With the festive season in full swing and New Year’s resolutions just around the corner, we caught up with Joff Bunt to discover more about Movement Wins and its mission to inspire, empower and support a healthier, more active lifestyle.
Why did you start Movement Wins?
Having worked in the fitness industry in a range of different gyms for over 10 years I noticed that the main difference between someone keeping up an exercise routine and staying consistent verses signing up for a year and only attending the gym a handful of times was the connection that person had with the coaches, community and gym ethos.
There are plenty of gyms offering personal training and group classes that can give you a gruelling workout and leave you in a sweaty heap on the floor gasping for air, but I found very few gyms went the extra mile to connect with each member, find out their personal goals, what inspires them and show that you really care about them.
For many people trying to get fit, stay in shape and maintain good health through regular exercise It’s not about the hour in the gym, it’s about how the hour in the gym effects the other 23 hours outside of the gym.
What is the most surprising challenge that you’ve faced and how did you overcome it?
The fitness space is very saturated in the UAE with lots of gyms and personal trainers which has meant it’s often hard to attract people without spending big money on advertisement, videographers and other partnerships.
We love our community and want to attract more like-minded people, so for us the best way to increase our membership is to actively seek referrals from our existing members. They trust us and value our service and we know that they will refer to the right people. This has meant we can stay focused on the core of our business, which is getting people fitter and healthier through developing our skills and knowledge.
What is that one thing in your business that you are really proud of?
Our members and the community we have created is very special. I wanted to create a non-intimidating and friendly fitness environment where people could come and train for an hour before heading back to their daily life. The hour in the gym should be challenging and help you to reach your goal; but it shouldn’t be an hour that you fear or resent.
Our coaching team has an empathetic coaching style which means members always feel welcome and cared for.
If you could give one piece of advice to your fellow entrepreneurs, what would it be?
Don’t get overly stressed about scaling too quickly in a service-based industry. Build solid foundations in your relationships with your clients and find out everything you can about how you can best serve them. If you do a good job, then scaling will be a natural progression.
What’s next for Movement Wins?
We would love to grow our coaching team and potentially run training sessions in other locations. We understand that in order for someone to keep up a good workout routine the location of our gyms is paramount! If someone has to travel 20 minutes plus to work out this will eventually turn into an excuse to not exercise, so as much as we value what we do we are not oblivious to this fact. The more coaches and locations we can secure then the more people we can help.
What do you like to get up to outside of work?
Believe it or not, I love to work out- a lot! I like a good mix of strength training and cardiovascular exercise, so you’ll usually find me out running or lifting weights in the gym. Asides from that I like spend time exploring new places with my wife and our dog and also enjoy watching football and drinking beers with the boys.
What are you currently watching/reading/listening to?
I am currently listening to is ‘Everyone communicates. few connect’ by John Maxwell, which is a great reminder to not use my phone when talking and listening to people. I mainly watch football and cricket when I am home.
Which entrepreneur do you most admire and why?
I really admire a fitness entrepreneur named Cory Gregory who founded Muscle Pharm and Max Effort Muscle, both of which are nutrition supplement businesses. Cory has always stayed true to his philosophy and manage to make some great choices to build his successful brand to what it is today.
Where’s your favourite place to eat?
We go to Greece most summers so anytime I find a restaurant that does a good Gyros I’m there.
