Dallas-Fort Worth gyms, trainers try to survive coronavirus by moving workouts online
As fitness-focused small businesses and trainers face financial uncertainty while deemed non-essential businesses by stay-at-home edicts brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, the silver lining is that their members and clients want to remain in shape.
In trying to avoid COVID-19, it would seem people don’t want to gain the COVID 19.
Granted, the silver isn’t glimmering, not with families to feed and employees and bills to pay. But in going to virtual training, gyms and trainers are able to keep money coming in while giving clients something they can use.
“We really wanted to be able to give our members a way to stay plugged in,” said Stephanie Springer, who owns Texas Fitt in Arlington with her husband, Clint. “In keeping our online presence and giving them something to do for free, a lot of our members have really appreciated it.”
Springer said that she has submitted applications for help under the CARES Act that President Trump signed into law March 27. Of the $2.2 trillion of economic stimulus, $376 billion was earmarked for workers and small businesses.
Small businesses can apply for a Payback Protection Program loan from U.S. Small Business Association lender to cover up two months of average payroll costs from 2019, plus an extra 25% of that amount. The loans comes with two-year terms and a 1% fixed interest rate.
The loan, backed by the SBA, can be forgiven in full if borrowers prove that at least 75% of the funds covered payroll. Repayments are deferred for six months.
Percy Bass, who owns Head2Toe Fitness Studio in Grand Prairie, said he tried to get his PPP loan Friday, the first day loans were available but his bank informed him that they wouldn’t begin processing loans until this week.
“I’m having to wait on that,” he said Friday. “Last night, with my bookkeeper, we got all the paperwork and everything we needed to file, and then I get to my bank and they’re like, ‘We’re not rolling it out until Monday.’ I’m like, ‘The federal government said it was supposed to start today.’ It’s very stressful.”
Bass has only four employees. Springer has more than 40, though most of those are trainers who work as independent contractors. Allison Fullmer, who owns Sanara Yoga & Wellness in Southlake, also filled out applications and said that her employees’ top concern is if the studio will stay in business in the short-term, and long-term once the curve has been flattened.
All who spoke to the Star-Telegram for this story, including Chris Ayala of Chris Ayala Fitness in White Settlement, said they continue to charge their members.
There have been some cancellations and frozen accounts at Texas Fitt, Springer said, and Ayala said that he will not charge dues if anyone is dealing with unemployment or other financial hardships.
Many members haven’t complained and are happy to continue supporting their gym.
“It helps keep the business a float,” Ayala said. “We’re emailing them workouts when we aren’t doing our videos. They love them, and they say how much they miss them. It’s crazy how much we think it’s just a class, but it keeps us together.”
Big gyms have been affected, too. Orangetheory Fitness, for instance, has furloughed its employees and trainers, like Darryl Hart in Arlington. He has started online workouts from his home for free, but hopes to start charging for them.
Mercedes Ramirez, the head coach at Orangetheory Las Colinas is offering personal training from her garage, and is taking clients from her network, recommendations or via her Instagram account — @coach_mercedes24.
Others have found their way to trainwithkickoff.com, a website where people can find personal trainers for $95 a month.
“I feel like the world is changing right in front of me,” Hart said. “I’m trying to figure it out. I have the basis on what to do, but I don’t want to be pushy. So far I just want to see what comes through natural curiosity.”
The good news that the gyms and trainers mentioned here are offering the workouts for free via various social media platforms and Zoom, although the video-conferencing app has come under fire in recent days over security concerns.
Bass said that Head2Toe offers workout programs on its Facebook page and virtual workouts led by a trainer are available via a low-cost a 21-day virtual fitness challenge to non-members.
Access to more than a dozen workouts a week can be had for a donation of at least $10, and proceeds go to area small businesses.
“If they support us like that, we know there are some small business that are not as fortunate,” Bass said. “We want to be able to give back to the businesses near us.”
One hope during this shutdown period is that non-members who find workouts while stuck at home will become members once businesses are able to re-open. Marketing, though, isn’t the purpose behind gyms and trainers going virtual.
“We had 1,200 Facebook followers, and we have almost 3,500 now,” Fullmer said. “Every class we are offering we are offering to everybody for free. I hope we can reach as many people as possible because I really think what we offer can help. Three months from now, if those people in the community, they love what they did and what they saw, we would love to have them.”
For now, it’s survival of the fittest, for the gyms, their members and the public.
“As a small business it’s very scary,” Springer said. “We’ve been very successful and fortunate and the business kept growing, and then all of the sudden it’s like you take a running faucet and just turn it off. It’s really a battle of the mind.
“I think at the end there will be some silver linings for everybody,” he said. “It’s just you can’t see it right now because you don’t really know how long this is going to last.”
This story was originally published April 8, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
