On this episode of Industry Change, we sit down with Sharon Simmons from the Pilates Association of Australia. Pilates has come a long way from obscurity and burst onto the mainstream fitness scene in the last few years and the PAA does a great job in setting the standards for the industry as well as supporting Pilates Studios and Instructors.

The biggest prediction that Sharan has for the rest of 2020 is that there will be even more diversity within the Pilates space. More and more consumers are choosing Pilates classes and the studio’s as part of a real move towards health and wellness and using movement as medicine. The challenge for the industry will be keeping the quality as the industry continues to grow.

In this episode of Industry Change, I speak with long-time friend and meditation teacher, Tom Cronin. Tom traded his life as a finance broker to become a meditation teacher and has an incredible story. Interestingly he’s the first person who actually got me to sit in stillness for 20 minutes and I’ve now incorporated meditation into my daily life.

In this episode of Industry Change, I chat with Justin McDonnel, Co-Founder & Chair of Collective Wellness Group which includes Anytime Fitness, Orange Theory and Xtend Barre.

Where does Justin see the fitness industry heading?

As surprising as it is, the 24/7 model is still growing and there is still a significant amount of people still signing up to gyms every year. But people are looking for relationships rather than just a membership. Larger gyms and 24/7’s can achieve this even on a larger scale, but have to focus on the manager and coaches building relationships with members.

And there is a definite opportunity for the studio model and boutique fitness model to grow and expand, especially considering it is much easier for boutiques to build that relational style of training.

Want to know the importance of technology and mental health in the fitness industry? In this episode Richard chats with the Chief Operating Officer of LIFT Brands Andy Peat. Andy was 17 when he started out in the industry, conveniently not having to tell anyone his age… he was a personal trainer, worked on cruise liners and then became a SNAP fitness franchisee and from this he became the CEO of SNAP fitness Australia at the age of 25. Now he is the COO of LIFT Brands and the creator of technology fitness and nutrition app ‘Nomergy’. Take a read or watch the full interview…

What are the fundamentals of growing in the fitness industry? 

Andy’s quick progression in the industry was a credit to timing, luck and proven skills. He also emphasises the importance of putting yourself out there and know what people want to hear, from this he got the opportunity to learn and prove himself once he was in the role as CEO. 

When Andy started as CEO he has no right to the job, he didn’t have a degree or much experience but he was great at selling franchises and selling gym memberships, but obviously running a $100 million business was next level! So he talked to the right people, educated himself and delivered results!

How do you deliver the results when you are still learning? 

Did the need to educate yourself come because you had the job or did it come because you wanted to know it in the future? 

It was a bit of both for Andy, but there was an urgent need to educate himself because he had the job. He didn’t tell anyone his age so people assumed he was older. The motivation came to learn ‘adult talk’ early so he could stand at the same level with the franchisees and give himself enough time to deliver results. 

He knew he could get the results but he wanted to buy some time to be able to develop a stronger understanding and back himself on different things in the industry. The true test was dealing with adversity, since he was still young he could get stuck into fixing problems rather than delegating others to do them.  

Looking into the future, saw the problems with sales, mental health and has created an app. 

At the time Andy was CEO of SNAP fitness in Austr

In this week’s episode of Industry Change I chat with Ty Menzies the CEO of LIFT Brands. Ty has had over 15 years of experience in this industry with a background of owning independent clubs, franchises and is now the CEO of LIFT Brands with over 300 locations across the Asia-pacific. Recently Ty was elected as a a Board Member of Fitness Australia and the Exercise Association of New Zealand. We discuss how to succeed in the industry and take advantage of the right opportunities at the right time and more. 

Ty’s journey in the fitness industry 

Ty’s journey has not been an overnight success story. He started as a personal trainer and really enjoyed it, but always knew he wanted to be a business owner and wanted to step into a sales and club management role. He had great mentors and took good advice from the right people that guided him into the sales and club management space. 

The first club he managed was a very large gym in London which was a great experience, he was hired by the owner of The Gym Group (UK), John Treharne who has taken that business from nothing to now 60 locations! Ty was lucky by being involved with the right people, actively putting himself out there in the industry. 

He came back from the UK and wanted to start his own business. He came across a franchise, EFM Health Clubs which is still around today and he bought his first EFM at the age of 21 and then went on to own 3 EFM locations in Melbourne. Whilst he had these 3 he then bought a mid-size independent club. This was an opportunity that he came across and it was in a dire position but he turned it around and made it successful, so at the time he owned 4 gym venues! He then sold them to move onto his next venture. 

Snap fitness approached him to help drive the franchise development part of the business. He spent months developing franchises and sold 35 franchises and was in a good position to be the CEO which has only progressed from there.

What is LIFT Brands?

Ty is the CEO of LIFT Brands which is a collection of fitness-minded businesses that share a goal to help people get healthy in a positive community. They own snap fitness 24/7 which covers all hours convenience, 9Round which is more boutique and fitness on demand which is virtual. All these brands cover key fitness environments for all demographics. They have a very strong presence in New Zealand and Australia and are expanding across the Asia-pacific region. 

When is the right time to make the right move? The importance of opportunities and timing…

Peter Taunton the founder of LIFT Brands says that, “If you haven’t failed in business you haven’t had a go!” Ty has had his fair share of failures but strongly believes that if you aren’t having a go you aren’t experiencing the industry and growing beneficially. Ty stresses that it is important to know that if you fail, fail fast and step out quickly. Some people try and hold on too long, but realising the problem,  losing a small amount of money, stepping out of the situation and learning from it is how you can be proactive in the industry. 

A lot of fitness professionals can over analyse things and opportunities come and go all the time, it’s a matter of whether you will take the chance and run with it. Ty’s father used to say, “Take a huge bite and go at it hard!” That’s something you have to do with business. You can’t expect to go into something and just have it all done with no effort, you need to put in the work!

Where do you see the future of the 24/7 gyms? 

In this week’s episode of Industry Change, I chat with Ty Menzies the CEO of LIFT Brands. Ty has had over 15 years of experience in this industry with a background of owning independent clubs, franchises and is now the CEO of LIFT Brands with over 300 locations across the Asia-pacific.

Ty’s journey in the fitness industry 

Ty’s journey has not been an overnight success story. He started as a personal trainer and really enjoyed it, but always knew he wanted to be a business owner and wanted to step into a sales and club management role. He had great mentors and took good advice from the right people that guided him into the sales and club management space.

The first club he managed was a very large gym in London which was a great experience, he was hired by the owner of The Gym Group (UK), John Treharne who has taken that business from nothing to now 60 locations! Ty was lucky and was involved with the right people, actively put himself out there in the industry.

He came back from the UK and wanted to start his own business. He came across a franchise, EFM Health Clubs which is still around today and he bought his first EFM at the age of 21 and then went on to own 3 EFM locations in Melbourne. Whilst he had these 3 he then bought a mid-size independent club. This was an opportunity that he came across and it was in a dire position but he turned it around and made it successful, so at the time he owned 4 gym venues! He then sold them to move onto his next venture.

Snap fitness approached him to help drive the franchise development part of the business. He spent months developing franchises and sold 35 franchises and was in a good position to be the CEO which has only progressed from there.

What is LIFT Brands?

Ty is the CEO of LIFT Brands which is a collection of fitness-minded businesses that share a goal to help people get healthy in a positive community. They own snap fitness 24/7 which covers all hours convivence, 9Round which is more boutique and fitness on demand which is virtual. All these brands cover key fitness environments for all demographics. They have a very strong presence in New Zealand and Australia and are expanding across the Asia-pacific region.

When is the right time to make the right move? The importance of opportunities and timing…

Peter Taunton the founder of LIFT Brands says, “If you haven’t failed in business you haven’t had a go!” Ty has had his fair share of failures but strongly believes that if you aren’t having a go you aren’t experiencing the industry and growing beneficially. Ty stresses that it is important to know that if you fail, fail fast and step out quickly. Some people try and hold on too long, but realizing the problem,  losing a small amount of money, stepping out of the situation and learning from it is how you can be proactive in the industry.

A lot of fitness professionals can over-analyze things and opportunities come and go all the time, it’s a matter of whether you will take the chance and run with it. Ty’s father used to say, “Take a huge bite and go at it hard!” That’s something you have to do with business. You can’t expect to go into something and just have it all done with no effort, you need to put in the work!

Where do you see the future of the 24/7 gyms? 

These days it is so easy to get the 24/7 gym, it is an important incentive for a consumer because people don’t live in the 9-5 world anymore. While Ty’s facilities see 80% of people turning up at the peak 6 am-6 pm times, there is still a lot of people turning up during outside hours, especially with people from different areas, different demographics, and different cultural backgrounds. 24/7 is something that clubs should consider but it isn’t the be-all and end-all.

The convenience of 24/7 a

In today’s Industry Change episode I chat with Richard Beddie CEO of Exercise New Zealand about the journey. Richard has been in the industry for over 20 years, initially, he was a gym owner and eager to learn more he went to a fitness industry conference. He did this because he figured that people who knew more than him about the industry would be talking and giving worthy advice, so he went along and found the AGM for Fitness New Zealand.

How did you start this journey of running an organization and going global?

What is Exercise NZ? 

How did you take this concept of fitness industry standards globally? 

In this episode of Industry, Change Richard talks to Luke Baylist co-founder and CEO of Australia’s biggest health food chain: Sumo Salad. At one point for a long time, Sumo Salad had 92% brand awareness in the market as they were the first health food chain in Australia. Now after 16 years Luke Baylis has created Sumo Well which aims to combine fitness and food together.

How did Luke start out as an entrepreneur?

Going back to the beginning Luke says the beginning of his entrepreneurial career was not a ‘glamourous story’. In the early 2000s Luke and his best friend were living in Chicago working for an IT company. He was young, eating all the wrong foods and drinking and within 4 years he put on 50kg. He found that in America when you ate a salad it was almost the size of a table and it wasn’t healthy either! He realized he had no portion control, no healthy food options and was not exercising.

In Australia, he was used to living a fit and healthy lifestyle, so when he went back to Australia he was unrecognizable. Whilst trying to get back on track with being healthy he found it hard to make good nutritional choices as there was a lack of availability and it wasn’t affordable to eat healthy. Luke realized there was no culture in Australia that promotes nutritional food as something accessible and affordable and this is how the idea of Sumo Salad was formed.

Luke wanted to make a healthy food chain that turned a salad into a big healthy satisfying meal. He wanted to change Australia’s perception of healthy eating. They knew there was a demand for this and despite being shut down by investors they persisted with this idea to change the way Australia eats and creates a better option for people. In 16 years Sumo Salad grew to over 100 locations and was the first fresh and healthy food chain to make its mark in Australian food courts.

As a self-funded business they faced many challenges but they had to focus on getting good locations and trading in local communities to establish a following. They had $90 million in turnover and no real competitors because this was at a time before the wellness lifestyle was popular. However as the business grew, the competition grew at the same time. For the first 10 years, they withstood competitors and food courts were the main place they were franchised. However, over time the food court became less relevant for the consumer and cafe culture was adopted. Instinctively luke thought that if Sumo Salad did not adapt the business would die.

A change had to be made in order for Sumo Salad to sustain itself. Hence they took the move to shift their whole strategy and create Sumo Well that provides fresh and healthy grab and go options for Aussies. Luke strived to adapt to the fitness and wellness industry and he did so with a series of tests, a broadened network and thinking holistically about what the customer journey is now.

Most Sumo Salad customers were active in gyms or using personal trainers and Luke realized that Sumo Salad couldn’t grow if it was just a salad bar in shopping centers. In order to progress Luke needs to collaborate with like-minded brands and surround the customer with better options, hence Sumo Well was created to be the partner of choice for gyms, personal trainers and fitness leaders. This has broadened their network and sphere of work to partner with fitness professionals who care about their clients’ health and wellbeing.

What is the one thing that made Sumo Salad change? 

Luke said that constantly asking ‘but why’ was what helped him reframe the business. They kept asking this to refine their purpose to the point that they realized they don’t have to focus on a small niche. They can branch out to a bigger audience and the purpose is more powerful because it changes the way people eat and how they consume nutrition. Through reframing their purpose

In this week’s episode of Industry Change Richard speaks with Barrie Elvish the CEO of Fitness Australia. Appointed at the beginning of 2019, Barrie is striving to empower and build healthier communities alongside the fitness industry. 

Despite coming from outside the fitness industry, Barrie has set a number of goals to entice Australians to live healthier, more active lives. Barrie discussed with us that 20% of Australian’s have a gym membership but only 6% are active with their memberships. This means that 94% of Australian’s are not active in gyms! Fitness Australia is now restructuring to align with more gyms and personal trainers, to encourage Australian’s to go to gyms while removing the stigma that ‘only men with six packs to go to the gym’.  Fitness Australia’s goal is to get 15% of Australians more active by 2030, and it’s up to those in the fitness industry to align with Fitness Australia to make this happen. 

The problem that stops growth in the industry is perception! 

So many people are intimidated by gyms, assuming they are only for people who are already fit, but that is because they have never been to one. They don’t know that gyms cater to a diverse range of people. If people aren’t intimidated by gyms the membership levels will increase, however it starts with people in the industry creating a welcoming atmosphere for new clients. Fitness instructors need to remember that everyone is different, and this is where Fitness Australia comes in. Fitness Australia wants to work with partnered gyms to break this down to bring in the 80% of people who aren’t attending gyms. 

Why should you join Fitness Australia? 

Fitness Australia is not only the largest industry association but it is the most reputable, with ongoing accreditation, education services and high professional standards. This gives people in the fitness industry credibility by being apart of the leading industry association, along with many other benefits. Fitness Australia is the association that government turn to to create regulations that affect the fitness industry, hence joining them gives you a competitive advantage within the industry. 

Fitness Australia has recently renewed their partnership with us to assist better lead generation for personal trainers and to help  positioning and branding within the fitness industry. Together this partnership strives to make people healthier and happier. Watch the full episode to hear it all! 

To learn more about Fitness Australia or to become a member click here.

In this week’s episode of Industry Change Richard speaks to CEO and Co-founder of global wellness platform MINDBODY, Rick Stollmeyer. From humble beginnings Rick started this company in the late 90’s, which aimed to provide fitness businesses’ with software to create change for their clients. Now, in 2019, MINDBODY is the largest platform in the industry that brings fitness businesses and clients together, reaching almost 300 000 businesses and 35 million consumers worldwide striving to connect wellness with the world. 

Rick had the big idea to create a health and wellness portal, where people could find the information they needed to live healthier and happier lives. From this idea he connected to the boutique fitness industry which was developing in the 1990’s in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. Within these hubs he began developing software for spin, yoga and pilates studios. However whilst doing this he discovered that the most important thing he could do was help these businesses run more effectively. This was a big learning curve that led to the launch of the business management software in 2001 that is still the crux of MINDBODY today. 

As a leader he found there were three key fundamental that led to his success:  

You can think you know them but to actually know them is so important! Whilst starting out Rick spent a lot of time in fitness studios and learnt how they operated. This allowed him to get into the mindset of these small business owners to understand their point of view. This was key to developing a product that mattered and customers actually found useful. 

Once you understand who your target market is and how they think, you need to develop a unique selling point that will entice customers! Rick recalled that the first time people would pay for the software in the late 90’s was thrilling because this meant he had an audience that connected with his business and proved that this was a product that met their needs.

Once the first two fundamentals are established it is important to scale your business according to the needs within the market. Rick found that there was a need for MindBody worldwide, and from the beginning had to ensure the platform was accessible for international businesses as this is what allowed it to grow into what it is now! 

Ricks journey with MINDBODY in the fitness and wellness industry is an inspirational one he credits to passion, determination and tenacity. In order to stand out in the fitness industry Rick emphasised it is important to have the following: