Category: Blog

You probably started teaching yoga because of a passion for yoga. But, any small business owner knows that profitability is the key to be able to continue doing what you enjoy. In this article, we’ll help you to find ways to become a successful yoga entrepreneur so you can get back to focusing on your students and your practice.

More than Teaching Yoga

Running a yoga studio is more than scheduling classes. A yoga studio owner also acts as a hiring manager, finance department, and customer service manager. You also need to focus on student satisfaction to keep loyal students coming back while also reaching new clients.

At the end of the day, students come to classes that are conveniently located, fit within their schedule, and that have teachers they enjoy. While you may not be able to control the location – unless you own multiple yoga studios – you can cater to other needs.

Hiring Yoga Teachers

When hiring your team, choose yoga instructors from different backgrounds and practice areas. Then, vary the class schedules so that your clients can try different yoga teachers on different days. When a yoga teacher is a good fit for a student, you have a great chance of building loyalty and keeping that student coming back week after week. By hiring different types of instructors, you’re more likely to find a great fit for more students across your schedule.

Developing Yoga Instructors

As you know, in yoga there’s always room for improvement – and not just for your students. Be sure to offer your instructors the time and flexibility to attend teacher training and development classes. Not only will you help improve your instructors’ capabilities, but you will also become a more prestigious organization. With a focus on quality, you can even eventually increase class prices without facing a decrease in membership.

Diversifying Revenue Streams

Many people who love teaching yoga may cringe at the business speak around revenue streams. But, offering products and services aside from only yoga classes is a great way to help your bottom line.

Carry necessities that new students may need like yoga mats, yoga blocks, towels, and water bottles. Offer branded yoga apparel so your clients can share your business name wherever they go. You can use a service like Bonfire that prints shirts when they get ordered so that you don’t have to invest in carrying inventory. And don’t forget to publicize gift certificates to make it easy for your students to gift classes to their friends.

Consider launching an online pay-to-access library of class videos to let members practice even when they aren’t in the studio. Or, offer private workshops and one-on-one training to let students take practicing yoga to the next level.

Finally, partner with other small business owners to offer packages. Sell bundles with local nutritionists, life coaches, masseuses, and other health service providers. Creating a referral network is a great way to share like-minded customers and grow your business.

Focus on Building a Successful Yoga Business

To take the stress out of managing your yoga studio, running a successful business focused on profitability is key. That means you need to keep the back office running smoothly, including class scheduling, collecting membership dues, and managing payroll and staff.

With our yoga studio software, managing the business side of your studio is a breeze. You’ll even get a branded mobile app to let students book classes, text the studio, and update payment information. You’ll finally get to step back from manually managing admin tasks and get back to doing what you love.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted everyone in different ways. Fitness professionals are one group that have been hit the hardest by gym closures and stay at home orders. The fitness industry has had to adapt to day-by-day changes to operating protocols. Some governors have ordered all gyms to close while others only limit hours. And regardless of what the local government allows, you need to keep your clients’ safety and comfort as your top priority.

With ever-changing health news, personal trainers need to make a plan to keep their business growing through the pandemic. Read our guide for personal training during a pandemic.

Provide Distance Training

The key to training from afar is by curating an exercise experience that gives real value to your clients. Anyone can find workout guides through websites, but people come to you for personalized help with their goals.

• Cardio: Monitor cardio performance with a mix of services like Strava and FitBit. Offer new ideas to help mix up cardio by doing research on nearby biking and hiking trails.
• Weight Training: Collaborate with your client to find out what is possible at their home. If they don’t have weights, are there items around the house they can use for at-home strength building? Deliver some resistance bands to help build strength without taking up a lot of space.
• Flexibility: Create a YouTube playlist for each week with new routines or create your own videos to use across all of your clients.
• Performance Monitoring: Use a personal training software to schedule one-on-one appointments with your clients to act as a resource for them. Ask not just about physical performance but also find out how they’re feeling. By offering additional support, you can help them stay motivated and focused on their goals.

Offer Training at a Gym

For those who are in areas with open gyms and fitness centers, making your clients feel safe and comfortable is key. Talk to your gyms owners to ask about their safety protocols for the gym and locker rooms before you bring your clients. Ideally, they will limit the number of people allowed at any one time and increase their cleaning routines.

While working with your clients, do your part to make sure that you and they are wearing a mask and social distancing at all times. Thoroughly clean machines and weights at every step.

With the increase in remote work, your clients may have more flexibility around their schedule. Find out if they can change their training sessions to coincide with the gym open hours that are the slowest.

Even if your fitness club or local gyms reopened, you should keep an eye on public health updates to monitor COVID cases in your area. You may want to switch to outdoor exercises, distance training, or at-home bodyweight exercises if you or your clients feel unsafe.

Host Group Fitness

Outdoor group fitness classes are a great way to build community in a safer space. Find a park with plenty of open space and ask your clients to bring an exercise mat. Space everyone out at least 6 feet apart before allowing attendees to take off their masks.

Lead the group in cardio, flexibility, and body weight exercises. You’ll see an increase in motivation and camaraderie when your clients have others to keep up with and compare themselves against.

You can even consider creating a private Facebook group for your clients to connect with one another. They’ll encourage one another to attend and help you get everyone excited for the next training session.

Stay Connected

2020 offered new challenges to fitness professionals across the industry. Even if you have a gym open near you, your clientele may not be ready to go. But it’s still possible to connect with your clients and efficiently manage your business even while we have to keep our distance.

Keep your business running smoothly with a personal training app that allows you to manage contacts, text your customers, and assess clients. Request a demo to see what EZFacility can do for your business.

While the coronavirus pandemic has been devastating to the fitness industry in many ways, one positive outcome is that now, arguably more than ever, people are focused on their health. More and more people are looking for ways to exercise in open-air or outdoor environments, which has made the tennis industry especially attractive. We also know that many people use the New Year as a motivator to kickstart their health and fitness journey, and memberships tend to boom during the early months of the year.

For these reasons (and more!), now is the perfect time for tennis organizations to revisit their marketing strategies and assess what has worked well, what hasn’t, and what can be done to address these three key areas: member growth/attraction, member retention, and profitability.

In this blog we’ll cover five marketing tips to help you grow your tennis club in 2021.

1. Lay the foundation

In order to successfully grow your tennis club, you need to develop a marketing plan with several different marketing strategies included. The first step is to lay the foundation by defining your audience, target market(s) and competitors. Understanding this information is crucial as it will guide your marketing strategies and help you decide what type of language to use, which tools to use in your marketing mix, and the best ways to communicate your message to both current members and potential members.

2. Establish your brand identity

A brand identity is the embodiment of everything your business is and does, and having a strong brand identity is a must if you want your club to stand out from other tennis businesses. Building a brand, much like building your business, is a process. It won’t happen overnight, but with ongoing effort and the right marketing strategies in place, you’ll be able to establish your identity and build long-term relationships with tennis members.

3. Build a dynamic website

Never underestimate the power of a website—it’s the home base that connects everything. Your website is where you can display your mission, showcase pictures of your tennis courts, provide information about your club and its services, link your social media accounts, and demonstrate expertise in your industry.

We live in a digital world, and you should assume the vast majority of potential members will visit your website before they decide whether or not to visit your club. It’s worthwhile to invest the time it takes to ensure your site is well-designed, easy to navigate, and mobile-friendly.

4. Create content that’s compelling

When marketing a tennis club, you need to content that’s engaging and tailored to your audience and what they care about—things like educational articles, blogs, newsletters, infographics, webinars or videos. By becoming a credible resource on topics that matter to potential members, you’re more likely to be discovered by the right audience and to grow an engaged subscriber base.

Utilizing social media channels is the fastest, cheapest and easiest way to reach your audience, drive traffic to your website, and to establish your brand identity. Social media also allows businesses to control the narrative by deciding what content to share and when. While there’s no magic formula to dictate how often your business should post on social media, consistency is key, so you want to make sure to keep the dialogue going and avoid any prolonged periods of silence.

5. Offer an incentive for referrals

Your tennis members can be your best brand advocates. In fact, 83% of Americans say word of mouth recommendations from friends or family members make them more likely to purchase that product or service, and 41% trust a recommendation from someone they know more than a social media recommendation.

Providing an incentive for referring friends will not only benefit your business by attracting new potential members and revenue streams, it will create a more fun and meaningful experience for your current tennis members, too. It’s a win-win. You can structure a refer-a-friend campaign a number of different ways, like offering a discount on membership, a cash bonus for a certain number of referrals, or giving away free swag are just a few ideas.

Conclusion

With the New Year just around the corner, now is the perfect time to get your marketing strategies in place to help grow your tennis club in 2021. To learn how our comprehensive software solution can assist with your marketing efforts and ensure your tennis courts are used to their full potential, click here.

The COVID-19 pandemic has put enormous pressure on everyone’s physical health and well-being, with many people being isolated and confined to their homes for months. Yoga has long been known for its ability to alleviate stress and anxiety (among other proven health benefits), so it should come as no surprise that an increasing number of people have turned to yoga during a year plagued with challenges, doubt and uncertainty.

But despite more people wanting to practice yoga, many yoga studio owners have been struggling after months-long mandatory closures turned the fitness industry upside down. So, what can yoga studio owners do to stay afloat and attract new members during these times riddled with ongoing uncertainty? 

Now more than ever, running a successful yoga business hinges upon the ability to establish a strong brand identity in order to retain and engage current students, as well as attract new students to your yoga business. The shift to online workouts has created a lot of new competition in the fitness realm, but your brand identity is what will make people want to choose you and keep coming back.

In this blog we’ll cover six key areas yoga studio owners need to focus on in order to run a successful yoga business:

1. What is my mission?

The mission of your yoga business will drive everything you do—in fact, it’s why you do what you do. Spend ample time developing your mission statement as you want to make sure it reflects your goals as a yoga business owner and resonates with your target audience.

2. What is the personality of my yoga business?

The personality of your yoga business will shape how you communicate across all boards—from how you talk to your yoga instructors and students to the tone and language that’s used on your social media pages and in your marketing materials.

3. Who is my target audience?

Defining your target audience and understanding how to communicate with them effectively is critical to running a successful yoga studio. Your yoga business can’t cater to everyone, and that’s okay—no business can! In fact, you may even want to consider a niche market, like yoga for beginners, families, athletes, or seniors. Once you figure out who you want to attract, you’ll have a better understanding of how to reach them.  

For example, if you decide to focus on seniors as your niche market, you’ll want to make sure your yoga classes are offered at times that are appealing and convenient to them. Additionally, make sure the language you use to describe your yoga classes are attractive to that audience.

4. Who are my competitors?

It’s pretty safe to assume you won’t be the only place offering yoga classes in your area, so you’ll want to figure out who your main competitors are. Do some research to see what competitors are offering, and then try to figure out how to differentiate your yoga business.

Is there something your competitors aren’t offering that you can? Is there something you think you can do better? Once you figure out what it is, that will become your value proposition.

5. How can I stand out?

It’s difficult for any yoga business to stand out in a saturated market, which is why it’s so important to figure out who your target audience is, as well as your value proposition and competitive advantage.

What can you do that your competitors aren’t? Here are a few ideas you may want to consider to help your yoga business stand out:

• Offer a free trial: One of the best ways to get new members in your door is to offer a free, no commitment trial. If your competitors offer one free class, consider offering a free week of unlimited classes (or some other variation that’s feasible for your yoga business).
• Provide referral incentives: Your current clientele can be your best brand advocates. If they enjoy your yoga classes, chances are they’ll tell their friends…but why not give them an extra nudge by offering an incentive to do so? Many of your competitors may also have a referral structure in place, so think about what you can offer that’s different and may be considered more valuable.
• Host competitions and challenges: Motivation and positive reinforcement can go a long way when it comes to fitness. Who doesn’t love a little friendly competition? The way you structure these should be driven by your audience. Switch things up every so often by offering special events helps create a valuable experience.
• Keep offering virtual classes: Sometimes people just want to work out from the comfort of their own homes, especially given lingering concerns around the coronavirus. This year challenged many yoga studio owners to adapt to the times by offering virtual classes when studios were closed, and now many people have grown accustomed to the convenience. Even if you’re located somewhere where all the restrictions have been lifted and business is back to usual, consider offering virtual classes year-round.  

6. How can I maximize operational efficiency?

Most yoga studio owners wear multiple hats, and it can be easy to get overwhelmed. Let us help you achieve peace of mind with our powerful yoga studio management system. Create custom yoga studio membership plans and packages, manage contracts and renewals, automate reminders and collect payments all from one platform.

We also recently rolled out our Zoom Integration and Video Library to help you stay competitive during the changing times.

To learn more, click here to schedule a free, no commitment demo. 

Many people will be heading into the new year with the same new years resolutions as last year: Be happier, make more money, live a healthier lifestyle and join the gym. Coronavirus or not, those things haven’t changed. And a new years resolution gym membership is great news for you as a gym owner!

Even though your gym classes might be meeting up differently these days, with the right strategies, you can be sure to keep any new members motivated and showing up day after day. Here are some do’s and don’ts for your new year gym memberships.

1. DO have your Management Software ready

With a good management software on your side, you’ve already won half the battle. While your software streamlines the administrative side of things, you can focus more attention toward retention efforts such as building and establishing new member relationships.

The best time to set up your software is well before the rush of the new year, so you know how to operate it. But, we are happy to guide you through the process at any time, and answer your questions.

2. DON’T forget to track attendance

One of the things you can use management software for is to track new gym members attendance. Tracking any member’s attendance is always important to your clients success and your fitness business. However, tracking new member’s attendance is especially important because it helps you to understand how to better motivate them. Maybe you need to move around class days and times, or switch up your offerings. Member attendance can help clue you into all of those things. 

3. DO send out nurture emails 

When you are alerted to a string of member absences, go ahead and send those gym members a personalized email to let them know they are missed and you care. If they feel like nobody notices, it’s easier to let themselves off the hook. But having somebody in their corner can encourage them to keep pushing toward their goals. And in this case, not just anybody- the gym owner! It could be greatly impactful.

 4. DON’T be afraid of the digital landscape

Now that all fitness classes have completely moved online, there is a good chance it could stay that way for awhile. So, don’t shy away from it. The gyms who learn to fully adapt and embrace the change will be the ones who thrive most in the long haul. Plus, it’s not so bad. Having digital fitness classes allows for more flexibility and connectivity.

5. DO find a niche

Do some soul searching and figure out what you’re truly passionate about when it comes to the fitness industry. Now that everyone is online, you need to find the thing that sets you apart. You need a niche.

There’s a lot of competition online right now. Some websites are even offering free content which make things even harder. So, it’s imperative to stand out. Having a niche can help you do exactly that. Figure out what makes you and your business unique and choose to be an expert in your field vs. somebody who dabbles in a little bit of everything. It can make a huge difference.

If you’re getting ready to open a new facility, you’re probably already thinking about what you can do to encourage potential members to visit your gym, as well as how you can convert those leads into new gym members in order to create a sustainable revenue stream.

The fitness industry is highly competitive, and it’s easy to get lost in the noise. So, what can you do to stand out? Answer: multichannel marketing campaigns.

Below we’ve outlined several gym marketing ideas that can be implemented across paid, earned and owned channels to create an effective multichannel marketing mix.

1. Content Marketing

Content marketing is a form of digital marketing that aims to provide value to the customer in a non-promotional way. In the highly competitive fitness industry, content marketing is essential to boosting brand awareness, establishing authority, and nurturing relationships between business owners and potential members/current gym members by building trust and providing inspiration.

Because the goal of content marketing is to provide value outside of your product or service, the fitness industry and content marketing are a perfect match. Fitness is about providing valuable information to help people better themselves, and the best way to communicate that information is through a content marketing strategy.

Here are two ideas to get you started:

• Utilize social media: Social media can help your fitness club build brand awareness, expand your digital reach and build customer loyalty. When you use social media for its intended purpose—to socialize—it helps motivate your gym members to keep coming back and inspires potential members to consider joining.

• Create a weekly blog: Blogging is still one of the best ways to connect with your target audience, and writing about a niche area of fitness can help build your authority as a fitness industry expert. Blogging also helps build your website’s authority and rank higher on search engines.

2. Direct Mail

We live in the Digital Age, and many business owners may think direct mail is dead. But don’t discount the value of integrated marketing campaigns that include direct mail just yet.

In fact, CMO Council’s Critical Channels of Choice finds that consumers have positive feelings toward direct mail, and one out of three respondents say they expect direct mail to be a part of their ideal communications mix.

Direct mail is tangible, and because of that it can actually feel more interactive than digital marketing or email marketing strategies. When utilized effectively, it can also elicit an emotional response from the viewer, making it more memorable than just another email in your inbox.

If you’re still not convinced, consider these stats from PFL’s 2019 Multichannel Marketing Research Report: Direct Mail in the Digital Age:

• 83% of marketers report good or very good ROI when direct mail is fully integrated into their multichannel campaign mix
• 89% of marketers report direct mail delivers moderate to major improvement in overall campaign performance when it’s highly personalized and tightly integrated into the channel mix
• Direct mail has a median ROI of 29%, putting it third behind email marketing (124%) and social media (30%)

3. Remarketing & Retargeting

Remarketing and retargeting amplify your marketing campaigns by reaching customers that are more likely to convert into sales (in this case, new gym members) or to complete a desired action (for example, subscribe to your newsletter). Both have the same goal—to get previous visitors on the path to conversion—but the way they accomplish this task is slightly different.

• Remarketing allows business owners to reconnect with people who previously interacted with their website through email marketing.

• Retargeting reaches that same target audience via paid advertising.

Using remarketing, you can reach out to people who didn’t complete the desired action with email reminders. Using retargeting, you can place strategically positioned ads while potential members browse the internet, with the hope they’ll click and come back to you. Both tactics are a great way to reach your target audience—people who have shown interest, but not yet converted.

4. Focus on SEO

Google is the most widely used search engine, and holds just over 92% of the global market share. That said, you want to make sure your business shows up in searches. In order for this to happen, your website’s data must be accurate and filled with keywords your potential members would use to find a business like yours.

Potential members will likely search keywords and phrases like “gyms near me” or “fitness centers in [insert city]”, so you’ll want to develop a list of similar keywords and incorporate those words throughout your site, but only where they’re relevant and make sense. It’s also important to use keyword identifiers in the page titles of your site so Google understands who you are and the nature of your business.

Another way to boost your SEO efforts is to make sure you have a completed business profile on Google My Business (GMB). GMB is a free tool that business owners can use to manage their company listing and online presence across the Google suite of websites. A completed page is essential for local SEO because it enables your business listing to appear in local searches, allows people to find your contact and location information easily, provides potential visitors with a picture of your facility, and lets users review your business.

Conclusion

Marketing is an essential function needed to promote your gym and to differentiate yourself from competitors in order to attract potential members—and, when utilized effectively, marketing campaigns can also be a great way to keep current gym members engaged and to reduce churn.

There’s no shortage of options when it comes to gym marketing ideas, but it’s important to remember that implementing a multichannel approach will increase the likelihood of reaching your target audience and the overall success of your marketing campaigns.

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It’s no secret 2020 has been one big, giant rollercoaster ride for gym owners. The pressing question on everybody’s mind is what will 2021 hold for the fitness industry? While no one knows the answer for certain, don’t be discouraged. There are still ways to keep pushing forward. Here are some tips and tools for creating revenue streams that will steady your member retention rates, increase revenue and help your fitness business grow.

Refresh online classes

At the start of the Coronavirus, the fitness industry made its collective jump into the world of online classes. By now, you’re likely a pro with a pretty solid handle on everything. But like with any trend, they’re always changing. So, pay close attention to your competitors latest class offerings, or do a little extra research on the web, and then give your own classes an occasional refresh when you feel it’s appropriate. Of course, if something is working out extremely well for you, don’t feel pressured to mix it up. Like the old adage goes, “If it ain’t broke- don’t fix it.”

Create a referral program anyway

Creating a member referral program might feel low on the do list these days but we are here to say: create it anyway. That’s because, it’s never a bad time to ask your gym members to help you spread the love to their friends and family. If anything, now is the perfect time for it. The rewards don’t have to be big, either. There are plenty of budget-friendly incentives including, free one-on-one workout sessions, free class passes or even a choice of merchandise from your shop.

Sell merchandise

Speaking of merchandise. Don’t pack up the yoga pants and reusable water bottles just yet. Whether your classes are meeting in person or online, your gym members will still need items for their workout sessions. And one item you don’t want to miss out on selling right now is face masks.

It’s true, they’re everywhere and everyone is likely counting down the minutes until we can be rid of them forever. But in the meantime, they’re here to stay. So, why not create some eye-catching and comfortable masks with your gym logo on them?

Team up with other companies 

We’re all in this together, right? Team up with your business neighbors. It’s no secret that other companies are trying to find ways to keep their goods and services out there also. So, team up with the ones you respect and admire and offer to help each other out. Let them keep some of their products in your shop in exchange for them doing the same with yours. Or, even better, if they in the health and wellness field also, team up for a joint class or workshop.

Look for trends with Management Software

If you want to see how your new tricks are performing, pay attention to your management software. It can help you track member attendance and engagement which can clue you into what’s really working for member retention.

Gym owners, we hope you enjoyed reading these tips on different revenue streams and how to make your fitness business grow. If you try them, come back and let us know how they worked out for you.

Some business owners make the mistake of dismissing the value of market research—but the truth is, no matter what industry you’re in, there’s a real need for collecting information for market research purposes. This is especially true within the fitness industry, where gyms and health clubs rely upon a steady stream of memberships to stay in business—and, therefore, ensuring customer satisfaction is a must.

Whether you’re opening a new fitness center location, launching a new fitness class or personal trainer service, or just looking for ways to improve overall user experience, surveys and questionnaires are valuable tools that provide critical insight used to make informed, data-driven decisions.

Here are a few ways market research surveys can benefit your business:

• Member Knowledge: Learning about your gym members will help you understand more about them, as well as what you can do to improve user experience and customer satisfaction.
• Competitive Advantage: Survey questions can help you uncover if your new gym members previously belonged to another fitness center, as well as their reasons for leaving. Collecting information of this nature will help you identify what your facility can focus on to gain competitive advantage.
• Business Growth: Member surveys will help you identify what it is your members really want, and therefore also help you to recognize new opportunities to expand your offerings or services to meet their demands.

Now that we’ve discussed a few ways market research provides valuable information, let’s talk about some common types of surveys and questionnaires you can implement to get the information you need to make more informed business decisions.

1. New Member Survey

A new member survey is filled out when someone first joins your gym. Use this opportunity to ask new gym members why they joined in the first place—was it based on a referral, proximity, cost, or something else?

This type of survey provides you with rich demographic data and helps you understand the types of people that use your facility. Not only will this help you understand how to tailor your offerings to improve customer experience, collecting information like this also helps build targeted email lists for marketing campaigns.

2. General Feedback/Customer Satisfaction Survey

A general feedback/customer satisfaction survey is a way for you to check in with your members from time to time to show you still value their input. While many businesses invest a lot of time and resources in attracting new business, don’t forget about your loyal customer base. Ask gym members for feedback on what you’re doing well, in addition to areas for improvement.

3. Fitness Class/Personal Trainer Evaluation

Personal trainer services and group fitness classes are a big draw for many gyms, health clubs and fitness centers. Because instructors and trainers can have such a huge impact on members, it’s important to survey participants for feedback about how your staff is performing.

4. Membership Cancellation Survey

Unfortunately, all fitness facilities will encounter membership cancellations at some point. It’s just the nature of the business. But rather than focusing on the negative, think of this as an opportunity to find out why and utilize the information to your future advantage. Figuring out why members are leaving gives you the chance to implement changes to reduce future churn.

Before you start writing out your survey questions it’s important to decide on the goal in mind and what type of data you want to collect as this will determine how you phrase your questions. Keep in mind that closed questions will provide a lot of quantitative data, while open questions will elicit qualitative responses.

The good news is, it’s easy to conduct market research online by sending surveys and questionnaires to members via email—and utilizing an all-in-one software solution makes it even easier. To learn how we can help you manage all aspects of your fitness business from one intuitive gym management system, click here.

A part of what makes EZFacility so great is all the like-minded companies we get to partner up with. When our clients sign up for our EZFacility management software, they also gain access to a ton of other companies. Our partners help our clients with better attracting, managing, and engaging their customers. They also help them with enhancing their overall brand.

If you aren’t familiar with our EZFacility partners, they include 97Display, Authentic8, Brivo Systems, Constellation Payments, Passport Technologies, Perkville, Plastic Printers, QuickBooks, Smartwaiver, Textmunication, Rapid Gun Systems, CoachMePlus, SportsLife X, and Trainingym.

Here is a bit about each of them.

97Display offers website solutions and digital marketing services for health and fitness businesses.

Authentic8 helps protect businesses from all web-borne threats. They also supply specialized RFID cards, keyfobs, stickers, wristbands, and barcodes.

Brivo Systems provides a 24/7 cloud-based access control system. Plus, video surveillance products for physical security.

Simplify and streamline your payment processing with none other than Constellation Payments.

Passport Technologies helps deliver customized and integrated client-access solutions.

Are you thinking of finally creating that loyalty program? Sign up with Perkville. They have a plan to grow your business through loyalty points awarded for check-ins, referrals, birthdays, and more.

Plastic Printers is your go-to for member key cards, POS hardware, ID card printers, and any other printing needs.

QuickBooks provides a streamlined accounting system with financial management and sale tracking.

Now clients can sign waivers digitally (and securely), on their own electronic devices thanks to Smartwaiver.

With Textmunication, build brand recognition and improve engagement, retention, and member loyalty with targeted SMS messages and campaigns.

Rapid Gun Systems is a certified NCR Counterpoint POS reseller and systems integrator.

CoachMePlus is a coaching management software for coaches, trainers, and athletes.

Trainingym makes sure gyms get their hands on some specialized tools. They have 3-d workout videos, body composition analysis, and satisfaction surveys.

Identity One’s IDlink will revolutionize the way check-ins are done at your place of business by making it completely cardless.

To learn more in depth about our list of EZFacility partners, click here. The list is always expanding. That’s because it’s super easy to integrate with existing and future partners. Also- we just love doing it! So, if you are interested in being our partner and believe we could be a good match for you, please contact us to learn more.

Combing through a variety of management software programs in search of one that’s both good and trustworthy can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming.

We could give you a list of reasons why to choose us or tell you the many benefits of using EZFacility, but we believe our satisfied clients say it best. So, we’ve created a reviews page filled with multiple customer success stories straight from the source.

Our customers are from different industriesincluding community centers, gyms & health clubs, shooting ranges, sports facilities and universities plus more but their level of contentment is always the same.

Take a peek at what some of them have to say about us:

“Before we had EZFacility, an enormous amount of time, effort and energy was expended in scheduling and not always with success. Every change in date or time, every rainout became a major headache, not to mention the confusion that erupted when four teams showed up to use the same field or when bases were incorrect. When we finally began to use EZFacility, life changed. The training was excellent and using the system is a breeze! Scheduling an entire league is quickly done and it is not possible to double book any field.” -Darcy Belyea, City of Glen Cove Parks and Recreation

“I can’t stress enough that it’s a great experience. Always! If and I do mean IF we have a problem (usually it is us not knowing how to do something properly) we call and immediately get an answer! Not only an answer but a fast and friendly answer! We have never had a bad experience calling in or a customer service person that was not willing to help or wasn’t friendly! As far as the product goes it does everything we need it to and does it very efficiently and very well.”  – Eric Peterson, Powershop Gym, Inc.

“We have been running our shooting ranges for 10 years with this product. Customer service is excellent. There are no hidden fees with the POS system. Reporting is great, a wonderful off the shelf product that can be used by different businesses. The online eCommerce is simple and great to use.” – Michael Galella, Michigan State University – Demmer Shooting Sports Center

To keep reading more about the benefits of EZFacility and our customer success stories, click here. Or if you’re more of a visual person and would like to watch video reviews instead, you can find a list here.

Being a yoga teacher can be a very beneficial career path, and it offers a lot of flexibility—literally and figuratively. Many yoga studios hire instructors as “independent contractors” so if you’re a yoga teacher, it’s important to understand what that means for you and how that classification differs from being hired as an employee. If you’re a yoga studio owner, you should ensure you’re fully versed on the difference in employment classifications, and that you have an independent contractor agreement in place as part of your yoga studio best practices.

Why Does an Independent Contractor Agreement Matter?

Whether you run a yoga studio, or you’re a yoga teacher, the importance of an independent contractor agreement cannot be understated as it benefits both parties by preventing miscommunication, misunderstanding and the potential for liabilities or damages.

While yoga is a profession largely based on trust, an independent contractor agreement helps keep integrity and clear communication at the forefront of business relationships to make sure all parties are on the same page. For legal purposes, it also provides written documentation of your agreement, clarifies the responsibilities of all parties involved, and provides protection for both yourself and your business.

What Should an Independent Contractor Agreement Include?

While every business is different, below are some key sections that most independent contractor agreements should include (the below are mere suggestions—please be sure to contact your own legal representation on your specific case):

1. Nature of the Relationship: This section should explicitly state the terms of your employment and expressly declare you are hired as an independent contractor and not an employee. This is especially important as it relates to how taxes will be paid and filed.

2. Yoga Instructor Responsibilities: This section should information about what professional standards are expected, the types of yoga that will be taught, scheduling information, administrative responsibilities, as well as including the location(s) where you will be teaching.
   
3. Payment Methods & Schedule: This section should outline how and when you will be compensated for your services. It should also clarify if you will be paid a base rate or paid per student, whether there is a minimum or maximum payment per class, when the pay periods will be, and address any other questions related to payment for services.
   
4. Yoga Instructor Obligations: When you’re hired as an independent contractor, you’re required to invest in yourself and responsible for covering certain costs (which can later be listed as deductions when filing taxes). This section should outline what you are expected to cover, for example: transportation costs, professional fees, liability insurance, and personal supplies.

5. Studio Obligations: This section should outline what the yoga studio is responsible for providing, or assuming the cost of. This may include things like cleanliness standards, space and props available to all instructors, and proof of building insurance.
   
6. Default & Termination Details: While the severance of a business relationship is never fun to think about (or to deal with, for that matter), this is one of the most important sections of the independent contractor agreement. This section should clarify how, under what terms, and with how much notice is required of either party to terminate the working agreement.
   
7. Non-compete Clause: If you’re a yoga teacher who teaches at multiple studios, this is a section you’ll want to pay close attention to. Make sure you fully understand what the agreement includes before you sign anything, as a non-compete clause could have dire consequences if you plan to teach at multiple locations. 

Summing It Up

An independent contractor agreement is a vital tool needed to protect both the yoga studio owner and the yoga teacher. Once both parties are on the same page and the independent contractor agreement is signed, business can be conducted with confidence and clarity.  

It may seem like a given, but it’s important to do something to welcome new gym members as soon as they commit to joining your gym. Sending a welcome email is one of the easiest ways to provide new members with all the essential information they need, and it gives you the opportunity to reassure them that joining your facility was the right choice.

If you’re currently using a gym management software like ours, you can easily create a new member email template and manage membership communication seamlessly. But if you’re still managing membership information and sending emails manually that’s okay, too, and we’re here to help.

So, what should you say in your email to welcome new gym members? Below is a sample gym welcome template you can use—feel free to copy and paste it as-is, or tweak it to add your own flair.

Gym Welcome Template

Hi [MEMBER NAME],

Welcome to the [FACILITY NAME] family!

By joining us, you’ve already taken the first step on your fitness journey and we couldn’t be happier to walk with you on the path to achieve your health and fitness goals!

Get started by collecting your [MEMBER ID CARD/KEY FOB] from the front desk, at which time you can also schedule an introductory session where we’ll review your goals and outline a plan together that best suits your needs. And, if you’d like, we’d be more than happy to do a guided walk through of our facility and show you how to use all of the equipment.

To check our hours of operation, view class schedules or to learn more about our facility’s offerings, click here [WEBSITE URL]. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to give us a call at [PHONE NUMBER] or simply reply to this email and we’ll get back to you right away.

Congratulations on taking the first step of your fitness journey—you should be very proud of yourself, and we’re excited to be a part of it!

We can’t wait to see what you achieve!

[YOUR NAME]

Or, if you’d prefer to write your own gym welcome template, we recommend including these key points:

• Thank them for joining and choosing your facility
• Offer reassurance they made the right choice
• Provide information about next steps and how to get started
• Include a link to your website where they can find practical information
• Include contact information if they have any questions

How to Improve Customer Relationship Building

Ideally you should send more than one welcome email to establish a solid relationship and maintain ongoing communication, so you may want to consider creating a series of introductory emails. Plus, some members may need that little extra nudge in their inbox every so often to keep them motivated.

Below is an outline of emails we recommend including in your welcome series:

• Welcome new gym members / introductory email: Outlined above.
• Reminder email: Send a reminder email within one week of the introductory email to encourage members to visit your facility as soon as possible.
• Value add email: Send a value add email within one week of the reminder email. This should include a mix of fun, educational and promotional material like healthy recipes, How To’s, or tips and tricks. You should also use this opportunity to encourage members to subscribe to your blog, newsletter, and social channels.
• Upsell email: Send an upsell email within one week of the value add email. This should include a special deal or discount on paid services like personal training or specialty classes.
• Milestone email: Send a milestone email one month after the member joins to congratulate them on making it to that point, and to encourage them to keep up the good work.

Remember—a little can go a long way when it comes to positive reinforcement and member relations. This type of ongoing communication will not only assist with trust building and customer relationship building, it will also help reduce the likelihood of buyer’s remorse that oftentimes leads to membership cancellations.

To learn more about how our all-in-one, cloud-based SaaS solution can improve your customer relationship building and make membership management easy, click here.

When COVID-19 came about earlier this year, it changed the way sports facilities do things. Many spaces limited the amount of traffic. And other facilities moved from indoor to outdoor, including soccer facilities.

The thing about soccer though is it’s a flexible sport, regardless of Coronavirus. That’s one of the reasons why people around the world love it as much as they do. Some even say it’s the best sport ever created. (Is it? Tell us in the comments.) While we don’t like to play sports favorites, we can give you a list of more reasons why soccer is popular at any time of year. But, especially now!

1. It’s good for you

Okay, so the first one is a bit obvious. But, it’s still worth mentioning. Soccer is fantastic for cardiovascular health, with all the continuous running. Plus, it builds strength and endurance, improves flexibility, and lowers body fat, to name a few.

Normally: Any kind of exercise is good for the body and mind.

In a COVID-19 world: Everyone appreciates how exercise is extra good for the body and mind right now. They are searching for a good way to keep active and soccer could be a solution.

2. It can be played anywhere

Because soccer doesn’t need much equipment, it can be played in pretty much any open space. For example, at a soccer facility or on a soccer field, yes. But it can also be played on any field, in someone’s backyard, at the beach, or even on the street.

Normally: When soccer players aren’t in an organized game at their soccer facility, they often start-up friendly matches at parks.

In a COVID-19 world: Being able to play the game anywhere is an even bigger blessing. Soon, Indoor soccer facilities in the U.S will reopen in phases. But in the meantime, it’s nice to just get out of the house and get a game going wherever. Check with your local parks to be sure they are open. While many playgrounds remain closed, plenty of open fields have the green light.

3. It can be modified to be socially distant

True, the occasional collisions happen in Soccer. But for the most part, it isn’t a full-contact sport like American Football.

Normally: Both are entertaining to participate in, and watch.

In a covid-19 world: Right now the less physical contact, the better. And actually, even before covid-19, some indoor soccer facilities put on matches with reduced team sizes. So, the game isn’t affected in that sense.

4. It’s easy to learn

Normally: Soccer is generally easier to learn (and follow) than some of the other sports.

In a COVID-world: Beginners can test it out to stay active. Then, once they’re hooked and soccer facilities reopen, they can research how to play on an organized team with a local facility.

5. It can be played by anyone

It’s no secret taller athletes tend to perform better in Basketball and Volleyball. Or that smaller athletes do better in Tennis and Gymnastics. But the cool thing about soccer is- it’s a free-for-all. It doesn’t discriminate when it comes to shape or size. And everybody is welcome to be soccer players on the soccer field.

Normally: People of varying ages and sizes do equally well in soccer. And sometimes, the underdog surprises you. But that’s part of what makes it exciting!

In a COVID-19 world: Equal opportunity is especially encouraging in any setting. But it’s especially encouraging to have an equal sport opportunity in the current Coronavirus situation.

Soccer is great- especially now. It can be played anywhere, by anyone, at any time. Do you agree? Let us know your thoughts.

Teaching yoga for beginners may sound easy, but sometimes it’s actually one of the most challenging classes to teach. If you’re considering adding an entry-level yoga class to your yoga studio, you may be wondering how to go about it and what to focus on. We’re here to help.

Below are four key things to keep in mind when teaching yoga for beginners:

1. Easy Explanations

Every yoga instructor has their own style and vocabulary, but it’s important to remember that those who are new to yoga may not understand the terminology or know how to do common yoga poses, breathing techniques or transitions.  

“The basics” can be complicated for someone who’s never done yoga before, so when you teach yoga for beginners make sure you take the time to explain what you’re talking about in easy to understand language.

Gradually introduce new terms and remember that repetition is key. Most non-yogis probably won’t remember everything you say the first time, so offer gentle reminders and demonstrations.

2. Simple Poses & Transitions

Like we touched on above, it’s good to keep things simple when you’re teaching yoga for beginners. Complex yoga poses and transitions for the sake of aesthetics won’t do any good if your students can’t follow along and may lead them to become frustrated.

Remember to break down yoga poses and transitions step-by-step without using complicated language so your beginners can understand and follow along.

3. Acceptance

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, some people just won’t understand what you’re trying to explain—and that’s okay. Accept them for who they are, and as long as they’re not doing something in a way that will cause harm to themselves, let them be.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to yoga, especially when you’re teaching yoga for beginners, so make sure your yoga class offers variety and can accommodate people of varying levels of fitness so no one feels left out.

4. Encouragement

When someone is new to something, chances are they’ll be a little insecure and feeling the pressure to “get it right.”

No one wants to feel like their yoga instructor is frustrated with them because they’re holding up the class or can’t do the moves, so remember to offer your newbies some extra encouragement and assistance.

A little bit of positive reinforcement can go a long way!

You may be surprised by how much teaching yoga for beginners will teach you about yourself and your yoga philosophy. Every class brings new opportunities to share the benefits of yoga with people who are less experienced than you, so remember to be patient and to take your time in order to create a positive experience for your new students.

To learn how EZFacility can help yoga studio owners achieve peace of mind with our powerful management software solution, click here.

Although COVID-19 threw everyone a curve ball and caused disruption across all industries, many fitness facilities are now permitted to reopen and are getting back in the game. And with the MLB season in full swing, baseball is on a lot of minds right now.

We recently caught up with our friends at Smith Brothers Baseball Central to see how they’ve been faring, what new policies and guidelines have been implemented, and which of our features have been most helpful in navigating the evolving business landscape.

Here’s what Casey Zordan, Facility Marketing and Administration Manager at Smith Brothers, had to say:

1. Are you currently open? If so, at what capacity?

We are currently operating. We re-opened on May 25th with limitations to private lessons only.

We have also just slowly added clinics back into our offerings at less than half capacity. We hope to be back to full capacity soon—here’s to hoping!

In short, I believe we are working currently at around half capacity. However, we have been very busy with private lessons over the last few months.

2. What type of social distancing policies and cleanliness guidelines are currently in place? 

We are following all of the rules put into place from our municipality, province, and federal guidelines, as well as our local health unit recommendations.

This includes:

• Having markers on the floor to visually represent how far apart our patrons should be.
• Having a limited number of chairs for viewing (4 max in our lobby area).
• We clean our lobby regularly, and have staggered private lesson times to have a 15-minute gap between lessons just to be able to clean the lobby for our next clients.
• We have staff wearing masks while coaching and maintaining physical distancing between them and their athletes. They also wash their hands between lessons.
• All of our baseballs are washed between lessons, and we ask that all our patrons wash their hands with soap and water upon entering the building.

3. What are the primary ways you’ve been communicating this information to patrons?

Our main way is through email. We also tell everyone our precautions when they are booking lessons over the phone. We also have signs on our doors and tables to remind people of our policies.

4. Are there any EZFacility features you’ve found particularly helpful at this time? If so, what are they?

The reminder emails, and online booking have been a fantastic way to keep everyone up to date.

It has also been helpful managing who is in attendance for private lessons and clinics, and to communicate to those participants.

5. Is there anything else you’d like to add about how your business operations have changed since COVID-19? 

Our business has seen the upside to have a 10-15-minute break in between lessons and clinics. We would typically go back-to-back and risk the chance of the last lessons of the day running late. However, with a break in between it keeps the schedule running smoothly and on time—instructors have time to debrief at the end of the lessons as well as to get ready and prepare for their next sessions.

On the administration side it has been easier to maintain who is in the building and knowing what is going on around the facility with fewer people being inside the building at a given time.

Bringing it Home

COVID-19 came out of left field and created a number of unforeseen challenges for businesses, but we’re here to help. Our all-in-one software solution offers a number of benefits, including the ability to streamline the scheduling and management of your baseball facility, coaches, batting cages, athletes and more.

To learn more about the benefits of using a management software, click here. Or, to schedule a personalized product demo for your baseball facility, click here.

We know getting familiar with a new tool or product can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming. That’s why we’ve created these SaaS resources to help assist you. Customer success is very important to us.

Listed below, you will find different links to the benefits of usingEZFacility, common how to’s, onboarding, instructional online videos and more. 

Why EZFacility?

EZFacility is a Software as a Service (SaaS). With SaaS, there is nothing to install or update. All you need is an internet connection and you are able to access your information anywhere, anytime. It’s convenient, it saves time and it saves money.  

Discover some other benefits of using EZFacility like customer insight, improved customer loyalty, optimized infrastructure, maximized staff productivity, increased revenue, and reduced costs.

Press & News

Don’t just take our word for it. Find out what others have to say about EZFacility and why we’ve been named one of the most popular software management services out there.

Onboarding

Need help onboarding? Here you can learn how to get started adding venues and trainers, creating schedules and memberships, selling contracts and more.

How To’s

If you have a question, you might find what you are looking for in this section. Browse articles with answers to commonly asked questions including how to set up a brand, how to add social media links to the self service portal and how to integrate or navigate Zoom.

Online Videos

If you’re more of a visual learner, check out these online videos. And know that you aren’t alone! In fact, the majority of the population prefers visual learning to any other type. It’s easy to retain information when it’s in a video or on a diagram. After all, “seeing is believing.”

Sign-up for an upcoming webinar or view past webinars here. Also, follow us on Youtube.

Blog

Our blog is home to several tips and tricks related to the different industries currently utilizing EZFacility. It also contains more information about why it’s beneficial to use a facility management software system.

Covid-19

This resource section was created due to the Coronavirus. We know how many of our clients have faced business challenges this year and we believe this list can be helpful to customer success.

Partners

We only align ourselves with the best of the best. Find a list of other like minded businesses we partner with who have additional tools for you and your business.

More

If you have a question you were unable to find the answer to, try asking it on this page. Or please don’t hesitate to call us on the phone. 1.877.358.7774 – US, +44 (0) 203 3270480 – UK.

Is there something else you would like to see on this page of SaaS resources? If so, let us know. Your feedback is valuable to us.

If you are a new personal trainer or planning to become one, here are some things to consider when attracting clients.

These are the top items customers look for when hiring a personal trainer or fitness instructor. 

Certification

Proper certifications and qualifications are the first items people will ask trainers to provide. And that’s fair, right? After all, improper exercise can lead to unnecessary pain, excessive soreness and potential injury. Ouch. So, a certified personal trainer is a must.

College education isn’t necessary however, a certification from either the NASM, ACE or NSCA is required: National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), The American Council on Exercise (ACE), and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).

Personality

Personality is everything. The problem is, there are a lot of different personality types in the world and -let’s face it-  not all of them get along. The same is true for clients and trainers in the health and fitness world. Professional chemistry and compatibility should be obvious during the very first session.

You won’t always hit it off with everyone, (and that’s okay) but there are some things you can do to set each new session up for success.

Listening Skills

While it’s important for the client to get a feel for who you are and what you’re all about, be sure to listen too. You will need to take note of their fitness goals, what they hope to accomplish during your sessions and which style of coaching works best for them. Communication is a vital key.

Practice What You Preach

When you’re in the business of teaching others how to better themselves, they will look to see how you are bettering yourself also.

Practice what you preach by working on your own fitness goals in your downtime, including properly fueling your body with clean foods and scheduling time for workouts.

Patience

What works for one client won’t necessarily work for all clients. Some clients may need more encouragement, motivation and direction than others. Be patient.

Authenticity

Relax and be yourself! At the end of the day, of course you want new business and clients.  But it should never come at the cost of sacrificing who you are or your values. So, just be you. When you are yourself and you’re comfortable with it, it shows. As a result, you will attract the right people for you.

Reputation

A solid reputation is another hot list item clients search for in a certified personal trainer. If you’re new to the industry, don’t worry. It isn’t impossible to get paying clients without one. But, you may have to work harder initially to earn their trust.

Once you’ve established a working relationship with a handful of people, word of mouth will take off and new clients will come knocking. One suggestion to consider is getting yourself on social media. Word of mouth is fast but in the age of social media, having an online presence is sometimes faster.

Cost and Availability

Cost and availability play big roles in deciding factors also. Open yourself up to more potential clientele by offering a flexible availability.

As for pricing, new personal trainers sometimes wrestle with how to set up their pricing packages. First, focus on your value and ask yourself what you offer to clients. Then, work on communicating that value to them. If it helps you to take a peek at competitors prices before you get started, do it. But at the end of the day, don’t be afraid to ask for what you feel your time and experience are worth. If clients are confident about your confidence, they will pay for your services.

For more fitness instructor or health and fitness industry related tips, check out more of our blog.

Have you ever found yourself wondering what the actual difference is—if any—between a gym, health club and fitness center? If so, you’re not alone! For the most part, these terms tend to be used interchangeably, and it makes sense because there is overlap in the services they provide. But there are distinctions that make them different, which you’ll want to know if you’re considering joining one.

In this blog, we’ll cover some of the key differences between a gym, a fitness center and a health club.

Gym – A Place for a Workout

Gym, short for gymnasium (a term coined by the Ancient Greeks), is actually one of the world’s oldest establishments with deep historical roots. In its origins, gyms were not just about promoting physical fitness, but education as well. Ancient Greeks used gyms to practice various sports, engage in physical therapy, and to study. In fact, many gyms in ancient times had libraries as well.

Today, modern gyms tend to be a place for indoor workouts with free weights, fitness equipment and cardio machines provided. Some gyms have a specialty focus, like boxing or Pilates, while others keep it simple and stick to free weights and cardio machines only. Most gyms will have personal trainers available, but not as many group fitness classes as a health club or fitness center.

Fitness Center – A Place for Full-body Fitness

Fitness centers typically occupy more space than a gym because they tend to provide both indoor and outdoor physical activities—for example, a pool, running track or golf course. Broadly speaking, fitness centers provide the same machines, free weights and equipment as a gym, but they also offer a larger array of amenities, group fitness classes and certified staff.

Fitness centers usually focus on whole-body health and house additional amenities like saunas, steam rooms, physical therapy and snack bars. Most fitness centers will also have personal trainers and nutritionists available to educate customers on how to use the equipment, or how to design a meal plan best suited for achieving their fitness goals.

Health Club – A Place for Body & Mind

The health club concept was first introduced to the U.S. in Santa Monica in the 1940s, though they actually began in France in the 1840s. Generally speaking, a health club is more similar to a fitness center than a gym because the focus is on whole-body wellness rather than just physical fitness.

Health clubs typically comprise all the characteristics of gyms and fitness centers because they offer certified staff with personal trainers, individual and group fitness classes, a variety of equipment, an array of amenities (pool, steam room, sauna, etc.), and space for sports like tennis, basketball and volleyball. Many health clubs even offer recreational areas with restaurants, juice bars, music and more.

If you’re considering joining a gym, fitness center or health club, it’s best to look past terminology alone and choose a facility that best meets your health and fitness goals, budget and personality. You may want to visit a few facilities to ask for a tour so you can see what they offer firsthand and get a better feel for the culture.

Or, if you’re considering opening your own fitness facility, click here to learn how EZFacility can help get you up and running easily with our all-in-one software solution. From online gym scheduling and text messaging, to point-of-sale and automated billing—EZFacility can help you seamlessly manage all aspects of your fitness business.

With everything going on in the world this year, firearm sales have been on the rise. Particularly in America, where 2020 has brought about a lot of chaos. As a result, the news has shown a steady climb in traffic at shooting range facilities.

That’s why we contacted our friends over at C2 Tactical. We wanted to ask them a few things like, how they are managing, what they think guests are most interested in learning about and which EZFacility feature has been most helpful to them during these hectic times. Here was their response. 

Vincent Vasquez, The Owner of C2 Tactical, confirmed he has seen a significant increase in the demand for shooting range and training services in his state of Arizona. He also said customers have been most intrigued by two main areas- C2T’s range service memberships and their nationally recognized training. Because of this, it has been important to him to have a company like EZFacility on his side.

Vasquez said,

“At C2 Tactical we looked for a vendor that could help us grow into the future. In reaching out to the great folks at EZFacility, we were able to work up a system that allows for an almost unlimited demand.”

So, which EZFacility feature has he found to be the most beneficial? The API.

“The largest feature has been the digital API. This is a critical technology add that most other vendors do not have. EZFacility’s willingness to enhance it further has given us the ability to have even more custom created items such as a class calendar that shows open seats and can streamline customer bookings. We are excited to see the new enhancements in class ID’s so that we can create even more streamline bookings.”

If you’re unfamiliar with what an Application Programming Interface (API) is, it’s a software-to-software connection that allows two or more applications, or websites, to share data with one another.

If that sounds complicated, it is and isn’t. You’ve likely seen or even used one before without knowing it. For example, Hootsuite is an API; One that allows users to post information to several social media platforms at once.

Well, EZFacility’s API works similarly. But, instead of business owners hiring someone to write out their own code from scratch, they simply integrate ours directly into their website or application instead. It saves them time and money. Plus, it’s easy to use.

Vasquez added,

“Over the last couple of months we were able to program out classes, website services, shooting lane reservations and other services that we provide in a very organized way. As we continue to work with the EZ team, we are working to further enhance the API feed to continue automating future offerings and streamline presentations on our website.”

There are several different kinds of EZFacility API’s. But each one allows users to share real-time scheduling, billing, updates and much more.

If you still have questions about how to use one and why, start here for additional examples or reach out to us directly. We love the interaction! For more information on some of our other popular business features and benefits right now, read this.

This is for anyone debating whether or not to implement management software in their business. Are you curious what management software is, who it’s for and what the benefits are? Or if it’s even relevant now in a covid-world? Find out the basics inside this post.

What is management software?

Management software is a program designed to help businesses get better organized.

It sounds simple, right? However, as you know, most people aim to be more organized but just don’t know where to start or how to stay that way. That’s where we come in.

With EZFacility, you don’t even have to think about it. Once the system is in place, it’s easy to get on track with your business and stay there. Plus, we help you every step of the way. We take great pride in being the ultimate package when it comes to helping our clients run their businesses. We are there to onboard you, tailor fit the program to your needs, and to support you always.

Why do you need it?

Imagine being able to streamline all your administrative operations in one easy to use platform. Enrollment? Check. Scheduling? Check. Reporting? Check. Billing? Check. Staff and client management? Check, check.

The idea is that EZFacility does the heavy lifting so you can spend more time on the things that matter most like, connecting with clients or growing your business.

Who is it for?

EZfacility is designed for most clubs or any place with a membership-based model. Here are some examples of the industries we have work with:

• Gyms, Health and Fitness Centers
• Indoor Soccer & Sports Facilities
• Personal Training Businesses
• Baseball Training Facilities
• Yoga and Pilates Studios
• Tennis Clubs
• Parks and Recreation 
• Ice Rinks and Hockey Training Centers
• YMCA’s and Community Centers
• Sports Performance Training Centers
• Shooting Ranges and Gun Clubs
• University Rec & Intramurals

If you don’t see your industry listed above but still think our management software could be a good fit for you, don’t be afraid to ask. Contact us to speak with a representative and find out more information.

What are the benefits of using EZFacility?

So, what are the benefits of using EZFacility, anyway?

Well, for starters it’s cost-effective and can optimize infrastructure. It helps save time and money, it can increase staff productivity, and it can be used anywhere in the world. Not to mention, it offers important customer insight. And proper customer insight can lead to customer loyalty which in turn could lead to more revenue.

SaaS benefits

Saas benefits gets its own little section because we want you to know what saas (software as a service) means.

It means there isn’t anything for you to install, update or do, really. You can access your EZfacility software from anywhere in the world, any time you want with total confidence. As long as you have an internet connection, you are good to go. Oh, technology! And that’s especially great news right now with everyone at home during quarantine.

Read more about our benefits here.

Is management software helpful during the pandemic?

Times are weird right now (boy, are they ever!) So, we get it. If you’re new to the idea of management software, you might be wondering if now is even a good time to start. The short answer is, yes, it’s absolutely helpful.

When things moved online without warning, it was an adjustment for everyone. It’s understandable how important business tasks might have gotten lost in the shuffle.

We know you are doing your best to re-adjust and quickly. And we bet you’re doing a great job. But when you are ready, we can help you ease up much of your anxiety.

EZFacility can save time and money and allow you to spend more time connecting and tending to the growing needs of your clients. Client loyalty and being present for your members is more important now than ever before. During this social distancing, people are longing for ways to stay and feel connected to their communities. While you’re taking care of them, we can help take care of you.

Schedule a Demo

Are you interested in learning more? Schedule your free trial and online demonstration today.

Things get busy, we know how it goes. That’s why we want to check in and point out some of our newer EZFacility features you might have missed.

Over the last several months, we’ve been working hard to come up with new tools we believe are helpful for your continued transition from in-person classes to virtual ones. EZFacility wants to do more to help than just say we are here for you. That’s why we’ve come up with these new features to allow you to stay connected with your clients even in the midst of social distancing.

Yes, the world is socially distancing in a physical sense. But humans are social by nature and not even a pandemic can take that way. People still very much want to be -safely- connected to others and businesses. And that includes your company. Especially if you were a part of someone’s everyday routine prior to COVID-19. And honestly, even if you weren’t. You never know, someone could be searching at this very moment for a healthy way to fill up their time and space with an instructional class or two and then stumble upon your studio. So, be ready for them.

Here is how you can help existing clients and future clients alike, with our new Zoom Integration and Video Library features.

Zoom Integration

While Zoom itself isn’t new, it’s new to our site, and that’s still pretty exciting. With this new integration, moving online and setting up classes is made easy.

Again, nobody is socially distancing, emotionally. Only physically. People want to be connected and we want to help connect them to you. Zoom makes it possible to maintain that sense of normalcy. Whether it’s to hop on a chat with a loved one, attend a conference call, have happy hour with friends or to join a cardio class- zoom is ready for all of it. And we are ready for that last part. How about you?

By adding Zoom capabilities to our EZFacility self-service portal, it gives our clients the ability to live stream their classes for any studio sessions, whether it’s group or one-on-one’s. Plus, it’s mobile-friendly which means meetings can be launched or watched on cell phones from quite literally anywhere.

Video Library

The Video Library is a great place to start building a collection of classes for clients. It’s also a way to keep everything as normal as possible. Instead of your clients walking through your physical front doors, now they can walk through your digital doors and find a comprehensive list of classes being offered.

Showcase different classes and specific instructions or even create short introductory videos about your studio and instructors. The possibilities are endless.

All you have to do is record videos on a third-party video tool such as Facebook or Youtube, upload them, set a reservation type and sit back and wait for them to be enjoyed. Or enjoy them yourself!

Don’t forget to add your social media links directly to your self-service page too so clients know where to find you on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Twitter and more.

This is only the beginning. We hope to enhance this Video Library feature and keep adding other useful tools for you to access in the future.

More Help

Are you looking for additional help or information during COVID-19? Take a look at this list of resources we’ve put together. Be sure to check back often as we update it.

If you’ve tried these new features, we are always interested in hearing your feedback. Or if there is something else you’d like to see, please let us know.

The unprecedented impact of the Coronavirus took everyone by surprise and left many business owners scrambling to identify ways to maintain a revenue stream and cover operating costs despite physical locations being closed. In the face of adversity—and although the fitness industry was one of the hardest hit– savvy yoga instructors have quickly adapted and began to offer pre-recorded and virtual yoga classes. 

The popularity of yoga existed long before Covid-19, but the shift to at-home yoga has created a new path for people to experience the benefits of yoga that weren’t always able to do so, whether because of scheduling issues or geographic distances.

The increased demand for at-home and virtual yoga classes should come as no surprise as people are looking for ways to stay active and destress amid such a time of uncertainty. It presents a unique opportunity for yoga practitioners to modify their traditional practices to suit the current environment and bring the tools of meditation, breathing exercises and movement to people in their homes.

If you’re considering adding virtual yoga classes to your yoga practice, here are some tips to help you with the transition.

Get Integrated and Test the Link

One of the most popular mediums for streaming yoga classes is Zoom. Once you have your account set up, you’ll want to make sure you integrate it with your yoga studio management software. Once connected—all class attendees will have access to the day’s session from their Self-Service page, calendar, phone, iPad, etc. If you’re a first timer—definitely be sure to schedule a few test Zoom sessions to ensure you have the process down (practice makes perfect—namaste!).

Test the Internet & Audio Connections

Always test your internet and audio connection before you begin your virtual yoga classes! To check your internet connection, run your browser through a speed test or try opening and scrolling through a few web pages to make sure it’s up-to-speed.

If you’re using Zoom and want to test your audio, click the upward pointing arrow next to the microphone icon to open the audio options. From there, select “Test Speaker & Microphone” and then follow the prompts.

Choose the Right Background

You’ll want to make sure you’re teaching your yoga classes in an environment that’s clean and free of clutter. Try to find a wall in your home that has a good amount of space, and then remove clutter and distracting objects.

Pay Attention to Lighting

You’ll want to be well lit from the front and sides, so make sure you don’t have light behind you as it will flood the camera’s sensors and make you appear dark. For this reason, try to avoid teaching with a window in frame or a bright lamp in the frame with you.

Work out the Kinks in Advance

As with most things, practice makes perfect. Do a few recorded trial runs before you officially launch your virtual yoga classes. Make sure your yoga poses are fully visible, and that your audio and internet connection are up-to-par.

Finally, you’ll want to make sure you’ve figured out how to seamlessly schedule and book classes, and that’s where we can help! Achieve peace of mind with our powerful yoga studio management system, which now offers Zoom integration. To learn more, click here to schedule a free demo.

We know it’s only mid-way through the year but let’s take a look at some of the top fitness trends for 2020 so far. Surprisingly (or not so surprisingly), many of them have remained the same from previous years.

It’s only surprising because when you think of fitness trends, your mind likely goes to the more novelty items or fads- like exergaming (what?) or goat yoga! (Yes, we’re still talking about goat yoga. It appears to be alive and kicking, in case you were wondering. So, maybe that’s a bad example.)

But the point is, typically, most trends are something you see come and go, especially in this industry. It’s understandable. Getting up and going to the gym everyday can be tough, and people are looking for a way to keep themselves interested and motivated. You have to be careful though. Falling in with a bad trend can be lethal. Once the excitement fades, determination and commitment tend to follow it. So, if you are trying on a trend for size, you want something you can count on, right?

HEARD!

Well, rest assured these top trends are tried, true, and expected to stay for awhile. If your instructor’s looking to spice things up at your fitness facilities or you’re an avid exerciser who wants to grow your skills, hang around and see what made this year’s cut, in no particular order.

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

Well, that’s a lie.

Because if there was an order, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) remains at the top of every list for several reasons. It’s rigorous. It’s quick. It’s fun. It’s effective. And it keeps people coming back for more.

While professional runners are no stranger to interval training, this style of working out has only been on the scene for maybe a decade now. We say only but that’s pretty solid as far as fitness trends go and it doesn’t show signs of slowing down. That’s why it’s the perfect addition for any studio wanting to increase their retention rates. Group training workouts in general are growing in popularity. Think: indoor cycling. If indoor cycling is Queen then, HIIT is King. 

Wearable Technology

Wearable technology isn’t going anywhere anytime soon either. With technology advances seemingly growing by the day, it’s becoming easier and easier for people to take the reins of their health. Fitness trackers and smart devices help with tracking calorie consumption, calories burned, heart health, sleep quality and emotional health.

Health and Wellness Coaching

Speaking of emotional wellbeing. More people are acknowledging that taking care of oneself isn’t just about the physical portion any longer.

The total body package includes a healthy mind as well. The problem is, admitting that to be the case is only the first step. Cooking up a healthy mindset makeover action plan is a big second. But don’t fret. That’s where health and wellness coaching comes into play. The purpose of a Wellness Coach is to help clients form healthy habits and encourage them to stick with the program.

Personal Training

It’s easy to spot what you want to fix about yourself physically. But with mental health, you may not always be sure how to get there or, how to motivate yourself to even try. That’s the reason why personal training will never go out of style. Let’s face it, those guys are good.

Fitness Programs for Older Adults

Sometimes, aging can feel like a worn-down car with its check engine light on. When really, aging should be more like that of a fine wine. By investing in and offering well-crafted fitness programs for older adults—your fitness facility will be one of the richest wine cellars out there.

Exercising can greatly reduce blood pressure, disease, obesity, bone density, cancer and more. Plus, it’s proven to make everybody downright happy and happiness is, of course, tied to longevity.

Online Fitness

With the world being more connected than at any other point in human history–technology has propelled the popularity of at home workouts. While it’s hard to beat the sense of community and belonging that you get from showing up to physical fitness facilities every day, sometimes the choice of convenience is nice.

For that reason, online fitness continues to grow in popularity. Nobody is saying that clients do not want to head into the gym anymore because, that’s crazy talk. But, getting there isn’t always possible and it’s great to have options. 

Yoga

Like HIIT, yoga isn’t new to the game by any means. It’s garnered more attention in recent years, but it has been practiced quite literally, forever. In fact, the oldest form of yoga dates back thousands of years. How’s that for a sturdy trend? A total mind and body one, at that. With yoga, you get flexibility, strength, and self-reflection.

Do you agree with this year’s list of fitness trends for 2020? Do you have any predictions for next year’s list? And is group training here to stay or do you think it will go? Let us know in the comments.

You would be hard-pressed to find a single person who doesn’t love a good and friendly gym competition. One of the biggest challenges in keeping up with any fitness routine is staying motivated. Many studies find that competition can help people better reach their goals.

Buddy support and music are two other great motivators when it comes to exercise and fitness goals. But, there’s just something about competition. Maybe it’s the feeling of victory or the bragging rights. Maybe it’s the prizes or maybe it’s all the above. Whatever the reason, fitness challenges are great for raising member engagement and marketing your gym. Plus, they’re plain fun to host.

With so many types of challenges to choose from, it can be hard to decide where to start. There are monthly challenges, running challenges, cycling challenges, personal best challenges, and SO. MUCH. MORE. If you’re ready to get some going, we hope this blog helps you. On your marks. Get set…

But First! Before You Start

You want to make sure no matter which gym challenges you choose, they are: 

• Easily joined
• Enjoyable
• Compatible with fitness trackers and other wearable technology 
• Properly tracked with your software management. Otherwise, keeping tally can get confusing

The Prizes

Prizes can be whatever you want them to be:

• Free gym time
• Cool swag
• A member feature
• Bragging rights

The Gym Challenges

Social Media Challenges

As you’ve probably suspected, most, if not all, of your members, own at least one social media account. So, don’t be shy! Invite them to take part in a social media challenge.

You can do it one of two ways. 1. An on-going challenge for the month where every day members have to upload a photo or video of their workout. And you can even create a special hashtag for your studio. 2. A one-time challenge of a specific, timed task:

• Planks
• Push-ups
• Sit-ups
• Punches

Social media motivates members to stay accountable in front of their friends and family. Once they announce plans to reach their goals they are more likely to hold themselves accountable. Plus again, it’s a great way of marketing your gym. It opens you up to a larger audience and shows people just how fun and supportive you really are. 

Running Challenges

People go to the gym for different reasons. But, one of the top ones is probably for burning calories. And what’s better at burning calories than a good ol’ fashioned run?  The best part is, running challenges can be done anywhere, anyhow. So, whether you want to gather a big group outside of the gym or, you want to meet up virtually it’s all good.

Cycling Challenges

Cycling challenges are like running challenges because they can be done in-house or virtually too. The difference is that with cycling you can vary it up a bit more and make categories. Winners will be chosen by:

• Best time
• Most distance traveled
• Fastest distance traveled

Personal Best Challenges

Every gym member has their own set of fitness goals. Find out what they are.

The goals don’t have to be the same for everyone in order to participate. It doesn’t matter if they’re trying to be better at their running time, or deadlift. Whatever their current status is, document it and then challenge them to beat it quicker than any other gym member.

Give everyone a month to work at their fitness challenges and see what happens. At the end of the month, take down everyone’s information again to see who beat themselves by the predetermined goal: 10%, 20%, 30%, etc.

Have A Great Time

First and foremost, it’s about having a great time. Smashing fitness goals is a close second. But, fun should come first. So, no matter which types of challenges you pick, have a ridiculous amount of fun putting them on, or even joining in on them!

Most people can agree tennis is one of the most underrated sports of all time, but nobody knows for sure why. It’s safe, it’s fun, it’s affordable. It’s also a full-body exercise, great for the mind, social, competitive and can be played all year-round on a variety of tennis court surfaces. So, what’s not to love, right? Here are some tips to consider for growing your tennis club at any time, even during the pandemic.

Find Your Strength

Every sport has its strength. You just have to find it and use it.

In general, tennis’ strength is that it can be played all year long. So, if someone is looking to join a club that’s always active, tennis clubs are certainly appealing.

Right now, tennis’s strength is that it’s perfect in a COVID climate. That’s because, whereas other sports have big teams, tennis does not. It involves two tennis players, sporting on a court that is already spread out, thanks to natural court dimensions. No flooring tape required! Standard court dimensions are somewhere around 78 feet. That’s way more than 6 feet.

This means group size, social distancing, and cloth face coverings aren’t a big concern for tennis. And it’s also the reason why many outdoor courts have been able to open up ahead of gyms and other fitness facilities that may have concerns about larger gatherings and group size.

Of course, health and safety measures should still be used to help stop the spread of COVID-19. For example:

• Tennis players should refrain from shaking hands or hugging after a match.
• Tennis tournaments should wait to resume until things are normal.
• Social distancing should be respected, and cloth face coverings should be worn when passing other members inside of the health club.
• Some tennis court surfaces could require additional cleanings.

Get Online

Old school marketing can still make waves but the easiest way to reach an audience is online. Use social media to promote your tennis club- or any club. 

Did you know, on average, each person spends about 4 hours and 25 minutes browsing the internet every day? And 2 hours and 25 minutes of that time are on a social network.

And think about it: that was pre-pandemic. The numbers are likely double the amount now. That’s why it’s as important as ever to have an attractive and functioning website as well as a strong social media presence.

• Have fun!
• Display it.
• Talk about the endless physical and mental benefits.
• Feature great tennis players, either from your club or celebrities.
• Promote tennis tournaments.
• Let everyone know your outdoor courts are open!
• Offer online classes for tips and techniques.

Implement a Management Software

Anytime is a good time to implement management software. But, if you don’t have one already, now is a good time to research and learn how to use the program. When you’re able to free up time normally spent booking courts and instructors, or billing clients, that’s time away from building up your business. A management software takes over the heavy lifting so you have more time to do other really important things—like perfecting your backhand!