On Orangetheory Joining Communities
The new HIIT concept gym business Orangetheory has been expanding like crazy across the country of late. I’m glad to see that there is a fitness ethos behind the boom. It looks like they’re selective in whom they hire; only properly trained and certified exercise science graduates need apply.
Beyond doing the basics right, Orangetheory is doing something else that I am all in favor of, which is encouraging locations and managers to get involved locally and give to the community as this link shows.
Overview Of Fitness Business And Charity
Giving back is really important for small gym business owners, it’s not just a marketing ploy to spread your name and increase your profit margin. It’s a practice that makes you better people and more well rounded and rewarded on the highest level.
The fitness business is about creating health and abundance and sharing it with all of those around us. The people who make this business great are simply the ones working from their hearts to deliver the best training results for members and thereby improving all of their lives.
This attitude helps to support a giving culture that supports members extending to giving in the community. It’s something that may not show directly on your bottom line in the short-term but long-term it will help to support your business as a thriving and admired local institution.
Always Be Connecting To Your Community
It all comes back to the issue of values in fitness and the basics that help you find what it is that people need from your business. It’s about customer values, specifically the value that members seem to put on community and connection.
I have previously written about what I think the highest values of gym business customers are. It includes making human connections; both within gyms directly and through the confidence gained everywhere else.
So What Is Community Anyway?
In the context of a small gym business, a community is the people who live in the area from which the membership of your gym is drawn, the business community that serves the same people and it is the structure of the local government and chamber of commerce.
I personally would steer clear of political affiliation but the choice is your own based on the local issues and interests you have. The important thing is to lead and connect in such a way as to drive good will toward your gym and create a powerful local network of friends, allies and potential collaborators.
Why Giving Is Always The Right Response In Fitness
There are of course those in the industry who look for cheap and easy solutions. But over time they lose out on the connection as their shtick give them a poor reputation in a competitive industry where reputation counts.
Even big companies have tried to throw money at problems in the hope of finding easy solutions, while failing to connect, to serve and to follow through; they ultimately pay a price and fade away. Giving develops good will, which is a precious commodity in any business, particularly one that deals directly in a competitive retail market, like fitness.
The Tool That Gets You To The Next Level
As a small business that engages consumers, sticking power comes from the personal connection, reputation and getting to know the community and they you. If you have the culture that supports positive people it will always be easy to point them in the right direction.
Then you need to get out of the way and reap the rewards of the positive connections that these connections create. Cultivate the personal and the feel good factor of generosity and the respect that you get from showing that you follow your own values.
Who Is This Orangetheory Then?
There is a pretty good description of what it is that Orangetheory Fitness is attempting to build as a business in this article from 2014. The company has taken high impact to a whole new level with direct biometric feedback for cardio, so that you know exactly when you are pushing it right to the limit.
So you can take a page from Orangetheory Fitness by getting involved in your community locally. You might not see a direct and immediate change in your bottom line but over time the good will that you create will bring in new members and support your business with positive vibes that have no obvious source but you will be able to track it back to your engagement in local community activities.
Bibliography
Contributors, Wikipedia. Bally Total Fitness. August 22, 2015. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bally_Total_Fitness (accessed September 10, 2015).
Fagan, Lawrance. Health Club Promotions That Give Back. May 12, 2014. https://blog.gyminsight.com/2657-health-club-promotions-that-give-back/ (accessed September 10, 2015).
-. Know Your Gym’s Mission Pt. 2. March 31, 2014. https://blog.gyminsight.com/2540-know-your-gyms-mission-pt-2/ (accessed September 10, 2015).
Harbourne, Emily. Orangetheory Fitness Gives Back. August 25, 2015. https://clubsolutionsmagazine.com/2015/08/orangetheory-fitness-gives-back/ (accessed September 10, 2015).
Nickel, Lori. Chin Up. May 20, 2014. https://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/259598931.html (accessed September 10, 2015).