We recently connected with Jessica Rubin and have shared our conversation below.

Jessica, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

At our facility, we prioritize a unique and personalized fitness experience for each member. While many gyms aim to pack the house and maximize numbers, we believe in a different approach. Our commitment is to ensure that every member receives the best possible experience during their time here at the club. We’ve always resonated with the “third place” term coined by Ray Oldenburg, which represents a place outside of home and work where people choose to go to find community and uplifting atmosphere. Many of our members visit us daily and refer to us as their “third place”. We find this to be a great compliment.

in 2020 we implemented a “membership cap” in order to ensure our facility is never crowded. We only add new members when a current member cancels, As time has gone on, we have realized just how valuable this membership cap continues to be for our members, We create an environment that is not overcrowded, allowing our members to enjoy a spacious and comfortable workout space. This ensures that our members have access to equipment without the frustration of long wait times, and they can focus on achieving their fitness goals in a stress-free environment.

With a smaller number of members than a typical fitness facility of our caliber, our members often form connections and support one another in their fitness endeavors. This creates a positive and motivating atmosphere that contributes to the overall well-being of our members.

In summary, our club is distinguished by its commitment to quality, personalized experiences, and a focus on creating a comfortable and supportive fitness environment. We believe in building a community where each member can thrive and achieve their fitness goals without the drawbacks of overcrowding often experienced in larger gyms.

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 was quite literally born into this industry, and it is all I have ever done! My dad, Gary Rubin, owned a gym during my entire childhood, and I gained experience working several positions like front desk, childcare, etc, while also getting a behind-the-scenes peak into day to day as an owner/operator.

My dad founded this facility in 2012 and I have been working here ever since. I have worked every job position we have, and eventually worked my way up to managing alongside my dad, continuing to learn from the best. 3 years ago we all suffered the loss of my dad from terminal cancer, and since then our team has been proudly carrying on his legacy. His mission was always to create a space where people of all fitness abilities feel comfortable and uplifted. The facility was designed to be very stress-free, with calming scenic murals, inspirational quotes, and friendly helpful staff.

As we have just celebrated 11 years since we opened, we are proud of how far we have come while simultaneously remaining humble, constantly learning and adapting, and putting our members’ experience first.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Continuing to provide an excellent experience for our members. As a small business, we get the luxury of doing things our own way. With so many larger companies, profit is the main focus, and the typical trend is for those clubs to become less valuable overtime as equipment ages and the space becomes overcrowded. With us, we get to have a bit more fun! We recently added a wellness center with services like cold plunge, red light therapy, and so much more that is largely included in membership here.

We aim to only get better with age. That means constantly reinvesting in new equipment, offerings, etc. We are always focusing on how we can make the club better, and I believe that is why many of our members have stayed members, including several who have been with us since we opened in 2012.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Managing a team can be challenging and it is important to hire people who align with your mission as a business. We have a very low turnover rate with our staff, and some have even been here the entire 11 years! We believe the reason for this is threefold: 1. They align with our mission here and feel the work they do here is important and fulfilling.
2. We do our best to support our team and emphasize positive reinforcement. While so many companies focus on write-ups when a team-member does something wrong, we have implemented a system where members and staff can write-up an employee for doing something right! Every month we award $100 to the employee with the most votes.
3. We allow our employees to actually have fun at work and form bonds with other coworkers. We also hold regular meetings and check-ins for each department to foster team-building and ensure everyone is in the loop.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.plsportsclub.com
• Instagram: @pointlomasportsclub
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/plsportsclub
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pointlomasportsclub/videos
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/point-loma-sports-club-san-diego
• Other: Wellness Center: www.plwellnesscenter.com Personal Training: www.pltrainers.com