AFS – The Association of Fitness Studios – is the organization for small/boutique studios and it's my recommendation that Indoor Cycling Studio owners become members.
It's free to join as a basic member – register here.
In this episode of the Podcast, AFS founder Josh Leve and I discuss the many benefits of AFS membership. Learn why I feel joining the Association of Fitness Studios (AFS) is an important step for all Indoor cycling studio owners.
Here's Josh giving a short pitch on the benefits of membership.
Well we made it. One hundred and fifty miles, most of it sitting up front pulling our team. Amy and I have a new appreciation for what battling a continuous 20 mile an hour headwind feels like, over 70 miles – exhausting!
In past years, it was always our objective to get out as early as possible. Much of the first day is on paved railroad bike path, which can get pretty crowded. For some reason on Saturday the team decided to take a more leisurely time getting ready. Instead of our typical 6 AM start, we rolled out a little after 7:00. Not a good idea, especially when you tend to ride much faster than 80%-90% of everyone else on the ride. So we passed a lot of people and observed hundreds of bad bike fittings – some appearing to be incredibly inefficient and painful, which led to this idea…
Missed marketing opportunity for studio owners!
I've commented in the past how I see large charity cycling events as the perfect place to be promoting your Indoor Cycling studio. The MN event had over 3,500 participants and everyone is a potential customer. With over 100 Bike MS events scattered around the United States there's bound to be one near you.
I appears that the MS Society accepts two types of sponsors; paid promotional partners and in-kind sponsors. If you have a very well-funded indoor cycling studio it may make sense for you to investigate sponsoring a rest stop or a booth at one of the and points. The other way to get yourself in front of the 3,500 cyclists is to provide an in-kind service of some type. The best example would be the bike shops that provide maintenance and repairs at each of the rest stops. At the end of day-one there are a number of massage therapists and chiropractors offering their services to tired, but grateful, participants.
“But I'm an Indoor Cycling Instructor John… I can't fix bikes or massage tired muscles… what else could I do?”
Provide complementary bike fittings 🙂
Now this is just me thinking here, but if I owned a studio I'd look into providing complimentary bike fit services at the end of the first day. Trust me. there are hundreds and hundreds of clueless people, who would benefit dramatically in some simple adjustments to seat height. That might be all I would offer. If you found someone with a horribly wrong seat fore and aft position you may offer to change it or you may make some cleat adjustments. But with hundreds of potential fittings, I would be focused on quantity rather than quality. You may want to bring along a few turbo trainers to hold each bike while you check seat height. A few end wrenches, bicycle multitool and a small level + a few assistants to help would be all you need.
Your target would be the occasional rider. This event is probably the single largest ride they may ever do in their lifetime and they will appreciate any help that will improve their experience. Your service would not be directed toward the typical road bike rider who has the experience to recognize the importance of proper bike fit. You may want to set up a booth at registration with some simple signage explaining the service you provide. My guess is that you wouldn't get a lot of takers until after that first 80 mile day 🙂
Think Burma Shave signage.
You have a captive audience riding this paved trail
A series of inexpensive yard signs, positioned along the last 10 or 15 miles, with some clever verbiage that communicates how much more comfortable you would be properly fitted to your bicycle. You would have literally thousands of suffering people open to your promised relief. After all, they have tomorrow to think about… And many are dreading the thought of day two.
Leverage the event
The local TV stations love these active, feel-good events. Before I left for my class Monday morning, our local station ran a long segment about this past weekend's event. Reporters loved to be tipped off about interesting things they can talk about. If you called and pitched them about the importance of proper bike fit and how it makes for a more enjoyable long distance ride, there's a good chance they might bite on it. Your pitch is nothing about you or your studio, only about the service that you're providing to others. TV reporters know the game and it's natural for them to want to plug you and your studio in their report. With any luck you may end up on television and get the opportunity to invite tens of thousands of people to come and ride indoors with you!
Congratulations! You have decided to take the leap and open an Indoor Cycling studio…you're not alone.
Dedicated Indoor Cycling studios are growing in popularity and numbers. Owning an Indoor Cycling studio is FUN and like any other new small business adventure, not without obstacles.
Let’s assume that you've done all your research, found the perfect location, pulled permits, hired an architect, created a logo, chosen your bikes, learned new software, stayed true to your vision and spend 3X your budget. You are fully prepared to greet the new generation of Indoor Cyclists armed with state of the art equipment, and a team of instructors eager to show it all off.
Are you really ready?
Do you have what it takes to navigate “old school” customer service firedrills like a clogged toilet with a smile, as well as modern day stereo/microphone issues, also with a smile?
Are you prepared for the technology based firedrills of tomorrow that accompany power measurement, real time leader-boards, data tracking, and wireless internet? Indoor Cycling Technology(ICT) issues are common in a brand new studio. It's not a matter of if they are going to pop up. It's a matter of when.
My name is Karen and I am the self proclaimed spokesperson for Keeping It FUN Indoor Cycling. I'm excited to share my Keeping It FUN approach to ICT firefighting while never losing sight of the customer and of course, always having FUN.
1. View every issue as a challenge … never a problem.
Each issue that crosses your path is nothing more than a “First World Problem,” for which you are grateful. and therefore, not a real problem at all. challenge is an opportunity for you to learn and grow. You have the power, as a studio owner, to turn any negative into a positive by how you choose to fight the fire. You also have the ability to turn a frustrated, perhaps angry customer into a lifetime customer.
2. Never let them see you sweat in a world of sweat…
In the event of a fire, customers are more likely to remember how you handled the situation and how you made them feel rather than the problem itself. View every customer complaint as an opportunity to EARN a rider's business. Upset customers need to be listened to and often become your most loyal clients.
3. In the event of a customer complaint, stick with… Keeping It FUN's 10 Commandments Of Customer Care…
Apologize
Say “Thank You” for bringing up the concern
Ask the customer to explain the issue in their own words
Listen to the customer through their eyes
Empathize…”I completely understand why you feel this way.”
Acknowledge the concern (big or small) as a legitimate concern
Explain how the issue will be resolved/handled
Assume full responsibility for the issue
Apologize (again) with sincerity
Thank the customer (again)
4. Recognize that the power may be in the palm of someone else's hand…
Be prepared for ICT issues, software glitches, and unsolved mysteries that you have no control over. Accept the fact that you are at the mercy of someone else's schedule.
5. Document, document, document…
When something breaks…document it every time.
6. Treat your ICT PowerPartners as part of your team…because they are…
It is what it is. ICT issues are likely to require third party involvement. In order to find the quickest resolution, you must be allies with your ICT PowerPartners. Provide the team with as much detailed information as possible regarding your issue. Be prepared to help them troubleshoot and provide them with well documented information. Show them respect and gratitude.
7. Adopt the Keeping it FUN Worry Scale of 1-10
Starting with 10 rate all real or hypothetical issues/problems on a scale of 1-10.
Below is an example:
10. Catastrophic loss of multiple family members
9. Loss of a child
8. Loss of spouse/family member
7. A life altering accident
6. Fill In
5. Your
4. Own
3. Blanks
2. ICT Firedrills
1. Which lululemon Pace Setter skirt will I wear, today?
The Keeping It FUN Worry Scale is fool proof and guaranteed to help you catch any ICT curveball that gets thrown your way!
I had the honor and privilege of working for, training under, and calling friend Mad Dogg Master Instructor_____________. In 2002, she taught me the power of words.
SB, from my heart to yours,
Thank you for sometimes telling me I had to do it your
way and supporting when I wanted to do things my way.
But, most of all, Thank You for teaching me to choose the
Word “resistance” over tension. Because of you, I may
Cue a Steep hill something like this…
“I invite you to let all your tension go.
Tension, weighs us down, holds us back, and makes it harder to breathe.
Resistance, both in life and on this hill makes us stronger. Close your eyes.
Relax your shoulders. Heart center forward and climb. Without changing
cadence, add reistance that makes you push back and fight harder.”
Today, 12 years later and 1500 miles away, her voice is heard in the words I choose when I teach. It’s a powerful lesson that extends beyond Indoor Cycling. The words we choose are more powerful than any ICT malfunction.
There will always be resistance, but you don’t have to have tension. Your customer’s response mirrors your response. If you smile and have FUN going over new studio speed bumps, they will too.
Hi, my name is Kathy Helmuth and I am excited to share a wonderful new program called Parkinson’s Indoor Cycling.
UPDATE September 25, 2014:
We are now offering an ACE approved Parkinson’s Cycling Coach training program. To learn if you qualify click here.
As group cycling instructors, we try to educate and encourage success in our indoor group cycling classes. We see those moments of achievement and we are excited for the participants who have reached their goals. In the Parkinson’s Cycling Coach classes, those moments of achievement are multiplied by 10.
Parkinson’s Disease can rob a person of smell, facial expression, movement, and flexibility.
Imagine this…. A person with Parkinson’s Disease comes into your indoor cycling class using a cane or a walker. He or she registers for the program, completes the necessary paperwork, and goes through the initial testing. You notice that this individual shows very little expression on their face.
After riding a few classes being coached at the proper intensity and cadence, that individual no longer needs a cane or walker. That person is walking with an improved gait and has better balance and flexibility. They have a smile and some expression back on their face!
Or imagine this…. a person diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease not being able to smell the aroma of chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven. After a few Parkinson’s Cycling classes, that individual can now able to smell and taste those delicious cookies.
I have really enjoyed the opportunity to help these Parkinson’s individuals feel better and move through their daily activities with greater ease.
“Feeling normal” is the way one of our riders describes why she loves this program. In my interview with Sharon in the video above, she says that the pedaling class makes her “feel normal….like everyone else”.
I hope this helps ignite the compassion you have for helping others. Seven to ten million people have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease around the world.
If we could provide you with the training you needed, would you be willing join us as a Parkinson's Cycling Coach?
We'll be offering a coaching certification in early October.
Why is it some crazy ideas don't sound so crazy, once somebody is actually doing it?
For example; who would have thought holding Indoor Cycling classes in a movie theater would be a good idea?
He considered turning it into a recreation center, or a ropes course. But instead, he decided to follow the trend set by Flywheel and SoulCycle, two indoor cycling businesses that regularly sell out classes on summer weekends in nearby East Hampton and add a spin studio to his auditorium. At a cost of around $35,000, Mr. Rutkowski, opened up a few rows of seats, bought a sound and lighting system and 25 spin bikes and did a little cosmetic construction, mostly on his own.
“Now it looks like an orchestra pit,” Mr. Rutkowski said. Bikes are covered during movie screenings.
To make the transition, Mr. Rutkowski hired a consultant named Bill Pryor, who opened Spynergy studios in his hometown of Wellesley, Mass., and outside Chicago, in January 2005. Mr. Pryor said he has helped independent entrepreneurs on over 200 business plans in the last 2½ years. On average, he charges $4,000 per client; up to $10,000 if he is helping them from the ground up.
“A lot of studios are adding video to their classes,” said Mr. Pryor, who previously worked in the tradeshow industry. “But I've never seen anything like David's done.”
Bill Pryor is a long time friend and contributor here at ICI/PRO. Back in 2010 I interviewed Bill about the potential of starting an Indoor Cycling Studio and we are aware of dozens of new studio startups who found their initial inspiration from this Podcast.
After the expense of outfitting a room full of Indoor Cycling bikes, the cost of leasing the actual space for the studio is the biggest expense. And that's if you can find a suitable place to rent. Loud music is a part of any class and many stripmall neighbors aren't super excited to listen to hear Armin Van Buuren blasting at 95dBs during your 9:30 am class.
Movie theatres play loud soundtracks/music everyday. They have a bunch of parking (another big concern) and most importantly, they have holes in their schedules when they aren't showing movies. Virtual cycling classes using videos are all the rage for Indoor Cycling classes and movie theatres already have a big screen 🙂
Sounds like this could be a match made in Hollywood!
The owner of the private movie house in your town probably knows nothing about Indoor Cycling. But I'll bet they know their cash flow and may be open to a conversation where you bring some additional $$$ into her/his business.
My guest for this episode of the Podcast is Studio Owner Leslie Grosshauser.
Leslie launched S & L Tri-Cycle Fit Studio on the first of the year. I was excited to learn from her about a number of decisions she made, to differentiate her offering from other fitness competitors.
Key among them were the purchase of Schwinn AC Performance cycles and the Performance IQ on-screen display system of each rider's Power and Heart Rate metrics.
Here's more about Leslie Grosshauser
Leslie has been teaching and training in the fitness Industry for over 25 years. Inspiring the world to workout and have fun are the key ingredients in all of Leslie’s program. Leslie has a wide variety of experience ranging from Managing and Directing Group Exercise and Personal Training in Hospital based centers, National Fitness Chains and small Boutique studios.
Leslie loves the world of competition and that is why she is so passionate about S&L Tri-CycleFit studio. Leslie has always had a vision to create a place where people can get a great workout, have fun and fulfill their competitive edge. Leslie has been teaching indoor cycling for over 15 years, loving every minute of the ride, she has created several creative formats to keep people smiling and coming back for more!
Leslie is currently a Master trainer for Polar Electro, The Cardio GX Program, she is also a Master Trainer and Presenter for the Hollywood workout “Piloxing”, Leslie is also a Fitness Educator/Presenter for SCW Fitness Education where she presents several of her own programs and educational seminars around the United States. Leslie has presented at several of the major Fitness industry Tradeshows such as IHRSA, Club Industry, Athletic Business Conferences and several others. Leslie has presented Internationally for FreeMotion Fitness where she launched the Group Free Motion program that she created.
Leslie was the 1999 National Aerobic Champion and also competed in the world of Body Building. Leslie loves the connection that the group classes create and that is why she has dedicated her life to designing fun group exercise programming.
