The Club Insider Archives: October 2016
Chuck Richards and Team
The Story of Sunset Athletic Club
By: Justin Cates
Justin CatesChuck Richards was born and grew up in Tacoma Washington. Like so many kids, from an early age, he was active at his local Y. From the various sports and activities he participated in, he began to shine in swimming. Through high school, he focused on the sport, culminating in the honor of All American and being ranked #3 in the country. This led to a full scholarship to the swimming powerhouse, University of Indiana. Throughout his collegiate career, he was a 2-year All American and National Finalist. At that time, he was not at the Olympic level; however, upon graduation, his sports career did not end. Instead, he was pursued for the Pentathlon, a multidiscipline sport that included running, swimming, pistol shooting, fencing and riding. He began training and competing out of San Antonio in the summer of 1967.
Read More
Sometimes The Only Way To Save A Business Is To Destroy It
By: Thomas Plummer
Thomas PlummerA single, flimsy thread can't do much harm to you. Threads are usually just little cotton strands that a child can snap with her little fingers. Thousands of threads, especially those that keep us tied to a failed past, can however, combine into a force that chokes the life out of any business trying to stay alive or evolve. Every business with any age to it has threads that bind that business to its history.
Read More
Equipment Leasing
By: Paul Bosley
Paul BosleyA lease is an agreement that the lessee, or business owner(s), agree to pay the lessor, the leasing company or manufacturer, to have use of the equipment for a specified period of time. A lease payment is recorded on the center's books as a rental payment similar to a rent payment on a building lease. Leasing enables center owners to preserve their working capital as an alternative to purchasing the equipment since a typical lease requires a relatively small upfront deposit. Centers profit from a lease transaction if the center generates revenue in excess of the monthly lease payment, thus generating positive cash flow from the use of the equipment. Lease repayment terms range from 12 to 60 months. Consequently, items that do not have a useful life of at least 12 months, such as inventory, should never be included in a lease agreement.
Read More
The Power of a Sales Experience!
By: Casey Conrad
Casey ConradI'm almost laughing while the thought is typed into words, "What would it take to create a sales experience with a club prospect who successfully closed the sale but also left such a powerful, lasting impression that he bragged about it to his friends and family?" It's an interesting thought. Whatever possessed me to ask such a left-field question? I recently found myself the recipient of a cruise on the Disney Dream.
Read More
Pain: The Missing Element in Your Membership Sales Process
By: Erik Charles Russell
Erik Charles RussellMost people have heard the story of Michael Jordan being cut from his high school basketball team. It seems crazy that a man who many consider the greatest basketball player of all time couldn't even make his high school squad. For Jordan, it was embarrassing and painful. Jordan could have given up. He could have let a painful experience stop him from becoming one of the best ever. We all know that he didn't quit. But, what Jordan did do was use that painful experience to motivate him to change. He practiced more, worked harder and became better. The rest, as they say, is history.
Read More
Exercise is Medicine
Brain Challenge and Healthy Lifestyle Counter Cognitive Decline
By: Robin Schuette
Robin SchuetteThere's a healthcare crisis in our country that is the sixth leading cause of death and affects 5.5 million people. It has no treatment, no cure and cannot be prevented. It's Alzheimer's. This disease, along with dementias caused by stroke, Parkinson's or other conditions are increasingly a burden for those affected and for those caring for them. The are sobering facts; however, a bit of good news in this area was recently highlighted at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) last month. Research findings show that a healthy lifestyle plus maintaining social ties, challenging your brain and learning new things are the best ways to preserve cognition.
Read More
Is Your Team Committed or Compliant?
By: Karen Woodard-Chavez
Karen Woodard-ChavezWhen you think about your staff --your entire staff-- are they committed or compliant? W-w-w-wait... before you answer that, perhaps we should be clear about the difference in definition. Committed is defined by taking personal responsibility for the completion of an initiative or task. What it looks like is your staff going above and beyond, looking for ways to do it even better with total buy in to the purpose. I know you all have some "rock stars" who are committed. I know some of you also have "rocks" that just show up. Compliant is defined by staff doing what they are told to do. They will not do things until told to do so or think on their own about how to do it better. The problem with this is that you, as the manager, always have to be there to tell them what to do.
Read More
Would You Like to Increase Your Online Exposure, But You Don't Know How?
By: Jim Thomas
Jim ThomasThe number one job of any gym owner is to be sure the door is swinging, the phone is ringing and the email is dinging. I think most everyone realizes this. But, it continues to be a struggle for many gym owners. They will do a social media post here and there or post some offers on Facebook, but nothing seems to work. I was speaking with a gym owner recently, and he wanted to do more. But, he asked, "Where do I get all the content to do this right?" Good question; I'm glad you asked. Here are some tips to get you kick-started with an online marketing program.
Read More
The First TeamQuest4ALS Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon Raises $415,000
BROOKLYN, N.Y. - Health and fitness clubs recruited and trained runners to raise a record $415,000 for ALS research on Saturday, October 8. TeamQuest4ALS is a new Augie's Quest endurance event program that works with people of all athletic abilities to train for and complete a half-marathon for their first time or their fastest time while committing to a fundraising minimum to benefit Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) research at the ALS Therapy Development Institute.
Read More
Crunch Fitness Appoints Chad Waetzig To EVP of Marketing and Branding And Michael Pozner To SVP of Real Estate and Development
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Crunch Fitness, the health club chain renowned for fusing fitness and entertainment, announced the appointments of Chad Waetzig as its new Executive Vice President of Marketing and Branding and Michael Pozner to Senior Vice President of Real Estate and Development.
Read More
Club Industry 2016 Slideshow
Check out photos from Club Industry 2016!
Read More
Norm's Notes for October 2016
By: Norm Cates
Norm CatesHello Everybody! This is your Club Insider Publisher and Tribal Leader Since 1993 checking in!
Read More
