Agilispeed

Well… Here it’s Folks… Get Ready, Set, GO……. Group #3!

admin — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 07:29:26 +0000

NEW TIME & COST

STARTS MONDAY APRIL 15 @ 6:00PM

BOOK NOW

Get Ready For An Extreme Race With T.I.M.E Training

admin — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 08:19:16 +0000

Do you have what it takes to complete one of those extreme races? Do you know what it takes?
Are you ready? If you answered No or I don’t know….

Get ready for T.I.M.E. Training starting on March 16, 2013

We deliver Information, Training and Results!

Keep your eyes and ears ready!

17 Sessions of 1 hour each for $255. For more info go to Calendar HERE

T.I.M.E. Training for Extreme Training

New TRX Suspension Training Classes Added!

admin — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 10:02:24 +0000

New Class, New Location and New Time

Click Here Or On The Photo to see details and Book

Get ready to sweat!!

One Small Step In Right Direction! 16oz Pops Band

admin — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 17:35:00 +0000

One Very Small step in the right direction! Congrats to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg! It is very hard to oppose addiction and that’s exactly what he’s attempting to do. The real criminals here are the big corporations like Pep.. and Coca… to name a few, you know who they are those that are opposing and challenging the ruling in court. What’s the difference between a drug pusher and a sugar pusher? NONE! They both prey on people with addictive substances that eventually destroy human life and brings health care prices up!!

Addicts! In this story, it claims that “a coalition of individuals, companies and other groups that says it has collected more than 250,000 signatures from New Yorkers who feel that the new policy unfairly impinges on their right to choose what they drink.” The problem here is that an addiction has been created to the expense of peoples health and lives, not to mention to a nations economy. Think about it for a minute, what does obesity and overweightness bring along? The answer, More diseases and health care costs.

Procrastination = Blank

admin — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 21:11:53 +0000

Today I came across a photo that describes or depicts perfectly what a life of procrastination looks like. So what are you waiting for?

Remember the way you do one thing is probably the way you do everything in life. Do yourself a favor and take action NOW! And watch your life take a new shape.

Until next time,
Cheers and Here’s to life.
Jean-Michel

“Life Begins at The End Of Your Comfort Zone” – Neale Donald Walsch.

admin — Fri, 04 May 2012 18:07:57 +0000

“Life Begins At The End Of Your Comfort Zone“

-Neale Donald Walsch

I find this quote to be so true,

I believe that life (Time) keeps on moving forward no matter what. I also believe that if one stays in his or her “Comfort Zone” you become stagnant and WILL be pasted by life. So take action NOW! Challenge yourself and start living!

And do it with a smile, it makes it more enjoyable!

What are your thoughts on this?

In Case Of Workout Boardness!!

admin — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 19:34:47 +0000

In Case Of Workout Boardness Click on Image or: http://www.agilispeed.com/trx-classes/

12 Business Lessons From Big Box Gyms

admin — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 21:19:28 +0000

Here is an extremely well written article from an old (not so old) colleague of mine. Not to mention a rational and intelligent person that I highly respect. I’m sure that many of us have shared the same experience. Way to go Alfred! 2 thumbs up on this one my friend

12 Business Lessons from Big Box Gyms By Alfred Ball

There are pivotal times in life when one decision alters your career path;. mine have been in 1994, 2000, 2007 and 2011. After twelve years of being involved with a larger multi-location fitness facility as an employee and vendor I moved my business to completely independent. Which oddly enough has opened more doors of opportunity. In 2000, I thought that working as a Personal Trainer who specialized in rehabilitation, such as Fitness World for a few years would help launch my career. I became one of their top selling Personal Trainers and a Group Fitness Manager during seven years of employment before negotiating a strategic alliance that became Lifemoves. Before the merger Fitness World was a family run business with the original founder still very much involved. I am very grateful for the support I was given to open my own business within a business in 2007. The idea was to test run a rehabilitation centre within a larger fitness centre with multiple locations however, this changed in December 2010. Little did I know how long I would be involved with them or what I would learn.

As a group fitness instructor it took me one year to get new equipment for our programs. When there are multiple layers to go through, sometimes there are road blocks that occur. These road blocks prevent organizations from thriving or taking advantage of competitive opportunities. As a company grows make sure that your employees have enough freedom with guidance to see their own initiatives completed. Evaluate each project on its own merits, but don’t take so long that opportunities are missed.

We always had to know our daily numbers which lead to our projected figures and monthly revenues. Those without a business sense weren’t sure why it was important. If you don’t know what your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are or where they at for a particular time period you are unable to make necessary strategic adjustments. Over the last few years I have figured that there are specific indicators of our performance that leads to revenue. Our income statement is merely a reflection of the actions we took to execute our strategies.

Part of what makes people want to work or participate in a great environment is the people. With the merger the energy of the gym shifted from something that was really friendly and family oriented to something more corporate. I want Lifemoves’ clients and staff to be part of a family whom feel as though we are all working together to get people moving for life. As a business owner I still have to manage our KPIs.

A manager has specific tasks to accomplish throughout the day and things to look after. Leaders take initiative, coach and guide people to become better at what they do. New Personal Trainers would approach me for guidance even though I was not their manager because I took the time to help them improve their teaching and business skills. With the merger there is now more coaching happening.

There are two extremes of management – Freedom Manager and Micromanager Crazy Maker. As one manager told me “we are all adults, so we are capable of doing our jobs.” This is why we were all left to our own devices. Some people thrived while others who needed more coaching or guidelines eventually left. On the other side is the manager who is always taking over or always checking in without trusting that staff is actually doing their job properly.

Each employee requires their own level of management. I try to find their particular level that keeps them motivated, our clients happy and the business running smoothly. To survive as an employee I had to do my job, learn to let whatever the micro manger said slide off my shoulders and take initiative.

While we are unable to accommodate every client’s whim or whimsy clients want to know that they have at least been heard. Whether it is a complaint or commendation keep your eyes and ears open. If there is action that can be taken to resolve an issue, don’t just brush them off. Take care of it. If clients are paying for a premium service, such as Personal Training they want the extras like water. Even in a down economy there are ways to cut costs without reducing the quality service you provide or how you take care of your staff.

If you want to thrive in a retracted economy, find ways to improve and add value. Now is the time to innovate and improve the quality of service so that clients remain clients, while they also sing your praises to their friends and family. Taking away little perks from clients or staff only produces more grumbling.

It took awhile, but I believe this is happening. Fitness World would have great promotions for new training clients, but not current ones. This created “a what about me?” attitude. Some of the promo packages now are fantastic. It took several years for Personal Trainers to be part of the bonus system, which we often complained about. Find ways to thank all your employees for their efforts and contributions.

Lifemoves© is trying to figure out how we can best reward our clients without offering large discounts. You don’t hear of a Physiotherapist or Chiropractor offering to discount their services, so why should we? The concept is to give something extra instead. It has been our general policy not to discount. Personal Trainers are paid on a percentage fee split – so with discounts they are paid less until the client renews. Clients who paid for packages with large discounts often had difficulty seeing the value of paying full rates. This is why we pay employees a flat rate instead of percentage (it keeps payroll simple too) and don’t offer discounts or participate in GroupOn type services.

In times of change and turmoil some people end up protecting themselves. A merger takes a couple of years for the dust to settle and for others to adjust. Sales people are motivated by commissions. If there is the perception that their income is threatened they will sometimes be ruthless at protecting it. If you are in a company going through a merger or big changes try to help each other out.

To avoid the above situation and others it is very important to make sure that everyone is communicating clearly during times of change. New staff in one department doesn’t always know what is happening on the other side and vice versa. Keeping everyone involved in the loop will ease tension and prevent conflict from happening in the first place.

It was clear during my tenure that there were multiple redundancies that had to be checked and balanced to ensure that everything was completed correctly. I still believe that this important, but how many steps are really needed is still questionable. As my business grows it becomes increasingly complex, however I am conscientiously always trying to find ways to make it more efficient. A system with redundant or unnecessary steps will cost you money.

In 2001 I developed an access database to track client sales and sessions; in 2006 I started to use a PDA for my calendar. It was in late 2007 when they were talking about moving to an electronic system. How are you able to search client records in paper? Databases give you a lot of flexibility to manage a lot of information more easily. When I found out about electronic management service providers in 2008, Lifemoves© made the leap.

There are many more lessons I learned throughout my twelve years, including that having systems is important to produce long-term results and business growth.

I will miss Fitness World, as I have many fond memories and am thankful for everything that I have learned while there.

I am looking forward to growing my company and continuing to Get People Moving for Life™

About Alfred Ball:

Alfred is the President and founder of Lifemoves Health and Rehabilitation in North Vancouver BC Canada. He also has been a practicing Kinesiologist for over 10 years.

Just Wanted to share this one

admin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:40:27 +0000

Yup, People are Awesome!

Came across this video today and just wanted to share it with you. It just reinforces what I’ve been saying for years;

“Everything & Anything is possible, you just have to believe and put your mind to it”!

Enjoy the Video

Be Unbreakable!

admin — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 08:05:46 +0000

Yesterday a client of mine and real good friend sent me a very inspiring piece of writing by Lucas G. Irwin an MBA and all natural pro fitness model out of Miami FL. I thought it would be a great one to share with you. This is for all the times you’ve been criticised and nagged!

Thank You GI!

Until next time my friends,

Cheers & Here’s to Health!