Back to the Future! A return to the "GYM" Business

THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF THE "GYM BUSINESS" 
PART 1 A True Story! 

In December 2015 I threw my hat back into the arena of the “gym” business. The reason I am writing about this 4 years later is because of the immense emotional toll this took on my family and I. 

 For those of you that know me I’ve been out of the “gym” business for some time. My focus has been on primary and continuing education and event planning.  

I was approached by relatives who were interested in purchasing a new business and found a medium size facility in a fairly exclusive upscale area on the north shore of Long Island. 

On goes my consultant hat along with the idea I may have a home and place to build as “I see fit” (pun intended).  My relatives had owned other businesses in the past but they had no experience in the “gym/fitness” industry. Without tooting my own “horn” my expertise was the reason they approached me in October about this endeavor or so I thought.

I was both flattered and excited to be a part of this whole process.

What happened over the next 5 months floored me. I have had many experiences in the gym, fitness, education, training and consulting side of our industry and what looked too good to be true became just that.

My personal training business has been steady since hurricane Sandy but to be honest I have not been focused on growing that aspect of my business. I was maintaining a steady clientele, many of which had survived the storm (quite literally). I had just finished the FEI Eclipse 2015 event and was already focusing on the upcoming year. 

The timing was perfect and the ideas of combining a facility with everything I had been working on appealed to me on many levels. One which of course was a steady income and of course the idea that I could helm and rebuild this brand along with my "others". Kettlebell Spec Ops, Reality Personal Training and those with whom I was working and consulting with at the time.

In the beginning of November the homework began. I took every detail of the potential sale and started the evaluation process.I threw myself into this thinking I had the full support of my "partners/family".

In part 2 of this blog I will take you through that step by step process and the vision I had.

Meet the Presenters FEI Eclipse 2014

Carolyn Appel MS CSCS  FEI ECLIPSE 2014 Introductions

I began an informal investigation into the power of mistakes as a teenage competitive tennis player. Instead of throwing my racket or cursing a mistake, like many of my opponents, I would search for clues in an errant shot to help me improve. So, if I hit a forehand into the net, I would conclude that my shot was too flat and I needed to use more topspin the next time. While I couldn't always execute the perfect forehand, I had pre-programmed my brain to establish more high-percentage shots based on previous mistakes.


It wasn't until I studied error-detection in graduate school that I learned the theory behind my on-court analysis. Now, as a trainer, I have figured out how to apply those same concepts to my clients, so that they can become good error-detectors and solve movement challenges without my feedback, creating more independent, resourceful people.


In my presentation, I will dig into the science of learning, the power of mistakes, and offer specific applications of intrinsic and extrinsic feedback systems to help you create clients who are better able to assess and correct their performances. 

FEI ECLIPSE 2013 SIZZLE REEL. 2014 is in PREP MODE! FEI UPDATE #feieclipse2014