fitSpot Guru

What We Cover In This Episode:

• What "in-app purchases" are, and what changes are coming soon with Apple's guidelines around them [1:19]
• How these changes are really impacting small businesses [3:36]
• The ways that the fitDEGREE team is feeling the same pain that other small businesses are with this issue, and our plan to tackle the changes [8:15]
• What we're doing to make sure that the client experience for our customers isn't affected negatively by this [11:19]
• One guideline that might change in light of all the new changes on Apple's platform [13:10]
• 3 options we are considering to navigate the changes [16:10] An important update on a verdict reached in the court case since this episode was originally recorded [19:47]

Quotes:

"For the longest time, in-app purchases mostly made sense. They were for independent developers creating games, and Apple said they'll facilitate the payment process for them." [Nick, 1:54]

"This is an Apple Fitness versus Peloton kind of war. I think we're just caught in the crossfire." [Nick, 5:46]

"We are a small business just getting started. We're not really an industry giant, so we really feel the same pain that [the smaller players] are." [Megan, 9:44]

"We're not trying to ruin a client's experience. We're trying to avoid Apple's fees, with the guidelines they created." [Nick, 11:19]

"The client experience isn't getting harder with this change, it's just going to be slightly different." [Megan, 12:18]

"Every studio is unique. Every studio's rollout is going to be unique." [Nick, 18:39]

Links & Resources Mentioned:

[email protected]

https://developer.apple.com/news/

What We Cover In This Episode:

• What a fitDEGREE launch looks like [2:03]
• Why properly training your staff to use the software is key for them, and your clients [3:10]
• Cherise's thoughts for getting your team and your clients ready by providing checklists [4:02]
• How to use the client experience as way to set everyone up for success [5:08]
• Tips for getting to know your software from the client's point of view [6:05]
• What to know about transitioning from another platform to fitDEGREE [6:57]
• Why you should consider re-evaluating your business model prior to the launch [8:37]
• Utilizing all features of fitDEGREE [10:55]
• Some of the intro offers available with fitDEGREE [11:57]

Quotes:

"I think we can all agree, just because you sit down and do one training doesn't mean you have it all figured out. There is going to be ongoing learning and new features." [4:08]

"It is a continual educational process when you launch into a software, no matter what software it is." [4:54]

"You and your staff should know your software inside and out, the way your clients are using it." [6:23]

"Take this opportunity to restructure and to audit what is happening with your business." [9:02]

"Get fully trained, get your team fully trained, and know how to use these unique features, because it is going to help you grow and retain members." [13:26]

Links & Resources Mentioned:

[email protected]

What We Cover In This Episode:

• Dan's inception story as one of the founders of fitDEGREE [1:23]
• The pivots and the struggles they've experienced from changing markets since beginning [7:16]
• Why hosting a cultivation and feedback culture is key for the company [9:58]
• How and where Dan brings value into fitDEGREE when onboarding new customers [10:53]
• The way Dan was able to find his own path, and what he provides clients and the team of fitDEGREE today [15:34]
• His best advice to other studio owners on where to start if looking to do something similar [18:16]
• Why he says he was actually lucky that fitDEGREE didn't need a salesperson when the company first started [20:16]

Quotes:

"Our 'North Star' as we like to call it, or the direction we always want to move in, is keeping social and community at the forefront." [5:13]

"I was very, very good at communicating with people on a very personal level." [11:15]

"When you try and sell somebody something, if they don't feel any type of personal connection to you, they will say, they'll get back to you, they're not really feeling it at this time, or it just doesn't make sense for them." [11:31]

"Get that valuable feedback out of them, and [find out] what they really like about you and what they really didn't like." [12:07]

"The way our clients interact with us tells me that we are doing the right thing. We are doing things the right way, and that they are as happy to be our clients as we are happy to have them as our clients." [23:41]

Links & Resources Mentioned:

[email protected]

Triangle Selling: Sales Fundamentals to Fuel Growth by Hilmon Sorey

What We Cover In This Episode:

• Dan's journey from the first version of fitDEGREE to what fitDEGREE is today [4:50]
• A look at what was needed to make Version 1.0 of the app - recreation center management software [7:39]
• The first pain point discovered when pitching the product to colleges, and what Dan and fitDEGREE did to then pivot [8:56]
• What the real inspiration behind fitDEGREE was for Dan [9:14]
• Which characteristics he feels makes a good development team member [12:33]
• What you need to start, and what you need to do, in order to build something like fitDEGREE [15:47]
• Dan's other passion for game development, plus how all the skills he nurtured from his younger days now play a key role for him [17:14]

Quotes:

"I have always had this belief system where thoughts are power and what you think [about] strong enough, you can manifest into your life." [2:15]

"When your gut tells you to do something, follow through with it, regardless of what it says." [2:25]

"One of the biggest things that came from college is [learning how to make] connections with other people." [4:26]

"When you are passionate about something, it is easy to work around the clock. It is not a job, more so as I do this because I like to do it." [12:33]

"Ever since we started getting more studios on, we haven't had to be creative because we have a list of what people are asking for, and how many people are asking for it. When we get a request we know what our current clients and future clients want." [13:17]

"It's about being open minded to do anything that needs to be done, because that is what it takes at a company this size." [15:35]

"You have to constantly be building something, even if you're not making money off of it." [16:39]

Links & Resources Mentioned:

[email protected]

What We Cover In This Episode:

• Where Nick got the idea to connect fitness partners with an app, and the lessons he learned about launching a startup from a previous venture [1:49]
• The way he and his partner pivoted to find a new story to tell, based on a gap in the industry they saw that needed to be filled [4:53]
• When Nick realized that they were onto something big by changing their focus to fitness studios [6:56]
• What the fitDEGREE rollout plan looked like, and why they waited so long before beginning to advertise the product [9:13]
• How getting feedback from customers and being client-centric has been key to the growth of the company, plus why Nick feels that strategy will be the future of software companies [11:31]
• What Nick and his mentors are planning to do to move fitDEGREE forward as a company, and community for its members [13:20]
• Why he looks at the role of leadership a bit differently than most people do [14:48]
• What inspires Nick right now, and the characteristics he looks for in his mentors [15:52]
• His best advice for someone looking to follow in his footsteps [17:57]

Quotes:

"We kind of had to get results or pivot and create a new story, and we decided to pivot and take a look at what we had learned." [Nick, 4:54]

"It sounds really simple [to just have] a payment platform and this idea of memberships, class packs and things like that, but as studio owners know, it's not just that. There are a lot of nitty gritty details that go into managing the business, especially at a high level of efficiency." [Nick, 8:57]

"The easiest way to get lots of feedback is to turn your clients into a community, and have them work and collaborate together." [Nick, 12:18]

"The typical entrepreneur might look at what other verticals they can go into and what type of businesses can use their management platform, but I would rather go deeper into the fitness studio space." [Nick, 13:38]

"I think you look for a mentor to be hands on in the area of the business you're trying to grow in. Hopefully, they're your mentor for a long time, but also a part of mentorship is outgrowing them." [Nick, 16:57]

Links & Resources Mentioned:

[email protected]

https://candyfunhouse.ca/products/100-grand-bar