Why you should stop pivoting and how current times are presenting opportunities for clubs to innovate and design ways to get people moving.
Pivot was one word that cluttered the airwaves in 2020. Businesses from all industries were understandably in a panic when the world went dark. Searching quickly for new ways to stay afloat with a bevy of new rules and restrictions, we began touting the need to pivot and socializing ideas to keep current businesses intact, while providing a runway for reopening in the future. Have you ever stopped to think about what pivot means and whether or not it’s a good idea long-term?
Pivot, defined by Merriam-Webster, is a shaft or pin on which something turns. In the context of business, it often means taking a sharp turn in one direction or another while holding your core business intact. You find new offerings for your target market, new ways to deliver your offerings, or a new target market altogether. Something stays put, and you oscillate around that singular point.
Pivoting made sense at the start; we thought closures were a blip on the radar. As time passed, however, the world did more than pivot; it changed. It’s time to abandon the word pivot and replace it with innovate, or you may not reap the rewards of a renewed focus on health and well-being.
Innovation is a new idea, method or device. It’s less of a Band-Aid and more of a paradigm shift. While it doesn’t mean abandoning your core, it does require you to rethink business models, resource new talent, and reimagine who and how you serve. The world is talking about being healthy. People flirted with exercise in new ways. Access increased as convenience, time and options ceased to be a barrier to entry. We must wake up to the opportunity presenting itself in the new normal.
We can continue to service the 15% — those who came back with reservations, masks and all the complications because it’s what they do and who they are. But, they’ll be there regardless. The opportunity exists to get more people moving, finally, but only if you embrace the new ways people want to get what you’ve got.
They want to be the center of the circle and for you to be one piece of the puzzle. You are one piece to be customized on their wheel of options. Play that part well. Give them unique, in-person experiences such as programs, not just classes, and community, not just greetings at the front desk. Provide digital experiences that complement what you’re doing in-person and stand-alone, if that’s what they need, or integrate with other options they are sure to use.
Innovate. Protect the fortress, and do the things you used to do but only better. Forage new grounds. Approach the unknown with fresh eyes, fresh minds and fresh hearts. It’s hard to unsee how we used to do things, but it’s time. We were barely scratching the surface of our potential before. Now, we have the chance to innovate and design ways to get more people moving. Stop pivoting.
