Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Stare.
Mike, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
As an undersized young athlete, I became a student of fitness to develop my body to withstand the challenges of playing football while often being one of the smallest on the field. Numerous injuries, and experiences observing and volunteering with folks who suffered life altering disabilities sparked a broader interest in fitness beyond just sports performance. I became fascinated with how fitness can optimize health and restore function, especially in those with injuries and pain. Thus, I simultaneously pursued a career in fitness and physical therapy.
After finishing my Doctorate and Fellowship training in Physical Therapy, I became more focused on treating patients in the clinic. Because of my fitness background, I began to notice two unsettling trends: 1. Many patients were seeing me in the clinic to address injuries that were caused by poor exercise and 2. Many patients were suffering from conditions that would not improve unless their general fitness was addressed. For example, folks with knee pain would come with a script for 6 weeks of PT for knee arthritis. However, they were 50lbs overweight, diabetic, and had multiple risk factors for heart disease. Insurance confines treatment options to focus on the impairments related to the symptomatic joint. Yet the patient needed more comprehensive intervention to not just treat his knee, but improve his health. And folks like this were not likely to get the help they needed after PT. Fitness centers and trainers were often unqualified or uninterested in working with such patients. I knew there needed to be a better way to address these problems.
In 2006, I opened Spectrum Fitness Consulting adjacent to Orthopaedics Plus Physical Therapy in Beverly. The goal was to provide comprehensive fitness services designed and supervised by physical therapists. The close proximity allowed for a high visibility to our target population, access to PTs who could easily float from the fitness setting to the clinic, and offer continuity of care that was rare in our fragmented healthcare setting.
By 2008, we grew to having three Physical Therapists and fitness professionals providing services for weight loss, post-rehabilitation fitness, and performance enhancement training. We were a cash-based operation, allowing us to treat clients according to their unique needs without the constraints of third party reimbursement. Clients were seeking after physical therapy care, and many who had no injuries or pain were working with us to simply get fit and prevent any problems.
By 2012, we have added nutrition services as I had become a Board Certified Nutritionist, and expanded to 6 employees. We were awarded the first Small Business of the Year award from the Beverly Chamber of Commerce and had established deep roots in the North shore through our involvement in local charities and seminars for the general public, philanthropies, and corporations. Nationally, Dr Stare began to spread the message of his unique training system to physical therapists, fitness professionals, physicians, and nurses across the country by teaching continuing education seminars.
11 Years since inception, Spectrum Fitness Consulting has provided one-to-one and small group training, as well as workshops and seminars impacting thousands of North shore residents. All of our services combine the expertise of nutritionists, physical therapists, fitness professionals, and athletic trainers. Dr. Stare has lectured to over 7000 clinicians in 150 cities. Dr. Stare has developed a residency program to teach his training system to ensure fitness professionals added to the Spectrum team have the unique skills and background to provide the specialized service that people need. Spectrum Fitness Consulting thrives in meeting people’s fitness needs by working in contrast to the common fitness trend. Rather than fitting people into programs, we fit programs to people. We do this through assessing, not guessing, and showing people how to do the right things right. Empowering people with knowledge, support, and accountability holds our system together to deliver true fitness and wellness that alludes too many. Spectrum has plans to expand its operations to another facility by 2019.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One of the biggest challenges has been defying the “no commitment” trend in the fitness industry. Many people are drawn to the allure of no contract, no commitment, cheap membership options offered by gyms. But this is a scam, as it is well established that few people who sign up for gym memberships actually show up. And showing up doesn’t mean you’ll get results. It’s like dropping off a kid at a library expecting them to learn. To really get results, you need assessment, coaching, structure, support, and accountability. It’s not a sexy marketing message that appeals to the masses, but it’s what the evidence supports. We’ve overcome this issue by not trying to “sell” to the masses. Rather, we spread our message by educating the public, often for free, through posting articles, videos, research, and hosting seminars at our facility, speaking at schools, rotary clubs, businesses, perhaps most effective is sharing our success stories.
Another struggle has been countering the misinformation that is so prevalent in the health and fitness industry. Consumers are so confused by all the trends and fads: boot camps, detoxes, low carb, paleo, “power” yoga, cross fit… it’s hard to know what is legitimate and what is a scam. This breeds inaction and distrust in the consumer. So getting clients on the surface might seem easy, given how many people who are either out of shape and in pain, or who are hyper conscious about optimal performance. But the real problem is separating fact from fiction and obtaining trust. That is hard to do in a Facebook ad or quick blog. Being persistent with spreading our message and sharing research with the strategies above have helped this.
One of the biggest struggles as we grew was attending to all the operations of the business while continuing to provide all of the content to spread our unique message. Delivering top notch content to educate our potential consumer by writing blogs, emails, eBooks, and presenting seminars was challenging to juggle with paying the bills and growing our staff. Fortunately, I sought out coaching that helping me grow my team and refine my operations. This allowed me to focus on my strengths, and attract A-level professionals so Spectrum can continue to innovate and over deliver to our clients.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Spectrum Fitness Consulting – what should we know?
Spectrum Fitness Consulting helps people look, feel, and function their best. We do this through individually assessing your needs and goals. Then we design a solution, and teach you how to implement the plan. Along the way, we support you with encouragement and accountability. We reassess to make sure you are on track and modify as your body adapts. We teach you how overcome challenges and struggles as they present themselves so you have the power to persist in optimizing your health, no matter what life throws at you. With this, our clients become empowered to achieve their goals and become immune to the misinformation and challenges that stand in the way of optimal health.
The biggest challenges that stand in the way of optimal health are what I call the M.I.K.E. Challenges: Motivation, Injuries, Knowledge, and Efficiency. Our specialty is knowing how to anticipate and solve these issues, so you can focus on getting the results that you need.
In order to accomplish these pursuits, top level professionals with a diverse set of skills are required. That’s why our services are provided by fellowship trained Doctors of Physical Therapy, Board Certified Nutritionists, expert Fitness Professionals, and Athletic Trainers. These professionals must demonstrate their knowledge, but also their ability to related to clients in a caring and supportive way through our residency training program.
To provide the level of service required to get results, you cannot put people in large groups all performing the same dogmatic program designed to be consistent with a brand rather than tailored to your unique needs. We assess, not guess. We fit programs to people, not people into programs. To do this, we start each clients with a thorough one to one assessment. From there, clients will either choose to work in small groups of 2-3 other members, or one to one. All clients have individually designed programs. Some clients train with us once a month, while most train 3 times a week. Most clients commit to 6-12 month of training.
Our specialty is getting people to move who have been in pain, or want to restore function without re-injury.
I am proud of so many things about Spectrum Fitness Consulting. Three things really stand out: Our system, our employees, and our clients. I’ve created a system that allows us to effectively and efficiently determine or clients’ needs and deliver the right treatment with the right amount, from what exercises to do, how many calories to consume, and how to follow-up with them to assure they are on track, even when they are not in the studio. Our employees are not only incredibly knowledgeable, but they are genuinely caring people. Our culture breeds this, and our system cultivates this. No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care. And finally, our clients. Their perseverance, positive attitude, and continual strive to optimize their health is inspiring. They willingly share their stories to help those around them see their potential. We capture these stories and post them on our website, Facebook, and presentations because they have proven to be a key turning point for many who decide to take control of their health. It’s the thing I’m most proud of that I get to see every day.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Asking for help and constantly learning. The two go hand in hand. You can strive to learn but it’s more effective when you’re learning pursuits are steered in the right direction. Sometimes you simply don’t know what you don’t know. That’s when it’s vital to get another pair of eyes on your problem. They can see what you are missing. I’m so surprised how unwilling people are to ask for help. The notion of the self-made man is a myth. It doesn’t exist. People around out us, our environment, they all help shape us, no one does it alone. We as individuals have the ultimate say as to whether we will take action or not and do the work, but having perspective, accountability, and support is equally vital. This has been proven in athletics, academics, business, and especially with health. It’s the coaching that I’ve asked for has made the coaching I have given successful.
Also, taking care of myself. It’s ironic, but running a fitness business can be very unhealthy. The demands of running a small business and helping others can be draining, leaving you with little time for your own health, family, and friends. I can’t be successful if I don’t look and feel the part. I deal with many of the same struggles my clients deal with. It helps give me perspective. I have multiple jobs, 3 young kids, a wife, family all over the country, multiple injuries (too many to count) that have left behind permanent damage. It’s hard to take care of the sick and injured by becoming one of them. Staying healthy drives my success.
Pricing:
- Clients invest between $130 and $1000/month depending on the type training based on their needs and goals.
Contact Info:
- Address: 100 Cummings Center Suite 121Q
Beverly, MA 01915 - Website: www.spectrumfit.net
- Phone: 978-927-2065
- Email: mike@spectrumfit.net
- Instagram: spectrumfitnessconsulting
- Facebook: www.facebook/spectrumfitnessconsulting.com
- Twitter: @spectrumfit
- Other: www.youtube.com/user/spectrumfit1
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