As 2021 draws to an end, several gym and studio owners are reflecting on the last year and what the new year holds for their businesses. The past two years have been some of the most challenging in the industry, but they have also shown how strong and resilient the fitness community is. From delivering online classes and on-demand from home to navigating the world’s constant changes to making their facilities safer places for their clients to be, these business owners and their teams have demonstrated incredible strength and dedication to caring for their businesses and communities. Through the challenges, they have worked together to thrive and survive in 2020 and 2021 and are sharing how they are preparing for 2022 to be better than ever.
Karen is the owner of Northants Pilates in Northampton and Rushden, England.
I am not sure that this is a lesson learned because we've always been about our clients and giving them the best we can..but more than ever people buy from people and how you treat your clients and the people who work with you is paramount to surviving in business. And you have to have a great product too.
The solid client base and the team we had before a pandemic hit the world. Without them..no business. And - let's not forget the brilliant team behind our online booking system!!! As I've said to many others, choose the sort of people who match your own values to work with or partner with.
Keep doing what we do with the same core values. Keeping an eye on trends and if they are passing fads or something that will mesh with our way of working and add to our offering. Continuing our movement education with our lovely team and passing on great content to our amazing clients.
November 2022 sees our 25th Anniversary - that's when I started my business. I am now 'passing the torch so to speak to my son. He has the chance to embrace my philosophy and add his own. A business cannot stand still, there is so much techy stuff out there to help us run more efficiently and save time. Build processes for everything you do so you can automate as much as is sensible. Then with the time that frees up continue to work on the things you love that add value to your clients, help your team and your business.
Sue is the owner of Balance the Countryside Gym in Timsbury, Somerset, England.
You need to be flexible and really look at the way people are using gyms, online, courses etc.
Zoom, our members, our instructors and everyone is flexible.
Get more members, put on more well-being classes and courses, already do this but do more, we are opening a coffee lounge as well to encourage more community and have a gathering point for new members instructors and existing members alike.
To reflect on what has and hasn't worked, remember don't react, respond, we are all in this together, take advice and help from other facilities as what they are doing could also work for you. Keep an open mind and listen to your members.
To Stay patient and provide quality over quantity.
Slowing down and organically growing yes promotions are great but make sure your product is effective helps with over development as a business owner.
To get my recovery center going full swing. Because recovery is just as important as the workout.
Stay patient, trust and implement the process that works for you and your business.
Be quick to pivot and adapt to ever-changing situations. Try things, but also react quickly to ideas that don't work.
Survival was due to being able to change things quickly - realising that customers are also more used to constant changes and therefore more adaptable to timetable change. Making the customers feel safe in the face2face situation was a big factor in retention for me.
Re-building the live class community vibe, which is currently a little fragmented. Bringing my Online offerings to a wider audience, and hitting my On Demand subscriptions target.
Reduce your emotional investment in class formats that you might love, but are not bringing in new business. Don't wait for a class to shrivel and die, or feel too much loyalty to the people who are still on that format - they might enjoy a change too! Keep it fresh, be bold and try new stuff!
I tried five different software providers and TeamUp had the best options for me, the best reporting the best customer service. I suppose the big thing I learnt in setting it up is accuracy is key and launching when you're not ready can take more time so if I could time travel it would be to ensure everything is ready and all integrations are set meaning that I hit the ground running and it's a complete service.
Being able to think on your feet and change the plans on a daily basis was crucial as more instructions on Covid safety were being handed down to us. TeamUp was huge in being able to control numbers, have track and trace & reassure the customers that our work is going ahead in a safe environment.
Total automation is what I'm working on so we're looking at the customer journey being as easy click through to using all of our services. It's been a tough set-up procedure but hopefully will cut down the administration.
Don’t succumb to any of the negativity or news from the country. Keep doing what’s right for your business and you’ll be on course for a successful year.
Adaptability at speed is key. We’ve all been through the most challenging two years as Fitness Entrepreneurs and being able to adapt at speed is certainly a quality that gives your members trust and security. TeamUp was able to assist with this when they integrated with Zoom. Also, members are often keen to maintain their routine, despite what is happening around them. Our job is to ensure that our service continues to cater to their needs at every stage.
Also, training to improve your mental health is now mainstream and this is great as people will be much more open to training for reasons other than JUST aesthetics. Lastly, having cash reserves that cover 3-6 months of your operating costs are an amazing way to be able to remain calm in the storm. So I encourage all Fitpros to have the same saved up.
Regular communication with both my members and staff has been massive. The leadership of this country have often been criticised for unclear and confusing communication. Clear and frequent communication ensures that everyone continues to be on the same page. Also, we are very blessed to have loyal members who trust us.
My goal is to grow by introducing a few different revenue streams and services. We also have plans to help our staff to grow and develop some of their dreams within our business in 2023.
Take time to review your revenue and profit for the whole of 2021. Assess whether you are happy with what you achieved and then set your 2022 goals based on these results. From there, take time to ensure that your current business model gives you the capacity to achieve both your personal and business goals.
Never stop and prepare for the unknown.
Staying consistent with my goals.
Growth in the online community.
Never stop and continue to work hard, one goal at a time.
Thank you to all of the members of our community for a great year. To learn more about how these gym and studio owners along with dozens more use TeamUp to run their businesses, check out our testimonials and customer stories. See you in 2022!