HALO Talks: Elevating Wellness

"I wanted to become the greatest we could become in one town and through influence, be able to affect the world," says Joe Cirulli. . .and he's done exactly that. Everyone in the HALO sector knows Joe's name. He's been a trusted Mentor, adviser and friend to many of the top people in the industry and is highly respected across the board. He worked for 6 clubs that all went bankrupt before borrowing $1,700 to get his start. Gainesville is now ~80,000 sq feet with over 28,000 members and 500 employees. This should be required listening for absolutely everyone in the HALO sector.

Chuze Fitness currently has 25 locations with 8 under construction and is one of the foremost brands in the San Diego area. Started by two families, Nick and Cory's parents were business partners in the hospitality space who parlayed that into the HVLP sector. This highly experienced team only decided to take on private equity on their 14th location. They operate off the maxim, "We want to be the best, we don't want to be the biggest." Learn more about this great brand has firmly secured their position in one of the most competitive fitness markets in the country.

Club Insider has become the "gatekeeper of the industry's history," says President Justin Cates. . . and anyone who truly knows the HALO space knows he's not exaggerating! If you haven't yet had the pleasure of meeting Justin's Dad, Norm. . .perhaps you haven't been around long enough and you're missing out! Industry icon, Norm Cates, is one of the Founders of IHRSA with 44 years under his belt and began Club Insider in 1993 from the ground up. Justin spent the past 11 years working with his Dad to take things to the next level and by all accounts, they have succeeded! Listen now to learn more about this great team, Club Insider, the history of IHRSA, and some thoughts on the cyclical nature of the fitness world.

"Selling fitness has always been incredibly intangible, you're kind of buying it on faith. . .we made it tangible. You can see the vision of your future self," says Daron Allen, CEO of Visual Fitness Planner. Selling memberships used to be "incredibly unprofessional" and has changed significantly from what it was 10 years ago. VFP has been at the forefront of this, with everything now being "API first." It's not uncommon for a facility to have a tech stack of 6-10 companies! Listen to learn more about where this trend-setting company is headed, how they can help you get more members. . .and keep them coming back!

Sean has been in the HALO sector for over 15 years. He (along with inventor Don Brown) was instrumental in launching the Ab Roller which went on to earn over 1 billion dollars. Flash to the 2007 IHRSA where, with only two prototypes in hand, he debuted the Ab Coaster, which also went on to huge success! The Abs Company never took outside funds and--in this wide ranging discussion--Sean discusses everything from inventory management, media spend, infomercials, thoughts on business partners, and much more.