CEO Now helps gym owner pivot to better serve his community

CEO Now helps gym owner pivot to better serve his community

Starting a gym looked like a great business to Jeffrey Scott, founder of ME & I Fitness in North Minneapolis. He had a deep background in business as a corporate vice president, and he saw a real need in his childhood neighborhood.

When a new commercial building went up, it looked like a great place to have a gym. Soon after opening the reality of running a small business hit Jeffrey all at once. He likened the perspective shift to driving a car for the first time.

“Sitting in the passenger seat or in the back seat and you're watching others drive, it looks so easy,” said Jeffrey. “But when you slide over from that passenger seat to that driver’s seat, the entire perspective changes, right? It's definitely a different challenge, owning a business.”

The challenging reality got him interested in CEO Now, a group-learning opportunity from Hennepin County that guides established business owners as they build a three-year strategic plan and build the confidence to follow it.

He said he learned a lot—everything from building smart financial models, how to hire great people, and how to build a great marketing strategy.

One key takeaway was finding his core consumer. Before opening his gym, Jeffrey had an idea of who would be using the gym: young people staying fit. But those people weren’t paying the bills, he was surprised to see who was.

“Wow, it's really the 40+ - year-olds who are our best clients based on the financial numbers we're looking at,” said Jeffrey. “So now the question becomes, is our marketing consistent with the people who really support us those with whom we have the most impact."

That reality he came across in CEO Now was something he hadn’t been able to make time for while he was busy running the business. It was a transformational learning for his business and helped him re-imagine ME & I Fitness from the ground up with small group training, marketing messages, and equipment for his core consumer. Building a complete strategy around more mature gym goers helped him focus on the ultimate goal of serving the customers who were most impactful to his business.   

Taking that time to break down what was happening in his business with expert guidance was the most important aspect of the CEO Now training. It wasn’t detached academic learning, it was actionable at every step.

“That's a big difference between CEO now versus just doing an MBA program,” said Jeffrey. “With every chapter, with every section, you’re actually finding ways to apply what you learn your business immediately.”

To join entrepreneurs like Jeffrey Scott, sign up for CEO Now today.