We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Britt Morrison. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Britt below.
Britt, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?
My parents, Rock and Bonnie Morrison, are successful entrepreneurs. They own several companies that they built from the ground up, including Morrison Geothermal and American Classic Golf Club. Through seeing this, they taught me how to dream, execute, and work hard to achieve success. My parents are the hardest workers I know. My dad, Rock, has never thought an idea was too crazy or too big to achieve. If he dreams it, he does it and he does it himself. He has taught me to have drive, be creative, have a strong work ethic, and that you are never too successful to get your hands dirty. My mom, Bonnie, taught herself how to take a leap of faith and how to run a business, she left her job as a X-ray technician and jumped into the world of entrepreneurship with my dad 40 years ago to create Morrison Geothermal. She just figured it out along the way and now is running several successful companies. She taught me how to lead others, how to be a strong business woman in a man’s industry, how to be compassionate but fair and how to manage a business myself. My parents taught me everything I know about business, that is just one thing they did right.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
For those of you who do not know me, my name is Britt Morrison. I am 28 years old and I am the Golf Business Manager at American Classic Golf Club, a 9 hole golf course located in Southern Delaware. American Classic is a family owned and operated business and this is our 10th year in business. My dad decided to buy a golf course in 2012 and I have worked here ever since. I thought it would be fun to work at a golf course over the summers while I was in college (I was right it is pretty fun) and I have grown from working at the front desk of the pro shop to managing the entire business. Seeing American Classic grow from nothing to now an extremely successful business has been the most rewarding experience. My family built and created this business together and no one knew anything about the golf industry at the time. My dad played golf but the rest of us had never even been on a golf course. We have taught ourselves how to grow grass, run & operate a restaurant and bar, host golf outings and leagues, all the things related to the golf business. I am so proud of the golf course and my family for succeeding and creating an environment where people come to hang out, have fun, and become a part of our family. We are more than just a golf course, we are a community. Learn more at www.americanclassicgolf.com
In addition to being a golf business manager, I am also a business owner. I own a company called Britt Marie Fitness. Britt Marie Fitness was founded during March 2020, I started teaching online group fitness classes on Facebook during the pandemic. I have a degree in Physical Activity & Fitness Management from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. I have always loved fitness and health. Covid gave me the push to begin my own business. I started with online group fitness, which I still teach. Now I am a certified personal trainer, as well, and now offer 1-on-1 personal training and golf fitness training. I am very proud of the fitness training programs I have created, my current clients all rave about my programs because they leave our sessions FEELING GOOD and improving their everyday life. In May of 2023, I will be opening my first in-person studio at American Classic Golf Club called, (B)alanced. (B)alanced by Britt Marie Fitness is an in-person studio space for all who want to workout and start a healthier lifestyle. At (B)alanced, you can participate in a variety of group fitness classes, health related workshops, 1-on-1 personal training, 1-on-1 golf fitness training and so much more! (B)alanced is about being balanced in your overall health. This is why our studio offers a variety of classes and services to keep you BALANCED. Learn more at www.brittmariefitness.com
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
The most effective strategy for growing our clientele is excellent customer service. All of our staff at American Classic Golf Club have incredible customer service, because we actually care about you and your experience at our course. We get a lot of compliments about our staff and customer service and it is because our staff is genuine. Through having a great staff and having excellent customer service, we have grown our clientele through word of mouth. Every customer that comes here tells their friends about us! There are several pluses to word of mouth. First off, it is FREE which is at no cost for the business owner. Secondly, if you can give a customer so great of an experience that they tell 5-10 people about it when they leave, you are doing something right. People believe their friends & family more than online ads, so word of mouth is much more valuable marketing.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Everyone who is still in business today had to pivot in March 2020, myself included. I was teaching in person group fitness classes at a local fitness studio and then all of a sudden the world shut down. I had to pivot. I ended up having a few clients and family members reach out asking if I would teach classes online. I said yes of course! While not having a clue how to do that or how to make it work but I knew I would figure it out. I started uploading recorded workouts to Youtube. Then, I started live-streaming classes & workouts on Facebook in a private Facebook group. I taught classes on Facebook for 6 months and they were very successful but then I needed to level up my business. So I transferred my live-stream classes to Vimeo and created a web page, created an email list, and started to develop my business model . I ran Britt Marie Fitness like that for 2 more years. In 2021, I launched my own golf fitness training service and now (2023) I have a brand new website that just launched, I am opening my first in-person studio and offering outdoor fitness classes on the golf course at American Classic Golf Club.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.brittmariefitness.com | www.americanclassicgolf.com
- Instagram: @britt_marie_fitness | @americanclassicgolf
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/brittmariefit | www.facebook.com/americanclassicgolfclub
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/britt-morrison-78a39583/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYxFR7VX24DtS7EFXB19NPw
- Other: Email: [email protected]
Image Credits
Kim Trost Photography