.svg)
Sprache
Eugen Leibman: In 2012, I opened a large health center with lots of staff and high fixed costs. As a physiotherapist, I wanted to offer a great deal of care at a high level, but realized that many members did not want that. This is how Get Fit — Preiswert Trainen GmbH was created as a new concept.
Many operators run premium systems, but notice that the discount market is growing and that they need to reinvent themselves. My idea was to set up “satellites” to protect my premium system. Anyone who is a member there can train in the other studios free of charge — not a competition, but an added value. I opened my first studio in January 2016. It was great, we were immediately break-even. My industry partners asked: How do you manage to start a new 450 square meter opening with over 300 members?
Eugen Leibman: The concept. With our know-how, we are able to get a studio to be in the black after one to three months. The choice of location is decisive. We focus on rural areas with little competition. We offer a unique selling point there.
Today's customer doesn't want to travel far. Anyone who opens a studio in the countryside occupies this space. In Germany, the response rate for fitness training is currently 12.4 percent. In a municipality with 4,000 inhabitants, we expect ten percent registrations and can plan exactly how many square meters we need. That's when our systems come into play: marketing, the right dose of support and the choice of equipment. Thanks to our price-performance ratio, opening is low-risk.
Eugen Leibman: One of our recipes for success is to use skilled workers in a very targeted manner. We work according to the Pareto principle of 80 to 20. During peak hours between 17:00 and 19:30, we are there for all members who need advice. An employee covers all processes in the studio during his shift from 4 pm to 8 pm. There is no lack of quality. We work with dual students who receive qualified continuing education. The onboarding process for new members has been digitized.
Dogan Gündüz: The advantage for dual students is that they are not “thrown into deep water” just after graduation. The GET FIT concept is based on giving students responsibility as early as possible and giving them their own areas of responsibility to grow during their studies. By switching to the low-staff concept, in which we do not offer any support in the studio in the morning, we specifically used our dual students at headquarters in the areas of marketing, sales, controlling and administration that are relevant to success.
At peak time, they go to their own locations and work as studio managers supervising members. This makes everyday work much more interesting for our students. They can choose their areas of responsibility. We invest a lot of time and energy in young people. We now have seven dual students, all aspiring fitness economists at DHfPG, and there will be more to come this year.
Eugen Leibman: I would like to draw a parallel with soccer: The managing director has a kind of coaching function. It is crucial which player you place in which position. A goalkeeper won't perform in a storm. Anyone who recognizes this as an owner can strategically manage the company much better. We have a student who is a natural at marketing and video creation. We send him to appropriate training courses so that he develops in the best possible way.
Dogan Gündüz: We attend external training courses, e.g. on mindset or sales. In order to ensure the quality standard, we have set up the GET FIT Academy online for internal training and systematic onboarding. Our advantage is the young, dynamic team. Through communication at headquarters and the trust placed in us, we are able to develop very well. The hierarchy is very flat, everyone knows their area of responsibility, but can contribute further ideas and implement them quickly.
Dogan Gündüz: We're talking about a low-staff concept. Complete with trainers, cleaners and craftsmen, we have around fifty employees. In day-to-day business, with seven dual students and myself as regional manager, we manage ten locations at the same time, including onboarding and administration. That is an advantage of digitization. We are a member of DSSV e.V., a very strong partner, and always stay up to date.
Eugen Leibman: I am very proud of how everyone is driving the company forward. How to become an entrepreneur, deal with challenges and get people along this path is something you only learn when you take action; that is a continuous improvement process.
Dogan Gündüz: Generation Z must be motivated so that they stay on track. We have revolutionized our training to become a fitness economist — it's not the same routine every day for three and a half years. Our students should grow with us. That is a matter close to my heart. It feels like we experience new adventures here every day.
Eugen Leibman: We're always searching. I want to work with people who identify with the company and with whom I can firmly count on. Your values should match our profile: We hand over a lot of responsibility and studio management represents us. One important factor is personality. Anyone who acts alone as manager in a microstudio must be able to deal with a wide range of target groups from young to old. The trainer of today is also an entertainer and an expert in character.
Dogan Gündüz: There is definitely a shortage of skilled workers. But there are also skilled workers, you just have to make them aware of your company. Our last four dual students switched from other employers to our team because they were dissatisfied and knew from our students how much fun it is to work at GET FIT. Anyone who acquires a new employee receives a commission. This encourages people to actively talk about us as an employer. We offer plenty of freedom to post everyday working life on social media. GET FIT should not only be seen as a workplace, but as a second home where people feel comfortable.
Eugen Leibman: The DHZ brand fits in with our slogan “Inexpensive training”. It offers excellent value for money with no frills. The right equipment provider at our side is one of the puzzle pieces of our success.
Eugen Leibman: We offer a complete all-round carefree package for gyms in rural areas with 4,000 inhabitants or more. Our aim is to offer the fairest franchise concept on the market. A franchise agreement is only signed with a partner once the financing, equipment, visualization and rental agreement are in place. It takes longer, but it's fair because you take little risk.
Dogan Gündüz: “It was a great trip for me.” Dogan Gündüz switched to GET FIT as a dual student B.A. Fitness Economics at DHfPG because he was dissatisfied with his old employer. Even during the job interview, he was impressed by the concept with its mix of premium and discount. After graduation, he became studio manager and, as the company grew to ten locations, developed into regional manager as an interface to management.
Eugen Leibman: As a state-recognized physiotherapist, Eugen Leibman opened his first own health center in 2012. In 2013, he began developing a digital concept, explored the market and worked on pricing concepts. In 2015, he founded Get Fit — Preiswert Trainen GmbH and opened the first studio with a low-staff concept in 2016. Four more locations were opened in 2019. He now operates ten locations in Central Hesse and has also been offering a franchise concept since 2022.
More about GET FIT
Data protection is important to us, so you have the option to disable certain types of data storage that are not necessary for the basic functioning of the website. Blocking categories may affect your experience on the site. More information
.svg)
