Fitness Business Podcast: Leadership, Innovation, and Profit

Tim Oberg is the Founder and CEO of parkrun Australia, the largest participation event in Australia. From humble beginnings on the Gold Coast in April 2011, parkrun now operates in over 350 communities with 750,000 members.

Andrea Hovell the co-owner of Healthier Bookkeeping, an accounting business that caters specifically for the health and fitness industry. In this weeks episode Andrea takes us through a quick Financial Health Check to ensure we are on top of the key metrics in our business and can be aware of any red flags to look out for.

Julie Creffield, founder of the plus size fitness movement, Too Fat to Run. For over 25 years Julie worked with organizations, such as the London 2012 Olympics, to bring communities together, and it was when she found herself alone as a single mom, she decided to put her community-building skills to work for herself - turning her blog into a 6-figure business.

Steve Lesnard is an innovative marketing executive with 20+ years' experience leading high-profile business growth, global brand campaigns, revolutionary product launches and strategic partnerships across sports, technology and lifestyle. Steve is a creative and strategic brand leader with a proven track record of integrated marketing excellence and digital innovation in an ever-evolving consumer landscape.

Kari Saitowitz is the Founder + CEO of Fhitting Room overseeing three Fhitting Room studios in NYC. Prior to creating Fhitting Room, Kari, was a marketing executive at Pepsi where she focused on building equity for powerhouse brands and launching new product innovations. She has an MBA from Harvard Business School, where she graduated with honors, and she graduated summa cum laude with a BS in Economics from the Wharton School of Business at University of Pennsylvania.

Andrea Vahl is a Social Media Consultant and Speaker and is the co-author of Facebook Marketing All-in-One for Dummies and her new book is Facebook Ads Made Simple.

She was the Community Manager for Social Media Examiner for over 2 years and has appeared in top lists on Entrepreneur.com and Inc.com.

This weeks episode is a little different to most, we have split this weeks show into two sections:

1. Facebook Ad changes
2. Top Facebook Ad tactics for gym owners and personal trainers.

And heres a tip – right at the end of the interview, Anndrea shares 3 of her favourite digital business tools, so make sure you listen out to todays Fitbizpiration!

Denise Lee Yohn is the go-to expert on brand leadership for national media outlets, an in-demand speaker and consultant, and an influential writer. She is the author of the bestselling book What Great Brands Do: The Seven Brand-Building Principles that Separate the Best from the Rest and the new book FUSION: How Integrating Brand and Culture Powers the World's Greatest Companies.

Not only is Denise a brand leadership expert and author, she is also a Key Note speaker at IHRSA 2019.

Dr Paul Bedford has over 20 years experience working in the fitness industry, including role​s​ as a gym instructor, personal trainer, fitness manager and club manager. ​ ​He has a master's degree in exercise and health behaviours, and a PhD from the London Sports Institute. The aim of ​his​ PhD research was to identify interventions in a gym environment to increase adherence. The study increased average participation from 6 months to 13 months. ​He then went onto ​develop a training programme to assist retention that has now been delivered to 25 operators, involving nearly 93 facilities.

If you have ever wanted to grow your fitness business, reach new markets or introduce new revenue streams – then this episode is a MUST Listen show for you.

Trina Gray is the founder of Team Rock Star Fit and the owner of the award-winning Bay Athletic Club in Alpena Michigan.

She is a seasoned presenter and writer for IDEA Health and Fitness Association. She designs and moderates the IDEA World Club and Studio Summit. In 2018 she was recognized as the first-ever IDEA Fitness Leader of the Year.

Dr Fiona Bull MBE, PhD, Msc. is our special guest for this report on The Global Action Plan on Physical Activity 2018–2030. During the interview you will hear the 2 main goals of the plan, an overview of the 4 key pillars, we discuss the countries taking part and how fitness businesses and professionals can get involved.