Over the Moon for First-Timers

Blue Moon Fitness, located in the greater Omaha area, strives for one thing: to create an atmosphere people feel comfortable in — even if they only workout once in a blue moon. And that’s what they’ve been doing for 30 years. 

John Voskamp, the COO of Blue Moon Fitness, originally joined the team in 1994 as a personal trainer, and six months later, became the general manager. He stayed for five years before moving out of state to further his career. Now, 20 years later, he’s back and ready to change more lives in his community. 

“We are very much a part of the community — in fact, we have been voted ‘Best of Omaha’ 24 times,” said Voskamp. “Blue Moon Fitness was created to appeal to the first-time exerciser. We offer things that nobody else in the region offers.”

Some of these offerings include women’s only areas, Les Mills group fitness, Styku body scans, Myzone heart rate technology, Power Plate vibration platforms, Cocoon Fitness pods, and HydroMassage. 

To communicate its unique offerings to potential clients, Voskamp explained it’s important to have a strong presence in the marketplace — in particular, on social media. “We do a lot of marketing across a variety of platforms,” he said. “We are very active on social media, with daily contests and an active fan base. We offer several membership plans to choose from so we have a plan that will fit into virtually every budget.” 

Blue Moon Fitness faces challenges just like every other club. Its biggest one is being able to constantly evolve to stay relevant, while staying true to the brand as a whole. “This is an ever-changing industry and staying relevant is always tricky,” said Voskamp. “Lots of big name, well-funded brands have tried to come into our market and many of those have failed.”

According to Voskamp, they’ve lasted 30 years by serving a niche nobody else in the community serves: first-timers. 

The club’s website has a section dedicated to first time gym-goers that reads, “I am sincere when I tell you that I get more excited when we enroll a first-time exerciser than any other type of member. I believe fitness can change anyone’s life, but he or she must get started in order to experience the almost endless benefits of exercise.”

Additionally, Voskamp said other things that help them succeed include their amenities, and dedication to ensuring members see results and are treated like family. “This requires hiring the right people and continually training them to understand our ‘why,’ understand our core customer, and understand what we are here to do each day,” he added.

As Voskamp takes on his new role as COO, he leaves other clubs with this piece of advice: “Stay true to yourself and your vision — don’t try to jump on every new trend that arrives in your market.”