In part 2 of our interview with Emma Harris, formerly of Asia's fitness tech startup Guavapass, we talk about ClassPass entering the Asian market, their acquisition of GuavaPass and the lessons learned from Emma's startup journey.

We also touch on Emma's foray into studio creation and management, after she opened STILL, Singapore's first aqua bag boxing studio which started a huge trend there.

1. "You should always be on your toes in business"
2. The mood in the Guavapass camp when ClassPass entered the market
3. Lessons learned from the Guavapass journey
4. The team behind the product is so important
5. Setting up Singapore's first aqua bag boxing studio, STILL
6. Creating a 'co-wellness' space in Singapore
7. Playing around with fusion concepts
8. Emma's new fitness startup venture in Miami
9. Setting up in the US vs setting up in Singapore

RESOURCES

JACK THOMAS ON LINKEDIN

FITNESS BUSINESS ASIA WEBSITE

FITNESS BUSINESS ASIA INSTAGRAM

EPISODE WEBPAGE

GUEST RESOURCES

EMMA HARRIS ON LINKEDIN

Jack interviews Emma Harris, formerly of Guavapass which was one of Asia's most high profile tech startups and arguably the most disruptive and interesting fitness business in Asia during their time in business.

ClassPass entered the Asian market in 2018 and after a brief territorial battle, Guavapass was acquired by ClassPass for $4.2m in early 2019.

Emma talks about their incredible startup journey which offers lessons and insights for anyone in Asia's fitness industry or in the tech startup scene.

1. The beginning of Guavapass - Asia's biggest fitness tech startup
2. How Guavapass muscled into the Asian fitness market
3. How Guavapass worked from the studio side
4. Rapid scaling across Asia
5. Grow fast, fail fast, recover quickly
6. How the Asian market developed 2015-2019
7. Common problems that studios would ask Emma help for
8. How marketing differed from country to country
9. Bangkok vs Singapore fitness market growth
10. Asian brands expanding internationally

RESOURCES

JACK THOMAS ON LINKEDIN

FITNESS BUSINESS ASIA WEBSITE

FITNESS BUSINESS ASIA INSTAGRAM

EPISODE WEBPAGE

GUEST RESOURCES

EMMA HARRIS ON LINKEDIN

This podcast is required listening for anyone either in a business partnership or considering getting into one.

If you go into business with the wrong partner, or don't build the right relationship with them, it can destroy your business.

If you get the right partner and do things right and you can reach heights that you may never have been able to do alone.

Listen to Jack's 8 tips on finding the right partner and building a great relationship.

On today's episode we cover…

1. Do you actually need a partner?
2. Do your due diligence
3. "Don't do business with friends"
4. Set expectations early
5. Get a legally binding agreement
6. Rule from a place of logic, not emotion
7. Communicate regularly (or get a therapist!)
8. Surround yourself with people that support (not unconditionally agree with) you

CONSULTANCY FROM JACK THOMAS

RESOURCES

JACK THOMAS ON LINKEDIN

FITNESS BUSINESS ASIA WEBSITE

FITNESS BUSINESS ASIA INSTAGRAM

EPISODE WEBPAGE

Ultimate Performance is one of the worldwide industry leaders in personal training with private gyms in the UK, Spain, the US, Australia and Dubai.

Chris heads their Singapore and HK gyms so it was kind of him to share his insights into the markets here and how he's built successful branches of their model in the region.

In this episode we discuss…

1. How UP coaches are incentivized by a unique model: results, not sales
2. How UP's career platform is pivotal to their success
3. Why staff retention is so important
4. How to maintain a strong culture and atmosphere with 40 coaches
5. Ongoing education, training and mentorship
6. Recruitment: What UP look for in new coaches
7. How the Singapore market has developed over the last few years
8. When you're successful you're always recruiting
9. Differences between HK and SG markets
10. How do you know if a market is ready for a high-end premium service?

RESOURCES

JACK THOMAS ON LINKEDIN

FITNESS BUSINESS ASIA WEBSITE

FITNESS BUSINESS ASIA INSTAGRAM

EPISODE WEBPAGE

GUEST RESOURCE

CHRIS RICHARDS ON LINKEDIN

ULTIMATE PERFORMANCE

Our first ever questions and answers sessions tackling some of the queries that have been sent through to us at the Fitness Business Asia podcast.

What did you think of today's show? Would you like more Q&A podcasts like this one? Please contact us with feedback, or better still, your own questions.

CONTACT US

[email protected]

JACK THOMAS ON LINKEDIN

FITNESS BUSINESS ASIA ON INSTAGRAM (Send DM)

In today's episode we answer listener questions on:

1. How important is location?
2. How can one go about negotiations with landlords in Asia?
3. Presales?
4. Instagram or Facebook?

RESOURCES

FITNESS BUSINESS ASIA WEBSITE

EPISODE WEBPAGE

We talk with MyZone's Asia Pacific Director Mike Beeney on heart rate monitor technology (HRM) and other fit-tech trends and products.

Fitness technology is changing the industry and all fitness business owners need to be aware of the impact it's having on our industry.

1. The history of wearable technology
2. What is HRM?
3. Why clients want data
4. How tech becomes a retention tool
5. How does gameification work for clients and businesses?
6. How has Asia adopted HRM?
7. The future of wearables (ingestibles and injectables)
8. On-demand at-home fitness
9. How bigbox gyms are using technology to try to create a boutique experience
10. Can fitness businesses afford to ignore fitness tech?

RESOURCES

JACK THOMAS ON LINKEDIN

FITNESS BUSINESS ASIA WEBSITE

FITNESS BUSINESS ASIA INSTAGRAM

EPISODE WEBPAGE

GUEST RESOURCES

MIKE BEENEY LINKEDIN

What opportunities are there in Asia's more developing and emerging markets? What should you consider if you're looking to open a fitness business in a country like Vietnam, Cambodia or Myanmar?

Jack explores the opportunities and potential pitfalls of jumping into one of Asia's young fitness industries.

In today's episode we discuss:

1. How I almost opened a gym in Yangon
2. The benefit of hindsight – what I learned
3. When is the right time to open in a young market?
4. Political and legal instability
5. Vietnam's – 'the land of opportunity' 25 years ago, and still today
6. My observations of the Phnom Penh fitness scene
7. Know what you're getting in for

CONSULTANCY FROM JACK THOMAS

RESOURCES

JACK THOMAS ON LINKEDIN

FITNESS BUSINESS ASIA WEBSITE

FITNESS BUSINESS ASIA INSTAGRAM

EPISODE WEBPAGE

Bobby Cappuccio overcame adversity to become one of the fitness industry's leading educators, speakers and coaches.

Listen to Bobby's story, along with his thoughts and musings on our industry, in the second half of our two part interview

In today's episode

1. What is the perfect diet
2. Understanding the psychology of coaching
3. Firing your clients
4. Meet people where they're at, not where you're at
5. How a difficult situation got Bobby into speaking and coaching
6. 60 second quick fire questions
7. What Bobby wants his legacy to be

RESOURCES

JACK THOMAS ON LINKEDIN

FITNESS BUSINESS ASIA WEBSITE

FITNESS BUSINESS ASIA INSTAGRAM

EPISODE WEBPAGE

GUEST RESOURCES

BOBBY CAPPUCCIO WEBSITE

Bobby Cappuccio is one of the fitness industry's leading coaches and educators. Jack caught up with Bobby in Singapore to talk about his journey, what makes great and impactful coaching and why people don't change, even when facing death.

Whether you're a coach, business owner, investor or even someone outside of the fitness industry, you'll take something away from our chat with Bobby.

1. What is a coach
2. The significance of one person believing in him
3. The danger of extreme views
4. Bobby's biggest success
5. How Bobby has helped speakers develop
6. "Inspire me and give me a take away" over science
7. What is authenticity?
8. What's the difference between a trend and a fad?
9. What's disrupting the fitness industry?
10. Even facing death, 9 out of 10 people won't change

RESOURCES

JACK THOMAS ON LINKEDIN

FITNESS BUSINESS ASIA WEBSITE

FITNESS BUSINESS ASIA INSTAGRAM

EPISODE WEBPAGE

GUEST RESOURCES

BOBBY CAPPUCCIO WEBSITE

Jack highlights some of the common mistakes that prevent fitness studio owners from crafting an A-grade experience every time.

The good news is that these are fairly easy to fix through training and adding in processes, procedures and structure.

In today's episode we discuss:

1. Don't be late
2. Why lack of class structure hurts the experience
3. Always plan ahead
4. Why a timer makes everyone's lives better
5. Email marketing – cheap and effective
6. Focus on sales
7. Why you're running a business, not a passion project

CONSULTANCY FROM JACK THOMAS

RESOURCES

JACK THOMAS ON LINKEDI

FITNESS BUSINESS ASIA WEBSITE

FITNESS BUSINESS ASIA INSTAGRAM

EPISODE WEBPAGE

EMPIRE FIT CLUB BALI

BOUTIQUE FITNESS TALKS