Intranet Goes 2.0
Believe it or not, elements is the only fitness brand to offer a full service information and training intranet.
The owners intranet has served us well, and we have added literally 1,200 training tools, resources, tips, mini-handbooks, and forms. We have been researching new technologies that will allow us to transform the intranet into a “dashboard” for all clubs, fitness franchisees, and central team members. The “dashboard” would include a better-organized access to the hundreds of training options, as well as a better way for us to deliver news, updates, and brand items to you and your entire team. It will have varying security levels to allow, for example, front desk employees to access certain levels of information, while owners can access a complete set. Overall, the “dashboard” will provide a better-organized way for us to manage the growing amount of training tools, enabling club managers to understand and easily access these resources.

We will also be developing video training for some key sales, marketing, and operational topics, which will greatly assist in staff development at the club level.

The official Workout of ______ Hotels!
We are working to secure a deal with a major international resort chain to brand their fitness and lifestyle amenities as “elements living.” Brand-name amenities improve a guests experience at a resort, and for us, it is a powerful way to expose thousands of upscale guests to our brand. There are many synergies that can develop from this relationships… and we will keep you posted

For more information on business opportunities including obtaining a stock prospectus on elements group, click here.

We have been hard at work to continue to grow and position elements as the leading brand in womens fitness. I thought it would be great to share a listing of some of the exciting projects that are currently in our development pipeline.

- elements stories – a new “social” website which will connect the corporate site, magazine, and BalanceD diet. elements is a special brand – we are a collection of people who are making it happen…. entrepreneurs, survivors, motivators, leaders, mothers, daughters…. although each of us is different there is so much which is similar…. We will be “weaving” stories throughout this site….. stories of our club owners, members, friends, family members… women who are transforming their lives through being a part of the elements movement….. We will be taking all of the member testimonials (and continually adding) to create a dynamic, interactive experience….. My thinking is that this will be an incredible membership sales tool, a entertaining website for current members to visit and interact on, and a market differentiator for us – elements will be the only fitness brand with a live, growing social network. before/after pics, stories, motivation, overcoming…. from across the country, we will see the bonds that tie, and watch a community be built (Jan 2009 launch)

- New supplement line! – we have some great developments in store here! The line is coming together nicely… we are still asking for as many survey responses as you can get – my goal is to have 500 individual surveys prior to making any development decisions on the products – we would like (if possible) a true cross-sampling from all clubs, all ages, and all potential buyers…. this will be a significant revenue center for your club, we want to ensure the new brand and products is the best possible fit! (Projected Mar/Apr 2009 launch, products will be available for purchase in-club and also commissioned online)

- elements television network – We are about a month from announcing “elements TV” – a full entertainment system and network inside the clubs. Music videos (with top selections for our target audience), tips from the advisory board, healthy tips, and branded “shorts” – commercials set to music that you can select and run for all things elements: the latest magazine issue (more readers is better exposure and retention for you), personal training ads, testimonials, diet coaching ads, supplements (once launched), specialty classes and more. elements TV is a complete, expertly branded entertainment experience which will take the club experience to the next level – best news is we are working on a major corporate sponsor (Victoria’s Secret, lancome, or Estee Lauder type) to underwrite 80% of the ongoing cost of the network, implementation and production! (Ready in-club Mar./Apr 2009)

NEW CLUBS! We are very excited for our newest club openings… Columbus, Ohio and Madisonville, KY are already in presale. We will very soon have some great new cities coming online including… Aventura, Orlando, Toronto, Greenwich, and California. In addition, we have some exciting developments in the works…Expect some big things in 2009!

Stock Offering: Miami Beach, FL – 11/01/08 – elements™ is pleased to announce the launch of their new stock offering program through our parent company, ELEMENTS GROUP. Franchisees, vendors and investors will now be able to purchase stock and own a piece of the fast-growing fitness and lifestyle brand.

Set to correspond with the introduction of the new stock offering program, elements™ has also created a robust corporate business website at www.elementscentral.com to keep investors informed and generate interest for potential investors. The “elements central” site will offer real-time announcements, annual reports, brand previews and strategic information about all facets of the company.

For more information on business opportunities including obtaining a stock prospectus, click here.

elements for women is fast becoming recognized for the curb appeal in our clubs – we enjoy the prestige of being the only upscale fitness brand for women, a very unique market position which is not lost for a minute on me. One of the reasons for our intensive training programs and methodical staff development is to keep the experience inside the clubs consistent with their upscale appearance.

I very much enjoy reading feedback from new members and prospective franchisees who tour through our clubs – it is nice to know that we are creating winning experiences, and setting a new standard. elements uniquely features an internal club design team, ensuring that each club represents the brand well, and is also value-engineered to ensure that our clubs open on budget.

Franchisee: elements, Exeter, NH

We were very excited this week to announce two new Regional Developers to the elements for women franchise system. We began the national growth of our Miami-based upscale fitness brand about three years ago, and now have over 70 locations worldwide under development. One of the most rewarding and exciting aspects is to see franchisees succeed, and expand into larger roles, such as becoming a Regional Developer. We have had two such cases – a good testament to the strength and skill of our club owners. elements is becoming the category leader in fitness clubs for women, through no small part the hard work of our team members, management team, and franchisees across the country.

The article at left tells about one of our elements club owners who is using her business as a vehicle to give back to a charitable mission. This is a great foundation for a business, and an excellent way to build community – Brenda Perkins has done both.

You might find it surprising to know that the original vision for elements was to develop just 10 clubs in 3 cities: New York, Miami, and LA. That was it. The idea was to offer the most complete fitness experience for women, in a hip, stylish environment, and to corner those three important markets. Our launch team was fairly well qualified, and we had many contacts within the industry.

A buzz began to develop about this new women’s brand, a chip off the block of Crunch Fitness. At the time, Crunch was making history with a 83 million dollar valuation, 9x EBIDTA – setting new records within the industry. Since the initial elements team shared some of the original Crunch minds (post-sale), it was only natural that we would begin getting attention

We were approached by several entrepreneurs who were interested in developing elements for women clubs in their local markets. These entrepreneurs identified with elements philosophy of a full-service, upscale club. elements for women was (and still is!) much different than the other “micro-clubs” such as Curves, Countours Express, Shapes, or Slender Lady. Those players were all serving a very entry-level niche, and did not offer a sustainable business model to their franchisees. We saw, 5 years ago, that there would be a significant consolidation with these players (as there has now been) – and that this would open a window for elements for position itself as the leading full-service fitness brand for women.

Fast forward 4 years, and here we are…. over 7 clubs open, 3 in presale, 54 clubs under development, pending acquisitions of company owned clubs in San Francisco, Georgia, and the Northeast. Given the growth, and our objectives to develop 800 elements for women clubs nationally within the next 6-8 years (including 20%, or 160 company owned units) we have invested more than a fair amount of time and dollars into long term development infrastructure.

Our patience has recently paid off with the launch of elements for women in California. This was an exciting announcement, coupled with other press elements has recently received, including a great placement in Valley magazine (“[elements is] a much needed breath of fresh air to the California Fitness Scene”). We also began with our first act of business in the state being a large charitable contribution to The Wellness Community, a Los Angeles based cancer-wellness foundation led by Courtney Cox and David Arquette.

I will be traveling to California next week to help with the launch of the state and meet some of our new franchisees. Look for elements to lauch the state in a big way – with a mix of company owned as well as showcase franchised clubs… more to come!

Is your business famous yet? It is important to understand how to really build buzz locally, and drive more traffic to your business organically.

We are all well aware of the importance of the web in consumer’s buying patterns. Consumers use the web to research, explore, and 78% make buying decisions prior to ever visiting your club (or business).

Web 2.0 is a term given to the new, interactive nature of the web, focusing on Social Networking, blogging, and consumer reviews.

Not only is it important for your business to have a great, clear website, but it is equally important to compliment a website with local business presence, and consumer reviews.

The more (positive) consumer feedback you have on your business, the more credible the business becomes, and the more confident a consumer will be in making a decision to join on her first visit.