Stronghold Fitness – business innovation by going back to basics
For Ben Gladden and Chris Symes, sport had always been a passion, so after years of working for bigger studios, they decided to go it alone and founded Stronghold Fitness. Here’s how their space at Capital Business Centre in Croydon has been key to the health of Stronghold Fitness.
Starting up a high-energy fitness business
Sometimes the right career path is a no-brainer. Fitness had always been a big part of life for both Chris and Ben, who run Stronghold Fitness offering high-energy classes and expert-led training in a strong, supportive community.
Both were keen swimmers and football players growing up, and so the decision to gain qualifications in personal training was easy. For Ben, sport became an important outlet. He told us: “I fell into fitness because my dyslexia wasn’t recognised and it meant I had trouble with school. Because of that, sport became my life effectively. So, I thought, well, let’s do a course in sports therapy, and then got my personal training qualification at the same time.”
A few years after the two had independently decided to turn passion into profession, they met whilst coaching at the same facility. Chris recalls: “Walking in on day one, you assess the room, see who’s coaching, how they’re coaching. You gravitate to people that have a very similar style to you. So, we obviously had similarities in coaching style and delivery, but we also discovered that, despite the ten-year age difference between us, we had a lot in common. So, we ended up being quite good friends outside of coaching.”
He explains that after the pandemic, the fitness sector became very competitive and as gyms had to work harder to survive, they decided to use their talent, skills and experience to set up on their own.
A seamless moving-in process
For Stronghold Fitness, the skills and talent to move ahead with the new venture were present from the outset. However, it was some time before the two coaches found the perfect location for the business, as Chris recalls: “We spent four or five months working on a deal with a different property. We’d already assessed Capital Business Centre in the past. Then, finally, the day the other deal fell through for legal reasons, this unit became available, so we ended up back here again. We were lucky: this was the one we should have gone for the first time round, but it kind of then smacked us in the face again the second time.”
Ben contrasts their experience in their previous space to the process of moving into Capital Space’s Croydon business centre. “It’s been an unexpectedly seamless process to move in. Having spent so long floating around, we then had a much more positive experience of: is the unit available? Yes, it is. When can we move in? A negative experience can help you recognise a positive one.”
Building a strong enterprise for future success
After emerging from these tough situations, it is not surprising that Ben and Chris’ goals now are to focus on providing quality coaching. “We’re just buzzing to be done with the hard graft. Now it’s just actually working hands-on with the business”, Chris jokes.
Within this sphere, however, lies not just a dedication to providing top quality training to customers, but also, says Ben: “to creating a fitness space that is ‘all-inclusive’. By this, we mean a space that is inclusive for our clients and members, but also considers the needs of the other coaches, sports clubs and sports teams. It provides like a home where everyone can congregate to succeed and see progress.”
He elaborates, explaining that as long as he and Chris continue doing what they do best, they trust their business will flourish. “In my experience, if you help someone to grow and you get them wins – no matter how big or how small – they’re going to stay with you for a long time because they trust you.”
Advice for a fighting fit business
Interestingly, it is clear that many of the lessons that have helped Ben and Chris to become successful personal trainers have proven just as useful in maintaining the vitality of Stronghold Fitness.
Much like in fitness, Chris states, business success comes when you recognise wins. “It’s about recognising efforts. There’ve been aspects of our journey where we haven’t been completely able to deliver on a section. We’ve definitely had help along the way. If you recognise the efforts of someone, they’re more than likely to continue to make those efforts to allow a business to become more successful.”
While Ben notes the importance of a good foundation and understanding of the core principles: “As much as we’re talking about our facilities being this new progressive thing, that’s almost because it takes a step back to where things worked before. What we’re doing is nothing industry-breaking. It’s nothing that snazzy. It’s just going back and latching onto the thing that created a lot of success in the past, that a lot of fitness businesses have lost sight of. It’s identifying what works and making sure not to lose sight of that. You can build on it, sure, but you need to make sure the bread and butter of the business is there. For us, it’s interpersonal relations, and genuine classes and good service.”
