Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason and Lauren Pak.
Jason and Lauren, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Lauren and I first started personal training back in 2007. We worked in a traditional gym setting before transitioning to a private training studio. What we quickly realized was that the biggest reason people weren’t being successful on their fitness journeys was because they didn’t feel like they belonged in these places! It wasn’t due to a lack of motivation, or an absence of the right equipment, training, or amenities – it was simply because as soon as they walked through those doors, they felt uncomfortable and intimidated.
So after spending 6 years personal training out of these general fitness settings, we decided to open up Achieve Fitness in 2013. We knew that the absolute foundation of Achieve had to be on the culture and community. If the gym was built upon a platform of what we call “Positivity and Inclusive Vibes”, then our members would be much more likely to continue to be consistent on their fitness journeys because they would feel like they “belonged” regardless of where they were starting out from.
To make sure these values stay on the forefront as we continue to build the business we make sure to run at least one community event per month (charity workouts, bowling/laser tag/trampoline dodge ball outings, scavenger hunts, sporting events, etc.), make sure every employee knows every member by name, and make sure we always innovate to come up with ways to make sure our members stay consistent at the gym.
Over 5 years later, we have close to 250 members, a team of 15 employees, and we’re proud to say that we’re as positive and as inclusive as ever!
Has it been a smooth road?
Working with our members has; however, running a small business certainly has not been a smooth road! As a business that strives to always focus on long term success rather than short term financial gains, there can certainly be some economic struggles at times.
Personal training is an industry that typically doesn’t offer many benefits or growth opportunities. We knew that if we wanted to create the atmosphere that we wanted to, then we had to pay our coaches well, provide plenty of opportunity for growth, and do what we could in terms of health insurance, vacation time, and sick time.
Secondly, we’re always trying to enhance the member experience. We installed a shake bar, have made significant equipment upgrades, and are always making decisions that operate on heart rather than letting a P & L dictate them for us.
That doesn’t leave much room for excess capital and when unpredictable and un-plannable events happen (real estate property tax escalations with your landlord, HVAC or equipment repairs, city fees like water/sewage, etc. then owners payroll is often the first thing to go.
This is why we’re completely empathetic to business running off a tight P & L, and make decisions with their brains more than their heart. However, willing to take on some of these hardships in order to create a business that offers a little more soul and warmth to better serve their customers.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Achieve Fitness story. Tell us more about the business.
The two things we’re most known for are our community and culture as well as our expert coaching. We’re not going to be able to compete on a financial level with some gyms that can offer spas, amenities, and luxuries. However, we pride ourselves in knowing every member’s name, actually wanting our members to show up at the gym rather than signing them up and hoping they never show, and for always keeping the best interests of our members at heart even if it doesn’t make sense financially in the short term.
This adherence to our mission and our core values is what separates us from your traditional gym where people are often treated as just a number. We want to know everything about our members (their family, their occupation, their hobbies, beliefs, etc.) because that gives us contextual information to provide the highest possible level of coaching that we can offer rather than just offering blanket advice.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The greatest shift will be that the big gym chains will cease to exist in the way they are today. More than likely, these commercial gyms will transition to 24/7 access fitness facilities that members can just access with their own personal electronic keys with maybe one person on hand to oversee the gym.
The reason for this is because there will always be a need for a place that has gym equipment; however, this setting will have been commoditized. The vast majority of people will look towards smaller, boutique-y gym environments that offer a more personalized and human element to their businesses. Because the big chains can’t and won’t offer that, they’ll have to maximize profit margins by making memberships cheaper and access easier.
As for the smaller chain gyms, we hope that they realize that they can be successful as long as they take always prioritize the success of their members over short term financial gain.
More than likely, we’ll be investing in leveraging technology that makes it easier for our members to consistently make it into the gym.
Contact Info:
- Address: 42 Merriam Street, Somerville, MA 02143
- Website: www.achievefitnessboston.com
- Phone: 6176165801
- Email: info@achievefitnessboston.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/achievefitnessboston/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/achieve-fitness-somerville
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