By Alan Shaw, Co-Founder and Head Coach of Rhapsody Fitness in Charleston, SC
Welcome to Box Building! Follow Rhapsody Fitness Co-Founders Alan Shaw and Trinity Wheeler as they continue to build one of the fastest growing gyms in South Carolina. Answer the hard questions, explore various approaches, dive into strategy and share lessons learned that go far beyond fitness to be universal across entrepreneurship and startups.
After three years as a Rhapsody Fitness co-founder and nearly a decade as a CrossFit coach, I can say with utmost certainty that the hardest thing to do for our business is keeping the facility consistently clean.
Rhapsody Fitness in Charleston, SC.
The work itself may not be sexy (although oiling a barbell has its moments), but the result sure is, because keeping a flawless facility your members and visitors can count on will set you apart.
At Rhapsody, curating a prime facility and, quite literally, making it shine is one of the main ways we raise the bar on health and fitness. From the look on someone’s face when they walk through our door to glowing five-star reviews, I am confident that our commitment to cleanliness and facility maintenance is one of our strongest draws.
As I see it, an impeccable facility quite frankly sets the tone for each and every person who steps on the floor. It attracts members who take great pride and care in themselves and will respect great pride and care invested in a space.
I have also truly, deeply come to appreciate during the pandemic that starting with the highest standard for our physical facility keeps us in the best position to adapt and respond to new health guidelines and precautions. When the bones are good, as they say…
Although it sounds simple enough, keeping a pristine space is anything but easy, so here are three ways we make it happen at Rhapsody:
Stay the course
Nearly every facility is a shiny new penny when she opens, but come back 6 months later to the dust settling and a strange smell bubbling up from the drain. Similar to the workouts we know and love, come out too hot and you’ll crash and burn by the second round – consistency and pace is where you’ll win here.
Prioritize efficiency
Keeping your facility in top shape will take a lot of work, so streamlining your processes, delegating responsibility across your team and maximizing overall efficiency are your best friends on this front. Silver lining, we’ve found that our community follows suit – lead by example and your members will likely pitch in to keep the space spotless. Want a little more on polishing your cleaning and maintenance process? Test the system with 6 steps to create, test and, ultimately, trust your process.
Never compromise
Your standard for facility maintenance – specifically cleanliness – comes from the top and needs to be a non-negotiable. Chalky corners, dirty barbells and filthy floors should make you just as crazy on day 100 as they did on day 1.
Morale of the story? Make it shine. I promise you that extra elbow grease will pay off in spades by distinguishing your business and appealing to your desired clientele.
Follow Box Building on Rhapsody News or visit Rhapsody Fitness online to learn more.
Coach Kerry Kirsch at Rhapsody Fitness in Charleston, SC.
