We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ty Manegold a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Ty, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?
My co-founder and I began the journey of creating an “airport gym” company back in 2013 while we were beginning our MBA program at the University of Oregon. The idea had surfaced during one of our classes, “Recognizing Business Opportunities,” as a potential class project. We certainly weren’t the first to have the general idea, nor the last to bring wellness to the airport environment, but we recognized that what we were envisioning currently didn’t exist in the US airport market and terminal experience. The two of us then spent the next 20 or so months of our graduate school program utilizing every class project and independent study we could modify to investigate the market and develop a corresponding business plan. The worst case would be we’d discover the market wouldn’t support our idea and we’d graduate with our MBA’s, poised to take on a consulting job related to new market exploration; not a bad outcome. However, we were quick to learn that the business model did in fact have legs to stand on, and we continued to pursue the venture. Before we graduated, we had already incorporated within the State of Oregon, filed articles of organization and governance, raised some seed capital, and even brought on others to the team. Any while the business model seemed interesting and creative, we started ROAM because we wanted it to use its services. Our team was and still is our core user and target market, the Millennial and Gen-X business traveler who is sick and tired of the status quo of deep fried food and overpriced alcohol every time they take to the skies. We wanted a wellness oriented outlet in the airport because we, ourselves, were frustrated with having to sacrifice our healthy lifestyles and goals each time we traveled. Staying healthy while traveler shouldn’t be a luxury that only a select and privileged few get to experience; rather it should be a right entitled to every passenger, flight crew, and airport employee who’s concerned about the overall decline in mental and physical health that’s been overtly evident the last half a century. For the first time in modern history, the average lifespan is shortening in Western society. Increased obesity rates, earlier and more frequent onset of diabetes, worsening mental health issues, stress, and anxiety. With all these attributes on the rise, its imperative we take action now.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
ROAM Fitness is a pioneer in the merging industries of health/wellness + travel. We put gym and shower facilities into airports, behind security. Our vision is to elevate the travel experience and provide an environment where people can care for their bodies in an atmosphere designed for movement and fun.
Wasting time in the airport, suffering through cramped flights, and only being able to choose between unhealthy food options, overpriced alcohol, or browsing unwanted trinkets leaves passengers feeling unhealthy, unproductive, and frustrated with the status quo. That’s where ROAM Fitness® Airport Gym and Wellness Centers come into play. Our tech-enabled workout equipment, modern facilities, and premium customer service allow passengers and flight crews to remain connected to their busy lives while focusing on their bodies so they can board their next flight feeling happy, healthy, and revitalized. In a post-COVID world focused on safety, cleanliness, and hygiene, ROAM’s diverse lineup of wellness merchandise, health-conscious snacks, COVID testing kits, sparkling clean showers, and individual sleeping rooms deliver exactly what tomorrow’s passenger wants– a truly enjoyable experience that does not compromise safety or quality.
As a service provider, our company partnerships are vital to our brand experience. We are very deliberate about who we align with and how we incorporate them into our gyms. We’re providing a place for people to move but there is more to it than just breaking a sweat. Our gyms expose members and guests to new products and brands in a memorable, experiential manner. We add value to their lives outside of the gym by sharing how-tos, the latest industry headlines, and product recommendations. We are building a community and budding lifestyle brand with seasonal fitness competitions, programming, and our digital presence. Our members and followers look to us to inspire their fitness routines and travel experiences.
We sit at the intersection of health, wellness, travel, hospitality, and retail. Targeting predominately Millennial and Gen-X business travelers, our technology equipped facilities allow passengers to remain connected to their busy lives while focusing on their bodies so that they can board that next flight feeling happy, healthy, and productive. We are working on expanding to airports across the USA and abroad. With comprehensive control of all of the stages involved in planning for, opening, and operating an airport gym and wellness center we are able to carefully manage our five-star brand experience. Our experiential platform means our partner brands, services, and products have a positive association with that much-needed respite from the dreaded airport experience.
After years of in-airport experience, our fine-tuned business model and polished offerings will help your airport usher in the new normal. We believe travel days don’t have to compromise your health, no matter who you are or how you travel.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
Peter Drucker is a fantastic author on the topic. Through his teachings and the poedagogy of various non-profit wilderness experientiual programs I’ve worked for in the past, there are a few principals of leadership that have come in handy from time to time; they are
1) Build a shared vision among your team members…this includes long term business model development with investors and co-founders, but also with respect to the the daily mundane tasks that are just as imporant in accomplishing.
2) Build a model…trying it, change it, try it again. The idea of iteration in its simplest form, and spelled out. But you need to get out there and actually “DO” and not just “plan.” Ideas written down are helpful, but more so after they have been tested and their weaknesses pointed out.
3) Share a common space with others, including your contractors, 1099 consultants, and employees. Learn what their long and short term job duties are, what it takes for them to accomplish them, and you’ll best learn how to get out of the way and/or facilitate their advancement.
4) Allow and help others to amplify their own abilities. If someone on your team is great at something, let them shine with that. You’ll be amazed at how it can be applied to the topic/problem/situation at hand.
5) Embrace and promote the idea that followership and leadership go hand in hand.
6) Don’t collaborate to “turn out the lights.” Both from a negative standpoint (don’t all get on the hate train), but also don’t spends weeks collaborating around something as simple as turning off the light switch. Just do it!
7) Celebrate successful collaborations. Remember to recognize the little and big wins and accomplishments that come into your business venture’s timeline. You’ll need to remember the good times during the bad; but you’ll also need to be reminded of why your business is important.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
There’s an addage that it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than it is for permission. While I don’t promote taking advantage or abusing any situation, but kernel of this statement gets to the fact that sometimes less is more. If you try to expend too much knowledge or insight into a topic out of an abundance of conern, you’ll end up creating more undue concern for everyone and stopping the project dead in its tracks. For product development where life and safety hang in the balance, this is a very good and appropriate approach. But with iterations, business model development, government entity collaboration, and especially when dealing with individuals who have little motivation to take any risks, you’ll only be bogged down to a level that stopped being helpful long ago.
Contact Info:
- Website: roamfitness.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roam_fitness/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/ROAMFitnessFreeToMove/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tymanegold/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/roam_fitness
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/wr2G_Pyn9CA
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/roam-fitness-glen-burnie
- Other: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60811-d12262266-Reviews-ROAM_Fitness-Baltimore_Maryland.html
Image Credits
ROAM Fitness