Opening during a pandemic seems impossible. New material is posted daily on how to pivot and change through COVID-19. The doors of many gyms will never reopen, big chains have filed chapter 11, and most are simply hoping virtual training will keep them afloat until “things get back to normal.”
The problem with this is the message to us as business owners is survival. And trust me, I get it. I have worked for many years in the fitness industry and never would have thought health and fitness would go down on America’s priority list — yet here we are. So within the fitness space, what should we focus on if survival isn’t the key? Beatz Fitness in Hutchinson Kansas will give you the answer.
In late July 2020, Beatz Fitness announced their grand opening would happen in August in the Hutchinson Mall. Many rumors about the mall closing have circled the town, and many businesses had closed down even before COVID-19 in the area. The town of Hutchinson on paper doesn’t seem to have a lot going for it. The population over the years has stagnated around 45,000, the average household income is barely above $45,000 per year, and it has often been referred to as an aging town. But what it does have is people. People who want to be a part of a community want to have fun with their friends and peers, support local business and see the town make a strong comeback.
Beatz Fitness has done exactly that by creating a fun, non-intimidating environment that not only welcomes members, but encourages the community to come alongside and get healthy while having fun. Beatz had a grand opening mid-August with nearly 100 paid customers, nearly filling up the food court in the mall and created quite the buzz around the community on social media with popular hashtags including #sweatyselfie and #beatzmode.
As a gym business owner, letting worry, doubt, uncertainty or pride creep in can be deadly. The secret to thriving in our economy today is focusing the majority of your efforts on how your customers view your business. How can you create the most memorable workout for your members? How can you make it fun and engaging? How can you create a community people not only want to be a part of, but also want to bring their friends to? Here are three key strategies to stop surviving and start thriving:
Start With Your Experience
Many business owners overthink starting their business by thinking through marketing strategy, sales systems, demographics and operating costs. All of these items are very important, but make it extremely hard to succeed if you start with those factors and neglect your customer experience. Start by creating a community, and make your business a place customers love coming to and that will organically grow your business through word of mouth and social media. Make it personal for each and every new member and guest. Getting your raving fans to assist with this is integral.
Make What You Do Fun
Not a single person on earth would exercise if there were no benefits at all. Everyone wants results in some form or fashion. The hard part is getting the average Joe to show up to the gym seven days a week and work hard for an hour and a half. The good news is you don’t have to. Engaging, fun accountability is so much easier to administer than simply pointing out what your client is doing wrong. Most of the time, by creating the proper environment, your members will also contact those who don’t show up, making your lead and member nurturing process 10 times more powerful.
Get the Community Involved
Beatz Fitness is not only a part of the Hutchinson community, but they also believe in it. Find ways to create win-win situations with local businesses around you that make networking the hardest worker for you when it comes to marketing. A local business owner who knows you and will refer people to you regularly is much more powerful than the best ads. Not only will it grow your business, but it will also pour dollars back into your community, which impacts your local economy directly. When businesses around you win, so do you.
Beatz Fitness can be reached at BeatzFitnessHutch@gmail.com or found on Facebook.
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Ben Ludwig is a leadership, sales and strategy expert. He currently acts as the Chief Operating Officer of Traction Group LLC, an F45 Training company, Serves as the Growth Pastor for CrosspointNow Network of Churches across Kansas, as well as owns multiple fitness businesses including those featured on Good Day Kansas and KWCH Channel 12 News. He also contributes regularly to fitness business magazines including Club Solutions, IDEA fitness magazine, Personal Fitness Professional (PFP), Club Industry Magazine, Gym Owner Monthly Magazine and Boutique Fitness Solutions. Ben also volunteers his time serving on multiple Boards of Directors and is open to contributing his time and expertise in causes he feels align with his values.
