March 2023 Club of the Month, presented by ABC Fitness Solutions:
10 Fitness, est. 2007
Located in Little Rock, Arkansas, 10 Fitness is a club that truly believes fitness is for everyone. With most of 10 Fitness’ 13 locations open 24/7, visitors to the club enjoy a clean and safe environment furnished with equipment for any workout.
Below, Eric Buckner, the CEO of 10 Fitness, shares his methodology on implementing new technology and what makes his club standout from other fitness facilities.
How did 10 Fitness come about?
First, I got into the fitness business in 2003. I had three smaller clubs in the 4,000 to 5,000-square-foot range that was charging a more traditional membership price point of around $40 per month. With the emergence of the HVLP model in the industry, I shifted my approach to meet member’s needs.
What is the mission of 10 Fitness?
We want to help our members live better lives. Fitness and community are just tools to make that happen.
What makes 10 Fitness unique?
What makes us unique is our culture and technology. Our culture helps us attract and retain great people. The technology makes those people more efficient and helps us get consistent outcomes. We also strive to meet members’ needs, like the Cardio Cinema we started. Traditional cardio can be boring but providing a movie theatre experience by showing movies on a big screen in a darkened space makes it much more exciting. Our members really like it.
What role do you believe technology plays in adapting to changes in the industry and driving growth?
My approach to technology is a little bit different. I like using technology to make things more efficient and more consistent. Five years ago, we decided to automate everything we could.We hired a developer and went to work. What we learned was that we do best when we use the technology to augment our front-line staff, not replace them, which gives them more time to do the things they’re good at like one-on-one interactions with our members.
What is your favorite thing about partnering with ABC Fitness Solutions?
I’ve had the good fortune of having one of my locations near ABC’s original headquarters in Sherwood, Arkansas, and their staff worked out in my clubs. It gave me the unique opportunity to have a lot of interaction with them and learn about the industry. I was a new operator at the time, so I was interested in absorbing everything I could.
If you could give one piece of advice to other gym operators, what would it be?
Be rigid to your mission but flexible in your tactics. Try things. Some of it will work and some of it won’t. Keep what worked. Over time you will have something unique, but you should always strive to stand out among the crowd.
Created in partnership with ABC Fitness Solutions. Visit abcfitness.com for more information on how they can help your fitness business.
