This Month in Club Insider: October 2018
In-Shape Health Clubs
Shaping Healthier, Happier Lives
By: Justin Cates
Justin CatesIn 1981, a retired doctor named Dr. Mort Rothbard founded In-Shape Health Clubs in Stockton, California. Back then, it all began with the conversion of a dated racquetball club into a full-service health club. Over the next 37 years, the company grew to 67 locations across California. Whereas the national brand names we know that originate in California and are focused on primary markets, In-Shape focuses on the secondary markets other players may not see as having the potential for a full-service, resort-style health and fitness club facility. It's within these openings that In-Shape found a niche that has created duplicatable success. Read More...
Exercise IS Medicine!
By: Mike Alpert
Mike AlpertStudies have shown that obesity, diabetes and lack of access to good nutrition are critical issues in need of intervention. It has also been proven that access to wellness and prevention tools in the home, school, workplace, neighborhood and community are highly effective intervention strategies. Read More...
Why So Many Clubs Are Doing 12-Week Fitness Challenges
By: Mario Bravomalo
Mario Bravomalo12-week fitness challenges have been around for over a decade and have proven to yield incredible results. If your club's goal is to increase revenue, and at the same time, help members become fit and healthy, then your club should be doing fitness challenges. The KPIs are clear that, year after year, fitness challenges stimulate membership growth, referrals, personal training sales, and retention, not to mention the incredible buzz of excitement fitness challenges create during January for the staff and the members. There are quite a few details and operational procedures that can make running a challenge a challenge. Utilize the following list on how to get the fitness challenge started in your club... Read More...
The Pricing Game
Part I - Determining What to Charge and How to Deliver It
By: Stephen Tharrett
Stephen TharrettRon Johnson, former CEO of JCPenney said of pricing, "Pricing is actually a pretty simple and straight forward thing. Customers will not pay literally a penny more than the true value of the product." Based on his quote, one might assume that how you price your fitness offering is quite simple. In reality, that simplicity can get extremely complex, and for operators of a fitness business, how you price your value proposition may be the single biggest determinant of whether the business succeeds or fails. Read More...
Are You Working Hard But Not Getting The Results You Seek?
By: Jim Thomas
Jim ThomasThis is what I frequently hear from gym owners and operators: "I'm working hard; we have a great facility, but we're just not getting results we need." Then, they look for a marketing silver bullet to help drive some traffic. That is always short-lived, and they still haven't learned how to properly run their business. Here are some foundation-building items that must be in place in order for your business to have sustained success... Read More...
Five Sneaking Ways You May Be Overspending
By: Melissa Knowles
Melissa KnowlesNetflix, Hulu, Blue Apron, Spotify, Joe's Gym, Geico... it's easy to lose sight of where you're spending your money, even in your personal finances. So many of the services and products on which we spend comes with convenient monthly billing these days. When price tags are low for individual services, it's easy to allow months to go by where you don't realize you're being billed for something you don't want, need and for which you are no longer contractually obligated. In fact, multiple brands in our industry have constructed their business models around this assumption! It's one thing to miss a few months of your $10 music membership, but when we're talking business expenses, the stakes are much higher. If you're not reviewing expenses monthly (and preparing a comprehensive financial statement), you are undoubtedly overpaying! Read More...
The Components of an Enforceable Clickwrap Agreement
By: Paul R. Bedard, Esquire
Paul R. Bedard, EsquireHealth clubs began the switch from paper to digital agreements and waivers many years ago. Whether a member or guest signs a document via pen, stylus or keyboard, the same legal principles apply. Therefore, a court will apply traditional principles of contract law when determining enforceability. Yet, the legality of digital agreements also involves some nuances that require attention. Read More...
Product Knowledge Training for More Persuasive Sales Conversations
By: Karen Woodard-Chavez
Karen Woodard-ChavezOver the past five or so years, I have noticed a declining level of product knowledge held by club sales staff. It is apparent that they are being trained primarily on sales skills and not on the crucial skill set of knowing precisely what benefits or outcomes all of the programs, services and equipment that club operators spend so much money on will provide for the member. Hmmm... that does not make good business sense. Read More...
Tribe Selling
By: Casey Conrad
Casey ConradI know, it sounds funny to say, "Tribe Selling," but looking closely, one realizes that all financially successful industry trends have a "tribe" element. Webster's Dictionary defines a tribe as, "A group of persons having a common character, occupation or interest." Less formally, and often referred to regarding social media messaging, the saying, "Find your peeps," is used. This expands the tribe definition to not just an interest but more a similar mission or cause, something that impassions and inspires a group. Read More...
Donahue Wildman
1933 - 2018
Don Wildman, age 85, born in Los Angeles, California, February 7th, 1933, passed away Sunday, September 16th, 2018 at his Malibu estate in the company of his wife, Nimisha, and sons Don, Jr., Bill and John. Don courageously fought a multi-year battle with cancer but finally succumbed to the disease when he elected to discontinue treatment after it spread to his brain. Known for his insatiable passion for healthy living, and for building the world largest health club chain, Don continued his infamous workouts right up until the day he died. Read More...
Ron Thompson
1956 - 2018
Ron Thompson, age 62, of Dana Point, California, a renowned giant in the health and fitness club industry, passed away suddenly on September 17, 2018. Ron was a pioneer in the growth of the global fitness industry, joining Ray Wilson in launching Family Fitness Centers in Southern California in the late 1970s, and later serving as COO of 24 Hour Fitness. Read More...
Nearly 3,000 Join New Crunch Gym on Record First Day of Pre-Opening Sales
RIVERVIEW, FL - Crunch Franchise announced that 2,915 memberships were sold for the Crunch gym opening in Riverview, Florida on the first day of its pre-opening sales period. That figure sets a Crunch Franchise record for the most memberships sold by a Crunch gym in a 24-hour period, and it comes on the heels of 1,500+ and 1,200+ day-one membership sales during July 2018 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and Killeen, Texas, respectively. Read More...
FlexIt, the Powerful New Club Lead Generation and User Acquisition Solution
NEW YORK, N.Y. - For fitness club owners, reaching new gym-goers and generating qualified leads is now easier than ever before. FlexIt is the new disruptive mobile app that makes it easier for users and clubs to find one another by enhancing the end-to-end process from discovery to repeat usage. Read More...
2018 World Gym Convention Highlights the Future of the Iconic Brand
LOS ANGELES, CA - World Gym International, the iconic global brand for bodybuilding and seriously fun fitness, gathered franchisees, vendors and partners from nine countries for the 2018 World Gym International Convention in Las Vegas on September 5 - 8, 2018. The annual gathering was held at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas with nearly 200 attendees, including gym owners and staff from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, Lebanon, Mexico, Taiwan, United States and Russia. Read More...
9Round Named a Top Franchise Brand by Entrepreneur Magazine
GREENVILLE, S.C. - 9Round Franchising, LCC, was recently named to Entrepreneur Magazine's second annual Top Franchise Brands list. This list recognizes the 200 franchisors that have built the strongest brands, based on data submitted for Entrepreneur's 2018 Franchise 500 ranking. 9Round was ranked this year at number 198. Read More...
Steve Ayers, Former Chief Revenue Officer of ABC Financial, Joins Workout Anytime as Multi-Unit Franchise Owner With Expanded Responsibilities to Support the Brand Nationally
ATLANTA, GA - Health and fitness industry executive Steve Ayers has joined the Workout Anytime franchise system, serving as a multi-unit franchisee in Central Florida. Mr. Ayers will also support the company's efforts in a franchise development capacity where he'll be assisting with the brand's growth initiatives on a national level. Read More...
Norm's Notes for October 2018
By: Norm Cates
Norm CatesHello Everybody! This is your Club Insider Publisher and Tribal Leader Since 1993 checking in with our 298th printed monthly edition since we began publishing in 1993! Yahoo!!! We're close to hitting the Big 300, and we welcome you all to help us celebrate this milestone. Drop by and help us Celebrate our 25th Anniversary and our upcoming 300th edition at Booth #411 at The Club Industry Show! And, be sure to drop by JENNIFER URMSTON's Sports and Fitness Insurance Booth #400 and MIKE BENTON's GENAVIX Booth #2. Read More...