culled from:bigideasblog.infusionsoft.com
Founded in 2000 by Greg Glassman (who remains CEO), Crossfit is a strength and conditioning fitness program that features varied high-intensity workouts. Exercisers move quickly through a lineup known as the workout of the Day, or WOD, which is the hallmark of the Crossfit experience and a great, creative marketing strategy (it’s actually not complicated at all!). On any given day, a participant might run through a regimen that includes push-ups, pull-up and squats, as well as jumping up onto boxes or swinging kettlebells high overhead. Part of the Crossfit experience is friendly competition in class over workout statistics posted for all to see.
Individual gym owners who join the Crossfit team pay a licensing fee to become Crossfit affiliates. In a world crowded with gyms and fitness classes, how do successful Crossfit affiliates run their businesses?
Letting the Program Sell Itself
Dave Rubin, owner of Crossfit Durham in Durham, North Carolina, has expanded into larger facilities three times in the last four years as his business has grown. Rubin says his gym, known as a “box” in the Crossfit world, has succeeded because it is focused.
“My gym is all about the fitness and the workouts,” says Rubin. “Everything else is secondary. We focus on building community and getting people results. A lot of the big gyms give lip service to their mission statements but don’t follow through day-to-day,” Rubin says.
Rubin thinks it is important that exercisers decide for themselves if the Crossfit fitness regimen is a good fit. He holds a weekly open workout on Saturdays so that non-members can give Crossfit a try – a good way to draw a crowd.
“It gives them a chance to try us out and see what the gym is like and the intensity of the workouts,” Rubin says. “It gives them a sense of whether it’s for them or not. We don’t end up giving sales pitches to anybody — we let the program sell itself.”
Once people try a workout, they are more likely to tell friends how hard it was, how great they felt afterwards, and likely tweet or post a Facebook status, often with pictures. Funny how a “try it for free” tactic can be such an effective marketing technique!
The Gym as Community
Scott Pinkerton, owner of Crossfit Vitality in Concord, North Carolina, currently has a membership cap in place at his gym.
“Crossfit is so effective because it is a small group of people moving and doing the same workout at the same time,” Pinkerton says. “I could get more people in a class, but then how much personal attention can you give to each person?”
Pinkerton says Crossfit affiliate gyms runs their business differently with the same end goal.
“There are so many options out there, each box has a personality. Each gym fosters community and people have never experienced that before in fitness.”
If You Love It, They Will Come
Pinkerton says the Crossfit brand will continue to grow because members see results. But he warns other fitness entrepreneurs not to consider it a fast track to riches.
“Accept the fact there might not be a ton of money in it,” Pinkerton says. “Do it because you love it and people will show up and see how much you love it, and you’ll have the opportunity to make a good living.”
