HALO Talks

Jared has been in the HALO sector for over 10 years. He's a native Houstonian and scaled Dynamic Fitness to 3, full service locations ranging from 30-35,000 sq feet. "It was a whole lot harder than what I thought it would be. Overwhelming would be an understatement!" he joked. "It's about learning from each mistake that's made and continuing to move forward." Listen to learn more about Dynamic's model and how they continue to set themselves apart in one of the most competitive cities in the country.   

The National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA) is, by a large margin, the industry leader when it comes to educating top tier strength coaches who--many times--later go on to work with colleges, universities, and teams nationwide. They've educated over 30,000 professionals so far and operate as a non-profit. "We want to stay at the principle level and make sure that everything we're sharing is evidence based and backed by science," states Nick Clayton, the PT Program Manager.  Listen now to learn more.  

A 30+ year veteran in the fitness industry, Dr. Kevin Steele earned his Ph.D at Pepperdine and had a personal training business even before there was even a term for it! Dr. Steele taught and coached at the university, and continued in the HALO sector with the legendary Don Wildman, Founder of the Health & Tennis Corporation of America. Dr. Steele later went on to research and scale the first national platform for personal training to 370 health clubs nationwide. Listen now to learn more from this industry pro! 

As the Executive Vice President of the American Council on Exercise (ACE), Graham has been in the HALO sector since 1991. As a former competitive cyclist with a BS in Athletic Training, he notes, "Our Mission, really simply stated, is to get people moving." With over 90,000 certified professionals in 100 different countries thus far, ACE continues to make its mark. As a non-profit, ACE is also self-funded with no external grants--and that puts them in a very unique position in an industry whose educational requirements has changed quite a bit over the years. Listen now to learn more.  

"The industry is now embracing and accepting the space between medicine and fitness," states Lisa Dougherty, Founder of the MedFit network and--clearly--a woman on a mission! Like many of the best businesses, MedFit Network evolved organically from (an extremely important!) need that had yet to be met. It is now the largest directory of fitness professionals on the Internet who work with special populations. Last year, Lisa took this on the road and started the Medical Fitness Tour and was acknowledged by the Obama administration as a "Champion of Change." Listen to learn more about this incredibly worthy cause and how your club can get involved. 

"I wanted to become the greatest we could become in one town and through influence, be able to affect the world," says Joe Cirulli. . .and he's done exactly that. Everyone in the HALO sector knows Joe's name. He's been a trusted Mentor, adviser and friend to many of the top people in the industry and is highly respected across the board. He worked for 6 clubs that all went bankrupt before borrowing $1,700 to get his start. Gainesville is now ~80,000 sq feet with over 28,000 members and 500 employees. This should be required listening for absolutely everyone in the HALO sector.

Chuze Fitness currently has 25 locations with 8 under construction and is one of the foremost brands in the San Diego area. Started by two families, Nick and Cory's parents were business partners in the hospitality space who parlayed that into the HVLP sector. This highly experienced team only decided to take on private equity on their 14th location. They operate off the maxim, "We want to be the best, we don't want to be the biggest." Learn more about this great brand has firmly secured their position in one of the most competitive fitness markets in the country. 

Club Insider has become the "gatekeeper of the industry's history," says President Justin Cates. . . and anyone who truly knows the HALO space knows he's not exaggerating! If you haven't yet had the pleasure of meeting Justin's Dad, Norm. . .perhaps you haven't been around long enough and you're missing out! Industry icon, Norm Cates, is one of the Founders of IHRSA with 44 years under his belt and began Club Insider in 1993 from the ground up. Justin spent the past 11 years working with his Dad to take things to the next level and by all accounts, they have succeeded! Listen now to learn more about this great team, Club Insider, the history of IHRSA, and some thoughts on the cyclical nature of the fitness world.    

"Selling fitness has always been incredibly intangible, you're kind of buying it on faith. . .we made it tangible. You can see the vision of your future self," says Daron Allen, CEO of Visual Fitness Planner. Selling memberships used to be "incredibly unprofessional" and has changed significantly from what it was 10 years ago. VFP has been at the forefront of this, with everything now being "API first." It's not uncommon for a facility to have a tech stack of 6-10 companies! Listen to learn more about where this trend-setting company is headed, how they can help you get more members. . .and keep them coming back! 

Sean has been in the HALO sector for over 15 years. He (along with inventor Don Brown) was instrumental in launching the Ab Roller which went on to earn over 1 billion dollars. Flash to the 2007 IHRSA where, with only two prototypes in hand, he debuted the Ab Coaster, which also went on to huge success! The Abs Company never took outside funds and--in this wide ranging discussion--Sean discusses everything from inventory management, media spend, infomercials, thoughts on business partners, and much more. 

Josh McCarter's background goes back to when a T1 line cost "thousands" to install and when AOL was first scaling their dial up service! And through it all he's been adamant that, "Education across the board is super important." MINDBODY became a leader in the online booking field by--among other things--constantly driving this point home. And as far as scaling a successful SaaS model, "It doesn't take a ton of money to create your own buzz and your own authority." Listen now to learn more about the trials and tribulations of building a software company, how the SaaS space has evolved for the HALO space, and more! 

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!