Today we’d like to introduce you to Fred Steinberg.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Fred. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
After owning a number of successful larger businesses, and retiring at 60 years old, I wanted to remain active. The only activity that interested me was fitness, and I had been going to a gym daily for many years. With a close friend of mine, we mapped out a concept on a paper napkin. In order to fortify our concept, we rented a hotel conference room and invited marketing people, physicians, business professors, and others to give us some focus on what we were looking to accomplish.
The original concept of fitness “workshops” evolved into a personal training facility, with the initial idea of being landlords and renting space to the trainers. Both my original partner and I come from the real estate world, we are both landlords, and we applied the principles we had always used in our other businesses. Unfortunately, very few trainers arrived at our door to rent use of the facility, and we quickly had to evolve into a business seeking clients that were seeking wellness, fitness, and strength. We found ourselves in the “gym” business!
We embarked on hiring trainers, marketing for clients, and putting together a business model. As time went on, we were able to respond to the demographic that we were attracting, and we continued our evolution to become the venue we are today. We saw older folks, so we marketed to the over forty demographic. We were attracting folks with medical issues, so we marketed to that demographic as well. To be able to maintain safety with this population, we upped the requirements for our trainers, requiring A Bachelor of Exercise Science, and 200 hours of training by our group. This is where we are today!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Our struggles were a result of never having been in the gym business. It’s a service that a large segment of the population does not care to purchase! Even many of the clients that DO exercise don’t enjoy it. It’s appealing mostly to those with a disposable income and can afford it. In essence, not an easy business.
Trainer turnover, client retention, changing demographics, all contribute to a unique set of issues that we need to deal with regularly. It’s a challenge because there are so many competitors vying for such a small percentage of the population, which ultimately affects such things as pricing and retention. It was a challenge to find our place in the overall market and to be able to find the right marketing tools commensurate with a small to medium-sized business.
The Facility for Personal Training – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Although not exclusive to a specific demographic age-wise, we DO specialize in people over forty years old. This is not an easy demographic because safety is a major issue. And, often-times as a result of age, many have medical issues ranging from diabetes, cancer, back problems, shoulder issues and a host of other infirmities.
I truly think that we have branded ourselves successfully in this market, and seriously, I believe other venues prefer NOT to have to offer personal training to some of the clients we serve. Everybody is in business to make money…claiming anything else is disingenuous, But, it’s a beautiful thing if you can earn your living while helping people who need you. There are folks who can’t get off the floor, or get out of the car, or pick up their grandchildren or walk around the mall. When we help them overcome those obstacles, it’s a wonderful thing.
We also use a proprietary training system, Called DVNS. (Dynamic Variable Neuromuscular Stimulation), it was created by my brother, Dr. Barry Steinberg, M.D, Ph.D., D.D.S, F.A.C.S and full Colonel in the U.S. Army. That system helps us build muscle, lose weight, and gain efficient and rapid results. All of our Trainers must master the system.
What sets us apart is our System, Trainers, our personnel, and the vibe it has created in which the clients and the trainers are all friendly with each other, and there are warm welcomes all around. This can be recognized in our 123 GOOGLE reviews, and 62 Yelp reviews, which make all of us extremely proud. A year ago, Men’s Fitness magazine and Yelp chose us as the #1 personal training facility in Florida, and the top 50 in the U.S. That was huge for us!
A few years back, CBS did a story on us, and called us the “fountain of youth!” It made all of us very proud.
What speaks the MOST highly of us: We’ve had trainers and clients remain with us for as much as 7 years, 6 years, 5 years and I know that says they like us! More so, it says, they get results!
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moment for me was the first time I realized that my daughter was going to be a great partner, and standing in the gym, watching her patiently train a client. WoW! She was a college professor for 5 or so years at the University of South Florida, and I somehow wrangled her to the managing position to make life easier for me! How can I not be a proud dad!
Contact Info:
- Address: 1200 S. Rogers Circle #3
- Website: thefacilitybocaraton.com
- Phone: 561-997-8348
- Email: fred@health-fitness-institute.com
- Facebook: The Facility for Personal Training
- Yelp: The Facility for Personal Training
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
