Getting on with it
The last six weeks have been a complete rollercoaster. Covid-19 has impacted each and every one of us, in ways that many of us will never comprehend.
As everyone has, I have been adapting to life in self-isolation. There has been so much loss and so much suffering. The feelings of empathy have played out within us all in these last few weeks and I am constantly observing tremendous kindness, not only within my family and peer group, but within the fitness industry as a whole.
So, whilst the world comes to terms with the ‘new normal’, industry thoughts are moving to ‘what next’. We will recover from Covid-19. Life will resume. Businesses, at some point, will return to ‘business as normal’, albeit with a potentially slightly different look at the start.
In Cover Ninja world, these last 5 weeks and the forthcoming weeks have been and will remain about getting on with it. What can we do now to ensure we will come out the other side stronger? It is time for less cover, and more Ninja. And that is exactly what we have done.
Ambition
If there are two things that the Cover Ninja team have, it is ambition and drive. We know what needs to get done and we even know how we need to do it. We understand our business KPIs, and even faced with this pandemic, we have always felt confident that they will be achieved.
The structure, the drive and the determination remains and if anything, it’s even more powerful than pre Covid-19.
Self-Start
I have always had an alternative view of down time. Surely ‘down time’ should be called ‘up time’?! In my early fitness instructor days (yes, 21 years ago now!) there were hourly slots in my schedule called ‘hosting’. This was often deemed by many as down time. Down time between inductions and programmes. Time to grab a bite, time to take a breath. But for me, this was up-time! I loved hosting. What’s not to love about walking round the gym floor chatting to and having a laugh with members?
I have adopted the same self-start approach with Cover Ninja during lockdown. With an average of 5 incoming emails per week, life is definitely different but actually this ‘up time’ has given me time to plan, focus and crack on. I have weekly scheduled tasks, I know what I am doing each day and I know my weekly deliverables. There is always stuff to do, even if it’s the stuff you always put off, so whilst things might look a little different, I’ve found it’s been important to keep updating my to-do list and get my head down now, without the usual interruptions.
Be better than before
Whilst there are obviously no users currently using the platform, we are incredibly lucky that we can be pushing on with the product and its development when the doors of our venues remain firmly closed.
We are developing features and improving user experience so that we will return stronger! We are excited to show our venues what we have been getting up to and are determined to deliver a better, enhanced platform post Covid-19.
The Future
I am an even mix of nervous and excited. Whilst I am proud of our ambition, drive and ability to self-start, I am also incredibly thoughtful. Not only about Cover Ninja’s survival, but the industry as a whole.
From owning and operating a venue previously and consulting with numerous brands in the last 15 years, I have a solid understanding of industry profit margins and really do understand first-hand how difficult managing the cash flow for businesses will be in the forthcoming months.
So much so, that here at Cover Ninja we are removing any usage cost and offering our platform completely free of charge to all operators (existing and new) for the rest of 2020 in order to support the industry to get back on its feet post-Covid19 (learn more about this here). We are allowing and encouraging operators to use this time to set up the platform so that they can open stronger than ever, in the confidence that they are in control of their GEX instructors, with a system that ensures they save time, save money, and delivers the best possible product to their members.
So, that’s Cover Ninja’s future. What’s yours?
