Gym Business - Business for Unicorns Podcast

About Pete: Pete is one of the few fitness professionals who identify specifically as a "business guy." He has served as the Vice President and Business Director of Cressey Sports Performance since co-founding the company in 2007. With an MBA from Babson College, more than a decade of fitness industry experience, and a profound appreciation for the nitty-gritty realities of managing a fitness facility, Pete brings a unique perspective to discussions surrounding the business of fitness. Most importantly, Pete is a proud husband to Katie, and father to Collin and Owen Dupuis.   In this episode, Michael spoke with Pete about: Why Pete thinks there’s no one recipe for partnership The challenges he’s had with his partnership How to manage underperforming employees

Mark and Michael are back with another bonus episode of the season...this time with a special guest and an announcement! In this episode, Mark, Pete, and Michael talk about: Having a bench of people you can hire from Having an effective internship program  

About Jess: Jessica is co-owner of Empower Personalized Fitness. She and her best friend and business partner at the time Ronda Williams founded the company in 2004 and shared the responsibility for all aspects of the business for the 15 years. Her main focus during that time was on marketing, client relationship functions, business growth strategies, and employee mentorship. In January of 2021, Jessica took over as sole owner of Empower and now is helping her small business not only recover from a global pandemic but RISE to new heights. Since opening in 2005, Jessica and Ronda built a thriving fitness community, an amazing dream team, a creative company culture, and a strong business that continues to grow and thrive. Their years of experience inspired them to create a signature fitness philosophy called ThinkFUN, Get Fit, Eat Well, Sleep Well and this formula has helped thousands of clients stay motivated to live fit and healthy lives. In 2016 Jessica and Ronda launched Empower Partners Coaching and Consulting as their online personal development, coaching, and mentorship brand where they work specifically with a small number of wellness studio owners to help them systemize their business to maximize profits and free up their valuable time. With almost 25 years of experience in the health and wellness field, Jessica has evolved from a personal trainer and sole proprietor to become a leader in the fitness industry and she enjoys writing, speaking and mentoring the next generation of fitness professionals on topics related to business ownership, business partnership and balancing a successful career and a family. Jessica is nationally certified and a North Carolina state licensed athletic trainer (retired). She is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), a Sports Fitness Specialist (SFS), an active Beachbody Coach and a certified BLS Healthcare Provider trained in CPR + AED rescue by the American Heart Association. Jessica is an active member of the National Athletic Trainers Association, the National Strength and Conditioning Association, the National Academy of Sports Medicine and IDEA Health and Fitness Association.
 Jessica received her B.A. in Exercise and Sports Science and her M.A. in Athletic Training/Sports Medicine from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
 Jessica is an entrepreneur at heart and loves the challenge and excitement of running a small brick-and-mortar fitness business and an online coaching and consulting company.  When not working she can be found hanging with her husband, daughter, pup Luna and friends, exploring the great outdoors, traveling the world and enjoying great local foods and craft beers. In this episode, Michael spoke with Jess about: The systems she uses in her business to create a culture How she handles conflict with her team and with clients The importance of having consistent, organized, targeted meetings

About Sam: Sam Leicht is a fitness coach and broadway actor based in NYC! Over the past three years he's starred on Broadway (The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical), toured the country, and started his own wellness business - Leichtning Health. Other coaches focus on "looking your best." Instead, he encourages his community to lean away from aesthetic goals in order to find sustainable health and wellness. He focuses on providing quality, lifelong fitness & lifestyle training to help them fall in love with movement. Through Leichtning Health, he's looking to make health and fitness accessible for all through free workouts and equipment donations to those in need. In this episode, Michael spoke with Sam about: How to grow online How he uses social media to leverage his brand How he delivers his services His approach to creating sustainable fitness

Mark and Michael are back with another bonus episode of the season. In this episode, Mark and Michael discuss: Lessons learned from our successful referral Initiative How to make sure your team members have clear roles and responsibilities

About Mike: Michael Boyle is one of the foremost experts in the fields of Strength and Conditioning, Functional Training and general fitness. He currently spends his time lecturing, teaching, training and writing. In 1996 Michael co founded Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning, one of the first for-profit strength and conditioning companies in the world. Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning exists for one reason: to provide performance enhancement training for athletes of all levels. Athletes trained range from junior high school students to All Stars in almost every major professional sport. Prior to Co- founding Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning, Michael served as the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Boston University for 15 years, also for the past 25 years he been the Strength and Conditioning Coach for Men’s Ice Hockey at Boston University.  Mike also was the Boston Red Sox strength and conditioning coach in 2013 that won the World Series. In addition to his duties at Boston University and the Red Sox, from 1991-1999 Boyle served as the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League. Michael was also the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the 1998 US Women’s Olympic Ice Hockey Team, Gold Medalists in Nagano and 2014 Silver medalists in Sochi, and served as a consultant in the development of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michael has been a featured speaker at numerous strength and conditioning and athletic training clinics across the world and has produced 20 instructional videos in the area of strength and conditioning available through M-F Athletic. Michael has also lectured all over the world. In addition, Michael published Functional Training for Sports for Human Kinetics Publishers. Mike and his wife Cindy have 2 children, Michaela and Mark, and reside in Reading. In this episode, Michael spoke with Mike about: Covid and how he and his team have used this last year to make his business better now than pre-covid Advice for being a life long learner in the fitness space The value of partnership Mentioned in this Episode: Follow Mike on Twitter and Instagram strengthcoach.com

About Jean-Claude: Jean- Claude Vacassin is the Founding Director of W10 Performance, the Professional Fitness Coaching Academy and the International Fitness Business Alliance.  In addition, he consults on corporate wellbeing programmes, as well as to personal trainers and other gym owners. He has worked with athletes, sports brands and film companies, on various projects, been featured in various national newspapers and magazines, and is regular contributor for The Telegraph and Women’s Fitness as their fitness expert. He also writes a blog for the Huffington Post. In this episode, Michael spoke with JC about: Why he’s optimistic about the future of fitness facilities How resiliency makes a business better The importance of transparency with clients and employees

Mark and Michael are back with another bonus episode of the season. In this episode, Mark and Michael discuss: Inbox Management Quarterly Goal Setting and planning and why it's important

About Trina: Trina Gray is recognized worldwide as a passionate leader in the fitness industry. She is a successful health club owner, business mentor, and presenter. Trina has owned Bay Athletic Club, a medical-based health club, and Bay Urban Fitness, a large group training studio, for 15 years. She also founded Team Rockstar Fit, an online coaching team of thousands of fitness professionals who partner with Beachbody®. She is the recipient of the first-ever IDEA Fitness Leader of the Year award, the Top 10 Small Business of the Year award in Michigan, the CEO Award from Beachbody and the Outstanding Community Service Award from IHRSA. She is a savvy entrepreneur and mom of teens, who loves paddle boarding, lake life, workouts and sunsets. In this episode, Michael spoke with Trina about: How she sets boundaries in her life How to own your decisions as a leader How she balances vulnerability and confidence Mentioned in this Episode: The Life Coach School Untamed Limitless The Compound Effect Everything is Figureoutable You are a Badass Essentialism teamrockstarfit.com bayathleticclub.com Follow Trina on Instagram Follow Bay Athletic Club on Facebook

About Matt: Matthew Weaver is the founder of Results Transformation Center. His gym has thousands of Sacramento, Reno, Sparks, Elk Grove, Folsom, Rancho Cordova, Rocklin, and Roseville residents lose over a half million pounds. His gyms have helped people young and young and heart get into the best shape of their lives. In this episode, Michael spoke with Matt about: How to cultivate a beginners’ mindset as a leader Lessons learned while scaling to multiple locations How to find the right people for your team while scaling