039 Demystifying Group X With Technology

For episode 39 we take an in depth look at the current landscape to demystify the common misconceptions at the intersection of group fitness operations and technology solutions.

For an increasing number of Group Fitness Managers in 2017, it's the growing demand to seamlessly tie in the scheduling, communication, metrics and substitution of fitness instructors through the cloud that is causing a major disruption in our industry.

To help uncover what will be of most service to our industry's GroupX space, we're learning from the Founder of GroupX Pro, Shannon Fable, an experienced business and program developer in the health and wellness space with over 20 years in the industry who specializes in group fitness operations.

As you'll learn from Shannon, with all the fragmented offerings, types of classes, fitness instructors, number of studios, equipment fees and other variables needed to run a successful Group X program, we identify just how the landscape has changed so dramatically over the past two decades and why now the hardest part for operators is stepping back to understand the best technology solutions and what continuing education courses will support their GFI's.

What are the core competencies for Group Fitness Managers and instructors at the pivotal crossroad of technology, personality, and programming?

The answer to that question and many more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Shannon Fable.

About Shannon Fable

Shannon Fable is an experienced business and program developer in the health and wellness space. With 20 years in the industry, she has presented and educated in six continents on group fitness, personal training, management, business development and time management.

With a proven track record for assessing needs and developing programs, systems, and structure for a wide variety of businesses in the fitness industry, she has also carved out time to write, mentor, and star in over 25 fitness and management related DVDs.

Shannon is a certified Book Yourself Solid® Business Coach interested in helping fitness professionals navigate the industry and find their place. She owns both Balletone® and Sunshine Fitness Resources. Most notably, along with her developer husband, she co-created and founded GroupEx Pro®, a revolutionary software designed to streamline and operationalize the management and marketing of group fitness programs for health clubs.

Listen To Episode 039 As Shannon Uncovers

• How SaaS solutions can seamlessly tie in the scheduling, communication, metrics and substitution of fitness instructors through the cloud
• Understanding the project management side of GFM/GFI technology: How to give yourself a good timeline and carve out space for implementation
• Exploring the 3 core competencies of the GFM/GFI landscape
• How being able to see "past the dollar signs" drives long term revenue and member retention
• Why GFM's must hire and inspire the right team that's willing to embrace technology first
• Why setting up technology requires such an interesting skillset
• Shannon's method for reducing inputs for better outputs: How to distil down to what you need to the desired result
• Why Shannon believes that core competencies for group fitness is knowing the body and how it works but the other is how they interact connect and communicate with customers
• Why Group X are "scared to rock the boat"
• How technology disruption is changing the GFM/GFI landscape
• How to adapt and integrate new technology for serving the group fitness environment
• GroupEx Pro® Case Study: YMCA Twin Cities

Top 3 Takeaways From The Show

• Shannon believes that the technology barriers to entry in the fitness industry have never been lower, but at the end of the day we must to educate fitness professionals and teams about how they are going to use integrity and intention behind the technology.
• No matter what technology solution a club deploys, it is essential for leadership to focus on the outcome and ask" "What do we need to do in the on-boarding process and in training to truly get to the outcome we want?"
• From 20 years of working in GroupX, Shannon teaches operators to first hire and inspire the right team that's willing to embrace technology instead of saying "this is how we've always done it let's just keep doing it this way." The biggest core competency of group fitness is ultimately to motivate and inspire people and groups to move more, and more often. The use of cloud-based fitness technology helps to support this by increasing gamification, communication, and engagement to the members that need it most.

Power Quotes From Shannon

"We have a lot of people trying to infiltrate the fitness space that know technology but that don't necessarily understand the nuances of what happens in clubs." - Shannon Fable on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"It's making sure that you hire and inspire the right team that's willing to embrace technology instead of saying 'this is how we've always done it, let's just keep doing it this way' and I think that's tough, because a lot of group fitness managers and personal training managers don't get into the space from a traditional business background so they may not have had to deal with technology." - Shannon Fable on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"Setting up technology requires such an interesting skillset because it's not just about being able to utilize the program, it's about being able to see the big picture and what you want to accomplish with the technology, to then distill it down to what you must input to get to the desired output." - Shannon Fable on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Resources Mentioned From Shannon

• Group Ex Pro
• Group Ex Pro on Facebook
• Shannon Fable's Website
• Shannon Fable on Linkedin
• Shannon Fable on IDEA Connect
• Shannon Fable on Twitter
• Shannon Fable on Instagram
• Shannon Fable in Club Industry
• FTP Episode #015 Dave Wright: MYZONE & The Current State of Wearables
• Club Industry: Shannon Fable - Should Your Fitness Studio Be Dependent on Personalities or Programs?
• The 2017 FIT-C Tech Trends Report
• Orange Theory Fitness
• Stages Flight Cycling
• David Allen: Getting Things Done
• IHRSA Leadership
• Fitness Industry Leadership Council - ILC

Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors

• Bryan O'Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, Integerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com
• The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today
• Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com