Platform As A Service Or Software As A Service I was recently talking to a local small business manager who told me about how his company saved itself by switching format. Clients demanded to get updates and they felt compelled to comply. Payment in a one-time fee meant that the longer clients used their software the less they profited. This turned around when they went to a monthly plan: clients became a cash flow and they have the resources to update generously. I wanted to share this because it is so similar to the experience I had in deciding the [...]
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OK so it is about time to start looking at the trends for fitness in 2015 and the ACSM has released their most recent survey of club owners. There were not a lot of surprises but there are some interesting conclusions from that report and some other things that come up elsewhere that are really worth taking a look at. The trends for High Intensity Interval Training, bodyweight training and an increasing demand for trainer professionalism all seem to be holding course and continuing onward. It's like there is no real change from last year but that is sometime how [...]
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This is another article that takes a look at a particular brand in the gym business. I haven't been asked to write these and I don't receive any payment from them. This is just my attempt to put the gym management business in context and to spread a little knowledge and insight into what's going on, and why it might be interesting to gym owners. As always, your comments are welcome. There is always room in the fitness marketplace for creative and exciting ways to keep the membership interested and coming back for more. The New York born and bred [...]
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The Thanksgiving 2014 Gym Insight Blog Post It's Thanksgiving again, one of my favorite times of the year. It's the time to be with family and enjoy the harvest we've reaped. Even if it's been a tough year and there've been so many challenges your head's spinning, it's important to count the blessings and keep the situation in perspective. So there are no references or links for this post, I'm just going to pitch it from my heart. When I say to be grateful facing challenges I mean it literally. When the chips are down that's the best time to [...]
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Taking Your Reputation Forward By Asking For Testimonials If you have a system that currently gets testimonials and positive reviews from your membership that is a gift! If you can get testimonials easily, you're golden. If not, join the club! It's not usually easy to elicit praise from customers on the record, even when they are completely happy with your service. The secret is to ask, and to ask at the right time. Two Words Explain Why Customer Testimonials Work So, the question is: What do testimonials matter? Getting testimonials and positive reviews from your membership is worth a lot [...]
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After all of the hard work and time you have put into your small gym business you owe it to yourself to maximize the value you get out of it when you sell it. Quite simply, the best time to sell your gym is when things are moving up. When it has gone beyond your expectations and is still going. That is the exit point that will give you the most satisfaction and arguably the most cash in your pocket. To make sure you are prepared, have an exit strategy and clear milestones to indicate when you intend to exit. [...]
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Change Management Is Risky Business Crunch Fitness is on the market for around $200 million. Wow! Wow, not just because that's a lot of dough but because of the company's unique business model that they use and how it could be hit by change coming in from the outside. As far as I know Crunch is in good shape so I assume there is no need to do some sort of elaborate gym-rescue. If Crunch is a successful company, they need to keep doing what they do best, which is to creatively mix and match classes and fitness trends to [...]
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When The Unboxing Experience Feels Like Your Birthday I recently set up a local service with a card reader. The company that sent the reader seems to have a real insight into the concept of experience, particularly the unboxing experience. The reader is well designed but so was the box that it came in. It contained three cleverly designed and satisfying layers of wrapping that had to be peeled away or opened and then a final layer of protective plastic that was strangely the best part to remove. These days, it's no surprise that people unbox their tech-toys and upload [...]
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All of the small business owners I know, be they gym owners or anything else, seem to have one trait in common: They're working all of the time. I can only speak for myself but this permanent work mode has often not felt like work at all. It's been a scramble to make a living out of doing what I love. My colleagues here at Gym Insight seem to feel the same way, judging by their commitment levels. AVOIDING BURNOUT 101: EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICIENCY Burning the candle at both ends is an apt metaphor for the kind of work ethic [...]
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