Candid Manager - Kim Mortson, Mt. Albert, Ontario
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| Kim Mortson | |
| Body Design | |
| Mt. Albert, Ontario | |
| www.bodydesign.ca | |
How did you become a personal training studio owner?I started Body Design about five years ago because of my own personal story. When I was approaching 40, I weighed 207 pounds and was very unhappy with the way I looked and felt. I started Weight Watchers to lose weight, and at the same time I also started walking. The walking moved into power walking and then to running. I found that when I got active and stayed active, I steadily lost more weight. I lost almost 60 pounds within 10 months (and have maintained that weight loss for over seven years). When I realized that I was missing strength training, I bought a stability ball and dumbbells.
When friends and relatives starting asking how I lost the weight and was keeping it off, I told them it wasn’t a magic formula but simply a combination of healthy eating and regular exercise. These comments and questions prompted me to believe there was a market for fitness and weight loss in my small town, especially for older women. I became certified as a personal trainer, fitness consultant and nutrition and wellness specialist.
I opened my studio in the basement of my home. We have a treadmill, home gym, bench, free weights, body bars, stability balls, medicine balls, bands, etc. I also take clients outside for cardio such as walking, urban poling, running, etc. We offer one-to-one training in our studio and group exercise classes off-site.
My community is about 2,500 people, but I draw upon a much wider geographic area. Initially, the small marketplace was a concern, but I soon found that in rural communities people are used to commuting. My closest direct competitors (other trainers and a gym) are about 15 minutes away
Initially, I financed the business with a personal line of credit. After purchasing all the equipment for the studio and doing some renovations, I remember lying in bed with my husband and bursting out crying. I was petrified that I had put our family in a considerable amount of debt and was unsure I had done the right thing. My husband said, “Don’t worry, everything you do always turns out great. We’ll be fine.” He was right.
What’s the smartest thing you’ve done?
After I did my market research and business plan, I decided to start conservatively. I worked full-time and did personal training part-time. The business grew quite quickly, and after about 10 months I left my non-fitness job to concentrate on the studio full-time.
I’ve also learned to delegate and let others do the things I’m not good at. It’s a better use of my time and money. I use a bookkeeper for my bank reconciliations, a writer for my newsletters, a graphic designer for my marketing materials, an administrative assistant to manage group exercise classes, a trainer who works one day per week and leads a number of classes, and four instructors who teach most of our classes. They are all experienced, qualified staff who reflect my business philosophy.
What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made?
I can’t say I’ve made any big mistakes, but there are two issues that I’m continually working on.
One is saying ‘no’ which is sometimes necessary to keep my business and family life in balance. It’s easy to work long hours in a home-based environment. I set regular training hours (I won’t train in the evenings or on weekends). I try not to return phone calls or emails after hours.
The other issue I’m constantly aware of is not undervaluing our services. Potential corporate clients and personal training clients sometimes ask for reduced rates, but I’ve learned to stick to our rates. We deliver excellent services that are superior to our competition, and we deserve to be compensated accordingly.
What’s been your biggest challenge as a club owner?
My biggest challenge is finding trusted mentors with whom to discuss my business. When you’re self employed it can be very isolating. You often have to make decisions on your own without the input of others. I haven’t been able to find a formal fitness business networking group, so I’ve formed a Mastermind group with a small group of trusted business associates. We meet monthly to candidly discuss our businesses, offer support and advice, and discuss trends and issues within the marketplace.
What have you discovered to be the key to effective leadership?
Keeping the lines of communication open with staff is very important. I communicate with everyone by email almost daily, attend our group fitness classes to assess customer service and to get feedback from clients and staff, and try to have regular meetings. I let everyone know what is going on in the business and recognize individual achievements with incentives. I have also started taking my staff on yearly business retreats to brainstorm, discuss new business opportunities and review potential problems.
When staff feel they are part of the process and valued, it builds a team atmosphere which builds loyalty and commitment.
What do you like most about this business?
I love watching the positive impact our services have on our clients’ quality of life. They tell us they have more energy, are sleeping better and are just feeling better in general. After a short while, they begin to lose weight and become more toned. I really feel we are doing our job when weight loss goals (if that was a goal) slip down the priority list and members are exercising regularly and eating well because they just want to.
What’s the best advice you have for new club owners?
- Create a business plan. Research your market, know your competitors and know how you stack up against them.
- Know your market niche and how are you will communicate it to your potential market.
- Re-evaluate your business on a yearly basis, and do ROI’s on the various services you offer to be sure you’re devoting time to the appropriate areas. You may need to drop something if it’s not making money.
- Know your own strengths and weaknesses, and outsource the things you aren’t good at.
- Keep your finances up to date. You need to know where you are so you can make sound business decisions.
What plans do you have for the future?
We’re in the process of opening another location. It’s time to move the business out of the home and into a larger space where we can accommodate more clients and staff. We are also redesigning our website to offer more service options for our clients. We will continue to deliver superior customer service and products that meet our clients’ needs. That means not getting stale and not being satisfied with what we’re doing. We’re looking forward to setting the bar higher and being the best personal training business in our marketplace.
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