Below is the letter I sent after the previous one (you can read that here). It's the one that got me the specific confirmations of what, if anything, my clients will keep paying so that I could plan, vs just wishing everything was okay.
I hope you're doing as well as you can during this stressful time. As I contemplate the prospect of the gym doors being locked for an unknown period, I think back to the business plan I wrote for Custom Strength. Pandemic that forces the entire world economy to close for several months didn't cross my mind as a business risk I might have to address. And yet, here we are.
It's clear to me that closing shops and practicing physical distancing is the right thing to do to save lives and prevent our health care system from collapsing horribly. It's also clear that while we're all in this together, we're not all in this equally. Many of those who continue to work from home and receive regular paycheques will be better off financially at the end of this because there is little opportunity to spend. On the other end of that spectrum, many small business owners will either go bankrupt or be left trying to figure out what to do with the mountains of debt this creates for them. In between are the workers who are no longer working, and the parents who are having to cut back their hours to take care of their kids now that schools and daycares are closed. And let's not forget those who are immunocompromised, or whose loved ones are: This must be terrifying for them. Compared to other small business owners, I'm fortunate to fall in that middle area, as personal training is a service that lends itself well to online delivery.
With that preamble, I'll get to the point of this email, which is me asking you what you would like to do about working out and Custom Strength over the coming months. I've been thinking about this constantly for the past two weeks, and I have finally figured out a set of options that will at a minimum prevent me from going bankrupt and closing Custom Strength, and at best allow me to continue employing our amazing team without taking on a mountain of debt. Or we'll land in the middle, which will leave me with some tough decisions. Today's announcement about payroll assistance is promising, but I'll reserve judgement until the details come out on Monday.
I apologize for the length of this email, but I feel it's important to be clear and detailed. Please read through the options and select the one that feels like the best fit for you. While I know which options I prefer, I offer each option sincerely in recognition that we each have unique situations and unique needs. Please respond with your selection by the end of the day on Saturday March 28th. I realize this isn't a lot of time, but based on your answers, I have math to do, and decisions to make, and I don't have the luxury of delaying those decisions.
Option 1: At-home Custom training.
You'll start this option by filling in a questionnaire telling us your goals, the equipment you have (big bags of rice?), how long you'd like your workout to take, how often you plan to do it, and whether you'd like us to hound you a bit to help make sure you actually do your workouts. Once we create your custom program, we'll go over it with you during a thirty-minute video session. We will continue to answer questions via the Custom Strength Online workoutplace on Slack and with additional mini-video chats. You'll also find motivation from your gym friends there, and additional workouts to try if you want something a little different.
The price for this option is $200+HST/month, or if you currently pay less than that because you've been a loyal client, you can sign up for this option for your regular monthly invoice amount.
I realize that may sound high to some of you, and I would like to take a minute to address that. The challenge with online training is that we spend a lot more non-coaching hours for you each month when we aren't there coaching you through each workout. When we coach you, we see what you need to work on and can ask you what you want to work on, so the program updates take very little time. And we can answer your questions while you work out. When you train with us at the gym, our semi-private approach means you share the real cost of training with two other people. Lastly please note our prices cover more than just our time; they also cover rent for the gym (we still pay for it even though we're closed, much like you still pay your mortgage when you're on vacation), insurance, our website, scheduling system, etc.
To summarize: if you would like us to put together an at-home workout for you, including all the details above, please reply to this email saying you want option 1. (before end of day on Saturday March 28th).
If you are already enjoying our at-home workouts and would like to continue to receive updated programs with all the support noted above, please reply to this email saying you want option 1. (also before end of day on Saturday March 28th).
We will provide that to you in exchange for invoicing you either $200+HST per month, or your regular invoice amount, whichever is less.
Option 2: Coached semi-private video training sessions.
This is the closest option we have to the training you do at the gym. You'll fill in the same questionnaire noted above, we'll use that to create a program for you, and we'll schedule a regular weekly time for your workouts. And then when it's workout time, we'll start a zoom video call with you and up to two other people, and we'll coach you through your workout just like we normally do, except we'll be watching your form over the internet instead of in-person. We'll update your program every month, and show you your updated program and answer any questions during your next workout. You'll also have access to the Custom Strength Online workoutplace including the extra workouts noted above.
The price for this option is $200+HST/month, or if you currently pay less than that because you've been a loyal client, you can sign up for this option for your regular monthly invoice amount.
Further to my note above, it really costs us the same each month whether we create and share a program that you do on your own, or we coach you through it in a semi-private environment every week.
To summarize: if you would like to do coached semi-private video training sessions with us, please reply to this email saying you want option 2. (before end of day on Saturday March 28th).
If you are already enjoying our at-home workouts and would like to switch to coached semi-private video training, please reply to this email saying you want option 2. (before end of day on Saturday March 28th).
We will provide that to you in exchange for invoicing you either $200+HST per month, or your regular invoice amount, whichever is less.
Option 3: Pay your regular invoice each month, do your own thing, make up these sessions you're paying for but not using once we re-open. This option is for those of you who are generously interested in supporting us through this closure, but the online training options don't feel like something that will work for you. With this option, you'll continue to pay your regular invoice amount while we're closed, and bank that time toward extra semi-private sessions each week once we re-open.
Please reply that you would like to do option 3 if this sounds like you, and we will continue to invoice you your regular amount while we are closed, and once we re-open, you'll take an extra weekly coached session until the banked sessions are used up. (Please reply before end of day on Saturday March 28th).
Option 4: Pay your regular invoice each month, do your own thing, and pay a reduced invoice amount once we re-open. This option is for those of you who are generously interested in supporting us through this closure, the online training options don't feel like something that will work for you, but you already train as often as you can find time for in your regular life schedule. With this option, you'll continue to pay your regular invoice amount while we're closed, and once we open, you'll pay 2/3 of your regular invoice amount until your pre-paid balance reaches zero.
Please reply that you would like to do option 4 if this sounds like you, and we will continue to invoice you your regular amount while we are closed, and once we re-open, we'll invoice you 2/3 of your regular invoice amount until your pre-paid balance reaches zero. (Please reply before end of day on Saturday March 28th).
Option 5: Do your own thing, don't pay in the meantime, and we'll reach out to you once we re-open to welcome you back to your regular training. This option is for those of you who either aren't in a position to keep paying your invoice while we're closed, or for those who don't feel right about continuing to pay for training that you aren't receiving.
Please reply that you would like to do option 5 if this sounds like you, and we will discontinue your invoice while we are closed and welcome you back once we are ready to open again. (Please reply before end of day on Saturday March 28th).
Option 6: Sign up for one of the two online training options above, but don't pay. This option is for you if you have lost your income or have had to go on EI or CERB but would have signed up for option 1 or 2 if you were still working. These are stressful times and the last thing you should be doing in such a time is stopping your workouts. Since you would have selected option 5 otherwise, signing up for this option does not affect our financial ability to get through these next few months, but it would make us feel really good to be able to pass along some of the kindness our clients are providing to us.
Please reply that you would like to do option 6 if this sounds like you, and we will discontinue your invoice payments while we are closed, and get you started with one of our at-home training options. (Please reply before end of day on Saturday March 28th).