We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful FERNANDO ANDRADE. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with FERNANDO below.

FERNANDO, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Covid has brought about so many changes – has your business model changed?
On March 16th, 2019 we became deeply affected by the pandemic. We lost a significant amount of members, we were unable to operate at the gym for a few months and we even lost relatives due to Covid. We were not sure about the future of the economy but we were certain more than ever that our Kickboxing classes would be needed to help battle anxiety, depression and obesity. We were confident that our service was a solution to many people that couldn’t find fitness or emotional support by themselves. We were blessed to discover that our core members stayed with us through the hard times. We have learned many lessons with an important one being: People don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it. And our “Why” is you! Each one of our members and our staff motivates us to do our best and offer the best experience.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I worked in the financial industry for over 10 years. I used to travel between US and Europe a lot. I was financially doing well but emotionally and physically not so well. I took my first CKO Kickboxing class sometime in 2007. Since that Day I became addicted to being fit and healthy. I was living in NY at the time.

The way I used to workout was playing soccer twice a week and going to the gym to lift weight twice a week. Doing that I gained a lot of weight and did not enjoy working out. CKO Kickboxing are fun, interactive and results oriented. You can changed your mood after a class. The results you get emotionally and physically are instant. I lost 30 pounds on my first 3 months when I started. I

In 2014 my wife and I moved to Miami. I was looking to transition to the fitness industry so we opened the first location in South Florida in 2016. I am the Area Developer for CKO Kickboxing in South Florida. We strive to make CKO the best place for each of our members and trainers. A place where we can come together and celebrate our wins, our health and our goals. Our team continues to grow with unique individuals that strive to make each class unforgettable and franchisees who are looking to own a business that transform people lives.

The future looks brighter than ever. If you are a business owner looking for advise. Know your WHY and stick to it. If you are a franchise owner looking to transition to fitness. We would love to talk to you!

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
People don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it. Our team knows WHY we do what we do. Each one of our members and our staff motivates us to do our best and offer the best Kickboxing Class experience.

Many gyms try to offer everything and do not specialize. We offer cardio Kickboxing Classes and we strive to do our best on what we do. We are focus on our WHY. Our WHY is our community and how we can help them reach their fitness goals.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Covid19 closed many gyms around my neighborhood. I knew I had to be the last gym standing. I did everything I had to do to keep my key staff with me.

We did Zoom classes, outdoor classes, we worked out every single day. I knew I had to keep my staff active and motivated. You can easily lose your focus and mindset if you let your attention goes to the news. I was in constant communication with my team.

I did not depended on investors that pump money for long term results. I was so focus on keeping the gym open and keeping my cost as low as possible. I prepared my cash flow for worst case scenarios.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ckomiami.com
• Instagram: @ckomiami
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CKOMiami/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi0udWyCzCygCyn9PUmUQVA/featured
• Yelp: ckomiami

Image Credits
StayFit 305, Valeria Dangond, Andres Garcia