by Marci Clark, BS, Peggy Gregor, AFAA, ACE
Are your group exercise and personal training departments two distant islands with little knowledge of the other island’s culture? Does an employee who wears both hats feel like he might be “voted off” if his alliance is not solely within one department? This culture is very common in fitness facilities today. It can create animosity and make management difficult. A larg...
by Lisa Druxman, MA
Branding. It’s one of today’s hot business buzzwords and often attached to wonder companies like Starbucks, Apple and Nike. But branding isn’t just for the megacompanies. In an increasingly competitive world, branding is equally important to small companies and even individuals in business. In fact, creating and carrying out a great brand is often easier for a small comp...
by Peggy Gregor, AFAA, ACE
The job title “group exercise director” is becoming more clearly defined as facilities recognize the value in having a strong leader for their programs. Owners and managers know that without a focused principal who is passionate about group exercise, there may be little growth, organization or direction. The instructor team may lack cohesion and accountability. The importance ...
by Amy Boone Thompson
Up until this issue, the series Fitness Management 101 has focused primarily on how you, as a new fitness manager, need to make a good first impression on staff and members; learn the essential business practices of your facility and the needs of your department; calculate your objectives as a manager; and create a detailed action plan to accomplish your goals.
Now our focus shi...
by Valerie Applebaum, MPH, CHES
Retention, retention, retention. The fitness industry breathes and sleeps retention, continually pondering bigger and better strategies for holding on to members. Yet many facilities still focus on getting new members in the door, providing a basic orientation and setting them free—free to slowly lose interest in attaining their fitness goals and coming to the gym. This pattern occu...
I like to compare the process of building a business and personal life to the construction of a new home. First you have to examine your needs, values and boundaries. How big do you want your home? What do you consider the essential elements? Where should it be?
by Laura A. Davis, MA
The challenge: The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports reports on its website that between 1980 and 2002 the number of obese children and teens in the United States tripled. During the same period, health conditions traditionally associated with adults&m...
by Nicki Anderson
How do you maintain a team of trainers who are hardworking, client-focused, loyal and in sync with you and each other? Part of the answer lies in devising well-defined hiring a...
As mind-body fitness has evolved over the past few years, many c...
