gym, here are a few tips that can be followed that will provide an immediate return... Read More...
The Pricing Game
Part II - Determining What to Charge and How to Deliver It
By: Stephen Tharrett
Stephen TharrettIn Part I of this article series focused on pricing, we provided some historical perspectives on the industry's approach to pricing, along with an in-depth discussion of pricing itself. In Part II, we will focus primarily on industry delivery models or how our industry presents its prices and value to the marketplace. Furthermore, we will take a look at what the future may bring in respect to price delivery models. Read More...
Mountainside Fitness Founder, Tom Hatten, Releases "Dream On" For Charity
Assistant Publisher's Note: Tom Hatten was kind enough to send me a copy of his new book, Dream On. I read it during the holidays, and I am very happy I did. The writing of Tom's life story is raw, real and passionate. From the highs to the lows, he leaves nothing out. Like any good movie, at times, you will be on the edge of your seat. I highly recommend this read, and it's for charity! Thank you for sharing this with all of us Tom, and best of luck in your next chapters! Read More...
End of 2018 Update From ALS TDI
CAMBRIDGE, MA - As our team works through the last hours of 2018, we wanted to take the time to reflect on some of the ALS Therapy Development Institute's notable accomplishments from the year. Read More...
Norm's Notes for January 2019
By: Norm Cates
Norm CatesHello Everybody! This is your Club Insider Publisher and Tribal Leader Since 1993 checking in with our 301st Monthly Edition! My son and partner, JUSTIN, and I want to wish you all a very Happy and Healthy New Year! THANKS to you, our readers, as well as our Club Insider Advertising and Author Teams, we're now in our 26th year of publishing. So, we want to Thank You for reading Club Insider! We're here to serve you, so never hesitate to reach out. I'm always standing by at Norm@clubinsideronline.com or (770) 635 - 7578. Read More...