337. Continued search for a manager, handling interviews

Can the heart of a fitness business beat stronger with a change in leadership? Join us as we share our journey of reimagining staff roles in response to the evolving expectations of our members. The fitness world is experiencing a cultural shift where expertise in fitness techniques, nutrition, and injury prevention now takes precedence over traditional business skills. As we face this transformation, we confront the challenge of aligning management roles to meet these new priorities. Our current General Manager shines in sales and operations but lacks the hands-on fitness skills our clients increasingly seek. Together, we tackle the delicate task of re-evaluating our leadership strategy, with fairness and transparency at the forefront, to ensure that our team and our members thrive in harmony.

Reflecting on personal stories of gym closures that left us questioning stability, we delve into the emotional significance of finding a fitness community that feels like a sanctuary. Nathan's studio has been a beacon of hope, offering not just a space for exercise but a haven for building friendships and nurturing mental well-being. The commitment to preserving this unique environment is more than a goal—it's a pledge to those who rely on it as a source of comfort and empowerment. With the new school year approaching, we focus on planning for sustainable growth, driven by the passion to maintain this special place for all. Let's move forward with hope and determination to keep this community thriving.

Chapters

• 0:32 Transitioning Staff for Customer Satisfaction
• 8:11 Commitment to Wellness Studio Membership

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:32

Hello, hello. So here we are realizing I've been sensing just a cultural shift. Talking with staff, engaging with members, there's a desire for validation and approval from experienced staff. So basically, my GM right now very good at the business, sales operations side of the business. He's very, very green on the personal training, group, fitness, workout form, technique side of things. It's 10% of the role that that's needed.

Speaker 1: 1:08

But across the board that's the constant feedback that it's not what the people want, that's not what the paying customer is wanting from their high price experience, and so I don't get it. I don't agree with it. But if the business needs someone who's good at business and the members are clamoring and calling out for someone to lead on the fitness form, nutrition, injury prevention side of things, I need to provide that on some level. And so for the past, while I've been very lopsided on 90% knowledge in sales operation, business shrinkage protection and it needs to be more like 50% okay at business, 50% good at group fitness stuff, and so there's just a number of little weird things that people are doing. That is like slowly eroding at my management's confidence and desire to do the role. It's just, it wears on them, it's draining, it's emotionally expensive and ultimately just realizing okay, the gym I've got right now he's good at the role, however, it's not good for the long-term health of the business, and so just been talking with him figuring out how do we do this. I want to treat you right. I want to be fair. However, I keep getting negative feedback membership churn, unfair or not. I need, I need to start crafting a transition so you're not fired for negligence, for anything bad, but I need to start pivoting the business towards a different caliber. Gm, how do I do this right and do this fairly with you, because I don't want to blindside you. That's not fair, especially if you're doing your best. You're putting the time, but a change is going to be coming. So how do we, how do I work with you? And that was a risky conversation to have. But he's like hey, man, it sucks to hear, but I get it. I feel like I'm slowly being like discounted out by the members and people that, like, used to talk to me and engage with me. They're just like ghosting me, they're not interacting with me. It's, it's frustrating.

Speaker 1: 3:20

And so we've put out some stuff internally saying hey, we're hiring for management and shift leads and for cleaners and instructors, like across the board, we're looking for fresh blood, new blood folks to join the crew. We've had a handful of people raise their hands Some folks wanting to be involved in the management team, a few people wanting to be involved in the instructor side of things, which is very, very meaningful, and a couple of folks that want to do cleaning as well, and so my current GM is helping me figure out interviews, hiring and transitioning, and right now we're we've got a handshake agreement where we're going to help each other out. He's helping the business out, I want to help him with his career side of things, and it sucks because it's not fair. He's a good employee, he's doing the right things, he's engaged, he's involved with just a number of little nicks that are just not panning out, and so we're figuring that out on the fly. But I'm realizing the customer needs to feel satisfied. The staff need to feel supported, management needs to feel like people are supporting them and going to bat for them, and right now the customer is feeling ignored. The instructors feel like they're not being protected by some of the feedback that's coming around. It's just not a good fit, and it's not because of toxicity, it's not because of lack of business acumen. It's a lack of knowledge in a part of the business that people feel is required. So I may disagree with it but at the end of the day, if members are leaving because of it, I need to listen to the folks that are paying the bills. So we're currently looking for management and shift leads and instructors and cleaners just to shore up our staffing needs.

Speaker 1: 5:10

Right now it's middle August, so at least in Minnesota schools start. Some schools start in the next, like week or two. All the rest of the schools start like four weeks from now. So we're kind of in that end of summer People are done with like squeezing in their last vacation. They're thinking about the school year. They're starting to think long-term vision again. So right now, putting out feelers, people are thinking about okay, what does the next six months of my life look like? I'm ready to think long-term, not the Minnesota summer where everyone's kind of flaky on everything besides vacations and holidays and recreation. So that's where we're at right now.

Speaker 1: 5:46

It's uncomfortable because I don't think it's. I disagree with what the customer thinks they need right now and ultimately I need. I need my customers to be on board with the business, my instructors to be on board with the business. And there's just a. There's just enough like grinding of the gears and enough tension where a change has to pivot. So that's just a. There's just enough like grinding of the gears and enough tension where I change has to pivot.

Speaker 1: 6:07

So that's where we're at right now and realizing whoever I hire next has to be someone that gets group buy-in. I have to be able to work with them. I need to be able to take my direction and run with it, but they also need to be knowledgeable on group fitness kickboxing form. The members have to like them. Before I needed someone who was stellar at sales, and I still need someone who's good at sales. But instead of stellar, I'm willing to take a tradeoff for above average so that I can have more buy-in from Like. If you're creating your own perfect employee, I used to have it high sales, high inventory count, you know. So-so in group fitness experience I'd switch it up. Now I'd want above average sales, above average inventory, above average on group fitness, and so I'm shifting more of the emphasis to that side. So that's the current plan. That's something I should have done the first time around. Will employees want to work for this person? Will members buy into who this person is, and that's how I'm shifting my priorities. So that's where we're at. Uh, day job is going pretty well. Um, we're going to keep rocking. And's where we're at. Day job is going pretty well. We're going to keep rocking and rolling and we're going to keep this thing going as long as possible, because this thing is supposed to serve the community.

Speaker 1: 7:28

And whenever I talk to people about why they're at the studio, why they're at the gym, why they keep coming back for classes, why they want to engage with, getting involved with the staff, like half the time people tear up. Like the studio rescued people from a really dark place you know, someone mentioned it and I never heard it this way but someone who wants to like join the team. She said that she was hesitant to join in because she's had gym closure trauma. I kid you, not gym closure trauma. So I asked her like what is that? I think I know what that means, but tell me more. Like I haven't heard that phrase. She's like well, I was at this kickboxing studio and as soon as I got plugged in, three months later, they closed.

Speaker 1: 8:11

I then switched memberships and then, six months into being a member of some other place. They closed, and so so, like even just joining a gym, I had fear of abandonment and, like all the friends I make, all the classes I take, all the the good memories I have as soon as I join it dies. And so, being a member here at your studio, nathan, I've been a member for like a year, year and a half, and so I've just been like hanging on, waiting it out, and the place is still open. So now I'm willing to like step my toe in the water and be engaged and plugged in, and that just makes me want to double down and lock in, because I don't part of me doesn't want to contribute to the trauma.

Speaker 1: 8:52

But also there are folks that need a studio as like a place of therapy, a place of recovery, and not just a workout, but like building friendships where they don't get them elsewhere, to get some frustrations out, where they're not getting them handled at another spot, and ultimately like this is a place where people can be made better, not just from like better heart rate, better bmiMI stat, but like people are legitimately like better off than if the studio did not exist. And so that's another reason why I'm hanging on. There's always hope there's always a way forward and there's gonna be. Enough, like enough, little reminders that this, this is a fight worth fighting for. So that's a wrap. That's where we're going. Let's rock and roll.