interview ROBIN COPE
Kate Cracknell talks to the founder and MD of British Military Fitness about motivating staff
and members, community projects, and setting his own definition of success
W
hen I meet Robin Cope, founder and MD of British Military Fitness (BMF), at the company’s convivial
head office in Fulham, he’s just come in from a morning workout, leading by example and clearly a passionate believer in the power and value of physical activity. But then passion is evidently a determining force throughout his life, both on a business and a personal level. Although formerly a major in the British Army, and clearly still in possession of all the mental and physical strength that entails, Cope is also quite introspective, driven by a deep enthusiasm for what he does – whether that’s promoting physical activity, developing his staff, building a company with an ethos of which he be proud, or travelling through South America in his few moments of spare time.
the birth of bmf After leaving the army in 1992, Cope spent some time working in security and humanitarian projects in Zaire and the former Yugoslavia. This was followed by a stint as a military advisor, putting actors through their paces on films such as Saving Private Ryan and Gladiator. And then, in late 1998, he came up with the idea for BMF. “I’m really unco-ordinated and I used to
get annoyed with the fact that classes at gyms always started off with 15 minutes of aerobics,” says Cope. “I just couldn’t do it – in the end I’d just be running up and down on the spot – and I get so annoyed when I can’t do something well. “Not only that, but there was nothing
fun about that circuit training class – not one thing that I or anyone else seemed to enjoy about it. And they didn’t motivate you, didn’t push you – in fact,
I think they were slightly wary about making you work too hard. “And I suddenly had an idea of running
outdoor fi tness classes. I had a vision that we would have thousands of people doing it at some point – that it would work because people need motivation and fun. The whole idea was to get people outside, get them exercising, get them enjoying it. “My mum had just died and left me
a bit of money, so I approached Harry Sowerby – a mate of mine who’s a PTI in the army – and we set up the business from my spare room in Bermondsey. The idea came to me in October 1998 and we ran our fi rst class in April 1999
– I’d placed an advert in the Evening Standard, but still only three people turned up! But in June of that year, we
Instructors must strike a balance between making members work hard and ensuring they have fun
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august 2010 © cybertrek 2010
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