Best Practices
Friendly Competition: We Can All Get Along
When Jack and Jenna Oliver opened Above the Bar, a CrossFit® facility in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, 2 years ago, they knew it wouldn’t be an overnight success. However, they didn’t expect the competition to be so fierce. First, they had to deal with a Planet Fitness grand opening (with $10 monthly memberships); then, another CrossFit facility set up shop just a few miles away. Despite the competition, their box was so successful that they moved to a larger location—only to find out that a 24 Hour Fitness® was opening up less than a mile away!
Seven Reasons People Join a Fitness Facility, Part One
The daily responsibilities of owning and managing a fitness facility can be overwhelming. Along with all the usual details, like class scheduling and staff management, a primary concern is the danger of reduced revenue due to member turnover.
Selling Your Training Business
Several years ago, Nicki Anderson was at a crossroads.
Nutrition Coaching: A Primer for Health and Fitness Professionals
Fitness professionals should discuss nutrition with their clients.
Historically, many fitness pros have either avoided nutrition
discussions for fear of straying outside their scope of practice or gone
overboard by exceeding their scope of practice—recommending nutritional
supplements or individualized meal plans.
There is a better way: Staying within scope of practice while adopting a
coaching philosophy that uses proven methods of behavior change.
Online Training: Programming for Profit
The second installment of this series on online training focuses on the different types of programs—and pricing strategies—successful entrepreneurs have used to build a solid Internet-based business.
Coping With Instructor Burnout
The new year likely brought with it a crush of new class participants. But then along came spring, and the inevitable happened: As the snow melted, so did resolutions; visits became less frequent as members began suffering from a classic case of burnout. In fact, many fitness professionals also experience burnout. What can you do to stay inspired??
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Self-Reported Energy Balance Data Cannot Be Trusted
Imagine your clients having to record their food consumption and energy expenditure as part of an important research study. The details might get a little sketchy from day to day, right?
GROOMing Habits, Part One
Unless you’re extremely fortunate, quality instructors are not knocking down your door begging for work. Instead, you likely find yourself cycling through recently certified fitness pros who have little or no experience. They come, they go and you start over. The amount of time and attention you invest in staffing can take your eyes off the bigger picture, which is to help people get fit and healthy.
Nine Traits That Top Trainers Look For in Managers
As an owner or a manager, could you be putting off talented trainers without knowing it? We asked some top fitness pros what they look for when seeking employment. What they have to say may help you become the type of manager that the best-quality trainers yearn to work for.
Inspired Business, Part Five: Staff Buy-In
At an inspired fitness facility, people are encouraged and motivated to generate a “positive vibration.” This business model makes members feel special, and it motivates people not only to join your facility but also to thrive in your fitness community. What happens when your employees are treated as well as your members?
How to Cope With Change
Change is inevitable. Organizations restructure, fitness facility ownership turns over and managers come and go. Although change can be positive, for many people the mere thought of it breeds anxiety and fear. During times of job stress, productivity declines; in addition, the rumor mill ramps up, morale may deteriorate and valued employees may look for other opportunities. As a manager, you are responsible for guiding employees through these potentially difficult times.
Investing in Fitness Technology
In 2014, we saw numerous mobile health and telehealth acquisitions as larger companies ramped up their digital health strategies (Comstock 2014). These moves are more than business news headlines—they represent broad trends that are increasingly relevant to fitness and wellness professionals.
Choosing the Right Payment System for Your Business
Paper payments are out of favor. Learn about some of the most popular payment programs for trainers and gyms so you can handle transactions seamlessly.
How to Make Money With Online Training
Tired of the inherent time-for-dollars limits of traditional personal training? Virtual coaching offers a supplemental income stream—or an online-only career.
Taking Investor’s Perspective to Leveraging Fitness Technology
In 2014, we saw numerous mobile health and telehealth acquisitions as larger companies ramped up their digital health strategies (Comstock 2014). These moves are more than business news headlines—they represent broad trends that are increasingly relevant to fitness and wellness professionals.
The Hunger-Obesity Paradox: There’s an App for That
More than one-third (78.6 million) of U.S. adults are obese. But according to a 2014 report by Feeding America, a hunger relief charity, 49 million Americans are “food insecure,” meaning they eat smaller amounts, go hungry or eat less nutritious foods because they can’t afford to eat better. Almost one-third of America’s food insecure are children, the report says.
8 Questions to Ask Before Buying Operations Software
Every successful fitness facility owner reaches a point when it’s no longer possible to track members, attendance and billing manually. At this point, purchasing business management software—the solution to maintaining sanity and enjoyment—is no longer an option; it’s a necessity.
Secrets of Social Media Success
Social media offers fitness businesses an opportunity to market products and services. But there are some best practices to consider when navigating online platforms, explains Rochelle Sanchirico, head of marketing and analytics for Webs.com.
Sanchirico offers these insights to help you maximize your social media presence:
Trainer Tech: Six Software Apps to Improve Your Business
How many clients did you work with before you realized personal training required a lot more administration than you thought? With scheduling, monitoring progress, planning meals, preparing training programs and keeping track of all of your clients, there’s a lot to be done. Luckily, in this age of “There’s an app for that,” trainer technology is vastly improved. Gone are the days of manila folders, clipboards and record-keeping with pen and paper.
