Tim Green - TeamUp & The Golden Age of Fitness Entrepreneurship

[00:00:02] Hey friends, welcome to the Future of Fitness, a top-rated fitness and wellness industry podcast for over five years and running. I'm your host, Eric Malzone, and I have the honor of talking to entrepreneurs, innovators, and cutting-edge technology experts within the extremely fast-paced industries of fitness, wellness, and health sciences. If you like the show, we'd love it if you took three minutes of your day to leave us a nice, supportive review wherever you consume your podcasts. If you're interested in staying up to date with the Future of Fitness, go to

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[00:00:45] Hey friends, this episode of the Future of Fitness is proudly brought to you by TeamUp. Since launching in 2012, they've consistently had one mission, facilitate the best customer experiences with the most cutting-edge solution for franchises, studios, gyms, and boxes. At its core, TeamUp is a tech solution for businesses looking to unlock their next phase of growth with the most reliable partner and technology on the market. Spanning over 4,000

[00:01:14] clients in 40 plus countries, TeamUp has a vast global network with its roots right here in North America. Whether it's AI, new features, new partnerships, and new markets, TeamUp's sites are set on raising the bar of the industry to enable their customers to perform and operate at the highest level locally, nationally, and overseas.

[00:01:35] Powered by the most reliable APIs on the market, you can deliver premium customer experiences and scale your fitness enterprise with the strongest technological infrastructure our industry has to offer. Empower your staff, empower your staff, engage your members, and unlock your next chapter of growth with software design for you. Learn more at GoTeamUp.com. That is G-O-T-E-A-M-U-P.com.

[00:02:07] Today's episode of the Future of Fitness is proudly brought to you by eGym, a vertically integrated market leader in the fitness and health industry with an incredible vision, transforming healthcare from repair to prevention. I've been a huge fan of eGym's team and technology for years now, and I can tell you that their commitment to innovation is unparalleled within our industry. Here's what makes eGym so special. They partner with companies to improve employee health by providing access to fitness and health facilities.

[00:02:36] Then, they equip those facilities with cutting-edge smart gym equipment and digital solutions. The benefits are clear. Companies see reduced healthcare costs and increased productivity, while fitness facilities benefit from a growing, engaged membership base. What really excites me is eGym's smart fitness ecosystem. By combining their strength equipment with AI-powered software and their corporate wellness platform, WellPass,

[00:03:03] they are leading the shift to proactive, preventative health. This isn't just AI for show. This is the real deal. If you're interested in learning more about eGym and how they're transforming healthcare through exercise, visit eGym.com. That is E-G-Y-M.com. All right, we're live. Tim Green, welcome. It's great to see you. Great to be here. What a pleasure, Eric. Yeah, super fun, man.

[00:03:31] I mean, you and I get to talk a lot, and I always enjoy our conversation. I think we finally met in person. It was like two, three years ago at Idea. And now you guys are supporting the podcast, which, as you know, I'm eternally grateful for. It's great to be partnered with TeamUp and have my brands align with you guys, because I really appreciate the work and the technology and, I guess, the vision and the value that you guys want to bring to the market. So it's going to be a really fun conversation.

[00:03:55] And the topics that we've identified, and I'm sure we'll get to them, but who knows what will happen in a 45-minute conversation, is the opportunities. You know, kind of taking a framing of... And I agree with a lot of things that we just talked about prior to recording. It's like, it's a very positive time. It's a very opportunistic time to be within our industry. I mean, yeah, there's a lot of changes we can talk about. It's funny, I'm reading a book now that's kind of rehashing my memories of the pandemic and everything that happened and the shutdowns and all this stuff. And it was awful.

[00:04:24] But we don't have to talk about that anymore. But what we've come around is I think we have some very defined opportunities and the development of technology, the trend, the younger generational forces, all these things are putting us into a really cool position to do some really impactful work as an industry. And that's an exciting topic for me. So before we get into all that, Tim, maybe you can just give us some insights into your background and how you got to be the chief operating officer at TeamUp, just for context, and then we'll take it from there.

[00:04:51] Well, you know, first of all, I just want to say it's a real pleasure to be here, Eric. You know, I'm a big fan of the podcast. I really like the quality, the trajectory, and particularly just, you know, you always go out to try and uncover intelligent insights into things that are happening in the industry. So, you know, as an avid listener, it's a real pleasure to be here. Yeah, my background, I mean, you know, I think, you know, my ethos personally has just always been about helping people.

[00:05:21] And I can remember being, you know, kind of 13 years old, and my parents had, you know, had a business. And I can remember, like, feeling no greater pleasure than them needing something done on the business and me just being able to, like, jump in and help them out with the computer stuff or, like, whatever it was. You know, I'd love to say I'm like this, like, something has changed in there. But actually, that's just always been my ethos.

[00:05:45] And, you know, so going from, you know, the teenager helping out on the computer to, you know, starting to help, like, business owners through a marketing agency that I set up. And then with TeamUp, you know, really just expanding that viewpoint and just, you know, just, just like trying to help people. And, you know, nowadays, that's more with, you know, like a large team and, you know, helping them help our customers, you know, more than doing it directly. And so it's all been really pleasurable.

[00:06:13] And, you know, it's just, it's just like a natural trajectory. But, but really, that's, that's kind of my philosophy is just, you know, dig in and try and help people and good stuff has come from it. So maybe it works. Maybe it's a good thing to take away. How long has TeamUp been around? When did you guys actually found the company? It was, it's, I always say it's like 10 years, but unfortunately, it's more now. So it was like 2012. 2012. So it's like, so we're like 13, 13 years now.

[00:06:41] And I'd say, you know, 2013, we had 50, 50 customers, you know, and now we, now we serve over 4,000, you know, fitness businesses worldwide. Wow. And where was the, I think it was the original traction in CrossFit. Is that right? Or where did you guys originally? Yeah. What was your target market originally? Well, you know, our target market was going to the gym. So at heart, we were like, we were CrossFitters.

[00:07:09] And so that was the environment we're in. And really, it's just, you know, solving problems there. So that, that was really, you know, that was really why we started getting into CrossFit was because, you know, we just, we were at boxes training. A CrossFit bold in London, you know, reach fitness, still, still a customer, one of our first customers. And, you know, we, we really kind of immersed in the, in the community.

[00:07:31] And it was, it was like early days, like probably, you know, less than 50, you know, less than 50 CrossFits in the UK, maybe less, you know, just a few thousand worldwide, you know, as it was really starting to take off. So it was a, it was a really exciting time in fitness. I, I'm, I feel like you, you were around at that time as well. Like you were a CrossFitter right, right back as well. Yeah, I was. I think originally I did my first CrossFit workout in 08. And then it was, I think six to nine months later, I was opening a gym.

[00:08:00] It was, it was crazy. It was like, I, I just knew that this is something I really wanted to do. And, you know, my mind, the business model wasn't terribly complicated. So it was like a good, now I'm not saying it was easy, like for sure. I mean, but the business model isn't complicated. The day-to-day operations and the, you know, working personnel and, you know, the challenges that you give as a gym owner, those are numerous and serious. But the business model is simple.

[00:08:24] And I think one of the things that, you know, you and I have talked about, like over time is, is this sense of community that very few other industries outside fitness can create. Right. And how that evolution, I mean, I saw, I think CrossFit sets a prime example of like, most people used to think about gyms and coaches and trainers as coaches and trainers and just a place to go to work out. But as CrossFit evolved, it became a community hub. Like I used to joke that I basically ran like a church. Yeah.

[00:08:54] In some weird way. And no offense to anybody who's of religious beliefs, but it was very similar when you looked at it in that framework. And it became a center point of community. I mean, our Saturday morning classes were humongous, right? It was a great time. Everyone would go out to brunch afterwards and it was, it was very different. And, you know, I know you've kind of, kind of focused on this, but how would you see the industry changing from like that point of we are trainers who just delivered workouts. And now we're like center points of our local communities. Well, that's a, that's a big question.

[00:09:21] I think, I think that the things that CrossFit got right, the people have really tried to try to replicate and to varying degrees of success. But one thing was really true about that, that early rise of CrossFit was that it was, it really was a different direction for fitness. Like fitness has always been maybe slightly marginalized. Like it wasn't, it wasn't really cool in the same way. And there was something about that CrossFit movement.

[00:09:48] And then the, the introduction of like athlete as a term into the fitness space. Suddenly it was seen as an endeavor, you know, something that was a challenge and something that, you know, people were like really pushing the boundary. And I think that, you know, that's a really uniting factor and, you know, people come to gyms for, or fitness businesses for many different reasons. But, you know, the strongest one is always that they have a goal in mind and they have something that they want to, they want to solve.

[00:10:15] And the, the fitness provider helps them facilitate that journey. And I think that that is at its core, what fitness is, it's helping people affect change in their lives and, you know, kind of like, like helping facilitate and open that up in their lives. And it's, it's always, it's a physical change, but it's also an emotional change. You know, I did a white collar boxing tournament.

[00:10:40] My goodness, some time back now, but, you know, I went, I really went through that change myself. You know, I did three, it was three months and suddenly I was training eight times a week, you know, two hours a time, you know, running up, running up the stairs next to a bridge, you know, just to try and like, you know, push the cardio some more. And then I did a, I did the, uh, like a, you know, slugfest boxing match at the local nightclub against, uh, you know, a guy named Gavin, you know, and, uh, uh, and I always, it was all a disaster by the way.

[00:11:10] I mean, uh, you know, the, the day before the day before I threw my shoulder in training, I was reliant on my long arms and my jab. And, uh, the first punch that hit me, uh, knocked my, one of my contact lenses out. It was like, like everything was bad, but my only pride point is that I got knocked down and then I got up and I was seeing for, you know, like the classic cartoon vision. But, uh, but, you know, I saw it out, but that, but that was just phenomenal. And it was like, you know, just true transformation in who I was and my personality.

[00:11:39] And I could really feel those changes like affect other parts of my life. And I think that's where the, you know, it's a community around people all trying to make that change in their lives. And I think CrossFit really crystallized that because it was so performance focused and the best, the best of fitness now really understands that point. You know, the high rocks is, you know, the, the kind of performance focused, uh, you know, fitness environments.

[00:12:03] Well, there's very few as an adult, there's very few opportunities to push yourself physically and emotionally to a point that you didn't think you could get to. You know, like if anybody's ever taken a CrossFit class and been around when, uh, in a group setting when someone gets their first pull up. Yeah. Freaking magical. Right. And that, like, you can see, you can visibly see the transformation in that person. Like, Holy shit.

[00:12:31] I never thought I would do an unassisted pull up or then you can, you can insert any major thing, like, you know, a muscle up or, you know, a hundred pound back squat, whatever it may be. Like you just see that transformation in people and people who walked in kind of, you know, maybe head down, shoulders rolled over now walk around their chin up shoulders back. Right. Right. It's, it's just a really cool thing. And yeah, I think the community is like a Holy grail for, for fitness businesses. Like in what ways, but a lot of people don't know how to get to it.

[00:13:00] They want that feel, right? They want that community feel. I think any business wants to have a community feel because that's what builds, you know, referrals. That's what builds loyalty. Like, how do you intentionally do that? And how do you, I know you guys do that a lot with, with team up, like from a software, from a technological standpoint, but what guidance would you give to fitness businesses that want to build community with a lot of intention? I think, first of all, there isn't, there isn't a one size fits all approach.

[00:13:25] You know, what works for say a yoga studio, you know, isn't going to be the same as cross court, but, but people are still progressing and challenging themselves and moving forward. But, but some, some degree of flexibility is really important. And like understanding your clients, like you don't need to have workout tracking for your yoga class and kind of high five people if they, you know, managed to do a downward dog. But, but there are forms that there are progressions. There are, there is like a confidence progression that comes as part of it.

[00:13:53] So I think, I think progression is really important, but I think that overall for those businesses, retention is, is much more important than acquisition. And I think that, you know, really focus on really focusing on your current members and helping them be successful is ultimately what is going to drive the engine of your community. Because they then, you know, they, they bond with other members. They're on that journey together. You don't leave people behind.

[00:14:20] I've definitely, you know, I've seen examples of, you know, CrossFit, for example, where they're very elite focused. And then of course they leave, they leave behind the, the weight loss crew. And that in itself is, that's the kind of thing that really undermines the, you know, the overall ethos of the gym. So I think like community is like, first of all, it's holistic. It's like everybody is involved. I think also, you know, not understanding the profile of your customers and also learning when to say no, because there are certain people who fit within your, your environments and some people who aren't going to be a good fit.

[00:14:50] And so fostering that healthy community and making sure that everybody's goals were aligned, you know, is really, really, really fundamental. So, yeah, yeah. Really good insights. And you know what? I think a question I have in today's day and age, there's a lot of software options out there. And I think you and I have talked maybe offline about how software is getting easier to, and faster to develop.

[00:15:13] Like people can get into the market really quick with AI and, you know, all the different technologies out there and they can do it cheaper and they can do it faster. So, you know, it becomes really critical is like, how does one stand out? Like how, what is your overall strategy for team up to stand out in a market that, you know, it's gotten consistently more crowded over the last 10 years? There's just more competition. Well, I think firstly, you know, cheaper and faster. Yes. But well, not necessarily.

[00:15:42] So I think, you know, but I do think that, you know, AI and these other, the other technologies that are so easily within reach now of, you know, business owners do just present like an amazing opportunity. And it's just never been easier to set up a business, do things, you know, of good quality, much, much faster than ever before.

[00:16:04] And it's, it's, yeah, it's absolutely, it's an amazing time to start a business and particularly to start a fitness business, which are just growing in importance in people's lives. And, you know, so for team up, it's really about doing, understanding the business and what they need to achieve and really like at our core, like we're built for group fitness. And so we've really focused on getting that right, like getting that experience, right.

[00:16:32] Making sure that, you know, you can facilitate an amazing customer experience for your, for your users. And, you know, unlike traditional software, you know, we've, we've built everything from the ground up and it's, you know, we've always been an online only platform, mobile apps, everything else. And it's really designed for, for, for group fitness. It's not just about management.

[00:16:52] You know, we also, you know, we, we then really focus on helping our businesses grow and, you know, we're launching new features every week, every two weeks and listening to our users and what they need to be able to improve their business. So really focusing on like, you know, improving the efficiency of bookings, improving retention, just giving lots of insights to help them help them accelerate their business.

[00:17:16] And those that, you know, that combination really is the, is, you know, it's fundamentally, if you're a group fitness business, you need that type of engine behind the business, because otherwise the admin and the complexity of the business is just overwhelming. And it keeps you away from being in front of your customers and being personal and building that great community. And then also going out and finding new customers and doing exciting things that are going to, you know, attract people into your environment.

[00:17:41] And I think it's, you know, it's, it's always been a challenge for new business owners where they, they over, you know, they overthink things and they spend too much time on manual processes and really don't, they really slow themselves down. You speak to those business owners, you know, three years into their business and they look back and they say, well, I wish I hadn't wasted all of that time at the beginning doing this stuff. And, you know, that, that's really what, that's really, you know, what software gives you.

[00:18:06] It's a, it's a, an unfair starting advantage when you're launching your business so that you can skip those first three years of bad processes and just get straight to, you know, giving a really great service. That's an interesting point. I mean, you know, I ran a group fitness based gym. We also have personal training and things like that. So what are like, when you compare to maybe software solutions for health clubs or a personal training studio, like what are the things that you discard?

[00:18:34] Like things you're like, we don't need this and we're going to focus on these things instead. Like what, what are the specific qualities of a software solution like team up that is unique to, to group fitness? Well, I think there's a, there's, there's obviously a lot of crossover between those things. And, and, but I think particularly for, for group fitness, it's really important that the experience that the gym goer, the fitness, the fitness user has is really smooth and they really enjoy it.

[00:19:02] And you don't create friction in the process because friction a bit like if you go to an e-commerce website and you know, your purchase, like you try to put your card details in and then the card details have deleted and you have to refill out the form or your stuff has then, you know, kind of disappeared from your basket or something, you know, those types of things, they create this friction, which means that people get distracted and they want to go and do something else.

[00:19:26] I think like fitness quite uniquely or particularly with a strong emphasis, fitness is an activity which people are very nervous about starting, particularly at the first time. And they, so they're filled with doubts. They're on your website. They want to book a trial session or they want to buy a class pack and come along and see a class. They, they need to be reassured and they need the experience of something which just really fits their expectations.

[00:19:52] And like the more professional it is, the more easy it is, the more it fits the way that they, the way they expect that process to go, the more likely they are to not abandon the process and to get involved and to get over that kind of nervous, the nervous gate that stand in front of them. So our job is, is to facilitate that.

[00:20:11] It's to make that part of it almost invisible so that people just, they associate that professionalism with your business and then you, you know, they, they can just get in and start getting the real benefits from the service. And so a bit like a defender in soccer, you know, we're doing our best job. If you never see us on the TV screen. And thank you for using soccer to us, United States. I translated automatically. Yeah. Translation. Yeah. That's really good.

[00:20:40] Well, I think that's, you know, I've, I've been involved in enough software and app companies now to know that, you know, when it's simple and seamless to the user, it's very difficult. To develop, it's very expensive and time consuming and, you know, the X and that's a challenge I think for people like in your, in your seat as a, you know, a leader of a software company is the consumer expectations now are so high. For technology, right? Like Amazon ruin everything. Everyone wants everything in two clicks, right?

[00:21:09] They want everything to work like Amazon. And it's so like Amazon is, you know, we're a trillion dollars and they have a lot of developers who work on this stuff. So, I mean, have you, you've been doing this now for 13 years. Like how have you seen the consumer expectations for technology specifically into like the group fitness space change? Has it been very noticeable? Is it? Yeah. What have you seen? Well, you know, there, there are, there are things that have become a lot easier and there's things that have become a lot harder.

[00:21:40] There definitely are, you know, there are more standardized technologies available now, which means that some things become much more straightforward. You know, much more straightforward to achieve. I mean, Amazon is a great example. They, they run huge server farms through their AWS service and they have really cracked like security and redundancy and quality. Well, going back 15, 20 years, there were those kinds of things just didn't exist.

[00:22:09] Like you actually rented a box in a, in a warehouse somewhere that was your server. And, and then the reliability and downtime and problems that you face with things that you needed to have developers maintain and look after. So there are definitely, there's things that have become, you know, things in there, which have become a lot easier. I think what has become harder is really providing value for your users.

[00:22:33] And so it's very easy to do things simply, but it's very hard to get into the detail of them and really understand how you can help, help your customers drive forward. And I think for us, the approach is that we see ourselves as partners to our customers. And, you know, we're not just kind of selling something off the shelf that they then implement in their business. It's like, it's, it's a constant process. You know, you're talking 24 seven support uptime. It's a massive machine that supports businesses.

[00:23:02] And, you know, you're constantly speaking, learning from them and then building the features that are going to help them drive forward and do the next thing. You know, sometimes businesses try to develop those things for themselves or they, you know, they, they go for the cheap or free option when they first start their business. But the problem there is that, you know, you're not playing to your best strengths as a business owner. If we're like, I, I'm not a, I'm not a certified fitness professional or CrossFit instructor.

[00:23:28] I mean, I probably could fake it, I think at this point, but I'm much better. I'm much better at providing the infrastructure for a CrossFit gym to be able to run their classes than I am running those classes. And so I think it's, it's just everybody understanding what their strengths are and then putting, you know, investing in what is really going to drive their business forward.

[00:23:49] So I think it's a really nice parallel because, you know, people have, you know, people, society has grown up and, you know, we have a, a real need to support each other in different, in different ways. So it's a nice, it's a nice parallel to community. I want to get, with some of the time we have, I want to get your insights on, on group fitness in general.

[00:24:13] I mean, you look at that, we talked about CrossFit, we talked about yoga, we talked about, you know, a lot of boutique models, spinning, all these things, probably put martial arts in there. When you look at the health of group fitness and the opportunities and challenges ahead of it as a category, like what do you see, you know, over the next, let's just say five years, that time rising? I think it's easy. I think it's a group fitness is a vital part of, of many people's lives. And I see that continuing to be, continuing to be so and continue to grow in importance.

[00:24:43] I think that people in general, there's probably split into several groups. There are groups who want new, exciting, different, and then there are some who want community, connection, bonding, and solidity, you know, and consistency. So I think that those, and those markets exist now. And I think that those, those different types of fitness consumers, you know, kind of a, you know, you have to market to both of those.

[00:25:10] I think over the next five years, there's obviously going to be a lot more technology, but we're going to continue going down the route of, you know, supporting trainers. I think, you know, AI particularly is, you know, has a lot of great things to offer. I think some areas that have been really exciting are things like workout creation, updates, community engagements, because there are things which have taken trainers a long, a long time in the past.

[00:25:36] And they've had to invest a lot of their own time in making sure that that service delivery part of things is, is looked after. So I think those things will get better and better. And we've seen really good coaching tools in the market. You know, we, we integrated with a service called BoxMate, which does, you know, CrossFit workout tracking and, you know, member engagement. And they've done some like really amazing things around AI and workout generations. They look at like the whole history of the fitness customer.

[00:26:02] And then they divide the AI automatically devises workouts based on the history and based on their experience level and all that kind of stuff. So I think those kinds of things are really going to support making an even better experience in the future. And so I think those sides are really exciting. I do think we're going to see the, you know, the kind of the, the, the robot instructor. Like we already have that to some degree.

[00:26:27] I think the Les Mills classes, you know, in some big box gyms, you know, you go and press the button and you get the class. I don't, I don't really see it working. I think the people, it's a convenience because it's on demand. And I think that, you know, that it's a bit like doing your own workouts in a, in a gym. But I really think that the human, the human instructor, whether it's on your Peloton bike or whether it's, you know, face to face in a class will, will continue to be really, really vital.

[00:26:55] And an area where people can elevate their expertise if they, if they really are good at what they do. Well, it's accountability. Like I think you can't overstate how important accountability is. And no one's going to feel like they're accountable to a fitness on demand workout or an app, right? A human makes all the difference. It's the, especially your peers. Like, and you get into a group class, like I see a spin class here at our local gym at the, the way they event.

[00:27:25] I think it's Tuesdays at five. It's packed. Dude, it's packed. And a lot of it's, I'm going to, I say old timers, but I'm like, God, am I getting to old timer status? It's people over the age of 60 for the most part, like retirees. And this is their community and they're holding each other accountable. And they're, you know, and it's every once in a while I'll jump in. I'm like, this is the greatest group ever. Like these people are so nice and kind and welcoming and encouraging. It's just a great environment.

[00:27:48] And I, I think that's really important that they have that group and they know that they're going to, if someone doesn't show up, they're going to call Susie and be like, Susie, where, where you been? Right. And it's, that's something it's, it's very, very powerful. When you look at this time, you know, beginning of 2025, the opportunities for people to start new businesses. Like, you know, we talked about the pandemic and we lost a lot of gyms. We lost a lot of people within our industry, have gone somewhere else. But, you know, I feel like it's evolved now where it's a really good time.

[00:28:16] Like what signs are you seeing that wouldn't, that you'd love to encourage people to get in now and start a fitness business? I think at its heart, you know, if you are a, a people person, it is an absolutely phenomenal business, you know, to play, to play to your strengths. And I think that, you know, we can get into like the, the, the, you know, the kind of mechanics of the market and why, why there's great opportunity.

[00:28:44] I think it is hard, you know, it's, it's a, it's really an opportunity to create a business where you really matter in people's lives. And it's, it very, very, it can be very, very fulfilling.

[00:28:57] And I think that, that often people forget that aspect of why they want to do something, you know, because do you want to, you know, it's, you can start lots of different types of businesses, but does like your Amazon drop shipping business, you know, bring you, bring you like that connection and joy. It depends on your personality.

[00:29:16] You know, I've been reflecting on this and I think that at its heart, you know, fitness, the fitness instructors and fitness professionals now, they're not just instructors, you know, they're, they're kind of, you know, tribe leaders and they, they foster these really deep connections between in their audience and it's an accountability. And I think like naturally, if you look back at history, you know, we've always had these clusters in society.

[00:29:40] And I think that the, you know, technology has kind of moved us like away from it, but it's also like facilitating us, like going back and like creating this need for us to all be together more at some point. And I think that the starting a business now in the fitness industry means that, you know, you're providing, it's more than just a workout, you know, so you can, we went through a phase where these things, things became very commoditized.

[00:30:07] And I think now there's like a real appreciation and respect from the market about what you're, if you're delivering something truly unique that actually it's like more than just a workout, it's like a transformative experience that is connecting you with other people. And if you're like, if you put it like that, like that, you know, your $20 ticket to go do that session is like incredible value, incredible value. It's like cheapening around the drains and, you know, you're, you're right there in that mix.

[00:30:36] So I think the, you know, that facilitation of connection is, is like really exciting and rewarding. And I think that the best businesses, if they can understand how to, how to create that, then it's, it's a, it's just such a great time to, to go out and like create something unique. So, yeah, I mean, technology facilitation, we touched on, you know, it's obviously so much easier now as well to, to start these things.

[00:31:01] And so it is a very, a very, very exciting time and lots, lots of potential for the new entrance. I've never seen anything like it in my lifetime. You know, like it's, it's truly like this, this mass convergence of things. I mean, wellness as a category, right? You're seeing all this, all these recovery modalities and contrast and, you know, wellness experiences, right? Wellness travel, like, like a large hotel chains are bringing gyms in, you know, more wellness experiences.

[00:31:28] It's not, gyms aren't just like a corner, you know, it's small, you know, like a unused hotel room with some dumbbells in it. Like they're creating experiences and then opening them up to the local communities and you get all the technologies, right? You get regenerative or preventative health, health optimization. You got obviously artificial intelligence. We can't talk about that enough. You get the, you know, GLP one and the Ozempic factor, whatever good, bad, we'll find out.

[00:31:53] And now it seems like in the United States too, we have perhaps, I'm going to talk about this in my quarterly report with Alex and Juliet. Maybe we have some political will, at least here in the United States, to change our health programs and the way we approach it. Because we're not a healthy country. I don't know if you noticed. So like, yeah, I think for people who are very mission driven and creative, right? And all the tools that we have now available to us to create these really unique experiences, it's, it's, it's a, dude, go all in.

[00:32:21] Like if people are listening right now, they're like, you know, I haven't had this concept in my mind. Like maybe it's like a wellness, but we also have a group fitness and, you know, we'll do all these things. Cool. Fucking go for it. It's a great time. I think also there's, you know, there are some really exciting franchise concepts around. And I think if, you know, people just want to, you know, they have passion for the product and they, they just really want to get out there and do it.

[00:32:44] I think getting on board with one of the, you know, one of these, you know, rising franchises, I think is a really interesting way to, to get involved. You know, take the expertise of a group who have been there and done it and like optimized it. And then, you know, go take it to your local community or take it to a different area. And yeah, it seems like so many, so many competing franchises as well. So many different interesting ideas and, you know, exciting new concepts.

[00:33:11] It's yeah, it's, I think it's, it, that's a great route potentially for people. So this is like a, I guess, personal question for you, but not really, you know, we, we have buzzwords in our industry that seem to change every year. You know, this year I was just at connected health and fitness recently. And of course the big ones were GLP one and artificial intelligence. So those are the two big things that everyone talked about constantly and for good reason, right? They're very transformative.

[00:33:40] But we also have like trends and like women in strength training specifically for women, you know, this longevity thing of, you know, we're shifting, you know, from, Hey, we're doing six week challenges to know this is something you do for life. Right. Which I think is, is subtle, but significant. When you look at like these, these major things that we're talking about right now, like what, what trends do you think will truly have the biggest impact and change on what we do as an industry?

[00:34:04] You know, I, I don't think at its heart, you know, these, I agree with you that shift to long-term versus, you know, get ready for the beach is really strong. And that, that feeling that people, you know, have like prioritized fitness in their lives rather than it be, Oh, I need to change something that's wrong necessarily. It's like, Oh no, it's actually like core to who I am. And this is, you know, this provides me purpose. So I think those, those macro trends are really interesting.

[00:34:30] I think you also touched on health and I think the, you know, health, health, like health funding, things like that, which are fluctuating, I think will drive people to look at preventative rather than to, to look at fixes. But I'm, I'm not sure on the AI. I think it's, people have jumped on it as, you know, it's like, Oh, it's, I don't quite understand this thing. So it might, it's kind of transformed the world, but, and, and it, and it absolutely will, you know, it's accelerating.

[00:34:58] It's accelerating our learning and access to information and, you know, a bit like a AltaVista or a Google, you know, of the dot-com phase. But I think it is hard. It doesn't really fundamentally, it doesn't really fundamentally shift the, the group fitness experience and, you know, it supports, it extends, it, you know, kind of drives quality. But I'm not sure those, those are the biggest, you know, the biggest trends within the industry.

[00:35:24] I think there's some really big players who put a lot of money into at-home workouts and I don't, that money seems to be floating around in a bubble at the moment. And I'm not sure where that lands because it doesn't seem like Apple Health is going to become the most important thing into people's lives, you know? And so I'm not sure how that shakes out, but I think that's good for the independent community-based organizations, really. It's almost reminding people of what they're missing. Yeah.

[00:35:54] I've asked this question of a couple of guests and it's kind of a fun one. With all of your extra free time that you have right now, Tim, if you were going to, if you were going to open a gym in your local town, what would it look like? What would the concept look like? What would you lean into? What would be your choice? And it doesn't necessarily mean it has to be make a ton of business sense. It would be just something that you would love to do. I can't, can't not be business minded. I think if I was going to, and I apologize that because I'd love to say CrossFit box.

[00:36:22] I just want to open a CrossFit box and turn up there every day, someone else coach. And, you know, obviously that would be great. But no, I actually think if I was going to invest in something right now, I would invest in automation. And I would look at serving the parts of the fitness market, which can't currently access fitness due to scheduling or life circumstance. And I think there's some really interesting businesses, you know, in this sector.

[00:36:47] There's, there's one up in Canada called Safe Sweat and they, they do, you know, self-access, you know, small gym environments. And so, and it's really interesting what they're doing because you think it's just kind of busy professionals can't make time to work. No, it's, it's mothers, you know, who have to bring their baby along with them. It's fitness influencers who want to be able to film and not get in the way of other people's equipment.

[00:37:11] And I kind of love automation and I love the kind of the, the, the technology behind it. So I think that if I was going to invest in something that that's what I'd be really, really interested in, but that doesn't change my love for group fitness. But I think that maybe those, that could be an extra dimension to group fitness facilities and an extra revenue stream that could be really interesting. Well, I think group fitness and, you know, we talked to all the different, various kinds, like it's, it's a staple of the industry now. Right.

[00:37:40] Like it's, it's a core component. Like, you know, you mentioned CrossFit is, is, you know, up and down from their, you know, brand leadership is seeing some challenges, but still at the grassroots level, across the gyms are fundamentally fundamental pieces of the community. So our yoga studios or all the group fitness that we've already outlined here, the new stuff, right? So when it's entrepreneurial, like you, it's probably thinking like, okay, what's, what's the next frontier? And that sounds really interesting to me. And I, I'll, I may look into them and see if I can get them on an interview.

[00:38:10] Cause that sounds really fascinating. Where are they out of six? What are they out of like Toronto? It sounds like a Toronto thing. Oh, they're Vancouver. Vancouver. The founder is Emre. I can't actually remember his surname, but I'll, I'll make an intro for you. He'd be a really good guy. They took it to Dragon's Den as well. So, I mean, they, they really have, you know, they could, they've done some really interesting things. You know, I would say on CrossFit that, you know, their challenge is to recapture the narrative, you know, among people who are doing CrossFit workouts.

[00:38:40] I mean, I think in my local area here, there's maybe like four CrossFit boxes. None of them are affiliated. So they were still doing, they're still doing wads. They're still, still got the community aspect, everything else, but they're unaffiliated. And I think they can figure out how to get people back into the fold and really like drive that community side. Then they're a phenomenal brand and concept and, and, uh, force. So, you know, and I, I'd love to see them turn it around and succeed. Me too. Me too.

[00:39:09] Last question I always ask people here, Tim is, you know, how the chief operating officer at TeamUp, what do you need help with? If people are listening, you want them to reach out to you? So yeah. What would you like to hear from them about? I'd love to hear, I'd love to hear from anyone in the fitness industry who resonated with anything we talked about today, you know, particularly group fitness operators who are struggling with their operations and, or maybe they completely disagree with what we said today. And I'd love to have that conversation.

[00:39:38] The best place to reach me is on LinkedIn. You know, I'm really, well, medium responsiveness to messages, but, you know, definitely reach me there. And also, you know, if you're interested in learning more about TeamUp and what we do, then we are, we're at goteamup.com. So yeah, search up TeamUp and, and come and check us out. So if you think it might be interesting, we're, we're always, uh, always interested to have conversations with people. Awesome. And you and I were just talking about events this year and coaches Congress, right?

[00:40:07] That's the one that you're going to be at for sure. Yeah, I'll probably be around a few, a few of the industry events. So yeah, coaches Congress, really great events, like focused on the CrossFit markets. And we're, we're sponsoring the London edition of it. So, you know, London, the UK is a big market for us. Really love the community there. So yeah, definitely, definitely going to be there. Um, so yeah, we'll, we'll see, we'll see on the others, see what, uh, you know, what pops up. I think there are a few interesting new ones, uh, coming around.

[00:40:35] So yeah, uh, we'll, we'll, uh, we'll be around. Awesome. Tim, thank you for joining me on this late evening, your time. Uh, it's always a pleasure. And, you know, once again, thank, thank you so much for the support of the podcast. And I encourage people to check out what TeamUp does. They do really good work and they're really good people. So appreciate the time. Ladies and gentlemen, Tim Green. Thanks, Eric. Hey, wait, don't leave yet. This is your host, Eric Malzone.

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