July 2023 Club of the Month, presented by ABC Fitness:
The Cobalt Club, est. 2020
Located in Auckland, New Zealand, The Cobalt Club was formed by couple Willis Alatini and Amber Reid in 2020 when they saw a gap in the market for a form-focused and hypertrophy style of training gym. There was nothing in their eyes that educated and efficiently taught people how to transform their physiques in the most sustainable, healthy and enjoyable way.
Below, Reid, the co-founder of The Cobalt Club, shares what makes the gym different, pillars to the club’s success, advice for other owners and more.
What makes The Cobalt Club different?
1. Our style of training. It’s very much body sculpting or body building. Hypertrophy-style, resistance training in a group format. We specialize in transformations.
2. We are a group personal training facility, and we place a big focus on our form/technique and coaching. We educate our members to feel confident in all exercises and using equipment.
3. We educate. Aside from the training, we also teach flexible dieting, as we know this is the key to getting body composition results.
4. Our community. We are a small community gym with a big online community as well. We’ve created such a loyal following. The hybrid model works very well for us.
5. We make it fun. We are real, realistic and raw. No one will stick to anything they don’t enjoy, so we make sure people have fun.
How have your programs changed the way members think about health and fitness?
We have debunked so many myths and changed so many lives. That was our calling. We moved to New Zealand as we knew there was just not enough education on the simple formula to get body composition results. We broke it down and made it relatable for our people to understand.
What have been some pillars to your success?
1. Customer Relationships. This is the most important thing for us. We treat and make people so welcomed and cared for that they always speak highly of us because of the way we make them feel. This in-turn gives us great customer reviews and word of mouth.
2. Content. A big difference is we have created a brand, not just a business. We have brought our community with us from the day we purchased equipment. We’ve documented it all and people have followed along in our journey. I know this has attributed to a lot of our success.
3. Leading by example. We make this healthy lifestyle attainable and realistic, so our members can relate and enjoy. We don’t sugar coat things or pretend we are perfect.
What excites you most about the fitness industry in 2023?
The advancements in technology are very exciting. Our customers will be getting the best consumer experiences. I’m looking forward to that.
What is your favorite thing about partnering with ABC Trainerize?
The value for money. It’s reliable, and we are able to give our customers a great product without such a huge investment/risk on our part.
What advice or encouragement can you give other club owners looking to start new clubs/franchises?
If you can make people love every second of being there, this is for you. People all long for a sense of belonging. If you can give this to them and make them feel like a $1,000, they will return. No one will ever stick to something they don’t enjoy. So be fun, make people feel good and be genuine, and you’ll reap the rewards.
Created in partnership with ABC Fitness. Visit abcfitness.com for more information on how they can help your fitness business.
