Success In Spite of 2020

All right, we are live. Uh, thanks for joining us today or watching us in the replay. Um, today I have Billy with us. Billy is a very busy entrepreneur. He has a couple gym locations. Um, he does, uh, some corporate wellness stuff, which we're going to get into. Um, he also does other types of coaching for gym owners and other business owners. He's very entrepreneurial, um, and he's successful, which is one of the reasons why I wanted to have Billy on here. Billy and I met at a ProfitCon event for— it's an event for Profit First professionals, and we really hit it off. And so today we're going to talk to Billy about some of the stuff he's experienced as a successful gym owner. So Billy, thanks for being here.

Absolutely, man. And the only other thing you didn't mention was the 4 little kids, which keep me busier than anything else. But I'm happy to be on. I remember meeting you and just connecting really well, and I'm glad we were able to kind of continue, uh, Yeah.

So, let's start right off with the COVID stuff. You know, all gym owners, we've had to go through this experience, and depending on the states we've been in, some have had it way worse than others. So, you have 2 locations. Tell us what happened with COVID and how did you choose to pivot?

I'm not sure. COVID? What is that?

No.

So, actually, I don't know if you mentioned, but I'm in New York, and You know, like you said, it just ranges because I have friends, good friends, like I have a group of guys that we meet every week and we're all over the country. And, you know, it's just interesting to see how different it is for everybody. Some, you know, much less affected. Everybody affected, I would say, but everybody affected at different levels and then even the different timing. So being in New York, I guess we were like the epicenter in this country when it first hit. So it was in March, obviously. I was away, which was crazy because we had a vacation planned. And we went. It wasn't— it was before anybody was told it was dangerous to travel. It was right— it was that exact week because we didn't fly back. That's how— right when we got there, it was like 2 days later, we went out to Georgia. And we got there like on a Thursday or whatever it was, and then that Monday was the big announcement of, you know, whatever it was, shutting down and all that. So, I had to shut the gyms down from Georgia while on vacation. So, yeah, I would say, to say there was a little bit of stress would be an understatement. But it, as we talked a little bit before recording, just like everybody else, you know, we had to kind of figure it out on the fly. I'm— I try to be pretty big on systems and, you know, working on the business and all that good stuff, but there really wasn't a system for, you know, a worldwide pandemic. So, we kind of just had to figure it out on the fly. You know, I felt like— Some of the things we did well, of course, you know, there's things we didn't do well, but some of the things we did well were communication was huge. So I think it was like a daily basis we're doing Zooms with the team and just kind of just trying to keep everybody from, you know, going totally crazy and just saying, hey, not, not that I would lie, but it's like, hey, we're going to make a plan and we're going to get through this. And, you know, I didn't want to obviously sugarcoat it. It was going to be, it was going to be difficult.

But at that point, honestly, we didn't know.

We didn't know.

how bad it would be. We didn't know, like everybody else, we didn't know how long. We're like, all right, we'll get shut down for a couple weeks, it'll suck, but then we'll get back. And then fast forward, it was at least 6 months, 6 full months that we were completely shut down. I believe that's the longest anywhere in the country where somebody was shut down for that length of time. We were like in the worst possible scenario because it was New York. And, um, What was the other thing? It was, it was in New York and the, uh, the, you know, when they do the different, uh, what's it called, like the—

Their phases?

Yeah, different phases. We were not even in a phase. So it was like really, uh, you know, at some, some level it was, it was very scary because it was at one point we were phase 3 and then we like dropped from phase 3, but then we weren't in phase 4. And then we're like, all right, well, that's everybody. Like, where are we? It was like us and I think movie theaters. It was like a couple of types of businesses that were just like not allowed to open indefinitely. So we didn't even have a date. And they weren't giving us anything. So, we had no clue how long it would be. And then, not to get political, and I won't, but then sure enough, after all of that, it was like, you know what? We actually realized that gyms are not big spreaders. Well, thanks for telling us now after being closed for 7 months. So, I guess I got a little political, but that's the story of us being shut down. I know you want to know like what we did. So it was a lot of communication with the team and with the client. So I think, you know, more than anything, there was a lot of lessons through this time. So that's one thing I would encourage folks to do is to take time to really reflect on the lessons because, you know, it sucks to go through this, but what sucks even worse is to go through this but then not get better because of it.

Where we don't grow through the easy times, we grow through the difficult times.

times, but it's only by being intentional that we can do that. And I think just our clients knowing, and everybody says this, right? But like knowing that we were really there for them. People just, they need leadership, they need somebody to follow, and we're in a perfect position to provide that for them. And it's a very warranted service. You know, they need help with their, and it gets a little bit beyond, I guess, workouts, but just showing our clients we're there for them. So, we were like, you know, You know, just on the phone calling our clients, Zooms, texts, whatever it was. We, I know we assigned, you know, a coach to each client. Each client had a coach and they were responsible for them to keep them on track. And then, and then we had different phases. We started with, it was so on the fly that being in Georgia, we just started doing like live Zoom workouts. And I even told them, I said, hey, this is just till we actually get our heads wrapped around this. This is not the ultimate plan, you know? And I kept kind of, Kind of, what is it like, hanging the carrot in front of them? Like, you know, this is what we're doing, and, you know, trying to keep them in the loop and keep them somewhat excited for what we were doing. And then that lasted like 1 or 2 weeks, and then we started creating, you know, better plans, more accountability, which included everything from the— we basically just took what we did. So we specialize in small group personal training, which are groups of 2 to 6 people. And that was the main thing that we did. So we just basically took that ultimately, and that was the most successful for us. And I know that everybody's different and different clients react differently because I know some people did different things and didn't— this didn't work. But we just, we just took what we did and we just made it virtual. So people are doing everything else virtually anyway. And thankfully it took really well. There was obviously— it wasn't for everybody. Some people were just really against it, but by and large People were very pleased with us doing that. And it was a huge learning curve because we went from not doing that at all to doing that, you know, really, you know, all across the board. So, we did that. We did some other accountability program design. That's kind of like what we did with our gym clients. I know I'm saying a lot, but the other important piece was communication with landlords. I felt was something I did well. It didn't necessarily help a ton, but I think it was better than, better than not.

Yeah, that's interesting. We, um, we had some minor communications with our landlord as well, enough so that he actually just felt generous enough to, um, like cut our rent in half for a couple months and not ask for it on the back end, which we were willing to do. But I was like, yeah, great, thanks. Um, you did mention you did some things wrong you felt like didn't go well. I'm curious what those are.

So I don't know that I have like the actual fix for it, but one thing I would say is, is we did, we did well on the communication. But I would say, and I don't know if this is just par for the course, but there were some clients who, even though we felt like we were like over-the-top communicating, they just were like, they had no idea what was going on. So I felt like I had to find that, I had to find that balance between just being very open and honest with what we were doing without being super overly like, I hate to say too clear because that doesn't sound right. But I know like some, I know, I know some people, they said, oh, we're closed. We're stopping all of our clients' billing. And to me, that's like suicide. That's like business suicide. Like you're going to stop all your clients' business. You are totally done. How about, hey, we can't offer what we were offering you at the same, in the same way. However, we're going to do this and it's going to be really good, especially considering the circumstance. So we decided to do that. to go that route. And there was a little bit of confusion with, with not a ton, but it did create a lot of stress where there was such different reactions from people. You know, I had, I had it ranging from, you know, one guy that I'm thinking of, he said, listen, he goes, I'm not doing online. I'm not coming in, uh, for a while. I live, you know, to see my older elderly mother all the time and do not stop charging me, whatever you do. I don't need you to credit me. I don't need anything, you know? So we had ranging from that. to like the first day, you know, cancel my membership, you know, to, you know, to everything in between. So I feel like in hindsight, maybe navigating a little bit of a better way to, to really know where people were at. And again, I feel like, I do feel like we tried and just maybe a lack of experience, um, in, in, in really making sure people, people, people were so stressed out that I felt like even, even, you know, they don't even know what they, what they said, you know, hey, you said that, you know, this is what you wanted and now you're saying this. And I think that just happens and people stress, they're not used to dealing with it, and it comes out in weird ways. So that's one way. It's funny, it really stems to communication, even with the team, even though I felt like I was intentional about— I was, I was good at, at sort of being a positive leader, but I probably could have done better with certain expectations, you know, of how it was going to look moving forward. And And so, but it was, as you know, it was hard to navigate, but those are a couple of things that stand out.

I think this is great because what we had to deal with as gym owners during the scenario, we have just as much unknown as our members do. We're all getting the exact same information at the exact same time. Like, right? Like, how is your government going to respond? How did they respond? How are they getting that announcement out? Like, I'm in Utah, and it's not like they had some sort of like, oh, you're a gym owner, here's a place you can go to and we'll give you all the updated information.

No way.

You had to Google, what did the governor say today? Oh, the state put out this PDF on the different phases, and now I got to read through it. Like, we're getting the same information at the same time, and it's hard because we're the ones at the top and we're the ones that have to make the decision. And our clients don't necessarily think about that during these periods of unknown. So, um, I mean, if you're out there as a gym owner, you're listening to us, like, just know that there are other gym owners who are going through what you are going through. And, um, having someone you can talk to about that, that understands, that you can talk to without fear of them freaking out, uh, is really important. I, I think it's really important because certainly can't go to your members and say like, yeah, I don't know what my plan is.

Yeah.

Right? Because we had the same thing when we closed down. It's like, how long are we going to be closed for? I don't know. Could be a couple of weeks. I mean, I'm— because at that phase, most of us are still like, is this for real a thing? Like, and the NBA is stopping their season and March Madness is— what is going on? Like, really? This seems like a big overreaction. And then, you know, 8 months down the road, like, oh, but no one knew how long that was gonna last. So, yeah.

It's funny you said that because I actually found out about the closing from a client. I got— they texted me a link to the governor's, um, you know, address, and that's how I initially found out. And of course, I, you know, but you're right, I was on vacation. Yeah, I was like, and then I got a text.

Yeah.

Um, so one of the things we talked about too that you do really well Is corporate wellness. So I know when we talked about pivoting, and I feel like almost every, if not every, business coach that's in the gym space helping gym owners definitely talked about, well, you got to figure out how to do virtual. And some were more realistic about it than others, and some took a very systematic approach, and it worked for a lot of people. Didn't work for everybody, right? I You have members that sign up, they want the physical experience, they don't want the virtual experience. So I think there's just that nature of cycling through the members and what they want. But a pivot that I haven't heard talk about as much is this idea of adding corporate wellness into your gym services. So talk to us a little bit about your services and things you've learned and, you know, things you wouldn't do again.

Yeah, absolutely. That's one thing that has been such a, such a huge help And it's something I think we did well. And just to— this is kind of related to the previous discussion about, about, you know, pivoting. It was, it was like, what else can we do?

You know, it's like, what can we do, right?

We're all, we're all like, you know, pissed off because we can't do this, we can't do that, but what can we do? And I think that's a huge question to answer. It's like, what can we do given the circumstances? How can we serve our clients? What can we do to help them solve their problems? So this makes me, this makes me think of 2 things, but I'm gonna, I'm gonna get to what you just mentioned, which was the corporate, which was we actually had, we had a big corporate client before. They're a, not a bank, a credit union. And one of the bigger credit unions in our region, you know, very big, you know, the biggest, you know, very popular, big budget and everything else. And And they were our client, they were a huge part of what we did. And we got a memo from them before our shutdown, so it was 2 weeks prior. They're like really on top of things. Like, this is when people didn't even know what would happen. They sent a memo saying they need to cancel because of everything going on. They have to see what happens. They're just like over-the-top cautious, you know, we're not doing gatherings and all that. So they canceled. I was, I was, uh, I was, I was really sad about that. When I saw that memo, I was like, man, like, I, I, this is really getting real even though we haven't even been shut down yet. And that was, that's a significant revenue stream. And then, uh, all this played out and, and I'm really glad I did this. I just really started, uh, this is, this is, this is really interesting. So what I started doing was I said, you know what, I said, they're not, uh, they're not, uh, going to continue doing this as of now, but I'm going to offer them value anyway. So that's the approach that I took. And I don't know, I don't know like what triggered that. I guess I don't know if it was desperation or what, but I just, I just said, you know what, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna act like they're still paying us and I'm gonna try to figure out ways to give them solutions. So I just started doing a bunch of things and I didn't know what would stick or what wouldn't. I, you know, I was giving them, you know, I was letting them do Zoom workouts with us. I was, you know, I added them to some challenges that we did. We did like some, uh, some nutrition challenge that was set up through, you know, all these different, uh, emails and videos and all this stuff. So I added them to that and I kept doing stuff like that. And I, I can't remember like exactly what happened, but that was another thing that was a little bit, uh, ambiguous because we have like a very friendly relationship. And ultimately we just started providing them corporate training specific to, to them. It was like their own program. And it was like, all right, they're back, you know. And like, we started sending them invoices and they started paying. And it was like, you know, but I remember being a little unclear. I knew that they didn't— they weren't expecting us to do that. I knew that. But it was a little— there was a little bit awkward because it was like a couple-week period where we were kind of giving that to them, but we hadn't like established it. So, but it was like, you know, to give them even 2 weeks of, you know, free services to now— that's been 8 months. and they have continued, uh, to be a paying client. That was such a good investment. And I didn't, I didn't necessarily, you know, I wasn't necessarily thinking that way, but I just think there's a ton of value in— and it's a good reminder for me— is like, just treat them like they're clients even when they're not. And what's going to happen is they're going to realize the need and they're going to, you know, they're not going to go hit anywhere else. You know, they're going to go to the one that was really caring for them. So I feel like we should all do that for, you know, for all of our you know, our sphere, you know, our network and stuff like that. Sometimes they're not paying me, so I'm not, I'm not, you know, I'm not helping them. But obviously that's not the best attitude.

Yeah. So when you deliver your program, is it just customized workouts? Is there a nutrition component? What does that look like?

Yeah, honestly, um, it's like, I wish I could say it's this like super sexy, robust program. It's basically like what we're already doing, but it's just specific for them. I know there's a lot of like, I'm friendly with Greg Justice who runs like a corporate wellness certification and it's great. I actually went through it. Uh, and there's a lot of things that a lot of people do, but I just found that for them, it's just kind of like you said before, it's like you just filter through people and see what they want. We did— we, we have done a lot of different things with them, but at the end of the day, like, this is, this is what they wanted and what works for them. And, you know, now that we're talking, this is, this is, you know, it kind of makes you think, who knows, maybe I can offer them other things. And that's where maybe there's a little bit of a, you know, a little bit of that fear, which shouldn't be there, but it's like, man, we're in a pandemic and I'm going to start pitching them other services. But it's like, no, that's that's what we need to be doing. We need to be, you know, selling is not a bad word. We need to be offering our services. Uh, so, you know, who knows? Uh, but, but as of now, it's really just, it's just, uh, it's just personalized training.

I actually love that answer. Um, and I'll— here's a little side anecdote. I see so many times when a business owner, whether they're a gym owner or not, they like stop and halt their entire progress because they want the perfect business plan. It's got to be all laid out and perfect and sexy. And I think that same mindset can trap us as gym owners as well. It's like, well, what does this new program look like? Well, what do they do? I heard these people are doing it. Like, do what the person wants you to do. What does the client want?

Yeah.

It doesn't have to be super sexy.

It's—

you just said it, it's the same thing you're kind of doing just slightly customized for their needs. It's not, you didn't go out and spend a whole bunch of money on creating all these cool PDFs and maybe recording really fancy professional looking videos. You just, you shipped it as Seth Godin says, right? Just ship it. And it's working and it's a great revenue stream for you. They're obviously getting a lot of value from it. And then of course, you can grow and develop from that. But Well, I think as gym owners, we need to get into the ship it stage more and get over the fear like, this isn't perfect and sexy. It doesn't look like Peloton videos. Like, yeah, that's okay. You don't have their budget. So, but you have the value. You for sure offer the same value that Peloton does. They just might make it look sexier. But if you're delivering value, clients will keep coming back.

Absolutely, man. Absolutely. Couldn't agree more. And I love to give value to your audience and then just like, just an encouragement. To, to think that way. And, and one other thing I did that was— I think it's worth mentioning because it's significant. It's like, it's, it's to the same point. It's like super basic. It's nothing fancy. But what I started doing— I, and I, you know, I got to the point where, uh, I'm not trying to like, you know, pound my chest or anything, but we got to the point we're doing really well. And maybe I felt like, man, like I don't do that. Like I don't— I wasn't training, you know. I wasn't really doing any of the training at some— at one point. And I was like, you know what, I, you know, I'm past that. I'm like, I'm this big shot business owner, I'm working on the business and all this stuff. But now, you know, it's kind of humbling. It's like, man, I'm, I'm doing whatever it takes. I got 4 kids and I'm not, I'm not gonna back down to this thing. So I started offering, like, there was kind of different, uh, different ways to go about it, but basically nutrition coaching. Uh, but one guy, you know, I was like, he just needed help kind of with like life coaching, you know. And I don't want anybody to get out of their their sphere of influence, you know, but everything is related, you know. So I'm not necessarily, you know, uh, you know, doing— prescribing things that I shouldn't. But honestly, like, we're talking about like balancing his life and, you know, all this stuff. And it's, it's not like just cut and dry, like eating, you know, bananas and peanut butter. It's, it's, you know, we're going a little bit deeper and he's finding tremendous value. He's telling me it's like one of the best investments he could have made, and it's not cheap. And that's like, that's, that's, that's, that's something that if you have clients, they need stuff like that. So just so you know, and maybe that's not the thing for, for you, but, uh, they're just thinking that way. It's like, I didn't do that before. I didn't offer that, that kind of coaching because we did all groups. So I was like, you know, we just do groups. So we even did group nutrition programs. Everything was groups because that's what we did. But now I've, um, you know, depending on the, the time since, you know, this started, but I've had You know, at least a handful of those kinds of coaching clients, and they're one-on-one, and they're, you know, they're, they're great. And, and it's gratifying because you get to really connect, you get to really help them. They're— I think they become more connected and bought into what you do. So there's a lot, a lot of benefits to that, uh, that I found.

Yeah, so, um, I think what you said is great. There, there's definitely a balance. Um, I think if a lot of gym owners are like me, There's no end to opportunities or things that I think like we could do as gym owners. And certainly shiny object syndrome, right? Whether that's a physical thing you're buying or something that is just going to take your attention. What I— that obviously can be dangerous. But what you said, which I want to make sure that we clarify this, you found something that you have a paying member who wanted additional stuff from you.

Mm-hmm.

Your clients' needs are always the greatest filter to the shiny object syndrome. Because it's possible you see something, you're excited about the opportunity, and then it just so happens your clients and members like that and they want it. That is definitely something worth pursuing. Satisfy your members' needs and your business will continue to be successful and succeed.

Yeah, so funny, like how many times, you know, you assume things and, you know, the thing that you think they're gonna love, like, I, you know, worked really hard on something, it's like, hey, we're launching this new thing, it's like, we don't want that. It's like, what do you mean? Like, I worked so hard on it. And then, like, to your point, you know, then it's like this other thing that I never thought, you know, people would want, it's like they're crazy about it.

Yeah, it's awesome. Well, hey, thank you for your time today. Um, you have a podcast. What's your— what's the name of your podcast?

Well, the podcast is called the Your Fitness Money Coach Podcast. And I'd love to have you on one day, Jon.

That'd be great. If you want more stuff from Billy, check him out on the podcast. Again, thanks for your time. And remember everybody, profit is a choice. Have the wisdom and courage to choose it. Have a good day.