The F45 Experience - Scott Kinworthy

People quit products, they don't quit people. So if your product actually delivers, you know, some something of value from a fitness standpoint, but you genuinely create a community and environment where everyone's welcome. And at least here, this is your second home, this is your second living room. We want to we're here to be of service to you to make sure you get what you want. You're gonna succeed.

What's up, fitness friends? Welcome back to the Future of Fitness podcast and interview series. This is your host, Eric Malzone. And this is episode number 154. I talked to Scott Kinworthy, and what an interesting conversation I had with this gentleman. Um yeah, what is Scott uh his his background is unique, right? 17 years within the Blue Man group. If you don't know what that is, go look it up. Uh you should by now. Uh he broke ground for F-45 within the United States, uh, opening first franchises there, here, uh I should say. And he's constantly pushing F-45 into new areas, new uh markets, like um colleges, corporate locations, all kinds of interesting stuff. And I love the way that he and F-45 think, and and he gives a really good representation of what the F-45 experience is. And I think that's one of my favorite things about this podcast is not just his backstory and him wearing a clown nose walking around uh New York City, but how he puts into the words so eloquently what the F45 experience is and why it's so um critical to their success. And you know, they're growing, uh I think he's in episode something like 80 franchises a month. Yeah, let that sink in for a second. Right? So grab a notepad, take some notes. Uh it's all about a great experience. And uh Scott definitely delivered one here on the podcast. And before we get into the episode, uh a couple things. Number one, please, uh if you enjoy listening to the show, um, I know there's a couple of you out there who do, go and leave a nice review. First of all, subscribe. Go to iTunes right now. It takes three minutes. Just pause, go to iTunes, subscribe, leave a nice review. Um if the review is a good one, which they all have been so far, right? Knock on wood, um, I'll read it on air and uh I'll make you famous, kind of, right? Uh also this episode is brought to you by Level Five Mentors. So if you go to level5mentors.com, you'll find out what Ken and I are all about helping entrepreneurs achieve what they really want, the real metrics, right? We always talk about income and things like that, but that's are those the real metrics? No, it's it's we want freedom, right? We want freedom of health, time, money, relationships, and purpose. And that's the five freedoms that we focus on, help entrepreneurs get there every day. So go check it out. Um, if you're interested, I'd be more than happy to have a call with you and you can schedule it there and we can talk about what's uh what's going on in your world. That would be fantastic. So without further ado, this is episode number 154, Mr. Scott Kinworthy of F-45. Enjoy the ride. We're live. Scott, welcome to the show, my friend.

Oh, thanks for having me.

Yeah, I am um I'm excited to get your story out there. I'm excited to give people some information on what's going on on in the fastest growing fitness franchise in the world at F-45. And uh, you know, you and I have had many conversations and um just knowing your personality and and your background and how driven you are and the multiple things that you have going on. I think you're you're so entrepreneurial, um like truly entrepreneurial that I think people gather a lot of great insights from your experience and your knowledge. But I think uh always a great place to start, Scott, is if you can just give us your story, man. Give us your background. How did you get to where you are?

Oh, that's a that's a tough one. Um I'll try and give you the abridged version. Um I uh I started out as a as a as a musician actually um in college. I was a I was a percussion performance major. Um and then um from there I actually got a performance gig with Blue Man Group um in 1997. Um and then I did Blue Man Group off and on for about 17, 18 years, um, with a big chunk in the middle there where I was mostly in either LA or New York, uh doing working on a TV or or film career. Um I did a you know small uh stint on a soap opera that was really fun. Um which soap opera? Um all my kids or all my children. Um I know that and yeah, it was it was really, really interesting time. It's that gig wasn't what I thought it was gonna be. Uh long story short, um uh went back to LA and um and ultimately ended up back at Blue Man Group um after like the great you know financial recession. Um my parents had kind of uh went through a hard time with their business and you know, Blue Man Group was always willing to offer me a job. So I went back and got a job and and uh helped them through that time. And then from there, I uh you know, I knew after you know 17, 18 years at Blue Man Group, I really wanted to get into something that um was a business and um in an ideal world of business where I can make a difference for some people, but also like really make some money uh and and have a legacy for my family. Um that's that's what that was a goal. I didn't know if I could do it or not, but um I got started with a little marketing company, like a grassroots gorilla marketing company where we would we would do that for all the shows on the strip because I knew everybody. Um and then and then I I heard about F-45. And this is when they had maybe maybe 75, maybe a hundred studios in Sydney uh in mid-2014. And um my business partner and I are, you know, we're fairly fairly diligent, and uh and obviously this was gonna be a big move for us in a different direction, you know, a brick and mortar business in the fitness industry. Having been a blue man, like I had to, you know, it was just part of your part of your job is to work out, stay fit, make sure you can handle the balance and whatnot. Uh but so we we actually didn't tell them, and we flew over to Sydney, and we went to 10, 12 studios like every day, you know, a couple times a day. And we got to know some of the members and be like, hey, can I buy a coffee? Can I buy espresso? Can I buy a protein chip or something? And just pick your brain. And they didn't really know who we are, what we're up to, what we're gonna do, but we would ask, like, you know, why why are you why are you here? Why are you why are you working out? Why are you paying these prices? What makes this, why you choose this place else? And um unprovoked, you know, over you know, 10 different gyms, call it three to five people at each each place, we're like, well, I used to, I used to hate working out. Now I love working out. Uh I lost 10 kg, I lost 20 kg. Uh, we were like, what's a kg? Uh we figured it out. I'm just kidding. Um, but uh, you know, they uh they were all like, you know, I used to, you know, I I used to, I'm able to work out with my mom, or I'm able to work out with my my daughter. Um you could tell it was like, oh, there were like athletes in these classes, and there were like people that you know hadn't worked out in years. And um and and ultimately they they really felt like they were a part of something. And then we went back, we spoke to all the owners, and um, you know, they couldn't believe the the the amount of revenue they were making, and more importantly, they couldn't believe the difference they were making in their community. And again, unprovoked, you know, they were all just like this is the best business decision I've ever made. Um, and all of them, the thing that really picked our our ears up was they all had were either in the process of opening a second studio or uh or third studio, uh, or they were they were they already had it open um with plans to expand. So at that point, we called up you know the CEOs and uh and we sat down and charted out uh a plan for us to open in Las Vegas. So, you know, it just took a very, very long time to find the space we wanted and get up, but we finally got open by mid um 2015, and uh we were you know technically the first the first F45 studio in America, and um and that's when they maybe had like you know 100, 150 studios at that point. And uh it's been a really fun ride. And then at some point we I got pulled into the HQ side of things, um, I think probably because of some of my background and then uh some of the success we had. Uh but you know it it was definitely a scary, it was a scary time right before we opened because it it sounded like a great idea. You know, everyone loved it in Australia, but two weeks prior to opening, we were like, wait a minute, we just put our life savings into this. What are we doing exactly? We've never run a brick and mortar business. Um, you know, didn't really certainly come from the the fitness industry. There uh we were we hit our breakeven number in six weeks. Wow. We were and then we had a full staff. And what I well, break-even what I mean by that is like we were still in the bit in the building, you know, 12 hours a day, um training all the classes and doing all the marketing and but but we had enough that like the lights were paid, the like the stress was off, you know, the pressure was off because of those members. But within six months, uh we had a full staff, nine months we had a manager, and I've honestly never never looked back uh and never been in that studio more than a couple hours. Um we've just had managers and it's been it's been booming. And we're technically on our fourth studio. We've sold two, um, but we're on our fourth F-45 and uh across town and F-45 Henderson. Yeah, and you're in the you know, and now and now I'm the director of the F45 Academy um and at uh F-45 HQ, which is our online education portal. Um, you're you're doing some some great work with us on that. Um, and then we've got uh the F-45 Collegiate and Corporate Network, um, which uh we've been driving pretty hard the last couple of years uh to put F-45s on um college campuses. Awesome, man.

Yeah, so just a few things going on, right? Yeah, just a couple things going on, yeah. Yeah. I'm curious, going back, um your background, you say your parents had a business. What kind of business do your parents have?

Uh my dad had a steel fabrication business. Um so you know, he's built houses and uh, you know, condos, ornamental iron. I mean, you name it. He he at some point in Florida when it was really booming, he was doing it. Um but you know, you know, just like the, you know, I'm so I'm sure so many people have this story where uh, you know, they had a they had a business, it was overextended because we they were doing a job where like they, you know, when in the fabricating business, you buy all the steel up front. And there was a ginormous job he had he had gotten with uh bank debt that was backed by Bank of America. And then um when the Great Recession happened, they pulled the plug on it. But fabricators, the people that have bought all the material, like you can sue, but you know, there's not much you can do.

Yeah.

Um so they yeah, they had a they had a pretty tough time with that, at that. But I mean, the the prior 50 years were were great.

Yeah, yeah, and 50 years is a long time. Yeah, I'm just curious. The reason I asked the question is uh, you know, generally people like you mentioned in your story that you know you kind of knew you already wanted to have your own business, right? Yeah, and how much of an influence your your your parents' business had on that. Do you think that was pretty influential for you?

Yeah, you know, honestly, it it absolutely is. I realized that my business partner, um, his parents were entrepreneurs, um, my my my now wife, uh her parents are were chiropractors, um and and in like you know, like they come from like in the small business mindset. Um and it really makes a difference. And I've had other business partners where that's not the case, and um you can really kind of see you can oddly, I think you can tell. Like they don't, you know, it's they don't have that extra bit of grit to like get through it.

Yeah. Yeah, it's you know, I um in in relation to myself, my dad was a dentist. My dad went back to dental school when he was like 29. And back then that's like, what? Like you can't go back to dental school at 29. He went through top of a class, started successful practice, and I just remember, you know, gave me a great upbringing. It really did. I'm super grateful. Uh, but I always remember the conversations, like, you know, every once in a while, my mom would just look, she's like, Yeah, the office isn't doing well. We're having, you know, a couple of bad months. And you know, like as a kid, I'm like, uh, all right. But it's obviously made like a formal impression. I'm like, oh wow, my dad's out there like hustling, hustling. Like he's gonna make it happen. He had radio ads playing. People knew because they heard my dad's radio ads, right? And I'm like, yeah, so I got I think just ingrained in you when you raise in a household like that is cool, you can you can dictate your own path, right? And you gotta figure it out. But there's risk and it's stress.

Totally, right? But but look, look, I think anyone can be an entrepreneur, and I think anyone truly can do anything. Yeah, um, and I've really seen that with F-45, a lot of corporate refugees, uh, people that had nothing to do with fitness, and now they're some of the most successful F-45s. Like anyone truly can do it. But I would just say for me personally, and I and I I can hear that with you as well, I'm really grateful to have grown up in a home where that was that was the case. Um, it feels it certainly feels like it gives me at least a uh some level of a competitive advantage for getting through those moments that can be really tough. And every every entrepreneur goes through it for sure, where you know you don't know what's gonna happen, and you're not sure where the movie's coming from, and you know, you're not sure where new clients are coming from. It could definitely be a little uh little scary. I've learned to I've learned to really enjoy it though.

Um I have too, man. I I don't know what I I I would be uh I talked in a previous podcast, this guy Brett Click, who is on the show about how we've almost kind of self-selected ourselves out of any other path because I don't think I could deal with a a typical eight to five job. I would drive everyone around me crazy. Um and well, I have okay, I have driven everyone around me crazy in a typical eight to five. So yeah. Uh I also I I have to ask the question because I'm sure the audience would want to know as well. Is like, give us one, give us one story from Blue Man Group, man. Give us something. There's gotta be a couple like crazy stories that's for 17 years.

It's really tough to t to say. Um, you know, but one of one of the things I got asked the most questions on about Blue Man Group was the audition process. And um, prior to Blue Man Group, actually, I had just been a musician. I hadn't been an actor. Um, you know, I went on to do many other acting gigs. Uh, but hands down, the audition, you know, experience over a six-month process to get into Blue Man Group. Um, because at the time I was I was the youngest guy they'd ever hired at 21. Um, and I was the first guy they ever hired without an acting background. Um, and I think now probably the you know 70 or 100 guys globally that they have, it's kind of like half and half. Um, because in some ways you it's easier to teach somebody who has the spark and the um the ability, but doesn't have a lot of bad habits. Um to because yeah, blue manker backing is a very, very specific type of acting. Um, you know, nonverbal, but it's it's it's behavioral, right? Um so you you you you gotta really be really clear with it. So that's it. I would say one of the most interesting stories is um, you know, we we would work on a lot of uh clown work, you know, um to prepare for the character. And um where like you know, you'd you'd come into uh an audition room and you know, you'd turn away, put your clown nose on, and turn back uh to work on some clowning because it's all about alienation, learning learning to feel true alienation and sort of live in the id, live in the shaman at the same time, sort of cancels out the if the if there's the id, the child ego, and there's like a superhero ego, we talk we would talk about the my character, like is both and which cancels out the human ego. Um, so you've got to really learn to experience both and like live in that duality, which is you know kind of esoteric to talk about. But um we would we would do these auditions where like you'd come in uh and you know they'd ask you to you know dance like a flamenco dancer, you know, and and um and then you know other guys would come in there and and the I and again, you're like you know, like it's funny, right? It it is a funny scenario, and I was really struggling with it where like it wouldn't crack me up, you know, and and and you've got to learn to find you know a steel resolve as as that character where you're enjoying it, but you're not laughing, you know, you're really having a good time and you're sort of living through the eye of the needle. Um, so I remember asking, I was working with uh one of the founders, Chris Wink, and uh it was just how I had had a bad session and I just knew it wasn't, you know, like I wasn't moving forward to get the gig. And I was like, you know, and it was honestly, I think it was um Valentine's Day weekend, uh night on like 19 February 1997. And I remember saying I'm like, because I we were gonna start back and audition again on Monday. I was like, so what can I, what can I do? He was like, you know, I don't know, man. Just he's like, maybe just put put the clown on nose on and and walk around and like get just get comfortable and and and try and just really live in it, you know. I you know, I found out later what he meant was like walk around my apartment. But what I heard was walk around New York City. You know, so I was like, cool. Um I I was basically like, I'm gonna put this thing on and I'm gonna go the entire weekend. And I went to a show, I went to a bar, I went to restaurants, I went walking around. And honestly, the first six hours or even and even the next day, like I was like people just are looking at you really weird and strange, and and uh it was really hard not to laugh quite a bit. Um, but then you kind of you do kind of forget about it. And then when you aren't present to it in the in the same way that like, you know, uh someone in a wheelchair or someone might have a deformity or something like that, that they're present to it, but they're not certainly not giving it attention. You begin to feel people ignore you. You begin to feel like people be like, oh, that's a weirdo, right? So I really got in touch with like, oh, this is alienation. Um, and uh and it was it was a it was a truly amazing, like sort of life-changing experience for me. And then we went back and I absolutely crushed those those auditions the next the next week because of it. And they were like, what happened? What what what what happened? Because I was just like so you know, uh different. And I kind of told them the story, and they it was uh came a bit of folklore, and um everyone just kind of lost their heads around it uh that I would that that I would do it. It was always honestly an earnest mistake, but um, I'm really grateful for the experience, and I was willing to also put myself uh in the environment. And ultimately I got the gig because of it.

Yeah, that's crazy, man. I mean, that's a whole nother level of like not giving a shit, right? Is just walking around with a clown nose.

You'll learn to, you'll learn to not give a shit.

Right. Yeah, and that's part of it, right? I mean, it's it's uh it's that's a really interesting exercise for so many reasons because you know we have this like mentality in our brains that it's hardwired in that we have to be accepted by the tribe or we get rejected and therefore die, right? Yeah. Nowadays that's completely irrelevant, but that hardwareing is still there. And you know, um, like you think about that. Most people are like, there's no way I'm putting on a clown nose and walking around any city, especially New York City, right? But then you think about well, why? What's gonna what's worse thing happened? I mean, no one's gonna kill you. Well, I mean, I don't know, maybe New York City.

No, no, I mean yeah, I mean, definitely definitely get treated like a weirdo for sure. I mean, I went to like a Broadway show. You know what I mean? I went like I went over um, I mean, like I went over, I was like, well, if I want to get into it, let's get into it, you know. I think I even took the Satan Island ferry uh across and came back, you know, and uh and then was up with this dude. Uh but you know, it it gave me access to what I what I needed. Yeah, but I think the the the the story really is though, the or the lesson for me was um just go the extra mile, be willing to do whatever it takes, um, and there's glory on the other side. But you've got to be willing to go through the eye of that needle, no matter how scary it is. Just eat the fear and get through it. Yeah. And I'm gonna just rinse and repeat that very I mean, and on to a certain extent, like the fear that we had around opening F-45 for the first time, not really having had that background, that's what gave us or gave me partially the willingness and the ability to do so. I was like, I think if we just commit and just truly come from a whatever it takes mentality, we'll we're gonna be just fine. Because the evidence was there.

Yeah, absolutely, man. It's it's so critically, I mean, mindset's so critical and it's so, you know, it's a hot topic, right? Uh, entrepreneurial mindset, mindset, mindset. It's just everybody talks about there's mindset coaches now everywhere. And I wish it wasn't like I hate fads, but I wish it it can't be understated, like it truly is everything, right? Is how you view things and how you approach it and your your confidence in it. Um, that's hysterical. So um F45, man, you so you you started yours when there was about 150 or so.

I I think that's the number. I'm not even a hundred percent sure. It might, it's it might have been between like 75 and 150.

Uh yeah. And how many, how many now?

Um, I believe we are uh we're somewhere between don't quote me on this. Let me these numbers get updated every month. We're somewhere between 1800 and 2000 or just over 2,000 studios sold. Um, and we're we're averaging, you know, I believe uh somewhere between 88 and 100 100 sales a month. But and that's a great story, and we're excited about that. But what I think is is a better story um is the difference we're making in the communities that we're opening, opening in, where we're having these uh small business owners uh open open in F45 and they're and they're having massive success, and they you know they're getting two and three hundred members by following our systems, and and uh they're not only making a huge difference, but really changing their own life as well. Um, I I can't say how many people have come up to me or I've seen come up to Adam and Rob at one of, like, say we just had our world conference, so many people come up and just like, thank you for starting this. Really it's changed my life, changed so many members' lives. I mean, it's uh it's it's really fantastic. Like that to me, like that's the better story. Although what gets talked about is our rapid growth. And the rapid growth is great, but it's just evidence that whatever we're doing. We're tapping into something in the way that we're doing it that's genuinely providing a massive service of getting people the results they want and the experience they want in a boutique fitness uh environment.

Yeah, man. It's it's interesting. So, you know, Luke Armstrong was on the show a while ago and we we talked about um kind of a a fairly good amount of time. You know, my experience in CrossFit and what I've seen that grow and the growth curve that's you know inevitably now kind of reach its peak and starting to, you know, naturally decline and not necessarily in a bad way. You know, I think the cream is starting to rise in the CrossFit community and people who have great systems are arising in great communities. So it's good. It's a good thing that needs to happen. Um and, you know, I was asked last night at ironically at a dinner party that we had here. It was um someone was like, Well, you know, you you still work with a lot of CrossFit gyms. I'm like, Yeah, I do, I do, you know, and and they asked, you know, inevitably they said, like, well, if you're gonna open a gym, would you do a CrossFit? I'm like, no, I think I do an F45, really. And uh they're like, well, why? And I'll probably get a couple emails just by saying that. But it was, I'm like, it's this the it's the systems, right? Because, you know, so many great, as you and I have talked extensively about, you know, there's a couple different people who own gyms. There's business owners who love fitness, right? Business people who love fitness. That's that's the kind that that generally sees success in CrossFit. And then there's also fitness people who love fitness, right? Who want to open a business? And I think what what's beauty about F-45 is is that blend of of you know great systems and support. And you know, talking to Jordan McCreary yesterday, um, you know, yesterday of this recording guy owns 23 franchises.

Yeah, like 20, 29 years old.

Yeah, he's like 29 years old. I'm like, how, how, you know, how the fuck did you do that in this period of time? And it's only been a couple of years. He's like, well, I couldn't have done it if I didn't have the system support I got from HQ, right? And I think that's a thing. If you're a fitness professional, you're thinking about um getting, you know, presumably most fitness professionals will think, well, I'm a great trainer, but I need to make more money, I need to have a greater impact. I can't be working 60 hours a week on the floor. So what's the next step? They automatically either think, well, now there's two options, right? Primarily, there's online training and then there's opening a gym, right? Sure. And the thing about CrossFit and why it spreads so fast was completely different because the barrier to entry was so low, right? If you could afford $2,000 for an affiliate fee and $50,000 maybe tops for a setup, you could open a gym, right? Or less.

That's a really important distinction, I think, to make is um well, like first let me back up. I look first of all, I think F 45, we have a lot of respect for anyone in the fitness industry, but particularly guys that uh that have been running CrossFits, um, because they are a licensee situation and we are a franchisee situation. So by the nature of franchising, it's our job to build systems that help you know the the entrepreneur leverage those systems to to provide value for their clients. And um, and and we absolutely love CrossFit. We have nothing bad to say about them, and we think that they they did an amazing job. And I think in in some ways, the guys used what they what those guys accomplished as inspiration to build what they built. Um, but the difference being that like those CrossFit guys had to figure out a lot of those systems on their own. Um and and and that could, you know, that it that and if you had the skill set, obviously you were doing amazing, or you had to learn the skill set to do amazing, or you know, you weren't doing amazing.

Yeah, right, right. Yeah, it's it's uh it's interesting. Now tell me, how does um F-45 Academy play into that support system that you guys have? Like what's the vision for it? What have you done so far? Where is it going? Give us give us some information on what you're doing with that.

Sure, absolutely. With the F45 Academy, um, the its main goal is to upskill all of our anyone that interacts with an F-45, whether it be the owner, investor, the head trainer, slash manager, or the membership sales manager, or the trainers. And it's it's it's our thought that we should create as much amazing um thought leadership content as possible as to uh what is gonna actually uh improve their lives uh inside the studio and and the difference they can make. And uh we're all about saving time. We're aware of the F-45 uh and its intelligent business systems, the thing that they've done the most, I think, correctly, is have respect for their time and other people's time. And they everything we're doing is trying to reduce the level of time someone has to spend on certain things that isn't making a difference for the client. Um, so making this online education portal is about like you know, quick 30-minute to maybe 90-minute classes that you know we we produce every single quarter uh for the entire network uh to be on the cutting edge of like of the thought leadership, uh the new ways we want things done or what we other people have seen success in, whether it be you know body movement patterns uh all the way up to uh grassroots marketing, to digital marketing practices, um, or you know, even like uh if we're gonna update the tech, we'll you know, we'll educate everyone very quickly on it so that there's everyone is sort of risen by the high tide of of the success of the company.

Yeah. Expand on the tech, man. Um it's a it's a huge topic for me on this podcast, is all kinds of tech within sure.

So, you know, again, uh uh F-45. Um one of the things I think we do really well, and the guys that have created the company have done really well, Adam, Adam Gilcrest and Rob Deutsch, um they they have taken technology and leveraged it to really uh fill a void in the market. Um, prior to F-45, uh, and even guys like you know, and we and I think we could all think guys like CrossFit, Pilates, and Yoga, where you pay a premium price, you get a premium, premium result. Um, but still before F-45, and I still think there's a lot of growth for everyone uh left in the market, is there most people are used to paying $25 to $50 for a big box gym that they don't go to. And it's not in the big box gym's um mentality or business model for you to show up on Saturday. They have 50,000 square foot spaces and 300 parking spots. They expect you not to show up. Um, and then everyone would love to have a personal trainer, but uh at $100 to $150 a session, even on the low end of two times a week, it's $800 a month. Now, unless you make over $150,000, or even if you do make $150,000, that's a that's a big, that's a big whack every month to just to have personal training. Um and then if you add that like over three to six months uh of with a personal trainer, all personal trainers are great. But it all after three to six months, the actual results the client is getting fall off a cliff. And it's usually because they're talking, not because the trainer doesn't have talent or the person isn't there to work, it's just something changes in that environment. So there was a huge void in the market between 25 or 50 bucks a month to $800 or more a month. And these guys were really dedicated from having uh worked out, they basically they played rugby together from like five to you know, uh semi-pro and uh and and and that community, that culture, and I think they drew a little bit from CrossFit on this, like CrossFit nailed the culture, nailed it. Like if you know, you know, uh one one or two people didn't show up one week, guaranteed you know, at that CrossFit, like the people in that community were texting that person, are you okay? What's going on? Where are you? You know, let's get you back in the gym. Let's play if you've fallen off, let's go. Like, awesome. So that I think that those guys saw a lot of synergy between the two. Um, but really wanted to somehow deliver a personal training experience in a less in a more affordable way in a better experience. And and what they came up with, they were like, well, what wasn't it amazing when we were like working out for the rugby team? We would all show up. It was just like exciting, we were there for each other. Like they wanted to get that feeling to the market and with intelligent personal trainers to really make sure you had a high-level athletic workout either that could be regressed or progressed either way. And what they came up with was the F-45 technology to help leverage people's time, and it's a communication tool and it's an extension of the trainers that are running the class that day. Like it's certainly not like a it's it's some people would be like, oh, it's just like online training. I'm like, not at all. Nothing.

Virtual training or something.

Yeah, it's not even close. Like there, because there's a human being that's in the room there to make sure you've got great form, make sure that you're working at that 70 to 90 percent intensity every single time. Uh, we put experience first and we've leveraged technology to do so. Um, and so if anyone who doesn't know that might be listening, uh when you walk into an F-45, uh, there is there's probably like nine TVs, five of them that really help you execute the workout. Um, and there's you walk in, there's an intro as to what the class is, it changes every single day. We have 35, uh over 3,500 exercises in our database, which is the largest exercise database in the world. We have a team of people that all they do is research new exercises. So, and then all the all the workouts are branded. So you show up on Monday, Tuesday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, you know exactly what kind of workout you're gonna get. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, you're gonna get cardio. Tuesdays and Thursdays, you're gonna get resistance, and Sundays you're gonna get resistance as well. And on Saturday, we have a hybrid class, and then for fun, we'll drop a hybrid class whenever just to keep everybody surprised. But you so you know what you're getting, and you have and it's and it's balanced with this variety of never knowing what exercises are gonna be in that workout. And then there's so then after the intro, there's a demo for every single exercise because in our in our minds, safety is a number one pillar because a lot of people will show up to an F-45 and they'll have a uh uh you know, not been in the gym for for two or three years, and they've been psyching themselves up to walk into a gym and start to change their lives. If they sprain an ankle or they get a knee injury three weeks in, they might not ever come back, or they might come another three years before they get the courage to come back. So yeah, so we demo every single exercise and um and we let everyone know if you need to stop, just stop. No, no worries. You know, it's not it's for us, it's about showing up 320 times in a 365-day year. That's what that habit is gonna create change. Being a part of that community is gonna create change, um, and you're gonna get this high-level personal training experience in this group setting. And and if it wasn't for the F-45 TV Tech and the way we've been able to leverage that, we wouldn't be able to deliver that experience at the way we do.

Yeah. Well, very well explained, man. For the F-45 Academy, is that just at this current point, is it just for people within the F-45 community or can other trainers access that and leverage it anyway?

Or is it just you know, we're right currently right now at this current date, it's just if you're inside the network. Um but uh you know, there as you know, there's a roadmap in the next 12 months to open it up. Um, and we're gonna be having you know actual certifications that the general public can can um sort of come in and get a taste as to what it what is what does it mean to be an F-45 trainer, or we might have a class on um, you know, uh the operations of of running any fitness business, things like that you'll be able to and get certifications through us, yeah.

Right on, man. Yeah, you know, it's interesting. Uh one of the things I've noticed about F-45 and the and the leadership is the um yeah, they're not doing things the way that everybody else does them, right? Uh, I mean, in some aspects, yeah, you're running a group clip, you know, group fitness class, but the opportunities that you guys are looking for are different. Like no one's trying to be on a college campus, but here you guys are, right? You saw that as an opportunity and then you're going for it. Um, and there's all these other things, you know, that you know, talking to you guys, I won't mention here, but that you guys are are going down these avenues and no one's really thought, like, well, why don't we try to go there? And yet you guys, there you are. Well, I mean, tell about that journey into the college. Like, how are those conversations gone? Because you've been out there selling it, you've been out there implementing it. How's that how's that been received?

Well, um, first and foremost, I would just want to like uh give it up to the CEOs and their willingness to to break into new markets, uh, no matter uh the cost, right? Um and uh because they genuinely believe in the in sort of the bottom line of as what we're up to. And and what what I what I believe we're up to, uh sort of the unspoken um uh war cry and and and mission statement is to is to have as many F-45s uh as we possibly can around the world that are genuinely making a difference for communities and giving people access to a fitness community so they can live a happier, healthier life. Um and and and and we're not afraid to like go back and research data. So I I don't know the exact reason those guys really decided to get into the the market, like what the spark was. Um, but I do know that they're highly dedicated to F-45 having 30 and 40 and 50 year staying power um as an innovative fitness company that makes a difference for others. And um and so there's a lot of data out there that shows whatever you do, whatever physical activity you get involved in between 18 and 24, it's probably what you're gonna do as a habit the rest of your life. Wow. So like 80% of the people do that. So so uh unless you played sports, um, and even if you did play sports, uh, you know, you you can get into a bit of a habit. And so as a way to not only revolutionize uh recreation centers on college campuses, which are really just big box gyms on these college campuses, the college campuses, there was a lot of data out there that like they were having students leave to go to CrossFits, they were having students leave to go to Orange Theory and other fitness products when they could, at a fraction of the price, go to this big box gym on their campus and they weren't doing it. And and since uh we know that people are gonna go to college, they're gonna fall into these habits, and then they're gonna go out and get a new job and have extra cash. Um, we we we our thought was well, let's take F-45 to them. Let's make a difference for these recreation centers that are that used to be a cost center for these universities, that are now a profit center for these universities. And, you know, they're running 1,500 students a week through an F-45, and we're teaching people about functional fitness, which isn't just about you know great training, it's life training. You know, everyone asks, well, what is functional fitness? And it's you know, obviously it's a multi-plane movement, you know, burpee is probably the most the most classic, but we want people to be able to take that suitcase, put it into that overbend compartment, boom, no problem whatsoever. And and and I I would just add here, uh, we don't have any mirrors in our in our uh in our studios, and everyone's like, why don't you have any mirrors? And so much of it is uh we really want the trainers to be the mirrors, uh, but really it's psychologically, we did we did some uh we did some research where if you have mirrors in your studio, the second you're in the mirror doing your bicep curl or your Olympic clean and jerk, whatever it, whatever, whatever it is, you're just with you. Take the mirror away. Somehow you're with the group, you know, emotionally and psychologically. And we wanted people focusing on that, and we wanted people focusing on on what it feels like to work out, not what it you look like to work out. Um, so that you want to, because nobody looks great, you know, honestly, when when they're working out, they get all red-faced and winner, whatever. So uh, but but it feels great. So um, so we really wanted people focused on that. And so this is a bit of a long-winded answer around around why we got into colleges and what that that path looked like. But um, but it's about giving F-45 30 years staying power because we, you know, we've I mean we're already experiencing, we've only um been in that market for two, two and a half years, and there are so many F-45s that um have trainers that were trainers at F-45, or clients that used to be uh they were like, well, I fell in love with it at you know UT Um and now you know I've got this job in Austin. I'm like, I I I miss it. So they have to go out and get a F-45 membership. Um and then we hope to partner with these collegiate uh minds, and and it we think it's gonna help us have a competitive uh advantage and continuing to be the most innovative fitness company in the world.

Yeah. Oh, I definitely think it will. I mean, I put myself back in Eric 1997, right? Uh dual sport athlete in college and in the off season, man, I got fat. You know what I mean? Like yeah, like I had water pole and swimming season in between there is you know, the the winter season, I just got fat and out of shape because I didn't want to go in the gym. But I also think about it, which is you know kind of funny. Um, and maybe this is just the the boy in me, but like if I found out that like women on campus were going to F-45 and I could go join a class and meet some of them, you know, have a good entry point, I'd be there, right?

For sure. Way cheaper than a bar, right? Way easier than cheaper, yeah. You know, they're healthier.

I just want to I just want to acknowledge you for your for your transparency and your honesty on that answer. That is part of it, right? Because and I'm we're actually extremely proud to say, like, and I I I could share this data with you if you wanted. Um, on college campuses, uh the the male participation was abysmal, you know, anywhere between like two and seven percent. And now almost every single college we have reports 120% increase in male participation across all of their their uh their group X classes because of F-45 and and the the legitimacy of, you know, like our resistance days are legit, like you know, and and people could see that. And we also, I mean, people would be in the gym literally on a treadmill, watching an F-45 class through a piece of glass, and and those people are in and out in 45 minutes, drenched in sweat, having burned 700 calories, and these guys are still in the treadmill, being like, what am I doing? And then they'd go hop into a class and and obviously have a much better experience.

Yeah.

Not that we have anything against treadmill running, but if you're if you know, if you're gonna work out, do something, but it's I'll say it.

It's boring as fuck. That's it. Thank you. Yeah, I mean, I'll say it. You don't have to. I will. I'll say it for you. It's just really boring. And uh, you know, when I I was in LA meeting, you know, meeting with you guys, and I went to the Venice location. I ended up seeing a guy who used to be a member of my gym in in Santa Barbara, and I told him, I was, you know, Grandma, we hugged, hugged Al. I was like, dude, how you doing? Great. He's in, you know, just you graduated law school. I'm like, what do you think? You know, what do you what are you you enjoying this? He's like, this is great, man. He's like, honestly, like, and as a single guy, like I'm really enjoying my time here. I'm meeting a lot of great people, and I'm ripped. He was ripped, he looked great, you know? And uh, so there's there's a lot to it. I mean, the social aspect, especially, you know, I think uh the branding and who you guys attract and the fun attitude and the you know the way the trainers are, and you know, my experience at every time has been really, really good. Um, but I think that's that's a huge commun, you know, it's a huge part of it. And but that's that's what gets people in the door, right? That's how you make an impact because you kind of give them in those primal instincts of like, hey, this is cool. It's it's uh you know, it's it's um hip, all those things. And it's a great place to meet people and socialize that bond you in a different way than any kind of app or bar or force setting, right? Where people want to go and meet. And I think that's a big part of where group-based fitness, um, you know, we can talk about the, you know, the training, right? Okay, who has better program design, who has better metabolic um training, like who has all these things. But ultimately, what the thing that people care about the most, you know what's gonna separate and is separating the best from the rest is experience, right? Is how do we how do we create an amazing experience that makes people want to talk, right? That makes people want to keep coming back, and that you know, is much more than just a workout. And I think that's that's where you guys excel as well. And I think a lot of people in CrossFit, a lot of people in Orange Theory, like that's what they figured out, right? Is how do we use all those things, right? From great training to you know, community and culture to technology to create the best experience for people moving forward that they'll want to come back and most importantly talk to their friends about and get those people in too. And that's that's hugely important.

Yeah, I I couldn't I couldn't agree more. I mean, for for anyone that's out there that's uh considering opening a fitness studio or has a fitness studio that's struggling that might that might hear this. Um something that we really live and die by is everything we're trying to create is about delivering the best experience that truly delivers value by innovating and motivating to create those results that people want to come back, they want to, they feel a part of the community, they feel they feel like these people really genuinely care about them. And oh, yeah, it happens to be the best training in the world based on our programming, and and we're gonna get you in and out. So we have respect for your time. Um, but even then, you know, you even with an F-45, you know, you're probably best bet to just like open with a business and you know, and and and cross your fingers might be an F-45, but but that the no one, whether it's a CrossFit, an Orange Theory, uh a Pilates studio, it just doesn't matter. If you don't provide value um and genuinely make people feel like they're a part of that community, they're not gonna be there very long. We have a we have so we have a saying, um, people quit people quit products, they don't quit people. Yeah, so if your product actually delivers you know some something of value from a fitness standpoint, but you genuinely create a community and environment where everyone's welcome. And and in at least here, this is your second home, this is your second living room. We want to we're here to be of service to you to make sure you get what you want, you're gonna succeed.

Yeah, yeah, 100%, man. And I think you know, one of one of the the advantages of doing a franchise like F 45 is all a lot of the system because building out systems. Systems, doing things like that, it just takes time. And if you can have that stuff already taken for you and having some of the best in the world, that just frees you up more time to figure out the culture. Because it's not, it's there's no one formula to figure out culture in your particular community. I mean, um, you know, talking to that gentleman we mentioned earlier, Jordan, 23 different locations, right, of studios. And he's talking about how each different location has a different culture and a different leader within the studio manager. Because, you know, someone's gonna associate, you know, if it's an urban area, they're gonna want some guy who's like 6'2, ripped, super bubbly, right? The classic, like atypical fitness trainer. In other places, they're gonna want someone who's, you know, more of like a uh a relatable um soccer mom, you know, early 40s, right? And each culture is gonna be different. So you have to figure out your own culture, and that takes time. But if you're bogged down with the systematic things that you have to do on a day-to-day basis, from answering emails to managing leads to, you know, you name it, the programming, all that stuff, you're gonna, you're not gonna have time to focus on what really matters, which is improving the experience.

Yeah, you could you said exactly what our business model is. You know, the reason we created F-45 TV, the reason we created the F-45 Playbook, which is uh an online portal to help uh business owners run their business in the F45 Academy, it's all about saving people time. We also have F-45 FM, right? So so we take care of the programming for the actual workout. We take care of the programming for the music. We give you all these other intelligent business systems to save you time so you can focus on what matters most, building that culture and figuring out what your your demographic and your your market wants so you can provide it.

Yeah.

It's like that's that's really it. It just happens to be amazing training and the music's great and and um it's it the the momentum of the company and the success we're having is also just really fun and exciting to be a part of.

Yeah, yeah, and people probably always want to know, like, well, what's the secret sauce? Like, well, no, it's there is no secret sauce, it's all that, right? That you just said that we put into one thing, you know.

Well, well, look, that that's all great, right? But then there's execution. Um and then and then and this is where mindset comes in. And we really try to help people when they come through our our online uh education portals and/or our inductions to get their mindset correct about where to put their energy and where to put their focus um and how to get through any of those challenging times. Um and that's really the difference maker, right? Is is one one personal person's mindset to get it done or not.

Yeah, awesome, man. Um believe it or not, we've been talking for about 45 minutes. Could you believe that? Awesome. Yeah.

Yeah.

Tell me, what what do you uh what does like the next year look like for you, for Scott Kimworthy?

What's Scott Kimwortly? Um, well, we're gonna we we're gonna continue to um uh uh smash our goals with our two studios, F-45 training uh Summerlin and F45 Training Henderson. Um we're really excited about that. We may be expanding into uh to another like a third studio in the valley here. Um and but more and more importantly, uh with my HQ uh responsibilities, it's to we're gonna, I mean, F45 Academy has been around for about 18 months, but we're gonna be really doubling down on it, like I said earlier, and hopefully within the the next year be able to open it up to the the general public to be able to get certifications through us and um developing systems that help our franchisees um that are coming online and that have been open for a long time to again educate them, get them the information they need, and save them time so that they can again focus on that on that thing. Uh so that's the main thing we're focusing on. That's my main job over the next um over the next year. Uh there's some talk of us, you know, maybe potentially doing our own podcast. Uh, there's some talk of uh, I mean, there's the amount of things that we have rolling out in the next year that I'm not allowed to talk about that I wish I could share, um, will blow everyone's mind between you know, celebrity endorsements and new products. And um it's gonna be a very, very exciting, interesting uh year for F-45 as we will be making some announcements uh uh in the corporate sector, um, you know, with uh us providing some some fitness studios in that area. Um, I mean it's it's really honestly it's it's it's such an exciting time and uh it's gonna be a great year.

Yeah. And we can talk about Mark Well, Mark Walber. I mean, yeah, we can talk about Mark, yeah, and he's uh he's a new investor, yeah. Yeah, yeah. He was uh he just made news a couple weeks ago of this recording. So awesome, man. Well, Scott, where where do people get a hold of you, man? Where do they find you?

That's a good question. Um I'll say well for me personally, I mean there's just my email and my phone number. Um, but uh you can always call one of my studios at 45 Training Summerlin or F45 Training Henderson. Um uh or go to those websites at 40, it'd be at 45training.com slash Summerlin or F45training.com slash Henderson. Um I don't know, or I don't know if you think it's valuable to mention some other site, I'd happily do so.

Yeah, well, we'll put some contact information for you. Um I don't think you're hard to get a hold of. I think people want to find you, they can.

Yeah, anyone who wants to wants to have a chat, um, feel free, you know, wants us to video all those things too.

Awesome, man. Well, Scott, always a pleasure, man. Thanks for coming on and sharing your thanks.

Such a pleasure. Thanks. Thanks for having me.

Yeah, ladies and gentlemen, Scott Kinworthy. Hey fitness fans, don't leave yet. It's your host, Eric Malzone, and I have a quick favor to ask. Actually, three favors. So, number one, if you're a fan of our show, I asked you to do something that takes under three minutes. Go to iTunes, please, and subscribe to our show. Please, please, please. It means so much to us. It's so important. And then give us a favorable review. We would really, really appreciate it. And uh, I can't tell you how much it means and helps us out. So it only takes two minutes of your day, and uh it means a lot to us. So please do that. Number two, go to our YouTube channel or Fitness Marketing Alliance, and uh please subscribe to our YouTube channel there. Number three, if you like this episode or any of the episodes that we've released, share it on social. That's huge, that's a big deal for us. And where we put a lot of work into these episodes, uh trying to give you great actionable content uh for the fitness industry. So that would mean a lot. And that's it. So we have some big plans coming up for this show. I'll be talking about that in the next couple episodes. But thank you so much for listening. It means so much. And uh if you have any questions, please reach out to me. I'd love to hear from everybody. Eric, E R I C at Fitness MarketingAliance.com