Boutique start-up gym founder flags challenges of post-Coronavirus operations

Simon Anderson, co-founder of fitness studio SOMA Collection has shared his experiences of how the boutique gym in Sydney’s CBD has adapted to changes brough about by the Coronavirus lockdown and its subsequent reopening.

Anderson explains “being a boutique start-up gym, … COVID-19 had a massive effect on SOMA. We were only six months in and just building our brand and membership base. In the first two weeks we lost more than 70% of our business, so we were grateful that Mindbody provided much needed fee relief to help us during this time while we focused on how we could pivot our business.

“When we were forced to close down due to (NSW) Government regulations, we created an online platform called SOMA At Home. All of SOMA’s amazing teachers and personal trainers came together to help us create a brilliant platform with a huge variety of classes, tutorials and education seminars. Some of our members are still using this platform, but majority of our loyal members love the SOMA environment we have created.

“SOMA’s advantage over most other gyms is that our classes have always been made up of eight to 10 people per class which allowed us to return to in-person classes much quicker than other studios.

“Mindbody’s educational resources provided SOMA with lots of useful tips throughout these challenging times. We’ve now capped membership and have a huge emphasis on being the cleanest and most hygienic club. Upon return our members felt safe and comfortable at SOMA and we thank them for doing the right thing and keeping their social distance.”