We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brad Kolowich Jr a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Brad , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Your ability to build a team is often a key determinant of your success as a business owner and so we’d love to get a conversation going with successful entrepreneurs like yourself around what your recruiting process was like -especially early on. How did you build your team?
Hiring good staff is without a doubt one of the, if not the, most key components to the continued growth and success of any business.
When I first established my personal training business in Atlanta, it was just me. I began working with clients in my Atlanta apartment gym to really get into the rhythm of the routine. I knew in the back my heart that I had aspirations to one day own a fitness studio, although at that time, I focused on my day by day journey to just get better.
Fast forward about three years time and I had humbly developed a thriving personal training business out of my apartment gym space. By that time too, I had hired on two team members (I had to place them on my apartment lease for it to be acceptable at the apartment community) to assist me with incoming clients, as my own personal schedule had been fully committed, regularly cranking 12+ hour client session days. Aside from the grueling days, this was truly a dream come true at the age of 26 years old: Minimal overhead expenses, no family to financially support and a 6 figure income in a career that I really enjoyed. Why would I ever consider opening a gym space, hiring more staff to complicate the business plan, and increase my overhead expenses?
The truth is, I was forced to.
I’ll never forget one winter day in early 2012 when the property management at my Atlanta apartment called for a meeting. They never called for meetings, so, I knew something unusual was cooking. We sat down, they looked at me, and they said “Brad, we love what you’re doing here at the apartment gym, BUT, (and a big ole BUT that was) there are too many people coming and going that don’t live here. I replied, “But Christy said that was ok and that’s why I signed a lease here in the first place.” They replied, “Well Christy is no longer here and we’re now under new management, which means, you’ve got 30 days to transition your business from our apartment facility.”
There’s no question that I looked like a deer in headlights at the moment. No question. I was devastated. I thought for a moment and I then replied, “Will you please give me two months. I need two months and I’ll have a solution and a new place for all of our clients. After all, it’s not just about me anymore, I’ve got two staff members and a lot of clients that I have to take care of.” They looked at me and replied “OK, you have two months. But that’s it.”
Fast forward two months later and there we were, it was April 1st, 2012, and I was still wiping the smudges off the front door window of my newly developed 2750 square foot studio space in West Midtown Atlanta as my family, friends, and clients approached our Grand Opening party, that I had worked day and night, for two months straight literally, in prep for that Spring afternoon.
Fast forward another 12 and a half years, and here we are, 13 staff members strong. All fantastic and all very well suited in their day to day roles.
13 strong. It wasn’t always that way though. I’ve learned ALOT over the last 12 and a half years, since I first opened our studio space doors on that early April day in 2012. I’ve made many mistakes all along the way, and I continue to learn everyday from the mistakes that I’ve made and continue to make as a leader. So, rather than focusing on the mistakes that I’ve made, I’d like to share a few essentials that I believe are key to hiring and keeping a productive, and most importantly, happy and motivated team.
1. Although “word of mouth” hires can be wonderful, when looking for candidates, we must ensure that we look at the whole pool. We’ve found some tremendous staff members on some of the great hiring platforms out there, many staff members of which continue to thrive on our team today.
2. Have an interview process setup, with multiple layers of progression along the way. I generally look to at least a 3+ stage interview process when looking for the next best fit candidate for our team. All candidates must effectively progress through this multi stage interview process to be eligible for a spot on the KoloFit team.
3. Hire team players and good human beings. I believe that we can get a sense of whether a candidate fits this mold, simply though an effective interview process, if not even sooner. Hiring a team player is essential to steady progression of a business as well as maintaining good faith within the team as a whole.
3. Have a solid written agreement established, which not only protects the business itself, but also respectfully honors the team members best interest too. This agreement should be fully understood by all parties, prior to a staff member beginning, so that no issues arise in the future.
4. Have a solid onboarding program in place. A staff member that’s well trained within an organization will not only feel more welcomed to tackle their daily roles without regular assistance, but also be put in a position to really be a tremendous asset to the team.
5. Offer annual raises. Annual raises not only show the team member appreciation for all of their hard work, but also allow for the team member to continue to thrive financially as inflation is inevitable.
6. Stay in close communication with the team. Team meetings are great, although, I really value strong interpersonal communication with our team members. This form of communication allows us to really stay productive and also allows the team member to share things that they may not share in a given group meeting setup. The good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between. Good communication is essential to any effective relationship, especially in the work place.
They say you live and you learn, and for me and our studio, that is absolutely true. I hope that the mistakes I’ve made, and my pivots and adjustments along the way, will assist you along your journey to continued business success!
Brad , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Health and Fitness has been a HUGE part of my life since the very beginning. Both my father and mother have both been in the fitness industry for as long as I can ever remember. My Dad was and still is a personal trainer and my Mom an aerobics instructor. At a very young child, I remember sitting on the sidelines watching both my Dad and Mom instruct sessions and classes. I remember at a young age being inspired by their teachings, which inspired me to enjoy in some of the same exercise activities as well. So, from then on, I was hooked.
Fast forward many years ahead as I approaching the tail end of my college years and time to start thinking career path. I always knew in the back of my heart that I wanted to make my life health and fitness and have the ability to work with others in inspiring their health and fitness dreams through exercise and nutrition. But, I also very clearly remember some influential people, very near and dear to my heart, inspiring me to take a totally different career path away from personal training and fitness studio ownership. I was told that I would never make a living in personal training and gym ownership and that it was just a bad career move. I listened. So, I dove into the search of other career paths of what may be “the right fit for me.” But, time after time, internship after internship, and class after class, I kept running into a “dead end” in terms of inspiration. I just was “feeling it” and again knew in the back my heart, that there was something greater for me. And, the greater path was a career in the heath and fitness industry. So, I went full force towards chasing my ultimate dream of a personal training and fitness studio ownership. From that day onward, I haven’t looked back, and to this very day, I’m so glad that I haven’t.
Our studio brand is KoloFit. We’ve opened doors to the public in both Atlanta as well as Lake Oconee, Georgia. In addition to in-person services, we also offer virtual fitness training and nutritional guidance for those that may not be local to our Atlanta or Lake Oconee studio spaces. We specialize in one-on-one as well as small group personal training and nutritional guidance. We work with all ages, shapes, sizes, abilities and fitness levels. All of our fitness and nutritional programs are fully customized to our clients specific goals. Upon beginning with us, each and every client goes through an extensive evaluation and plan building process so that each client is setup for success, while tackling both their short as well as long term health and fitness goals. We continue to work very closely with each client to ensure that they not only achieve their ultimate goals but continue to maintain their goals for the long haul.
To learn more about our studio and services, please visit KoloFit.com
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Building and maintaining a solid reputation is HUGE. First and foremost, we must earn the respect of our customers. We do that through ensuring that we’ve put in the initial groundwork to earn their respect, which includes many things such as getting the education necessary to put ourselves in the best position to be successful in our industries. Once we’ve gained the knowledge necessary to provide a solid product, we must act and look the part! In referencing our competitive industry of personal training, for a moment place yourself in the shoes of the prospective client: In knowing nothing else about a given personal trainers experience/background/etc. and in viewing from the surface level alone, which type of personal trainer would you most be drawn to for your future transformation: The one the TRULY looks and acts the part or that of the opposite? The very same applies across all industries. Would you be more likely to purchase a product from a well groomed and presentable employee in a clean establishment or one of the opposite? We must look and act the part if we expect to separate ourselves from the pack. Lastly, although not completely necessary for success, passion shines through! I believe that combining a business concept with a true passion for helping others can make for an incredibly solid successful combination. I believe that if we strive each day to maintain our reputations within our industries, we’ll all continue to thrive together and do good work!
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
I believe that one of the most essential strategies to growing a business is simply doing good ethical work. This rule especially applies in a small town where one negative customer experience can quickly send a business’ reputation into a whirlwind. Now, we have keep in mind that we certainly won’t please everyone, but, on the flip side, if we consistently provide a service that we know is ethically right and just simply “do the right thing,” we’ll be able to effectively grow our concept to wonderful new heights. Happy customers will speak the good vibes and the referrals and growth will follow.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://KoloFit.com
- Instagram: @brad.kolowich.jr
Image Credits
Jason Ellis