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remains in its former location. Before their big open house—


which included tours, demos, drinks and mingling— Matheson and Mombourquette met with their staff, clients and partners to discuss the de- tails of the brand change, to extend their gratitude to everyone and to share their vision for the future. Although there were the inevitable


frustrations along the way, “Launching the brand and moving into a new space has created new energy and excitement for our company,” says Matheson. “One of the most consistent comments I keep hearing is how our new look is a much better match for the exceptional product and service that we offer.”


OneUp Fitness


spurred on by the need to separate the company’s fitness and rehab ser- vices and brand them independent- ly and to restructure to include Matt Mombourquette, a long time trainer with the company, as a new business partner. The OneUp team worked with


Halifax marketing agency Time+Space and branding expert Dennis Page, to develop and design the company’s new look and feel, including a new name, logo, the interior design and a market- ing campaign. It also launched two websites—one for the fitness business and one for its rehab services, which


REBRANDING TIPS


A brand is more than a logo, colours or graphics—it’s the essence of your company. When done well, a rebranding project can inject fresh energy into your company, create new opportunities and reach a broader audience. According to marketing firm Wheelhouse Advisors, these five elements are crucial to any successful rebrand:


1. LEAD WITH RESEARCH Before starting, research your industry to establish an intimate understanding. Identif what your competition is doing, what your customers want and any gaps in the market.


2. CONSULT Connect with your buyers and employees to understand how they feel about your brand and what it does and should represent. Accept that you won’t be able to incorporate all input.


3. CLARIFY WHY Clearly articulate why you’re making changes. Do you just need to update? Do you need to reflect a new direction or offering? Has your business merged with another business?


4. BE CONSISTENT Consign every aspect of your old branding to the wastebasket. Create brand guidelines for employees, and be sure the new branding is consistent visually online and offline.


5. TELL THE STORY Explain to your clients what you have done and why. Be clear that you are retaining the same team and same service. Make powerful points about the positive change within your organization.


20 Fitness Business Canada March/April 2016 3 Relaunch


Fitness on the Go Vancouver www.fitnessonthego.com


I


n 2008, Fitness on the Go, a Vancouver-based in-home personal


training business, employed 45 trainer employees in Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna and was pulling in $850,000 in annual revenue. But over time, an all-too-familiar flaw in its business model emerged: The company’s clients were developing loyalties to its train- ers, which was leading to side deals and cutting the company out of the fi- nancial transactions. At the time, owner Dan Mezheritsky


was paying his trainers $20 an hour for each $60 session, which he considered the industry standard for in-home training businesses. After unsuccessfully trying to re-


solve the problem (by emphasizing the contractual obligations more thor- oughly during hiring interviews and introducing profit sharing) and get his revenue projections back on track, Mezheritsky realized radical change was in order. In 2012, with the real estate indus-


try providing the inspiration, Fitness on the Go introduced a new busi- ness model. Today his trainers operate as independent entrepreneurs, much the same way real estate agents do. In exchange for support from a six-per- son management team—which han- dles client bookings, public relations,


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