Active Management

Category: Management

Gym Box Is Cool, Quirky & Different
I visited the Gym Box in Westfields London in 2015 and had a giggle everywhere I turned in this place! It is a big box gym or as White Goodman from Dodgeball would say “a globo gym.”

It is not JUST a big box gym. It has quirkiness and fun splattered throughout the gym and I’ll share some with you in a tick.

I had heard of Gym Box 7 years ago, when I heard about this . . .

I went knowing it would be different.

Who is Gym Box?

Perhaps this video explains it best – although you’ll get the idea after 60 seconds.

What I Love About Gym Box?

Of course I am going to say the equipment selection. This is a big box gym with every piece of gear you could ever want under one roof! And I lost count of how many personal trainers I saw walking the floor with clients.

From a fitness business perspective, I loved the branding, the quirkiness of the signs around the club and the programs. The consistent humour showed they didn’t take themselves too seriously. I am sure people would have noticed the signs and programs, as they really stood out.

My Gym Box Experience

As I just paid for a casual or drop in visit, I engaged with no one other than the person on the desk. The receptionist was polite and pointed to the change rooms for me and that was the last communication with anyone in the club. And when I mean anyone, I really do mean anyone! No other staff spoke with me and no member spoke with me, smiled at me or even grunted at me.

It’s hard to rate the experience as there was no people experience. As I said the equipment was clean, working & heaps of it so that experience was great. But that’s where it ended. Perhaps if I was a regular member, I’d get to know people and then become part of the community but my gut feel is you would need to be in the ‘in’ crowd.

From what I can see of the brand, I could expect an ‘experience’ in any of their classes or even with their personal trainers.

My summary:
- Online booking – not needed for a casual workout
- Branding – 10/10
- Workout experience – 8/10
- Service experience – 4/10
- Ongoing communication – 1/10
- Chances I would return for another workout – 6/10
Note –I paid £25 for the visit and these are my personal experiences on the day of my workout.

To see inside Gym Box with JT’s eyes, become an Active Management Member for as little as 24.90 a month. You can see:
- More quirky signs
- Group fitness rooms
- Equipment layout
- A referral sign
- Different group fitness classes and programs
- And more . . .
Plus you can see other gyms, studios and facilities in the world like:
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August 5, 2016
Group Fitness Manager Tip: Cultivate Compassion
It’s necessary to foster a sense of compassion:
1. between you and your team
2. between your team members and
3. between your club members.
The world is a busy and stressful place and there is no 9-5pm work day boundary anymore, which means we need to work with compassion.

Choose to lead, manage and live with compassion and encourage it amongst those you work with.

Staff choose their boss and their workplace in part on how enjoyable it will be to work there and they definitely stay longer based on these factors.

Loose the churn, foster compassion and build staff and member retention.

Leisl Klaebe is facilitator of the Group Fitness Managers Roundtable. Leisl is running FitnessBiz Brunch for GFM’s in Sydney and Melbourne or if you’re interested in more information about the roundtable click here.
August 4, 2016
People Magnets

Have you ever watched an actor and been entirely captivated by their performance?

Leaders who are people magnets have these same qualities – the skills to paint a picture of where the team is heading and the ability to draw their team around them and take that journey together.

The key ingredient to being a leader who is a people magnet, is authenticity. Be honest, be transparent and don’t be afraid to show weakness. A more powerful connection is made between you and your team when they identify with you as a real person fighting to achieve the same things they are.

Be contagious with your leadership.

Leisl Klaebe is facilitator of the Group Fitness Managers Roundtable. Leisl is running FitnessBiz Brunch for GFM’s in Sydney and Melbourne or if you’re interested in more information about the roundtable click here.

July 25, 2016
BFX Studio: Bloody Fantastic Experience Initially
It was a cold, wet night when I visited BFX Studio on 5^th Avenue. I’m not sure how I ended up there, it wasn’t through reading anything or hearing anything. It was Googling ‘gyms near me.’

BFX Studios are a really interesting business. The studio I visited had a cycle studio and a group training room and a large gym down stairs. The interesting thing for me was that no-one was cycling and there was no-one in the gym. My class was full but the other aspects of the gym were empty.

Who is BFX?

Taken from their website: https://bfxstudio.com

BFX Studio offers a complete multi-discipline, cross-training approach to fitness and well-being. At BFX Studio, you will find variety, balance, high-caliber instruction, and boutique-style intimacy.

At BFX Studio, clients choose from three studio experiences led by top talent–called Xperts–comprised of the best boutique studio instructors as well as internationally acclaimed fitness presenters. In addition to customizable and dynamic fitness experiences, BFX Studio offers unrivaled customer service, luxurious facilities, and cutting-edge fitness technology. By providing three complete studio experiences, BFX Studio engages, inspires, and challenges clients to drive results.

What I Love About BFX?

I loved how when I checked in, they knew it was my first visit and the lady from the desk came from behind the desk and walked me to the studio. That was impressive. She even logged me into the class on the screen near the door.

The change rooms were super impressive and the gym floor was a cracker! Every piece of equipment you would need was down stairs but there was no-one using it that night.

My Experience At BFX

As I said my experience started brilliantly with the receptionist walking me to the studio. This was super impressive and fairly unusual I feel.

The class itself was a BFX Build class where we used TRX. The instructor was a great combination of coach and instructor. She did not entertain me. But the class flowed nicely and I never looked at my watch. She engaged with all the members and coached me from afar – I was sweaty and smelly I guess!

One thing to note in the class, was that I had MYZONE. This was before I had a belt and no-one in the class was wearing a belt. So the TV screen was empty and this made it challenging for the instructor to give quality feedback to attendees on their effort levels.

After the class, no one rushed me out. In fact the only other guy in the class, introduced himself to me – he worked in the studio too. That was pretty impressive. And then the class instructor came over and chatted away. I felt very ‘wanted’ as they asked about what I thought of the workout.

Afterwards, I looked at the retail space.

I bought a hat (which I still wear these days) and I wanted a specific t-shirt. This is where things got interesting. They didn’t have my size. The ‘Manager’ said she would email me when it came in and 2 and a half years later, I am still waiting for the email. In fact, I even followed up with an email 4 weeks after my visit to see if the shirts were in and got no response. This was disappointing.

My exercise experience and service was great but it’s interesting that my last contact has almost tainted my whole experience.

My final thoughts on BFX are their ongoing email communication is weak. I enjoyed my workout and I’d go back if they built a stronger relationship with me through their email campaigns. Their competition are doing that and are now getting a share of my casual visit wallet.

My summary:
- Online booking – 8/10
- Branding – 7/10
- Workout experience – 8/10
- Service experience – 7/10
- Ongoing communication – 4/10
- Chances I would return for another workout – 7/10
Note –I paid $US32 for the visit and these are my personal experiences on the days of workout.

To see inside BFX with JT’s eyes, become an Active Management Member for as little as 24.90 a month. You can see:
- How they integrate pilates equipment on to the gym floor
- Their TRX studio
- Their cycling studio which was very cool
- The retail space
- And more . . .
Plus you can see other gyms, studios and facilities in the world like:
Become A Member Now

Already a member? Click here to login
July 18, 2016
I Got Soul at SoulCycle
I have to admit right up front that I am not an indoor cycling:
- Lover
- Expert
- Aficionado
- Fan
And when so many people rave about SoulCycle, when in the US you just have to put your own potentially sore arse aside and just do a class. And I had no excuses considering it is located just 3 blocks from where I generally stay in Santa Monica.

I am now a fan after my 2^nd and 3^rd SoulCycle experiences. I have been 3 times and each time the experience gets better! In fact, I cannot even tell you what the class was like as I was entertained – so entertained I didn’t even know I was cycling!

Who is SoulCycle?

Taken from their web site www.Soul-Cycle.com:

At SoulCycle we believe that fitness can be joyful. We climb, we jog, we sprint, we dance, we set our intention, and we break through boundaries. The best part? We do it together, as a community.

From my experience, the community to right!

Now it’s not all roses for my review!

My very first class was in Santa Monica and my experience was not great. I had just been to another cycling studio where you got a free water for the class. So when I was offered a water I jumped at the chance of a freebie! Then before the class had started, I have an email receipt from SoulCycle with my bottle of water!

Then in the class, the music was super loud and the instructor was screaming in to the mic. I had no idea what she was saying or telling us to do. This one off was at that point my ‘off experience.’ And I was very comfortable in saying I would not go back!

But around 2 years later, I’m in the Santa Monica studio again and being infected with the energy! I was getting soul before I entered the cycle studio! And I was prepared with my own water!

What I Love About SoulCycle

From a business perspective these guys and girls really get ‘branding.’ Whatever definition you want to give branding, SoulCycle tick this box consistently!

From a consumer perspective, there are 3 things I admire and keep me going back:
1. There is always something going on in the studio – look at the Christmas card making table.
2. Their email marketing is educational and engaging.
3. The fun! There is no ‘work’ in the workout!
My Experience At SoulCycle

I am blown away at the number of people that are on the front desk in peak hour classes. I think at my 8am Saturday morning class, there must have been 5 to 7 people on the desk. And every member was greeted with a smile, eye contact and warmth. These people could easily switch to the front desk of a 5 star hotel!

I have had different instructors in my classes: Lindsay & Alba – how do I know? Because my class record is saved on their website that I can log into!

Lindsay was a pocket dynamo!

Anyway, OMG I had no idea I was cycling as she danced, pranced and sang us through an hour of excitement! In fact, at one stage we were pumping our little legs so hard that she sprayed water over the whole class in the chorus of the song! And not one person complained!

What I saw different between Lindsay and Alba’s class was that Lindsay had us connect and encouraged the person next to us with pats on the back and high 5’s! This oxytocin hit was a great addition to her energy.

And by the way, after the 2 classes that I loved I bought clothing! The clothing is cool and modern (not cheap shit shirts) and I want people to know I am part of the SoulCycle community!

My summary:
- Online booking – 9/10
- Branding – 10/10
- Workout experience – 9/10
- Service experience – 8/10
- Ongoing communication – 9/10
- Chances I would return for another workout – 10/10
Note –I paid $US30 for the visit and these are my personal experiences on the days of workout.

To see inside SoulCycle with JT’s eyes, become an Active Management Member for as little as 24.90 a month. You can see:
- The Christmas card making promotion
- The Soul Etiquette
- The Soul On-Boarding emails
- The retail space
- And more . . .
Plus you can see other gyms, studios and facilities in the world like:
- Aire Urban in San Diego
- 1Rebel in London
Become A Member Now

Already a member? Click here to login
July 4, 2016
Team Management
Managing a group fitness team is an exercise in remote control.

80% of the management of your team will not be face to face. For the majority of your team, group fitness will be a second job or an addition to study or parenting.
- So how do you make that work?
- How do you engage the team with each other and create buy-in for your club?
- How do you foster enough care-factor to ensure your group fitness program is professional and high quality?
The answer is – you create a fitness family. You build a tribal team connection which surpasses all these challenges. You do this with communication – honest, transparent and regular. Use all the platforms available to you – email, social media, face to face, public, private.

Leisl Klaebe is facilitator of the Group Fitness Managers Roundtable. If you’re interested in more information about the roundtable click here.
June 28, 2016
What Is The Best Legal Structure For Your Fitness Business?

Getting your business structure right is one of the most important decisions you will need to make as an owner of a fitness business.

This is just as relevant to someone just about to start up a new fitness business as it is to someone who already has an established fitness business or someone who is expanding, reconfiguring, buying, franchising and running a fitness business.

This professional development video discusses various structures for fitness businesses and issues to consider in selecting the most appropriate structure which suits your individual needs and goals.

Presented by: Leon Ponte from Ponte – Business Lawyers for Business

LEGALLY FIT™: What is the best legal structure for your fitness business? (30 minutes – Australia)

Purchase Legally Fit for $50

OR

Become a member and get it free!

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June 24, 2016
Would You Go To McDonald’s For Pizza?
What a ridiculous question to ask! Everyone in the world knows that Macca’s is the home of hamburgers! It is part of the brand’s DNA.

Can you imagine the success of The Golden Arches if they changed their menu from hamburgers to pizzas? Can you imagine the cost to rebrand and re-educate the billions of people who know what McDonald’s stands for?

Along a similar vain, was a discussion I had this week with several fitness business owners. This owner had met with a highly paid consultant (they charged way more than I what I charge!) and the first thing the consultant said “We need to change your business model from one to one to large group training.”

And for me this is like switching from hamburgers to pizza when everyone knows you sell hamburgers!

I totally agree that:
- Potentially there is more profit in group training.
- With group training you can make the product more affordable for people, so lowering the barrier to entry.
- Group training is better leveraging of a PT’s time
What I vehemently disagree with is a business with great history and brand presence in their community flipping their service delivery to something that is completely different. I believe this is fraught with danger!

I just have a gut feeling that you will:
- Confuse the market place;
- Need to work on your sales process;
- Have to change your website;
- No longer meet current client’s expectations as the product is so different and see them leave you; and
- Need to call on your cash reserves as there will be a drop in cash flow initially.
You can do exactly as Macca’s does, have promotions of a different service offering but don’t change the stable menu options. This means you may run a 6 week group training program for example. And this program is a lead generation tool for your other service offerings.

If you are launching a new business, then knock yourself out with large group training from the beginning.

If people know you for being the #1 personal training brand and the #1 gym in your community, then be proud of that! And stick to that product. Just work out how you can increase the profitability or efficiency of that product without changing the menu.
June 17, 2016
Set Your Team Ground Rules

The team leader has the greatest influence on a team’s behavioural norms, their collaboration with each other, their desire to excel and their ability to collaborate successfully.

It is the leader’s job to set the ground rules for their team. Like a parent makes a child feel safe by setting boundaries for them, a leader must enable their team by setting ground rules which let them know what the expectations of them are.

Ground rules make the team players feel safe, as there is no question what is expected of them.

Leaders can model behaviour through their own actions and they can also praise team members who do things which build the team up – tangible skills, physical actions or emotional empowerment.

To effectively set ground rules the leader needs to use keen emotional intelligence to make the right judgement calls in the right way.

Leisl Klaebe is facilitator of the Group Fitness Managers Roundtable. If you’re interested in more information about the roundtable click here.

June 14, 2016
See Inside Aire Urban San Diego, USA
Looking for an allover workout on my first morning in San Diego, I googled and Aire Urban popped up! And their website was a bit clunky but the gym looked very cool. Lots of functional equipment, high energy classes and a great video on their home page. I was excited to hit this club.

Who is Aire Urban?

Taken directly from their website:

“At Aire, our training takes you beyond formulas and unstructured sessions.

We will work with you, using our own evaluation and assessment system, to determine your current fitness level. We formulate realistic goals for you and establish a multi-layered program that will produce solid results in both fitness and health.

We evaluate each individual’s stamina, strength, stability, flexibility and injury potential to develop a whole body approach to successfully reaching your goals.

Our team of elite trainers understands the biomechanical, physical and emotional aspects of safe, effective and engaging workouts.”

What I Love About Aire Urban

I love the opening video right on their home page. While a little long it gives you an amazing overview of the club and you get a real feel for the place. Of course it could be improved with more up beat music and perhaps introducing some of the trainers or even a couple of members saying why they love the club. Nevertheless, the concept is great and a great example of what can be done. Check it out here on YouTube:

My Experience At Aire Urban

My experience started poorly as I struggled to get in! Maybe I was just suffering jet lag but I didn’t read the signs to realise I needed to go down not up. I felt a little lost!

Just before I got to the front counter, these were on the wall . . .

I have to admit I love seeing real testimonials. Theses were some of the best I have seen. The before and after pictures emphasized the stories were authentic and powerful. While they were long the larger font emphasized key points and while subtle was effective. From a presentation perspective they were mounted, so looked superb. I was impressed.

A semi-smiley lady who made me feel welcome with directions around the club greeted me but there was something missing around hospitality I felt.

The class was a solid workout but nothing special. The program was written on a white board at the front and we just followed it ourselves with little to no feedback. I felt there were lots of opportunities for the teacher to connect the participants but while it was group training, we very much kept to our own space.

I felt the teacher was going through the motions. I know it is hard to be ‘up’ every day but she was on ‘stage’ and I was looking for some energy and just wasn’t getting anything back. Although I was struggling to get my feet in the TRX and she showed me a much easier and faster way to get them.

The teacher I would rate as:
- Entertainer – 3/10
- Coach – 4/10
- Instructor – 6/10
At the time of my visit, they were running a Facebook Check-in Competition. This was not mentioned during my class, so this was a missed opportunity to promote what they were doing.

Since my workout, I am on the email list for Aire Urban. The email marketing is poor and inconsistent.

I have to be honest the online brand looked incredible and I was excited to visit and attend. But the actual experience didn’t match my expectations.

My summary:
- On-line booking – 7/10
- Branding – 5/10
- Workout experience – 5/10
- Service experience – 4/10
- Ongoing communication – 3/10
- Chances I would return for another workout – 5/10
Note – I paid $US20 for the visit and these are my personal experiences on the day of workout.

To see inside Aire Urban with JT’s eyes, become an Active Management Member for as little as 24.90 a month. You can see:
- A close up of the testimonials
- The Facebook Check-in Competition
- Their member status program
- And more
Plus you can see other gyms, studios and facilities in the world.

Become A Member Now

Already a member? Click here to login
June 3, 2016