Every successful company has a playbook of “keys” they follow that lead them to success.
In 2011, Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of worldwide iOS product marketing at the time, revealed the tech company’s four keys to success included: “focus, simplicity, courage and a commitment to being the best.”
Anytime Fitness too, has four keys to success, recently shared by Chuck Runyon, the CEO and co-founder of the fast-growing fitness franchise. He explained the company’s growth to more than 3,000 locations worldwide has been the result of combining the four essential elements of “People, Purpose, Profits and Play.”
People: It’s Always about People
“We invest in raising the emotional intelligence of our employees, and minimizing certain time-sucking tasks so our franchise owners can spend more time giving members the encouragement they need to reach their goals,” said Runyon.
Purpose: Give People a Greater Purpose
“At Anytime Fitness, we are constantly gathering and sharing our most heartwarming member success stories,” said Runyon. “This helps our club owners see their purpose as not only helping individuals, but inspiring their entire communities to get in shape. And, for our most passionate members, fitness carries a greater purpose than losing weight and looking good — it’s about getting your life back.”
Profit: Everybody Must Profit
The word “profit” has two meanings — one referring to financial gain and the other to overall benefit,” explained Runyon. “Our business model allows our gym owners to make a healthy and profitable career change, yet still spend more time with family and doing what they love.”
Play: Play More
Runyon said, “We work very hard, but we also make it a priority to provide our employees and franchisees with an enjoyable workplace culture to foster creativity, collaboration and curiosity. We take the work we do seriously without taking ourselves too seriously.”
Bonus Insight from Chuck Runyon:
CS: What trends in the health and fitness have caught your eye this year? What is worth paying attention to?
CR: The most significant new fitness trend reflects a broader movement among consumers in general: the expectation that services and information be available “on demand,” whenever and wherever people need them. In today’s world, where everyone is time-starved, health-conscious individuals sometimes struggle to be as active as they’d like to be. Our job as fitness facilitators is to help others lead healthier, more active lives whenever they can find the time — be it in the gym, at work, at home or while running errands.
At Anytime Fitness, we’re striving to accomplish all of this by being less “gym-centric” and more “consumer-centric,” providing education and motivation via a wide array of delivery systems that cater to the personal preferences of our members. For example, we’re democratizing personal wellness coaching by making it more accessible, affordable and effective for people of all income and fitness levels.
We’ve also learned a great deal from Millennials and that’s why we’re using multiple social media platforms, and a new mobile app, to coach and connect with our members via their preferred method of communication. Imagine providing each of your customers with a personal wellness coach in his or her pocket. That’s precisely what we’re aiming to do.
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Rachel Zabonick-Chonko is the editor-in-chief of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@peakemedia.com.
