| Last Rep |
Why We Do What We Do
Here’s to the power of resilience! Faced with the slowest economic recovery since the Great Depression, the health club industry has been faring pretty well compared to many others. I’d like to pause for a moment to consider why that’s the case.
I
think it stems from the reason that many club operators are drawn to this business. My sense is that they get involved, initially, because they want to be healthy themselves, but, as time passes by, they begin to derive incredible satisfaction from being able to help others improve their health, as well. This is a noble calling.
It’s as though we’ve been
Joe Moore IHRSA President & CEO
attracted to this industry by some invisible force— something akin to gravity or magnetism. In fact, most of us wouldn’t be happy in any other field. It may also, in part, be because, in this business, we have the freedom to talk freely and frequently about our dreams and aspirations. This takes place across the spectrum— at small and large independent clubs, at chains and franchises, and at manufacturing and service companies. That, in itself, is inspiring.
Of course, making a profit also enters into the picture, but, in a sense, it seems a necessary afterthought. Profits allow us to improve products and services, so that we can do more good, helping more people to develop their own strengths. Looking back, I clearly recall how I was inspired as a youngster in Ohio. Using money earned from mowing lawns, I purchased my first barbell set from Bernie’s Pawn Shop when I was 9 or 10 years old. Why? Because I’d bought a comic book for a
dime at the corner grocery store that promoted Pietro Francisci’s 1957 film, Hercules, starring Steve Reeves. I was instantly hooked on weight training! Not long afterwards, at the age of 13, I joined a Holiday Health Club—I would have joined earlier, but they thought I was too young. Years later, I would become an entrepreneur and, subsequently, spend most of my life building health clubs—because that comic book had drawn me to the industry. If it hadn’t, some other invisible force, I’m sure, would have inexorably pulled me in. What was the catalyst that caused you to enter
the industry? Did it begin with a personal interest that grew and evolved to include promoting the good of others, as it did for me? Most of us have that in common.
Another of our industry’s “strong points” (pun intended) is the fact that we really do use our own products and services throughout our lives. We can honestly say, “Not only do I own, operate, and manage this club, but I’m also a member, a customer.” That conveys real conviction when you’re talking about joining a club. You can tell prospective members about its advantages, features, programs, and benefits with a real sense of pride in what you’ve accomplished—both as a businessperson and as a lifelong fitness enthusiast. In time, I did get to know Reeves, but I never told him about that comic book. Now, I wish that I had. He might have enjoyed knowing that he had inspired me—in the same way that, today, we enjoy inspiring others. Inspiration has been the key to our success in times both good and bad. —|
– Joe Moore,
jmoore@ihrsa.org
124 Club Business Internat ional
| APRIL 2012 |
ihrsa.org
Tracy Powell
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