The space was equivalent to the size of a big rumpus room . We had to send our customers over the road to use the church toilet as we had no facilities . We used a foldable card table as our reception desk and a cash tin to store the membership and class fees !
For six months I marketed the gym before it was officially opened . In those days all we had to advertise in was the local newspaper but slowly , the internet emerged .
So where did the money come from ? Wages and every single coin that came to path and if we didn ’ t need it we sold it .
During this period I gained a lot weight as I wasn ’ t teaching classes and had no access to a gym – who knew if you owned a gym you ’ d never actually get to use it ? Yes , I did walk the lake however I still opened this gym about 12kg heavier than I was . But then after losing over 30kg with each child I apparently thought this was OK . Not ! It slowly disappeared – so yes I understand weight loss .
We opened the group fitness room in September 2003 and six weeks later the gym area followed . Interestingly , our biggest class was BODYJAM and BODYCOMBAT !
The vision I had for my own gym was very different to where I had worked previously . I thought since we were close to the city that corporate people would naturally join up , but the people who were joining weren ’ t who I ’ d expected . It made me realise that the people in my town really wanted a nonintimidating environment where the whole family can come . It was at this point when my whole business vision changed – and it ’ s continued to change everyday since !
I decided then and there that my business would be all about the demographic and not about what I wanted ; and I believe this is the reason for our success to date . If you know your demographics and know their trends and needs then you can create the destination your demographic desires .
It hasn ’ t been an easy journey by any stretch . There was a time in the early stages when I had $ 3.63 in the bank to pay wages . I worked from opening to close and taught 90 per cent of the classes we delivered . At times , my kids didn ’ t see much of me , my hubby saw me fall asleep on the couch on many a weekend , I missed birthday parties , school concerts and teacher interviews along the way ; I sacrificed a lot and so did my family . We argued a lot but I can only hope as they grow older and have their own families that they will understand why it happened that way .
I was a hard person to work for – John B will tell you that – but I ’ ve always been fair . Nobody told me what GST was or that I had to pay superannuation . Staff came and went and when it comes to business there is only black or white with me – do the right thing and I ’ ll reward you , but do the wrong thing and you ’ re out . Why should I put my arse on the line for staff who try and pull down our hard work for their own financial gains ? I ’ m a big believer in going and doing the hard yards yourself . Having said that , I ’ ve heard some pretty interesting stuff about me over the years – apparently I took a weekend off work once to get bum implants , and my first class back was Indoor Cycling ! In fact , if any of the rumours about me are true , I should probably be on the cover of WHO magazine !
Over the years , many gyms have opened in town , each one declaring they ’ ll shut us down . Similarly , I ’ ve had staff leave and expect our members to follow them , but the one thing you can ’ t replicate is someone ’ s passion ; my passion . Similarly , you can ’ t duplicate my vision , my creativity or my desire to
out-perform everyone else .
8 FROM SURVIVING TO THRIVING : THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MEL TEMPEST