But, from being bankrupt a year back, Maik pushed his gym to new heights within one year. Today, his business is bigger than during pre-covid times, with better custom-made equipment and new clients to cater to.
Voted Best Personal Trainer
His company was voted again œ best Personal Trainer œ in NYC for the year 2021.
On the first anniversary of COVID-19 hitting the city of New York, Maik shared his personal experiences and gave tips on sustaining a business during a crisis. Firstly, he advises to stop listening to the news or getting affected by negative political commentaries to focus on the business. He also stresses the importance of self-confidence rather than waiting for the arrival of stimulus checks.
However, the most important factor in building a business is a product that customers like, which can be sold again. In Maik's case, it was providing expert fitness training to people who were stuck indoors due to the pandemic.
œOur main aim is to get you in shape no matter what, so when we couldn't play with our equipment courtesy of Covid, we went to parks with bodyweights and bands. We weren't proud; we took city bikes and trained people in Long Island City, Astoria, Central Park, and Downtown. This is how we built trust and credibility, Maik explained.
Maik believes in strong leadership, and most importantly, leading by example. A leader needs to bring in the maximum clients, work hard among employees and not just give instructions on the phone. He cites examples of great leaders like Elon Musk and Bill Gates, who have immense wealth but still choose to be in the game.
Online personal trainer
Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels
Maintaining Brand Integrity
Maintaining brand integrity is important in ensuring business continuity. This includes adding value to people's lives. By sharing his knowledge on weight-loss tactics, dietary regimens, fitness training, and more through free video tutorials, Maik and his crew attracted many customers who were ready to try his paid products.
Taking risks during a crisis can be tough. However, Maik advises people on taking calculated ones; for instance, he bought new gym equipment even when business was suffering.
œWe got the equipment cheaper than what we would have had to pay, during peak times. It was a calculated risk, which paid off. To run a business successfully, you need to do things that others won't. Like buying new equipment, wiping the gym clean all day, restocking toilet paper, by cold calling leads, and creating good content¦That's how you build a business step-by-step; by doing little things to get you there, Maik added.
Keep the Clients Happy
Although creating content on various platforms is important, Maik advises against leaning solely on social media marketing. For him, marketing isn't all about creating Instagram videos but respecting the circles. This means, first of all, businesses need to keep their clients happy, upsell them, and retain them to provide referrals. Word-of-mouth marketing is crucial for businesses, especially in the fitness industry, to attract new clients during the pandemic. This is because; people are already quite skeptical about trusting new brands. They are unlikely to visit a new gym they don't know about.
With a stellar resume to his name, Maik, for years, has coached people from various walks of life. He built a solid brand from scratch, which people are happy to refer to their friends. That is why, despite countering initial setbacks during the onset of Covid-19, his gym could maintain its clientele and cash flow for sustenance. Maik urges business owners to never give up and do whatever it takes; so that there are no regrets later on.
About the Company: Maik Wiedenbach is a renowned fitness trainer with an endless list of accomplishments and titles. He is an NYU professor, Olympic-level swimmer, Musclemania champion with thousands of subscribers, fans, and followers on his social media accounts. Being an athlete for over two decades, Maik has tried and tested every fitness and nutritional strategy there is. Today, he shares his valuable knowledge through individualized workout and diet plans, weekly newsletters, exclusive gym membership, and 24/7 e-mail support. Maik has also authored books on building muscle strength and fitness levels. He relies on scientific facts rather than fad diets, overpriced medications, and unhealthy supplements. During the pandemic, he has been providing online training sessions for the benefit of people stuck indoors.
