HALO Talks

A 40+ year industry veteran, Andrew began his career with Joe Cirulli--where shirts and ties were required for Nautilus instructors. . "which was the only machine available back in the day," laughs Levine. "He didn't want us in athletic wear and we had to watch 50 training videos at the Nautilus HQ. If you didn't pass you weren't allowed to work for minimum wage. And you know what? We all fought for that job." Andrew become an equity partner at his first club at 21 and later ran Synergy Fitness in NY. As a highly seasoned operator, he's held nearly every job you can in a fitness club. His insights are incredibly valuable for anyone considering entering the field--or for those already in it.

Jersey Strong used to be called WoW (Work Out World.) The club (which was started by Stephen's Mom) eventually morphed into one of the most well known independent health club chains in New Jersey. Stephen Roma, Jr. began from the ground up and was instrumental in helping the club stay on the cutting edge of sales & marketing strategies. Learn how this family continues to remain on top, how they went through a major rebrand, how they make decisions as a team, advice for those just entering the field, and much more!

How do you avoid standard interview responses? What's a better way to give & receive feedback? How do you get comfortable as the company rapidly expands? What's the 'right' number of clubs for Area & Regional Managers? Shawn started in the HALO sector in 1994 and worked with Joe Cirulli for 20 years at the iconic Gainesville Health & Fitness, ". . . doing every job you possible can!" Currently the COO of 02 Fitness with 30 clubs in Raleigh/Durham area, this wide ranging discussion has something to offer anyone in the HALO space. 

With 20 years in the fitness industry and a former Danish national karate team member, Rasmus Ingerslev is a pioneer in helping to spread (and change the perception of fitness) in Denmark and other European countries. In 1999, his first venture became the largest club group in the country. Fresh Fitness, his next project, now has 75,000 members. He started the Danish Fitness Organization and helped remove the stigma of fitness as something "just the beautiful people did" to one a lot more approachable and far less intimidating. Listen now to learn more from this seasoned industry veteran!

"The best ideas are the ones people struggled with themselves, and suddenly had that epiphany of a great solution. If they had this problems, probably someone else did as well!" states Randy Hetrick. A 14 year veteran of the Navy SEALS,  TRX (which--fun fact--was initially called Travel Fit) was born out of necessity while deployed. Randy's invention is now part of the DNA of the HALO sector. Learn more about how he got started, the origin of the name, staying true to your brand, what happens when you bring on a growth equity partner, possible red flags to watch for, and more!

"My motivation is to change the way people look at and experience life," states UFC Gyms President Adam Sedlack. A long time industry veteran, Adam moved 20 times in his career with 24 Hour Fitness. He jokes, "Initially, I thought UFC Gyms was a terrible idea!" Only after seeing a fight camp and the incredible number of people involved in making a fighter "the best version of himself" did he realize this could be fantastic for the layperson as well. In this wide ranging discussion on everything from high volume-low price clubs, to kids classes, to distinguishing your brand in a crowded market,  there's great info here anyone in the HALO sector will find useful. Enjoy!  

Mike opened his Paramus, NJ location in 1992. As a former finance executive, he and his partner Art mused, "There was just something about bringing the California mystique to New Jersey that made us check out Gold's." Instead of going "out" however, the team decided to go "in." As opposed to growing for growth's sake, 26 years later Gold's Paramus is an integral fixture in the community. "We found the gym to be the perfect vehicle to give back and make an actual difference in people's lives." Listen now to learn more and be ready to get inspired! 

"He & she who change the most number of lives, wins," state Don & Tammy Murphy. Don grew up in the industry. It was a family affair, always a part of his life, and he learned it from the ground up. Tammy is a former CPA and finance executive who entered the business a bit later. They continue to make massive strides in their community with two Gold's facilities in Middletown and Newburgh, NY. The award winning facility in Middletown is the only one of its kind in the area with 50,000+ square feet! Listen now to learn more about the future plans from this incredible team! 

With 30+ years in the beauty & skin care industry, Denise knows how to build and scale massive consumer brands from the ground up. How do you take a concept from PowerPoint to something on the shelf? "Success is a little bit of magic, a lot of discipline, and a lot of hard work. Everything begins with an idea, inspiration, or concept," she states.  In an industry with very low barriers to entry, what can you do? How do you build a moat around your product? How do you deal with the 600lb gorilla in the room? Listen now to learn more from this seasoned veteran.      

Formerly with World Bank and now at Bain since 2011, Chris discusses a (fairly) new type of instrument private equity firms are using these days--an Impact Fund. "We're not pretending our investment of 10-15 million per business will change the obesity epidemic or solve global warming. However, what we can do is help fund scalable models which can be one of the hopefully many things to eventually get to that point," he states. Bain is already invested in game changing brands like by CHLOE and others. This is a must-listen for any entrepreneur with a mission driven management team who wants to get to the next level & what it takes to possibly get through the door. 

As a Portfolio Manager in Emerging Markets at Blackrock for over 8 years, Nicholas effectively created his own "HALO portal" within the massive organization. Certainly not an easy feat in a company with over 14,000 employees! How he did it, and how he went about navigating the twists and turns politically is incredibly useful advice for anyone facing similar challenges within their corporate culture. For anyone who thinks, "Something like this could never be done where I work!" this episode is the inspiration you've been searching for!     

"We launched for a very simple reason: It was way too hard to find a great pair of workout shorts!" laughs Keith Nowack, Founder of Ten Thousand. They're now growing at a fantastic clip and Keith and team team remain, "Focused on profitability and not just raising capital every 12 months!" A former pro soccer player and seasoned entrepreneur & investor, Keith highlights the highs and lows that come with starting & growing a business and offers some tips on how to endure! "Being an entrepreneur, being a founder, is lonely. Nobody talks about it, but it is!" 

Macrolease has been serving clients in the HALO sector since 1969. Equipment financing has always been a critical part of the industry and Sal Venuto--VP at Marcrolease--is a 20 year veteran and has seen the evolution first hand. "It's a dynamite industry to be involved with," he says. "Operators are getting much more sophisticated. People call us early on in the process now, even sometimes before they sign their franchise agreement." Listen to learn more about this critical part of the HALO world. 

"Learning how to write is universal. It's never going anywhere," states John Romaniello. John has been named "Top 100 Most Influential People In Fitness." He wrote his first article in 2002 and now, with several e-books, courses, sites, a best seller, and a few thousand clients to his credit, John serves as a writing mentor and business coach. In one of our more philosophical HALO Talks, John discusses content creation, food-culture connection, trends, how he evaluates business opportunities and more!

"How we're accessing fitness has evolved. In the past, 2% of gym members were buying other fitness experiences. Now it's over 25%," says Founder and 20+ year fitness veteran and marketing & media executive Joanna Stahl. "I'm going to be in Houston tomorrow, what cycling class should I go to?" It was questions like these she'd get from friends that were never easily answered. Go2Practice was born out of that and now--with 100,000+ gyms on the site--it makes it simple for consumers to search, book and buy from gyms nationally. Learn more about this innovative (and long overdue!) business and how your club can get involved. 

First Credit is a leading company in the Accounts Receivable space with an impressive, 25 year history. They work with over 4,000 clubs and have integrations with all the main point of sale providers. "This is usually only a $100-$200 bill. It just needs a talk. We're a non-threatening, consultative, member engagement retention model with a soft approach. We never threaten legal issues. We're against arguments!" states CEO Raj Chhabria. With a refreshing difference in an industry that (may) not always have the best reputation, Raj's unique leadership and philosophy continue to make First Credit a leader in their field.

Workout Anytime began in Douglasville, Georgia in 1999 with a converted, 3,200 square foot facility. After 10 months, they had $800,000 in receivables and "knew we were on to something," said Co-Founder John Quattrochhi. "We had no idea we'd be franchising one day either!" he states. They sold their first franchise in 2006 and now have over 100 nationally. The company was built "one brick at a time" and--like any entrepreneur--certainly had their share of setbacks. Listen to learn more about this company's incredible story & growth!

"Why wouldn't you give free sessions? It doesn't cost you anything!" is an incorrect and unfortunately, all-too-common refrain that 22+ year industry veteran Zach Lucas hears often. "We've seen studies that show people prefer incentives 3 to 1 over discounts!" The results that Promotion Vault customers are seeing clearly bear that out. Zach is very passionate about educating the industry about the multi-billion dollar incentive world. Promotion Vault works with all the major chains, integrates with all major point of sale providers, and is in over 2,200 locations in the USA and Canada. Listen now to learn more about using this highly powerful tool in your facility.   

86% of athletes recruited into their first jobs are promoted within 18 months. However, 64% are graduating without a job in hand. 97% are not receiving a job through relationships with the Athletic Department either. The Athlete Book is going to change all of this & will connect athletes to employers in a way that's never been done before. It's the brainchild of Ryan Drummond, former captain of his lacrosse team at the University of Delaware and veteran in the recruiting world. Amazon, GE, Under Armor, Mass Mutual, Yelp, JP Morgan Chase are already customers. This game-changing platform plans to remake how D1, D2, and D3 athletes transition into the work world.