HALO Talks: Elevating Wellness

"We launched for a very simple reason: It was way too hard to find a great pair of workout shorts!" laughs Keith Nowack, Founder of Ten Thousand. They're now growing at a fantastic clip and Keith and team team remain, "Focused on profitability and not just raising capital every 12 months!" A former pro soccer player and seasoned entrepreneur & investor, Keith highlights the highs and lows that com...

Macrolease has been serving clients in the HALO sector since 1969. Equipment financing has always been a critical part of the industry and Sal Venuto--VP at Marcrolease--is a 20 year veteran and has seen the evolution first hand. "It's a dynamite industry to be involved with," he says. "Operators are getting much more sophisticated. People call us early on in the process now, even sometimes before...

"Learning how to write is universal. It's never going anywhere," states John Romaniello. John has been named "Top 100 Most Influential People In Fitness." He wrote his first article in 2002 and now, with several e-books, courses, sites, a best seller, and a few thousand clients to his credit, John serves as a writing mentor and business coach. In one of our more philosophical HALO Talks, John disc...

"How we're accessing fitness has evolved. In the past, 2% of gym members were buying other fitness experiences. Now it's over 25%," says Founder and 20+ year fitness veteran and marketing & media executive Joanna Stahl. "I'm going to be in Houston tomorrow, what cycling class should I go to?" It was questions like these she'd get from friends that were never easily answered. Go2Practice was born o...

First Credit is a leading company in the Accounts Receivable space with an impressive, 25 year history. They work with over 4,000 clubs and have integrations with all the main point of sale providers. "This is usually only a $100-$200 bill. It just needs a talk. We're a non-threatening, consultative, member engagement retention model with a soft approach. We never threaten legal issues. We're agai...

Workout Anytime began in Douglasville, Georgia in 1999 with a converted, 3,200 square foot facility. After 10 months, they had $800,000 in receivables and "knew we were on to something," said Co-Founder John Quattrochhi. "We had no idea we'd be franchising one day either!" he states. They sold their first franchise in 2006 and now have over 100 nationally. The company was built "one brick at a tim...

"Why wouldn't you give free sessions? It doesn't cost you anything!" is an incorrect and unfortunately, all-too-common refrain that 22+ year industry veteran Zach Lucas hears often. "We've seen studies that show people prefer incentives 3 to 1 over discounts!" The results that Promotion Vault customers are seeing clearly bear that out. Zach is very passionate about educating the industry about the...

86% of athletes recruited into their first jobs are promoted within 18 months. However, 64% are graduating without a job in hand. 97% are not receiving a job through relationships with the Athletic Department either. The Athlete Book is going to change all of this & will connect athletes to employers in a way that's never been done before. It's the brainchild of Ryan Drummond, former captain of hi...

Dr. Jaime Schehr is one of a small number of people who is both a Registered Dietitian and Naturopathic Physician. After serving as a clinician in Mount Sinai for 12 years, she began her own practice in addition to starting Xfit Lab which has worked with companies like Soul Cycle and Peleton. Dr. Schehr "married medicine and fitness" and because of her broad background in both fields, is able to a...

"You have to have sat on the operating side of the table if you want to be really effective in this space," states Leigh Randall, Managing Partner of Topspin Partners, a leading private equity firm in the HALO sector & consumer products and services space since 2000.  "We hear over and over from small business owners that there's a complete lack of appreciation for what they've accomplished!" What...

"I'm naturally scrappy, I love a good challenge. . . I don't need to be a hero and do it alone!" says Jackie Stauffer, CEO & Founder of the innovative company, RECESS. A former college athlete, Estee' Lauder & Equinox Fitness marketing executive, RECESS was born (like many companies) from a personal frustration. "I was starting to not work out because of the whole 'waiting in line to shower!' thin...

Ron is currently the CEO of Daxko but spent 26 years with Reynolds & Reynolds--the leading tech company in the retail automotive space. Jeff founded Club Automation which Daxko acquired in January, 2018. This chat with these two highly seasoned executives runs the gamut from the benefits of partnering, why you should consider this path when the time comes, how to vet an appropriate partner, how na...

Hari Singh was the Dairy Barn President for 15 years and learned about this "CrossFit thing" when it started making waves in NYC. He became a convert and started CrossFit NYC (the 16th CrossFit affiliate in the world.) With 26 instructors on staff and 2 locations, "We never thought we'd get 30 people!" he jokes. Hari has a strong relationship with Greg Glassman the Founder and mentions, "He isn't...

One day, Elana Frankel, Co-Founder of Indigo & Haze--a highly curated CBD marketplace specializing in plant-based wellness, beauty, and living--was in Miami and the next? She was in the hospital having a CAT scan. The doctors still don't know what happened but they do know she suffered a TBI. (Traumatic brain injury.) Her road to recovery was accelerated due to her use of CBD tea, but she kept qui...

"Save your money before you open your studio. You should have a minimum 3 months, preferably 6, of your operating budget in the bank before you open," states Julian Barnes, Co-Founder of the Boutique Fitness Summit ("BFS") which organizes 1-day summits in DC, NYC, and Chicago. Julian has been around the industry since playing competitive tennis as a child. He's run over 100 networking events in NY...

Focused on the place where "entertainment meets fitness," Crunch Fitness was a huge game changer when they first started. Cyrus, an 18+ year industry veteran & the Senior Vice President of Group Fitness Programming, discusses complex issues such as which type of programming to use in your facility. Top things you need to know to retain top talent. Pros and cons of pre-packaged programming. Her tho...

Wayne Strobel's ambitious goal is to have Beachbox become, "The Disney of health and wellness, creating cohesive brand experiences in our studios, at home, on our mobile devices, and online." Beachbox is "more than just a gym" and Wayne's extensive in the retail sector helped shape their mantra, "Build, Burn, Become!" Listen now to learn more about their unique gamification of their workouts throu...

30 Minute HIT initially started in 2004 as a small idea that took hold in a "traditional" MMA gym.  Now with 71 brick & mortar locations in Canada and the USA, it was, "Initially an experiment to see if people would get results and become attracted to the program. It kind of exploded and then we knew we had something really sustainable and we could grow," says Jackson Loychuk, Co-Founder.  They br...

With two successful exits behind her, Founder Gail Levy wanted to aid a friend who was searching for something to minimize effects of chemotherapy. With 150 research papers backing it up (there are many more now, 5 years later) molecular hydrogen came on her radar.  The first few years were self funded and, "After a ton of trial and error and having to start from scratch twice!" Hfactor is now a l...

Using a device called the Cryoskin (and in only 28 minutes per session) how does $38K in revenue the first month with no advertising sound? "It's already happened and the top distributor in the USA is doing approximately $65K per month," says Co-Founder Simon Mansell.  "It's hardware as a service," he continues. "The machine, training, and marketing are all free. One woman would come in, the next...

Brian Gallagher and his partner started Throwback Fitness in April 2014 in NYC. They raised less than 100K from friends and family and crafted "the world's funnest workout." Both former investment bankers, neither had experience in fitness which was, "A big plus," says Gallagher. "We went lower risk initially because we didn't know what we were doing! We're students of the minimally viable product...

Tom Hatten, Mountainside Fitness Founder, signed his first lease in 1990 and went on to build 17 clubs, making the company the largest independent operator in Arizona. Each club has at least 80 group classes with 3 very large studios. With child care and many other amenities, "We live at the top of the middle" says President Craig Cote. With tremendous brand equity in the region, listen to learn m...

Indoor cycling without the mirrors?! YES! And there's a specific reason why Nick Staples, Founder of Zenergy, does it that way. Zenergy started in Charleston, VA in July 2015 and focuses strictly on secondary markets. They've quickly grown to 3 studios with plans for an additional 10 in the next 24 months. "People didn't know what we were doing at first, but they believed in it and were having fun...

"The worst thing you can do as a gym owner is think because you work out, you know how to run a business," says Jim Czupil, Gold's Gym 2015 Franchisee of the Year. Jim was looking for his next step after retiring from the corporate world. He and his family now own 2 clubs which serve about 11,000 members combined. Learn more about his journey into the industry with Gold's. . . a brand who he's ple...

Mark is a former finance executive who initially turned to fitness because it was a passion. "I thought I'd seed it, but I ended up running it going on 3+ years now!" he laughs. Zyn22 is a hybrid studio model based in the heartland of Texas combining Spinning and HIIT. They're getting a lot of attention, have a great handle on who they are (and who they cater to) and the demand for more is growing...