Fitness, reloaded

Lindsay Harris left her corporate career to start a fitness company that would provide clients with effective, personal classes without the permanence of lengthy gym memberships. She started the venture in parking bays of malls in Pretoria and has just opened the FitFirst virtual studio in that city. We chat to her about turning her passion into a business and about her plans to continue moving forward with FitFirst.

What did you do prior to starting your own business?

I worked at Deloitte in Tax and Legal. I then resigned and started working for my dad in our family business.

Where did the idea come from?

While working for my dad, I couldn’t help but feel that I wanted to do something by myself – even as a small sideline thing. I’ve always been very passionate about sports and fitness, so I decided to start a small outdoor training group.

What motivated you to turn it into a business?

After running my training group on the side for about a year, I realised how much I loved working with people in achieving their health and fitness goals. I also realised that there was a lot of potential to grow. So I resigned from my job with my dad and pursued FitFirst (FF) full time. At that stage, my business model was not at all clear. All I knew was that there was a lot of potential in the fitness industry, and I loved what I was doing.

How did you make the first class happen?

I posted an amateur video on Facebook, which got me my first three clients! They are still with me today – almost three years later – in our virtual studio.

When did you officially start operating?

FF has officially been operating since the beginning of 2014. I was at Pretoria Country Club but I struggled to expand from there due to weather elements and lack of viable outdoor options. I then came up with the idea to rent parking bays and running an “urban boot camp” in the basements of malls. I started at The Club Centre (a shopping centre in Hazelwood, Pretoria) in August 2014. The idea was to open urban boot camps at various malls. Unfortunately I could not win the malls over to allow me to rent parking bays, so after a year I was back to the drawing board. That’s when I came across the virtual studio idea. We opened our studio on 1 February this year.

How does the virtual studio work?

Workouts are pre-recorded and edited to inform clients on what they need to do, when to do it and how to do it. Instruction regarding your form for each exercise, which interval of the set you are on and a timer are all displayed on the screens on studio, along with the actual workout on screen. Added to this, we have a personal trainer in each session to guide, motivate and instruct clients. So our clients get best of both worlds – modern technology with motivational onscreen instruction, and traditional one-on-one personal attention from a trainer in a group environment.

Where do you currently operate? Tell us about your expansion plans.

We are still at The Club Centre in Pretoria. We have had immense interest from people who live in Johannesburg and would like to expand there soon.

Who else conducts training with you?

Jessica Buirski is our new trainer. She and I both take the sessions and build relationships with our clients. Jess also does body assessments, provides dietary advice and writes blog posts for our website. She is an energetic and charming lady who engages with our clients on an individual level.

How does membership work?

Members sign up online and book and manage their sessions using our online booking system. It’s all about convenience, so clients can manage their sessions according to their own schedules. You can book and cancel a session up to 10 minutes before the session. We also find that by using a booking system, clients are more committed to attending their sessions.

We offer one-, three- and six-month memberships. Again, convenience is our driving objective. People are tired of being tied to long-term gym commitments, so we want to make FF as convenient and attractive to our clients as possible. Members can renew their memberships as many times as they like.

How did you get funding to get started?

I was lucky enough to be able to take out a loan from my husband.

What have been the three biggest difficulties you’ve had to overcome?

• Finding the right people to employ and grow with.
• Client retention – creating a platform that keeps people coming back.
• Creating a business model that is unique, but also expandable.

How tough is competition in your sector, and what differentiates your service from others?

The fitness sector is very competitive; it’s a passionate and fast-changing industry, with new fads constantly popping up. The personal attention that our clients receive and the convenience of our service differentiates us from our competitors.

Biggest lesson learnt?

To focus on the basics of what you are offering and how to improve on that going forward, little by little.

What is the best business advice you’ve ever received?

My dad has always said “little by little”. That’s how you get things done.

What was unexpected?

So many things. You work on your business plan; you scrutinise your projected income versus expenses; you cross all your Ts and dot your Is, but then there are always unexpected expenses and practical issues that you only become aware of when you’re already in it. But that’s what learning is all about. In opening the studio, my biggest learning experience was the cost of outfitting the studio. The number of hidden costs was quite overwhelming.

How do you stay motivated?

By focusing on the basics of what I’m doing. I also have a great support system – my husband and my family are always there to pick me up when I lack motivation.

What are your non-work habits that help you with your work-life balance?

I work out! On a serious note, though, keeping fit not only strengthens my body, but keeps my mind sharp and my mood healthy. If I’m unable to train for whatever reason, my work-life balance feels like it is upside down. I also enjoy wine to help with balancing things out.

What is your three-year goal for your company?

I would like the studio to be thriving and become an established brand in Pretoria that people have to be a part of. I would like our Johannesburg branch to be up and running. I want our services to be diversified – getting our nutritional offering on point, getting our kids fitness programmes going and growing our retail front.

This appeared in 23 June edition. Buy and download the magazine here.