Openings, closings & your key player; equipment distributors
Wednesday May 1, 2024
Hello from the construction site of the new cycling studio project which has been taking up the majority of my brain-space here in Bandra, Mumbai. Of course, the project has had a delay of a few weeks…because if there is not a delay, are you even launching a new studio? Even Wildly Efficient Singapore had a two week delay back when we opened in 2014. 😉
I was so sorry to hear that SpaceCycle China ceased operations in Beijing & Shanghai yesterday. If you had the chance to take a barre, indoor cycling, HIIT or cardio dance class at their studios in mainland China, you undoubtedly saw and felt how they only added positive value to new fitness communities in those cities.
Do I have an update on what's happening with Stages Cycling? I don't.
(ICYMI last week, here is one of the many articles out there)
Let's see what shakes out in the coming weeks.
On a related personal note, we have begun Week 3 of 7 weeks of the comprehensive cycling instructor training / program development I was hired to do here in India, and as of 2 days ago, finally have our power display consoles. Big shout-out to TIFC, our local distributor, for keeping an engineer on standby for us for when the consoles arrived to their offices via DHL!
Which…brings me to the bigger point for todays' email: your key equipment suppliers & what they offer to your brand.
I have seen far too many studios of ALL formats over the years invest very significant money into high CapEx equipment purchases…and unfortunately, then end up not investing energy into the following….so here's what I most commonly have seen overlooked, over the past 10 years:
(take the tools you want, leave the rest, and if you've done it all, reply to this & tell me so I can send you a virtual gold star! 😉)
a. Create a cleaning protocol, written-out as a checklist or as an internally-distributed video, etc, made clear how to clean equipment properly, using best practices shared by the folks who sold it to you
b. Learn which parts of equipment need to “be aired out," or need to be oiled or need to be adjusted and with what kind of simple tool do you need for an adjustment. Create an operating procedure that the person(s) whose job it is to see that its completed properly…has all tools available to them for their success and yours!
c. Learn basic servicing troubleshoots to mitigate common issues yourself! Then as well have a great working relationship with your equipment suppliers (who sold you your product & your service package for x amount of months) for when a bike, a Reformer, a rower, etc needs to be fixed which is beyond your ability.
d. If you have a larger team, significant equipment & multiple locations, were you offered an FAQ-type 1-2 hour learning-seminar with your equipment suppliers after install? And if so, do you have those notes updated for new team members? And if not…what is your relationship like with your equipment supplier?
If you'd like to intentionally nurture your relationship with such an important member of your extended team…what step can you take in the next 1 month to do so? A call? A check-in? An invitation for their office to take a class as your guest?
As always, hit reply if you want to chat or share.
Until next Wednesday,
xx Noël