To be honest, it wasn’t the usual pathway
to becoming a gym owner.
was about to start development for
1,200 dwellings and shopping precinct,
located just 800m down the road from
our club in Scoresby. They made their
intentions to put a large gym into the
precinct very clear, and spoke to me
about the opportunity to move our club
into this location. In theory, a brand new,
purpose-built gym would be great, but
I’d just signed a new lease and they were
only providing a shell, so large capital
was required for the fitout, which at the
time wasn’t available to us. So I denied
the opportunity, and this was soon
followed up by talk of a large well known
gym brand signing off on the contract.
Naturally. after two years of hard work
we feared for the worst; however, I got
on the front foot, did some research and
found the growing trend of 24/7 gyms
in America. After further investigations
we made the decision to convert our
existing club to 24/7. This was back
in February 2010. Our membership
grew by 50 per cent in six months,
giving me the confidence that should
a new gym come in I was ready and
prepared to take it on. As it happened,
the contract fell through and the gym
never moved into the new estate. Our
WHAT’S NEW IN FITNESS - WINTER 2017
growth from the 24/7 move provided us
with the opportunity to expand to other
locations. So that’s what we did!
WNIF: What are your long term goals
for the business?
BEN: To continue to grow Pinnacle
Health Clubs and our team. We want
to expand to additional locations,
so we can reach out and help more
communities. We would also like to have
an even stronger online presence, as
this will enable us to reach people who
are not located in our gym catchments.
Stay tuned for more Pinnacle locations
in 2017!
qualification so she is really looking
forward to expanding the wellness
side of health, into our business, which
will complement what we already do
really well. Establishing a wellness brand
has been a long time dream of hers,
so to launch it this year will be a great
achievement.
WNIF: What advice would you have
for other young people who have
their own business goals in the
fitness industry?
BEN: I would say, three things:
• Always stay true to the value of
your membership/service, because
as soon as you start dropping your
price it’s impossible to pick it back
up.
• You must be doing some form of
business online.
• Listen to your staff – they’re a great
source of golden nuggets!
WNIF: What are your long term goals
on a more personal level?
BEN: We have come a long way working
as husband and wife and business
partners. During the past nine years of
building our business, we’ve gained
many valuable life and business skills
in this fast growing and ever-changing
industry. It would be a great next step
to start building our personal profiles
and have the opportunity to share our
experiences and insights at conferences
and via private consulting. Emma’s
just completed her Pilates teaching
To learn more visit
www.pinnaclehealthclub.com.au
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edition of the WNiF Magazine -
contact us.
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