Growing up I wasn’t a member of a country club. (I did belong to my local pool.) But I had a friend who belonged to a country club and I remember going with him to the pool, walking up to the concession stand and ordering just about the entire menu (can you say gooey French bread pizza!), and instead of paying for it, he simply had to sign a piece of paper, a chit ( def: Chiefly British, a signed note for money owed for food, drink, etc ) ! It was at that exact moment that I knew without a doubt what I wanted to be when I grew up… Read More »

Membership has its benefits…

I’ve written a lot about what we can learn from other industries (fast food, airlines, etc.) and there is a lot to learn by watching some of the best companies and applying their practices to running a gym. BUT (there is always a BUT), there are a lot of things that other industries can learn from us… Read More »

I can’t imagine a single word in the English vocabulary that incites a more visceral reaction to fitness people then McDonald’s. But setting aside the fact that they can make salad unhealthy (crispy chicken bacon ranch salad – 51 grams of fat & 660 calories), and potatoes non-vegetarian (the fries have beef extract), there is a lot our industry can learn from Mickey D about knowing your customer… Read More »

You think I’m gonna tell you in the first paragraph!!?? Ohh heck no, I’m gonna make you read the whole blog and this isn’t one of those 140 character, twitter, what’s your status, and what’s on your mind entries!! This one is almost four whole paragraphs long! My 7th grade English teacher would be proud!

That said, there is no magic elixir for making a club successful. Sure they will tell you it’s the real estate, or the lack of competition but the real secret is…good club management software with complete billing solutions. Ok maybe it helps but that’s not the secret either! I’ve actually managed to boil it down to four items, feel free to post comments on additional rules! Read More »

Everything I learned about the gym…I learned from the prison yard!

(I’m talking Shawshank Redemption not actual jail time served!)

We take it for granted. We (gym people) walk into a gym, any gym, and instantly we know what to do, how to do it, and where to go. The reason, for people like us going to a gym (working in a gym) is second nature.

But let’s think back to a time when it wasn’t second nature. For me that was just 5 years ago…before going to the gym regularly was part of my routine. In fact, I can remember very vividly my first experience; I just don’t want to look like a fool. Read More »

We aren’t curing cancer…

…but if we do our job well, we can get people healthier!

I didn’t have the stomach to become a doctor (or maybe the brains) but I do know that if we, Motionsoft, were to build a better club management software package that has all the bells and whistles that you expect, then in a way I can cure cancer. Things like (ready for my first list) Read More »

(Warning, this blog entry requires me to sit on a very high horse. When reading it please do not look down )

We all know there is a significant disconnect between what the member thinks s/he is buying, what the club sells, and what the club actually delivers. Today’s blog entry will address some of these disconnections. Read More »

Mark your calendars! CI 2009 is almost here!

Make sure to visit us at Club Industry 2009 in Chicago, October 14 — 17. We’ll be at Booth 343. We’ve posted more specific information, like our location at the conference, who’s attending, and what we’ll be exhibiting on our website:

http://www.motionsoft.net/events/club-industry-2009

If you’re interested in meeting with us at CI 2009, you can call us at (800) 829-4321, email us, or fill out our online form and speak to one of our reps that will be attending to make arrangements. We’ll be more than happy to accommodate you.

We look forward to seeing you there!

This is a regular column in my blog. The idea is that we can learn quite a bit by looking at some of the best practices that other industries have used, that are applicable to the health and wellness industry.

Today we are going to take a closer look at the airline industry and their pricing policies. Specifically I want to take a look at:

• How they price for seats;
• And, the a la carte pricing system they have incorporated.

Read More »

I’m excited to be travelling up to Boston tomorrow for Club Industry East. Check out where to find us at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center by clicking here.

And now back to my blog about “What Would Your Members Want”. For a refresher on last week’s blog, click here.

From last week: Why are large chains able to do this, while smaller operators seem to falter? The answer is good decision-making.

The easiest way to explain it is that most small gym owners wear multiple hats (owner/operator/chief bottle washer . . .etc.) That means you are living in the gym, eating in the gym, thinking about the gym, and worrying about the gym 24/7/365! As such, most of the decisions made are TACTICAL (remember, tactical decisions are short-term, reactive) and not STRATEGIC (more long-term). Read More »