Thought you might appreciate a little insight into what makes us tick here at Koko FitClub. We pride ourselves in being in tune with our customer. In fact, the entire genesis of this business came from the recognition  of a huge, underserved need out there in the market: Millions of people with the desire to get in shape but struggling to find a way to get it done that is sustainable within their lives. Everything we have done, and continue to do at Koko FitClub, is in service to that need - that customer. Our members feel like Koko was made for them because Koko was made for them - and continues to evolve as their needs do.

We have been recognized for this single-minded focus on our customer by one of the most respected experts on customer-led innovation, Patricia Seybold, founder and CEO of the Patricia Seybold Group. In 2006, our young company, Koko Fitness, was a case study in her New York Times bestselling book, Outside Innovation. She has returned again to Koko in recent research, "As we work with clients today on developing a culture of CX [customer experience]  and UX [user experience] best practices, we point back at how simply and elegantly Koko founders Mary Obana and Mike Lannon followed these practices before they were “hot.” Mary and Mike knew, deep down in their souls, that the key to designing a successful business was to truly understand what their customers wanted to achieve and how they, ideally, would like to achieve it."

Koko was also the focus of the Seybold Group's Total CX Blog last week for not only listening to customers in our product design, but also listening to them "regarding the environment in which they wanted to use the product." This attention to customer need led Koko to pivot our business model in 2008 from selling Koko Smartrainers to traditional health clubs- an environment our customers told us very clearly that they loathed-  to creating, and ultimately franchising,  Koko FitClubs. Koko FitClubs are, by design, exactly the kind of place our customers feel good in while using the Koko Smartraining System designed just for them.

If you'd like a glimpse at Koko FitClub's roots, and an understanding of our deep commitment to customer experience,  you can read the post at the Customers.com Total CX Blog:  http://bit.ly/j5cstA 

In good health,

Mary Obana
President & Co-Founder
Koko FitClub

Greetings!

Add Florida to Koko FitClub's growing locations list. We are happy to announce our debut in the Sunshine State: a whole new way for Floridians to get healthy and fit.  Koko FitClub Coral Springs/Parkland, Florida has joined the Koko family of nearly 40 health clubs nationwide. Owners Amy and Rob Sottile have opened their first of three fitness clubs planned for the area at 6290 West Sample Road, Suite 104 in Coral Springs.

Rob and Amy Sottile are Coral Springs locals whose family and professional lives are woven tightly into the fabric of the local community. Helping their friends and neighbors live healthier lives through their new Koko FitClub is the natural next step for a couple who has made it a professional priority to do good. Rob and Amy successfully ran a children's fitness franchise for 10 years, helping thousands of local kids get fit, build self-confidence and have fun. In addition, Amy is certified as a doula, a professional child birth coach who has been the maternity support for many Coral Springs women and a one woman welcome wagon for some of its newest little faces. Says Amy, "We want to help people, and that's what Koko is all about. Helping people be healthier."

Like many of our owners with franchise experience under their belts, the Sottiles were also drawn to Koko because of its sharp contrast, operationally, to their last franchise business. According to Amy, "if we weren't at our old business, then it wasn't running the way we wanted it to run."  They found great experiences for their customers were wholly dependent on the quality of their staff. It was tough to find, manage and schedule enough great people. Rob says, "we found people enrolling their kids based on who was teaching, and more often than not, Amy and I were the preferred instructors." Koko is different, Amy explains, "we are here, building our business and making people feel welcome, but it isn't us or our staff that people come for. They come because they love the Koko Smartraining System."  

Rob and Amy have solid franchising experience combined with a passion and enthusiasm for improving the well-being of their community- for years they have made it a personal and professional priority. I can't imagine any two people better suited to introduce Koko FitClub to Florida. That mix of business know-how and altruism is going to make a huge, positive impact on the health of their community. Welcome to the Koko family!

Yours in good health,

Mary Obana

President & Co-Founder
Koko FitClub 

5 Reasons Fitness Franchises Keep Growing

Great to see Koko FitClub mentioned yesterday in this business innovation blog post on the American Express OPEN Forum. 

The peice, written by respected franchise writer and consultant, Joel "The Franchise King" Libava, highlights a few of the innovations that have kept fitness and health club franchises strong during a weak economy. Koko FitClub's revolutionary technology earned a spotlight!

"The fitness franchises that continue to innovate will be the ones that continue growing their franchises."- Joel Libava

Full Service Gyms Feel a Bit Flabby (Jan 26)

It reinforced for me why my husband and I founded Koko FitClub in the first place. In the article, a Mr. Boggs pointed out that only 15 percent of the American population belongs to gyms: “When you’ve got 85 percent saying ‘I don’t think so,’ we’ve got to recalibrate what we’re doing.” He’s spot on.

 
The fact is, gyms simply don’t work for most people.  This is not about making them fancier or pricing them cheaper. Why else, according to the article, would “45 percent of fitness-club members quit going in any given year?” 

The answer, in our mind, is creating a place where people want to go because it actually works. What a radical, revolutionary idea! It’s the idea that gave birth to Koko FitClub. Koko is a place where folks like us, the other “85%,” can get fit.

At Koko, we leverage technology to prescribe exercise, every time, for every member, so they know they are doing exactly what they need to. Whether you’re a frustrated exerciser or an ex-Division1 athlete, our patented Koko Smartraining System creates custom workouts for you based on your goals and your unique fitness level, guiding you every step of the way. Every day is a new workout, so it never gets boring. And every session is 30 minutes or less, something even the busiest people can squeeze in. To top it all off, we quantify what you’ve accomplished - not only every session, but over time- so you know what you are doing is working.

Koko members are engaged and motivated to exercise like nowhere else because it works! Many are exercising consistently and effectively for the first time in their lives- and loving it. They’ve become “KokoNuts!”

It’s no wonder, as the New York Times article implies, that the old “gyms” are a dying breed. Times have changed.  There’s a whole new future of fitness happening everyday at Koko FitClub.  Viva la revolution!

Yours in good health,

Mary Obana
President and Co-Founder
Koko FitClub

New Year's Greetings to you!

It's hard to believe that we are ringing in 2011. Time passes so quickly. And 2010- what an exciting year it's been at Koko FitClub!

Last year at this time we had 5 franchised clubs open in addition to our corporate club in Pembroke, MA. This year, to date, we have 22 clubs open- and 6 more scheduled to open in January.  By the summer, I predict we will have nearly 50 clubs open around the country!

Much of our growth in the latter half of 2010 can be attributed to the execution of multi-unit agreements- owners who have successfully launched club one, moving forward on to their second Koko FitClub. Multi-unit owners are going to continue to play a big role in our growth in the coming year, with half of the clubs scheduled to open through June either second, third and even fourth clubs for owners already in our system, a testament to their success.

In 2010, we truly became a national-and international- franchise. At the end of 2009 Koko FitClubs were open in Massachusetts, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Idaho and Toronto. Now we have locations open from coast to coast after adding clubs in Washington, New Jersey, Texas, New Hampshire, Nebraska, Tennessee, and Michigan.  And, not long into the New Year we will be adding California, Arizona, Nevada, New York and Florida to the list with multiple developers in many of these states and even more exciting announcements imminent.

But the most important news from the past year is our growing business has touched the lives of thousands and thousands of members who have now experienced the benefits of Koko FitClub first hand.  We have been humbled by the personal stories from individuals who are losing weight, off their blood pressure and diabetes medications and overall feeling energized in way they haven't in years. I encourage you to read them for yourselves on facebook, yelp, or on any number of the sites out there where people share their experiences. (In fact, you can easily find Koko on facebook using the button to the right.)  

This is why my husband Mike Lannon and I started this incredible journey in the first place and why our club owners and staff do what they do - to help people be their healthiest, strongest selves and to put our energies into something that makes a difference.  We have changed so many lives this year, but our work has only just begun. We know that Koko is the solution for the millions upon millions of people who struggle with exercise.

 
We continue to be highly selective about to whom we extend Koko FitClub franchise offerings. We are keenly aware that the quality of our owners directly impacts our ability to serve the people in their communities. Those who have been invited to join the Koko family come from a whole host of unique backgrounds and experiences, but all are accomplished in their own right. We are proud of the high-quality people who have joined us in our mission to change lives. If you're curious about who our Koko FitClub owners are, I invite you to get to know them better on our website at http://franchise.kokofitclub.com. Maybe this coming year you'll be there too?

 
To you and your's, we wish you a wonderful new year filled with reward and fulfillment. 

Here's to a happy, healthy 2011!

Mary Obana
President & Co-Founder
Koko FitClub

Interesting perspective on the effect this tough economy is having on prospective franchisee decision making from Dan Archer who, like me, is in the thick of franchisee selection everyday:

http://bit.ly/9XcJ4P

After a handful of his clients chose to “take a job” rather than go into business for themselves in a franchise system because they considered it “more secure at the moment,” Dan makes the argument that taking control of your own future through business ownership IS the most secure route. I wholeheartedly agree, with one caveat: you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. 

In other words, people who instead gravitate toward the employee vs business ownership route, may dream about “being on their own” someday,  but just aren’t yet ready to step out of their comfort zone.  In their mind it’s “less scary” to work for someone else, which translates in their conversations with Dan and I to, “less risky.” Whether or not it truly is less risky is beside the point. (I read about people being laid off from their “secure” jobs everyday.) Trying to talk someone out of their fear, when they just aren’t ready, is simply not going to work; no amount of logic from me will overcome that emotional hurdle.

This realization has become an important part of the selection process I have in place at Koko FitClub. A great fit is critical for our success and the success of our owners; the right business owner mindset is high on my list of “good fit” prerequisites. I make a conscious effort to focus my time on those who have already made the mental leap to business ownership...while leaving the door open to anyone who has change of heart.