At the beginning of this year, Co-Program Directors, Candace Seaton and Darius Jemmott at Gold’s Gym Islip, looked at what they had done in 2018 and decided to do things a lot differently in 2019.
“We gained a lot of information from the Certification we attended in Fair Lawn in November 2018 with the Master Coach team,” says Darius.
After that weekend, the duo decided to restructure their system. They recently had a change of directors, which came with different views and ways of doing things. When Candace and Darius came onto the team, they were initially debating whether it was even worth keeping the Parisi program. Instead of dropping it, they decided to dive in and really learn what makes Parisi work.
They made strong connections with Ginger and the corporate team, as well as the Master Coaches, and realized that Parisi had all the resources to make them successful. They took all the tools, went back to the basics, and are now absolutely killing it. Things very quickly began running smoother, there was better structure in their program, and the money started to flow.
The staff is also improving their skills and coming together as a united team.
“We have an environment where we aren’t just co-workers; we’re friends,” says Darius. “We get along really well. We make things work. We’re growing, and our staff keeps bringing new ideas to the table which connects us better with our ownerships and our visions align.”
Gold’s Gym Islip was the second Parisi facility ever launched. It’s so special to see that almost 15 years later, this facility is thriving under this new team. The gym itself was originally $4 million over budget. Owner, Roger Delisle, dug into the financials and took it upon himself to right the ship.
“A great reinforcer of knowledge is pain,” says Roger. “The reality is, the more you know, the more you realize you don’t know.”
He learned his clientele, improved the services, invested in the facility. He bucked the trends and raised membership fees during a recession, to match an improved experience, and began to see success when others told him it wouldn’t work.
Roger is now more involved with the Parisi team than ever before. He gladly brings his knowledge and connections to the table to help the Parisi team in numerous ways. He has helped build a stronger connection in the community. Candace and Darius have weekly meetings and with Roger and he is very open to the ideas that Darius, Candace and their team bring to the table. They appreciate that Roger allows Candace and Darius to be directors, which has been crucial to their recent growth and success. Prior, the Parisi team at this location struggled to show the value of Parisi to ownership. Now that it’s clear, Candace and Darius are empowered to run the ship.
Candace attributes the success of the program to the camaraderie of the staff and how they have teamed up with the entire Gold’s Gym staff. Helping each other has helped them not only reach their revenue goals, but recognize the value in the program.
Candace has open communication with the General Manager, and was very clear in stating that she needed help. Bringing Darius into the picture was a game changer.
“It’s not just about training. It’s about character and changing kid’s lives. The mission made me fall in love with it all over again and I wanted to share that with my staff and continue that mission in our facility,” says Candace.
Candace shared her advice for the network:
1. Build quality connections, whether it’s with your staff, owners or the community.
2. Use your resources! The Program Mastery Series provides an enormous amount of business information. Ginger is always just a text or call away. Before that, I was all over the Online Resource Center and Parisi University. I was using all of the Marketing Kits available and involving my full staff in the Education Challenge. It has helped our coaches get more engaged.
Darius shared his advice for the network:
1. Always believe in what you’re doing. It starts with you. No matter what barriers you run into, you must always believe in what you’re doing.
2. Build and keep your relationships. I love training teams. I love meeting parents. Building these relationships will bring you other connections.
3. Put the effort in. Ginger delivered one of the best programs I have ever been involved in with the Mastery Series. She did her job, it’s on us to do ours. It’s just like training. We can give an athlete a great program, but if they don’t follow it, they won’t succeed. The same is true for running your Parisi program.
Roger would like to share the following with other Owners:
When my staff attends any Parisi events, they come back overly engaged. Not just for a day or for a week, but for a long time to come. They are so motivated. The mission comes front and center and we all remember why we’re doing this – for the children.
Building Strength for Speed