The title “gym owner” is both a positive and negative element of our natural brand. Among all the elements that composes our natural brand at X Fitness, none are more important than my own personal title. Since I started X Fitness from scratch as an independent gym, my primary objective in natural-brand building has been how I project my title. It’s imperative that I identify myself as ‘gym owner’ without identifying myself exclusively as ‘gym owner.’ I am tied to our X Fitness brand. I am not just part of the X Fitness brand, I am the X Fitness brand. I tried to separate...

Harnessing the opportunity of an aging society is the latest report to be researched and written by fitness industry analyst Ray Algar. This is the 10th strategic report to be released by Oxygen Consulting, the Brighton-based global fitness industry consultancy. “The purpose of this report is to discuss the implications of global aging and how the health and fitness industry is set up to respond” says Algar. “According to demographic researchers, the world’s population will reach an interesting point in 2020, when the number of people aged over 60 passes one billion for the first...

Here is a case study that has never been discussed, explained, or taught in any business book, business seminar, or MBA program anywhere on Earth. This is a true story. I’m not making it up: Last week, on a Friday night at 7:50 p.m., I was preparing to coach a Womens Team Lifting workout. A man was seated on a lat-machine next to the squat machine that I was preparing. He said to me, “I’m just checking out your gym.” He said he was a former member but not a current member of my gym, X Fitness. He wanted to see if we had new equipment. Our gym was unstaffed at that time. We have an electronic...

Last week, IHRSA published The 2017 Health Club Consumer Report. This annual publication, based on a nationwide sample of more than 24,000 interviews, provides demographics and health, sports, and fitness participation data on America’s health club consumers. “Membership in U.S. health clubs reached an all-time high of 57.3 million in 2016, an increase of 3.6% from 2015,” said Jay Ablondi, IHRSA’s executive vice president of global products. “Another 9.3 million non-members exercised at clubs. In all, 22% of Americans use a health club to pursue fitness and wellness goals.” The...

Here is a case study that has never been discussed, explained, or taught in any business book, business seminar, or MBA program anywhere on Earth. This is a true story. I’m not making it up: Last week, a person left a voice-mail message at my gym X Fitness. The person complained about our gym and wanted a full refund for her membership. Our manager checked our gym database and discovered she was not a gym member. Our manager called her back and explained that she was not a member at X Fitness. The person said she joined a gym on “West St.” but didn’t know the name of the gym so she Googled...

With fall in the air and the weather starting to change , many people worry that they will catch a cold or come down with the flu. Although there are several powerful foods that can help boost your immune system, the true fact remains that a clean and vital body does not get sick. The more you stay away from mucoid forming foods – such as pasteurized dairy, refined sugars, and processed foods – the stronger your immune system will be. The strength of your immune system is directly related to the integrity of your lymphatic system. When the lymphatic system is sluggish due to a build-up of too much...