Backstory first.
We had a gym owner come to us who had about 100 members; it was a “function fitness” style gym.
He was running himself ragged, trying to make the business profitable, but the gym wasn’t his only source of income.
He had another full-time job at which he was making six figures.
He loved fitness, and he loved the experience the gym provided, but it was bleeding him dry and decreasing his quality of life.
After some discussion, we came to an agreement; neither of us knew if he had a viable business, so we proposed an experiment.
The experiment was to implement some necessary changes in order to provide more value for the members and then aggressively raise prices from rock bottom to a number that fulfilled two things; first, it would make the gym profitable. Second, it was in alignment with the value of the services being provided.
The outcome would go one of two ways.
Option A) The members would see the value of the changes, which were in alignment with the owners' goals and vision, and they would stay on at the new rate. In this scenario, the owner would know he had a viable business. Things weren’t perfect, but as they say, “the bones were good,” and there was something worth pursuing.
Option B) The members would show that they valued the price more than the services or outcomes they would provide. In other words, they wanted a community center where they could hang out, nothing more.
You read the headline of this article, so you know how it turned out.
Here’s where it gets interesting; when it became obvious that his gym was making his life worse, not better, AND that the members he was keeping it open for had no interest in his vision and mission; it was like a burden had been lifted.
He realized there was no reason to shoulder the responsibility of maintaining a “community” that didn’t value him. He could close the doors with no regrets and start giving his wife and kids the time, energy, and attention they deserve.
Success is freedom and happiness.
For this gym owner, that meant closing his doors. To us, that outcome for him is just as much a win as our clients, who are now providing health insurance for their coaches because they can afford it. Or the clients who now have full-time staff and can provide meaningful careers for their coaches. Or the gym owner who knows that if something goes wrong while he’s not there that his team can handle it without him.
What does success mean to you?
