Rick was recently interviewed in another podcast, and since it was a fun interview full of jokes, we thought you'd be interested in hearing it too. But beyond the jokes, it's a worthwhile conversation for any entrepreneur either in the fitness space or any other industry. Rick takes us through the Alloy Brand story from humble beginnings over 30 years ago to licensing over 2000 clubs worldwide and now franchising. The Alloy Franchise continues to grow, with more locations coming up across the country. But it has not been all smooth sailing. Rick had to go through challenging times. He credits hard work and trusting relationships as what saw him through. We cover a wide range of topics such as:The story behind the Alloy BrandTrust as a strategy ("TAAS")The state of the fitness industryWhy fitness tech must deliver better human interactionsThe ONE thing that needs to change in the fitness industryTune in to this episode and get to know more about Rick and the Alloy Brand. Key Takeaways- What makes Alloy different from other fitness brands (03:24)- The story behind the Alloy brand (07:46)- The one thing that must change in the fitness industry (22:52)- The role of fitness tech in delivering better human interaction (23:47)- How stoicism can help entrepreneurs (32:19)- How to qualify for an Alloy Franchise (47:24)- The most important aspects of an entrepreneur (49:19)Additional Resources:Alloy Personal TrainingLearn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity---------You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.If you haven’t already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts!

Alloy Personal Training Business

The Alloy Brand Story With Rick Mayo

In business, just like in life, we are constantly making decisions. These decisions either make or destroy us. It is thus imperative to keep improving our decision-making skills.Rick and Matt look at the behavioral science behind decision-making and why most of us make flawed decisions, especially in business. Understanding the mental processes behind decision-making may help us make better choices.We look at some examples of decision-making through our lens in the fitness industry and discuss the ideal framework for making those decisions.Listen in to learn how to improve the quality of our decision in life as well as business.Key Takeaways- Narrow framing – widen your options (03:45)- Overcoming the fear of making wrong decisions (07:08)- Confirmation bias – Reality test your assumptions(08:46)- Short-term emotion – attain distance first (15:17)- Overconfidence is the kiss of death - prepare to be wrong (20:10)- What's the worst-case scenario, and can you live with it? (22:45)Additional Resources:Alloy Personal TrainingLearn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity---------You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.If you haven’t already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts!

The 4 Villains Of Decision-Making

In the fitness industry, passion is a big word often thrown around what we do. But is passion necessary for running a fitness business? If so, what type of passion is most effective?We often see people in our industry have passion for a particular tool, mechanism, type of training, etc., which manifests in their business. This is a big mistake because the thing with passion is that it comes and goes. If you must have passion, then it should be to help people meet their health and fitness goals. This way, you can look at the business from the lens of what the customer truly needs, rather than what you might be passionate about.As a fitness entrepreneur, your business is not there to serve you. Your role is to do things that make your business successful by solving a problem in the market.Tune in to learn more about how to succeed in a fitness business without relying on passion. Key Takeaways- Passion - friend or foe (02:04)- The one thing that’ll make you successful in a fitness business (04:18)- Passion comes and goes (05:01)- Your business is not there to serve you (08:09)- Your customers don't care about your passions (10:42)- How narrow framing affects your decision making (13:35)- Don't let your personal neurosis manifest itself in the business (14:07)- Listen to your customers (18:50)Additional Resources:Alloy Personal TrainingLearn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity---------You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.If you haven’t already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts!

Passion: Friend Or Foe

If you want to succeed as a new gym owner, you must implement a robust presale strategy so that by the grand opening date, you are ready to start servicing revenue, and hopefully, you are on the black.For Alloy Franchisees in the stronger one model, we have opened facilities with over 100 memberships sold during the presale out of a capacity of 130 members. With this number, they can open making money rather than limp into profitability over time. But what exactly are presales?Presale gym memberships are agreements signed that once the gym opens its doors, the member will start using the facilities. The members are only billed from the grand opening date but commit themselves in advance.Presale memberships ensure the gym starts generating revenue from the opening day.In this episode, Rick sits down with Alloy's head franchise business coach to discuss the best practices of new facility presales. Alloy has a specific presale playbook with sales scripts, marketing collateral, KPI's for team members, and a robust digital strategy.Listen to learn of the Alloy presale playbook and how we have used it successfully to open new Alloy personal training gyms.Key Takeaways- What is a gym presale? (06:04)- How long far out can you presell? (06:46)- How to get out in the community to get leads (09:17)- The alloy presale play (15:56)- Life is all about sales (19:10)- Leveraging scarcity as a presale marketing tool (21:16)- How to ask for referrals from new members (22:46)Additional Resources:Alloy Personal TrainingLearn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity---------You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.If you haven’t already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts!

The What, How, And Why's Of Facility Presales

Is a sweaty workout or an elevated heart rate indicative of a good exercise program?This is the question Rick and Matt answer in today's episode.Since the advent of the studio fitness model, we have seen many claims regarding High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Some people claim that this is the only way to lose weight, and some go as far as saying that you can build muscle on such programs.However, science has proven that the way to lose weight sustainably is through strength training and looking after your diet.The main reason you don't lose weight sustainably or build muscle through HIIT is that the body adapts to strenuous activity after some time and gets efficient at it. Efficiency is the enemy of fat loss.If you are looking for the cardiovascular benefits of HIIT, the best way to go about it is to incorporate a 3-5 minutes' metabolic finisher at the end of a strength training session.Listen in as Rick and Matt discuss the best exercise program for your gym business and also to achieve results for your clients!Key Takeaways- Is an elevated heart rate important during exercise (01:29)- Incorporating a metabolic finisher at the end of strength training (08:06)- Why you don't lose weight on HIIT (10:58)- How clients lose fat through strength training (15:15)- Why HIIT programs lead to a higher churn rate (17:14)- The ideal no of sessions of strength training in a week (22:45)- Why it's countless to count calories burnt during a workout (29:53)Additional Resources:Alloy Personal TrainingLearn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity---------You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.If you haven’t already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts!

HIIT Training - Good Or Bad For Business? (REPLAY)

How did our business model start and how did we scale it effectively despite it being a unique one?Anyone who runs a new business would understand how much it could take to make it work - especially at the very beginning. For Alloy Personal Training, we were in an especially challenging place as we went for a business model that was the first of its kind.Among the strategies you’ll find are:? Tech: CRMs that work? Social media? Pre-sale methodsListen in to take a sneak peek at our strategies as you might just find it as effective for yourself, too!Key TakeawaysIntro (00:00)How Alloy Personal Training started (01:10)Fitting in the personal training landscape (07:25)How tech did the trick (11:22)Tools that boost real expansion (14:40)Leveraging social media (18:15)Make your pre-sale soar (22:37)Why go for Alloy Personal Training? (26:19)Additional Resources:Alloy Personal TrainingLearn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity---------You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.If you haven’t already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts!

4 Steps to Jumpstart A Business

What makes a successful entrepreneur? Is entrepreneurship for everyone?Some key traits are common for most successful entrepreneurs, and we look at three of these in this episode.When vetting franchisees for the Alloy Personal Training Franchise, we look at these traits from the candidates, and if they lack them, they might not be a good fit for our brand. However, these traits apply to independent entrepreneurs as well.These traits are:? Character? Skillset? Belief systemListen in as we describe how each of these determines your success as an entrepreneur and what to do to improve on them to level up!Key Takeaways- Do you have the right character for entrepreneurship (07:18)- Are you willing to work hard (08:16)- What is your skillset (09:42)- A franchise will help you with 80% of the skills needed (10:19)- What is your belief system (12:07)- Are you coachable (15:04)Additional Resources:Alloy Personal TrainingLearn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity---------You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.If you haven’t already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts!

The 3 Critical Traits Of Successful Entrepreneurs

Franchise discovery days are a crucial part of the franchise buying process. This is a day or two where potential franchisees visit the franchisor's corporate office to learn more about the brand.At Alloy Personal Training Franchise, potential franchises visit our corporate offices/mothership gym to get a feel of our services and get as much info as possible about the brand.It's a big opportunity for both the potential Alloy franchisee and us to meet and learn more about each other because, essentially, we are entering into a partnership.Sometimes, we meet some potential franchisees who are not a good fit for the Alloy brand despite their financial qualification.Tune in to learn more about the Alloy Personal Training Franchise opportunity and what to expect on Discovery Day!Key Takeaways- Why you need to fidget more according to science (1:47)- A NEAT approach to weight loss (03:01)- What is a franchise discovery day? (07:10)- Importance of discovery day to a franchisor (09:23)- Everyone comes to discovery day (11:29)- Meet the Snuffleupagus of Alloy (13:12)Additional Resources:Alloy Personal TrainingLearn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity---------You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.If you haven’t already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts! 

Franchise Discovery Day

Scarcity is a really powerful marketing tool that retailers use to influence customer behavior and drive sales.But did you know that we can use it in the fitness space to achieve the same results?We have used it here at Alloy Personal Training Franchise with great success. Some of our franchisees in our stronger one model sell almost their full capacity memberships even before the grand opening date.As you’ll be hearing from Rick and Matt, the 3 most effective ways to harness the power of scarcity marketing in fitness are:?Countdowns?Seasonal/low stock offers?Spotlighting customer behaviorTune in to learn how to use each of these and watch your sales go through the roof. Key Takeaways- How to use Social Proof to sell more (02:36)- Volume play vs. high-end play- How to use countdown of memberships or time to create scarcity (10:05)- Seasonal/Low Stock Offers (14:28)- Spotlighting behavior to create scarcity (21:58)- Always create scarcity with integrity (18:50)Additional Resources:Alloy Personal TrainingLearn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity---------You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.If you haven’t already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts! 

Scarcity Marketing

Who does your business serve? Does it serve you or the market?In the fitness space, it is likely to see an independent gym operator running a business that serves their personal interests or is heavily influenced by their personality which ultimately has a negative impact.Ideally, your business should serve the market and their needs despite your own personal opinions, likes, or biases. Opening a business that serves your passions is not sustainable in the long run.As a fitness entrepreneur, your role is to look for a gap in the market, define it and then build a business that services that gap.And this is the biggest difference between an independent operator and franchisees. A fitness franchise already serves a defined gap in the market. It doesn't give any room for personal biases to manifest in the business.Tune in to learn how to avoid your personality and biases affecting your business and why an Alloy Personal Training Franchise can help you serve a defined market!Key Takeaways- The difference between a franchisee and an independent operator (02:28)- Who does your business serve and why (03:58)- Opening a business that serves you is not sustainable (05:07)- Building a business that serves a gap in the market (06:32)- How to avoid your biases manifesting in your business (09:52)- Keep the main thing the main thing (11:51)Additional Resources:Alloy Personal TrainingLearn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity---------You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.If you haven’t already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts!

Squirrel Brain

The most common reason that businesses fail is inadequate capital. But where is the money to fund a business found?This is the question we answer in today’s podcast episode.But even before we look at ways to fund a fitness business, do you know that you are several times more likely to get funding if you are going for a franchise.A franchise is a proven concept, and financiers know that you are more likely to succeed in a franchise than when you are on your own.Now, if you are looking for ways to fund a fitness franchise, the top 3 options are:Personal fundingSBA (Small Business Administration) Loan401K ROBS (Rollover for Business Startups)Tune in to this episode to learn the advantages and disadvantages of each of these three options and the best one to go for when funding a fitness franchise.Key Takeaways- How Alloy franchisees are doing (00:24)- Why getting funding for a franchise is easier (04:07)- Personally funding your fitness business (06:14)- Finding an investor to fund your business (08:04)- SBA loan – Alloy is an SBA approved franchise (10:00)- How you can use your 401K (without penalties) to fund a business (11:54)Additional Resources:Alloy Personal TrainingLearn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity---------You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.If you haven’t already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts!

3 Ways To Fund A Fitness Franchise

This week, we reach a major milestone in the podcast. We are on the 100th episode…. And what a better way to mark this milestone than to look at where things are headed in the fitness industry post-Covid and what this means for the Alloy Personal Training Franchise brand and others.As gym owners and the fitness industry as a whole, the pandemic hit us badly; nobody could have prepared for the disruption we witnessed.However, with the successful rollout of the vaccines and the fact that people are getting out more and being comfortable going back to the gym, there are important evidence-backed observations we are seeing in our brand and across the industry.The first thing is the growth of small group personal training. Across the industry, we are seeing more and more brands pivoting to this model.The accountability, specificity, and community that this model offers are what the customer wants.As Alloy, we have been doing this for a long time, and as Matt and I have always said in this podcast, this is the model of the present and the future. We are happy that the fitness industry and the customers are coming around to it.Listen in to hear our thoughts on the state of affairs of the fitness industry and what the data we are seeing tells us!Key Takeaways- How things are looking in the Alloy mothership gym (01:36)- Growth of the small group personal training post-Covid (03:50)- Who the small group personal training is the best for the customer (08:16)- Brick and mortar is here to stay (10:42)- The fate of digital fitness (11:28)- Health and wellness awareness post-Covid (14:53)Additional Resources:Alloy Personal TrainingLearn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity---------You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.If you haven’t already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts! 

State Of Affairs 2021

What’s holding you back from your entrepreneurial dream? Rick and Matt reckon that fear is what is preventing you from taking the next step.In this episode, we break down the three common fears that we see mostly with our franchise candidates and what holds them back from owning a fitness business even when they understand the opportunity that exists in the industry.Being in the franchise development seat at Alloy Personal Training Franchise and being a fitness entrepreneur for more than 30 years himself, Rick is well placed to assuage these fears for any aspiring entrepreneur.Listen in to learn of the opportunity that exists in the fitness industry and why you shouldn’t let fear hold you back from taking the next step.Key Takeaways- The No 1 thing that keeps people from owning a franchise (02:44)- How to assuage the fear of lack of knowledge when starting a fitness business (05:09)- Is perception from family and friends holding you back (08:21)- Fear of failure (10:45)- Why you shouldn’t be afraid to bet on yourself (12:07)- How to overcome the fear of no talent (14:26)- The advantage of being on an Alloy Franchise (16:25)Additional Resources:Alloy Personal TrainingLearn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity---------You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.If you haven’t already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts! 

The 3 Common Fears Of Entrepreneurship

One of the most rewarding things in business is experiencing continued growth, and vice versa is true. Many gym owners are often frustrated by the lack of growth in their fitness business.In this episode, Rick and Matt break down the four reasons why your fitness business is struggling for growth. Address these four issues and kiss stagnation goodbye.One of the reasons is risk. In a fitness business, risk for customers might be scared of getting hurt, or paying money and not achieving their goals, etc. As a gym owner, it is your responsibility to mitigate this risk, and one of the best ways to do so is through a starting point session.Click Play to learn of the other reasons and how to specifically address them to grow your fitness business.Key Takeaways- How to mitigate risk to grow (01:44)- Is there friction to do business with you (04:45)- Does your fitness business require stool samples from clients? (07:46)- What’s your difference maker (10:52)- What is your success proposition (14:25)- The power of social proof (15:06)Additional Resources:Alloy Personal TrainingLearn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity---------You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.If you haven’t already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts!

4 Reasons Why Your Business Is NOT Growing

In this episode, Matt and Rick discuss whether or not you should make a wholesale change to your current business model. Spoiler alert- it could mean more profit and less drama!As a gym owner, changing your business model can be a tough call to make. But sometimes, it’s the only viable option to solve the problems you face in the gym and, while at it, increase your profitability.Part of being an entrepreneur is realizing that your business model is not cast in stone. Remember Episode 94, where we talked about the Ugly Baby Syndrome and how it can affect your business?For example, here at Alloy Personal Training, we changed our business model to small group personal training for the sake of simplicity, more scalability and, more profitability.In fact, this change fixed most of the problems we were experiencing with the previous model, such as scheduling, complexity, and high churn rates.Listen in to learn why you should consider changing your business model to solve your business problems and increase profitability!Key Takeaways- Should you change your fitness business model? (01:46)- The Ugly Baby Syndrome (05:43)- What are the resources needed to drive your model? (06:04)- Are you a marketing business that does fitness on the side? (08:34)- Know thy numbers (09:30)- Keep your fitness business model simple (12:03)- Evaluating the ROI of your model (14:32)Additional Resources:Alloy Personal TrainingLearn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity---------You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.If you haven’t already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts!

Blow It Up! 5 Reasons To Change Your Business Model

Are you ready to take your fitness businesses to the next level? Listen in for secrets and tips on running a successful Personal Training business. From marketing, staff management, trends, programming, pricing, and many other subjects in between, speaker and award-winning fitness industry legend Rick Mayo, founder of the Alloy Personal Training Franchise, covers it all. --- Be sure to visit us at: http://bit.ly/alloy_franchise

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Alloy Personal Training Business

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