Have you noticed the sustainable shift happening in the fitness industry? Lately, there has been less and less talk about the classic little-bits-of-everything fitness clubs that offer a variety of equipment and more talk about the uprising of small ‘boutique’ fitness facilities. But all kinds of boutique facilities — whether they focus on cycling, HIIT, dance, or personal training — still face the same obstacles to success: How to retain members while bringing in new ones, all the while keeping costs low, competing with the local gym franchises, and turning a profit. Luckily, there’s one solution for everything: being different in a way that matters.
Sacramento Eco Fitness, a cycling studio and small group training facility, found a way to overcome all of these obstacles by making one strategic business decision.
“We needed to find something that was going to be completely different from anything that has been done before,” explains owner José Avina. That something turned out to be a sustainable mindset. Thanks to the eco-innovative technology of SportsArt ECO-POWR™ cardio equipment, Sacramento Eco Fitness became the first sustainable cycling studio in the United States.
Being Sustainable Makes A Difference
Sustainable Fitness tells a story that few studios have yet to touch on — a story of personal health supporting environmental health. José’s story has become the foundation of all of his marketing efforts to bring in new members. Best of all, the concept sells itself. “We honestly haven’t spent much [money] at all,” he admits. “We have been very fortunate to be in the eyes of the media and they have given us a lot of publicity and members found us that way.”
All it took was a single press release. Word of Sacramento Eco Fitness’s grand opening and the mission José was looking to fulfill was shared 166 times in the first week; since then the gym has been mentioned in 20 articles, ranging from local outlets to Forbes magazine, and featured on local news stations five times. The momentum hasn’t stopped, either, as people have continued to flock to the gym since its opening in December last year.
Now known as Sacramento’s ‘hidden gem gym’ by the press, José and his team have been able to quadruple their memberships over the past five months.
“[Members] are leaving their cheaper memberships to come here and support our mission to power the grid through their membership dues and energy output,” José says. “They take pride in being a member here and are constantly asking about how many watts we’ve produced as a whole.”
Go Green and See More Green With ECO-POWR™
Operators of any size can benefit from adding ECO-POWR™ equipment to their fitness facility. Adding a green initiative helps bring in members who embrace eco-friendly lifestyles, but also contributes to reducing the costs associated with running a fitness studio. Energy generated through a workout on ECO-POWR™ cardio equipment is immediately converted into utility-grade electricity through built-in micro-inverters and fed back through the plug into any standard outlet. This means that your facility is not only taking steps to become more sustainable but that it is producing clean renewable energy itself; this makes you instantly eligible for financial incentives such as tax breaks and grants.
This sort of story isn’t limited to California, either. Other cities, counties and even states across the country are making big pushes for sustainable development and renewable energy. By utilizing green business practices and incorporating ECO-POWR™ cardio products, fitness facilities from coast to coast can receive financial incentives from going green. Whether it be tax breaks, grants, or other financial support, embracing a sustainable mindset really can lower operation costs. And you don’t have to be a mathematician to know that more members at a lower cost help lead to increased profits in your facility, too.
So that brings up an important question: If your gym is in need of new fitness equipment, why not go for the kind that can help you become more profitable and help the planet? We’ll give you a hint: There isn’t.
This article was originally featured in the Summer 2017 edition of National Fitness Trade Journal (Page 26).