Robbie Kellman Baxter is the author of "The Membership Economy" - a book that shows you how to radically rethink how your organization can build loyalty, viral growth, and recurring revenue.

During this interview, Robbie takes us through her version of the sales acquisition funnel, we talk about displaying membership rates on your website, we delve into super users and what you can do to get them in your business, plus Robbie shares her top 3 tips for fitness businesses to grow.

Visit: ActiveMgmt.com.au
Visit: fitnessbusinesspodcast.com
Email: info@activemgmt.com.au
Phone: +61 2 9484 5501
Twitter: @JTActiveMgmt

We are celebrating our first 20 shows by looking back on some of the very best advice, tips, ideas and lessons our guests have shared on The Fitness Business Podcast so far! We rewind to interviews with Amanda Vogel who shares advice on social media, Bill McBride with tips on strategy, Steve Jensen shares his experience on sales, Mark Miller gives us insights on leadership and Bryan O’Rourke talks about technology! All of that, plus we hear from the CEO of Exercise New Zealand, Richard Beddie about FitEx 2015.

Visit: ActiveMgmt.com.au
Visit: fitnessbusinesspodcast.com
Email: info@activemgmt.com.au
Phone: +61 2 9484 5501
Twitter: @JTActiveMgmt

Randal Godden is the CEO and a chairman of VISTAGE South Africa and also operates as a strategic management consultant and Company Director in South Africa and internationally. His career spans over 50 years and includes line management experience, Chief Executive, Chief Financial Officer plus strategic consulting and mentoring to clients in a broad range of industries.

During this week's show we ask Randal:

• The top 4 things you must have in your business plan
• What you should include when tracking your Key Performance Indicators
• What to look for in a good accountant, and
• The 4 key areas you need to manage and focus on, if you want to be profitable

Visit: ActiveMgmt.com.au
Visit: fitnessbusinesspodcast.com
Email: info@activemgmt.com.au
Phone: +61 2 9484 5501
Twitter: @JTActiveMgmt

Justin Tamsett is the Managing Director of Active Management. He has managed and owned fitness clubs since 1990, and now travels the globe speaking on topics from business skills to work-life balance. 

This week's show we chat about:

• How not to handle a customer complaint
• What to do to ensure you monitor online activity about your business
• Real life examples of businesses that have embraced Local Love and Rewarded Status

Also in this week's show, we hear more from Tribe Team Training, the complete small group training business system that’s helping clubs make more money without having to sell more memberships.

Visit: ActiveMgmt.com.au
Visit: fitnessbusinesspodcast.com
Email: info@activemgmt.com.au
Phone: +61 2 9484 5501
Twitter: @JTActiveMgmt

Working in almost every role a Fitness business has to offer, Rhys Cutifani was General Manager of the Southern Cross Health Club when awarded Australian Health & Fitness facility of the year by Fitness Australia in 2008. Over the last 6 years Rhys & his wife Bridie have opened 18 Anytime Fitness Franchises & currently own & operate 7 AF clubs around Australia. They were awarded Australian Franchisee's of the year in 2009 & 2010, & most recently won international Franchisee of the year 2013.

Rhys' group of clubs goal is to "add 100,000 healthy life years by 2020" to their members lives. During the show Rhys talks about the main differences between a franchise club and an independent club, the importance of community involvement in business success and his top keys to success for a franchise club owner.

Visit: http://www.activemgmt.com.au/
Visit: http://fitnessbusinesspodcast.com/
Email: info@activemgmt.com.au
Phone: +61 2 9484 5501
Twitter: @JTActiveMgmt

Bryan O’Rourke is the President of the Fitness Industry Technology Council, the CEO of Integers Advisors and the CSO of Fitmarc and Flywheel Group. Bryan is an entrepreneur, investor and former club owner who has worked in the health club and fitness industry with his partners for 18 years. IHRSA named him one of 13 people to watch in 2013. He has presented as a keynote speaker at industry and corporate conferences on four continents. He is widely published and quoted in periodicals like Inc. Magazine, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times and was recently recognized as one of the top 17 most influential entrepreneurs on twitter.

During our interview, Bryan tells us the coolest things happening in fitness technology right now, he gives us tips on staying up to date on all the new technology coming into the market plus he shares his non-negotiable tech tips for fitness professionals.

Visit: ActiveMgmt.com.au
Visit: fitnessbusinesspodcast.com
Email: info@activemgmt.com.au
Phone: +61 2 9484 5501
Twitter: @JTActiveMgmt

Mark Miller is the Vice President of Merritt Athletic Clubs and has over 20 years of experience at the Senior Management level. His expertise lies in Leadership and staff development, revenue generation through both sales and non dues revenue programming, strategic operations and systems development. 

During the show we ask him 3 questions:

1. How do you define visionary leadership and what do you to do live that?
2. Why type of professional development do you do to lead your team?
3. Top 3 tips for new managers starting in the industry

Visit: ActiveMgmt.com.au
Visit: fitnessbusinesspodcast.com
Email: info@activemgmt.com.au
Phone: +61 2 9484 5501
Twitter: @JTActiveMgmt

Justin Tamsett is the Managing Director of Active Management. He has managed and owned fitness clubs since 1990 and now travels the globe speaking on topics from business skills to work-life balance. During this show, we check out gyms around the world, including The Row House and The Mile High Run Club in New York, 220 Fitness in Santa Monica and Orange Theory Fitness. We also explore the consumer trend called, Betterment, and get a deeper understanding of how to use devices and data to #grow your fitness business.

Also in the show, Sharon Tousley is back with her latest tip on starting your own podcast and, this month, shes giving us the inside tip on whats involved in a well planned launch.

Visit: ActiveMgmt.com.au

Visit: fitnessbusinesspodcast.com

Email: info@activemgmt.com.au

Phone: +61 2 9484 5501

Twitter: @JTActiveMgmt

Darren Shaw is the owner and manager of CrossFit Ignite, a Sydney based CrossFit box. The business started in 2002 but has been using CrossFit principals since 2007. Darren is an experienced trainer and is known for taking no BS excuses. He also happens to be an excellent marketer and has an in depth knowledge of his target audience. He knows where to find them and how to speak to them.

Visit: ActiveMgmt.com.au

Visit: fitnessbusinesspodcast.com

Email: info@activemgmt.com.au

Phone: +61 2 9484 5501

Twitter: @JTActiveMgmt

Mish McCormack is an internationally acclaimed and award-winning Personal and Corporate Fitness Trainer. She has been the recipient of the Fitness Life NZ Personal Trainer of the Year three times (an unbeaten record), the Powerade NZ Personal Trainer of the Year, and the NZ Contribution to Community Excellence Award. With a Certificate of Fitness Management from the University of Otago, and 16 years experience as Personal Trainer, Mish is REPs registered and sits on the board of the PT Council of New Zealand.

We ask Mish three questions:

1. You have won a number of awards, does this help your business and how?
2. In your experience, what are the challenges PT's may face moving from a contractor role to having their own studio?
3. What are 3 pieces of advice you would give a PT in the first 6 months of their career

Justin Tamsett is the Managing Director of Active Management. He has managed and owned fitness clubs since 1990 and now travels the globe speaking on topics from business skills to work-life balance. 

During this episode, JT talks about: 

• Branding of clubs in Russia and London
• Differentiating your business from your competitors
• Understanding what is a ‘brand fanatic’
• How do we focus on helping brand fanatics
• What do we focus on building status

Also in this week's show we chat to Sharon Tousely from Podcast Prowess who gives us tips on intros and outros plus how to create calls to action for our podcast. and we hear more about one of our sponsors – Visual Fitness Planner and why it is the ultimate way to improve your club's Set-Show-Close percentages.

Visit: ActiveMgmt.com.au

Visit: fitnessbusinesspodcast.com

Email: info@activemgmt.com.au

Phone: +61 2 9484 5501

Twitter: @JTActiveMgmt

Fred Hoffman, M.Ed. is the author of Going Global: An Expert’s Guide to Working Abroad in the International Fitness Industry, and is the owner of Fitness Resources, an education and consultancy company. He is the recipient of the 2007 IDEA Fitness Instructor of the Year Award and has over 30 years of experience in the fitness and health industry. A member of the ACE Industry Advisory Panel, Fred’s expertise has taken him to nearly 50 countries on six continents to speak at more than 200 conferences and conventions. In 2001 he was elected to the International Who's Who of Professionals.

During this interview we ask Fred three questions: 

• What should be a health club's #1 social media platform?
• What advice would you give listeners to stay abreast of all the tech that’s happening in the industry?
• As a fitness business owner, what would be your 3 MUST DO's around technology?

Also in this weeks show, we hear about The Fitness Business Podcast sponsor, Active Management’s template marketing available to everyone.

Krista Popowych is the 2014 IDEA Fitness Instructor of the Year award winner and a two-time Can-Fit-Pro Canadian Fitness Presenter of the Year. She's an international trainer and education consultant for Keiser® and JumpSport®, a TV personality, DVD creator and talent, past program director, published author, professional speaker and Adidas 3-stripe team sponsored (and that’s just her short bio)!

With over two decades of experience, Krista shares advice, tips and insights into creating an outstanding PT and Group Fitness team, her formula for a winning group exercise experience, and how to grow Personal Training in your club. During this interview we ask her three questions:

• What specific activities can you do to create an outstanding PT and Group Fitness team?
• What should the Group Exercise Jigsaw puzzle look like?           
• What would be your 3 top ideas to grow personal training?

Also in this week's show, we hear from Podcast sponsor, REX Roundtables - the most unique opportunity on the planet for you to grow your business.

Justin Tamsett is the Managing Director of Active Management. He has managed and owned fitness clubs since 1990, and now travels the globe speaking on topics from business skills to work-life balance. 

During this episode, JT talks about: 

• Why identifying our customer's learning style is essential for truly connecting with them 
• Exactly what it means to be a guest in your client's YOUniverse
• The importance of delivering a seamless, comprehensive and personalized service to our prospects and customers

Also in this episode, our resident podcast expert, Sharon Tousley, tells us about the equipment you need to kick start your very own podcast, and we hear more about one of our sponsors – Visual Fitness Planner and why it's the ultimate way to improve your club's Set-Show-Close percentages.

Visit: ActiveMgmt.com.au

Visit: fitnessbusinesspodcast.com

Email: info@activemgmt.com.au

Phone: +61 2 9484 5501

Twitter: @JTActiveMgmt

Steve Jensen is the CEO and founder of Impact Training Corporation and The National Sales Academy. His training programs have been boosting thousands of business profits and countless numbers of directors, owners, managers and sales professional's incomes since 1982. He is a master practitioner and trainer of NLP, a graduate of Tom Hopkins academy of Sales Excellence and a Certified DISC Presenter.  His company, Impact Training Corporation, is one of the world's leading sales and communication training and consulting companies.

During this episode, we ask Steve 3 questions:

1. What is the #1 area fitness businesses are consistently strong in sales and where are they consistently weak in sales?
2. What has evolved in the sales process to meet the modern business?
3. What are 3 areas a fitness business needs to fire in, if they want more sales?

Also in this week’s show,  we hear more from Tribe Team Training, the complete small group training business system that’s helping clubs make more money without having to sell more memberships. 

Visit www.ActiveMgmt.com.au
Email: info@activemgmt.com.au
Phone: +61 2 9484 5501
Twitter: @JTActiveMgmt

Bill McBride is a health club industry veteran with 30 years of experience leading and managing all aspects of commercial health clubs, medical fitness centers, community centers and corporate fitness centers.  He owns BMC3 – a health club consulting company and most recently he and partners launched Active Sports Clubs. He is considered a thought leader and heavily involved in moving the health & fitness industry forward.  

During this episode, we ask Bill 3 questions:

1. What does the Threat of Substitution mean for a fitness business?
2. What are the characteristics you look for in managers of your clubs?
3. What are 3 critical components to a strategic plan?

Also in this week’s show, we welcome one of our new sponsors – Tribe Team Training who are global leaders in providing Team Training solutions to health and fitness clubs around the world!

Justin Tamsett is the Managing Director of Active Management. He has managed and owned fitness clubs since 1990, and now travels the globe speaking on topics from business skills to work-life balance.  During this episode he shares updates from the Industry Leader roundtables, valuable insights from a Harvard Business Review study and he explores the consumer trend called, Tinderisation!

During this episode, JT talks about: 

• The importance of accurately tracking leads in order to understand the effectiveness of your marketing dollars
• Why your business vision and mission must become a part of your team DNA
• And what exactly Tinder has to do with your gym members!

This episode also features our podcast marketing expert, Sharon, who shares tips on identifying your podcast and the importance of truly understanding your target market.  

We hear an update from Pam O’Donnell of The IHRSA Institute, plus get a taste of one of our new show sponsors, Visual Fitness Planner, a must for PTs and gym owners to check out!

In this show we hear from Amanda Vogel, the owner of Active Voice, a writing, editing and consulting service for the fitness industry. She’s a Hootsuite-certified social media consultant for fitness brands and public figures and a Fitness Technology Spokesperson for IDEA.

During this interview Amanda shares her tips on why its essential to truly understand your customer, the importance of strategy and planning for Social Media success, and having the right person working for your business or brand.  

In this interview we ask her 3 questions:

• What are the 3 biggest errors fitness businesses make around Social Media? 
• Who should run the Social Media department? 
• What are your top 3 tips to becoming more efficient at managing your social media strategy? 

In this show, we interview The Retention Guru, Dr Paul Bedford.  With over 20 years experience working in the fitness industry, Paul is one of the global fitness industry’s leading authorities on retention, attrition and member experience management. 

In 2015 Paul will be publishing a 1 million member study of the North American fitness market, the worlds largest fitness market study. He has just finished a 340,000 member research over a four year period on the UK Fitness Industry and a study of the New Zealand fitness market. Paul is the author of the book ‘Why people join, leave and stay with health and fitness clubs’. 

In his interview we ask him 3 questions:

• After all your research, what is the MOST surprising revelation?
• Have you seen any correlation between GX & retention; PT & retention?
• If you were a club owner, what 3 strategies would you explore to build retention based on what you know?

A regional health club owner and industry consultant, MJ shares his experiences from owning his club. Taking over a tired run down club 3 years ago in Warwick Queensland, Michael and his Team have grown the membership base to over 1100 members and helped increase exercisers in the town. 

MJ shares how to differentiate your club in a crowded market place.  He talks about the importance of group fitness.  He says you need to be super creative in your marketing and gives us two awesome promotional ideas that you can use in your club. And, finally, he suggests how to engage your team. This podcast is packed with ideas that you can implement in your fitness business quickly.

In his interview we ask him 4 questions:

• How do you stand out in a crowded marketing place?
• What's the best marketing campaign or promotion that you’ve done in the past 12 months? 
• What would be the number one strategy for keeping members in your club? 
• What are your 3 top tips for professional improvement for people new to the fitness industry?

In this show we hear from Lauretta Stace, CEO of Fitness Australia.  For the past 20 years, Lauretta has held leadership roles in both the not-for-profit and private sectors within health-related organisations. 

Since starting in her role in 2006, Lauretta has embarked upon a journey to raise the profile of the fitness industry, to help integrate the industry within the health sector and to ensure that the industry is recognised for its important role in helping millions of people to improve their health and wellbeing through regular exercise and other lifestyle changes. 

During this show, Lauretta answers some key questions about the business of fitness, but also reminds us about making the time to undertake self reflection, the benefits of having a business coach, and why you should try and push yourself outside your comfort zone! 

In his interview we ask her 3 questions:

• What is the number one Challenge Fitness business owners face? 
• What Is the Key to Retention?
• What Are Your Top Three Tips for Success?

In this weeks show we hear from Justin Tamsett, Brent Darden, Nardia Norman and Sharon Tousley.

JT the Managing Director of Active Management shares what ‘local love’ means to the 2015 consumer.  With this information you will know where to concentrate your energy.

Brent Darden is the President of Brent Darden Consulting, a Chair of REX Roundtables and the former Chairman of IHRSA.  In his interview we ask him 3 questions:

• How did he select his Team at his own club Telos Fitness Centre?
• He shared many of the business KPI’s and financial performance, so we ask what is the advantage to sharing this information with his Team
• What are 3 attributes he believes can make a fitness business better.

Nardia Norman, needs no introduction to our Aussie listeners bit for the rest of the world, Nardia is one of Australia’s premier personal trainers.  She was awarded the Australian Fitness Network Personal Trainer of the Year, author of the book Body IQ and now an International Speaker to Personal Trainers.  In her interview we quiz her on

• How do you get more clients? ie what is / was your number lead source and why do you think?
• How do you convert a sale?  Describe your sales process from enquiry to then paying customer.
• What are 3 tips you would give a PT business owner (or a club owner or manager) for running an amazing business?

Justin Tamsett, the Managing Director of Active Management, has travelled the globe in the last 12 months working out in 39 different gyms, cross fit boxes and personal training studios.  This show he shares his insights and learning’s from his experience in niche, boutique clubs in the fitness mecca called New York City!  You will pick up tips on where to find good people to work for you.  You will also hear about consumer trends around using wait time.

Finally, JT explains what REX Roundtables are and how you can find out more in order to #GROW your business.