Today we’d like to introduce you to Billy Najam.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Billy. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
My partners (Chris Protasewich, Mike Buckley) and I are all friends and graduates of Boston College. We have diverse professional backgrounds (consulting, venture capital, real estate development) and have been talking for years about starting a business in the Boston area centered around our passions–athletics, fitness, wellness, golf, etc.
I, personally, had been in real estate development in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico helping to build a luxury golf resort for the last four years prior to starting Lynx. One of the most important lessons that I learned during that time is the importance of creating a unique and differentiated customer experience.
Applied to Lynx, my partners and I looked at the fitness club options in Boston and wanted to create a better experience. All of the full-service fitness club options in Boston seemed to be big corporate gyms with minimal emphasis on service, little social interaction, and an intimidating environment.
Our goal at Lynx is to be more than just a gym. We strive to create a true urban community with friendly staff, standout classes, personable and highly knowledgeable training coaches, and for those interested, the added bonus of year-round golf facilities.
While Lynx’s facilities are top-of-the-line, we are much more than just a space filled with fitness equipment. We are a lively, friendly, and vibrant environment where members and guests come to have a great fitness experience.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Any time you start a business from scratch, there will be challenges. Nothing moves as fast or as smoothly as you would like. With that said, we have been extremely fortunate and successful in the nine months we’ve been in business. I think the reason for that is that we have nailed a few of the most important pieces of building a successful service business:
First, we have a great location and facility. That is the most basic need–but still very important. Second, we have the right concept, and it has been embraced by the local residential and corporate community. To date, our members are by far the biggest source of new member referrals.
Most importantly, we have brought on an amazing staff. Our team sets the tone in the Club and creates the vibrant and inviting environment that makes Lynx an exciting place for members to come to each day. They are not only friendly and charismatic, but also passionate about their craft and extremely knowledgeable about the fitness, service, and golf space. With a great team, you can get through any challenge that comes your way.
Please tell us more about the Lynx Fitness Club.
Lynx Fitness Club is a full-service, luxury fitness club located in the heart of Boston’s Bay Village / Back Bay neighborhood. Our 19,000+ SF space is a unique and exclusive environment for fitness enthusiasts and beginners alike to reach their fitness goals.
For those that like to work out on their own, Lynx offers state-of-the-art cardio, weight lifting, and functional training equipment as well as a 1,000+ sf turf training area. For those looking for group fitness, Lynx has brought in Boston’s best class instructors to offer 55+ group classes per week including Yoga, HIIT, Barre, Tabata, Bootcamp, Boxing and Treadmill Training.
For a more personalized workout experience, Lynx’s best-in-class personal training team tailors members’ workouts to help them reach any fitness goal. For those golf enthusiasts, Lynx’s Topgolf Swing Suite is Boston’s only luxury indoor golf facility allowing year-round golf training, instruction, and entertainment.
What sets us apart from other Clubs is our team. From housekeeping to front desk to class instructors to trainers and all the way up to our membership advisors and management team, Lynx has built and continues to build an incredible team with a passion for creating and continually improving the best fitness club in Boston.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If we could have started over, I would’ve signed the lease and gotten started sooner! We signed our lease in mid-November and needed to get the Club open for the biggest month in fitness–January.
It was a really crazy initial 45 days. We had to hire our entire team, which now numbers nearly fifty people, complete the club renovation, install all of our systems and procedures, and sell a few hundred pre-sale memberships in less than two months!
It was a crazy couple of months, but also an awesome experience, and we were lucky enough to open successfully on time, with an awesome team. More time in the pre-open period would certainly have been less stressful, though!
Pricing:
- $160/month Fitness Membership (all classes included)
- $275/month Golf & Fitness Membership (Fitness Membership + Unlimited Golf Access)
Contact Info:
- Address: 64 Arlington Street Boston MA, 02116
- Website: www.lynxfitnessclub.com
- Phone: (857) 990-3785
- Email: membership@lynxfitnessclub.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/lynxfitnessclub
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/LynxFitnessClub
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/lynxfitnessclub
- Yelp: www.yelp.com/biz/lynx-fitness-club-boston-2
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