Business Growth Strategies – Shannon Hudson
business growth strategies
SUMMARY
As an entrepreneur, we may want to cater to a lot of things or services in the business thus having the business growth strategies is important to be able to stay focused on your goal and doing the things you are great at.
On this episode, we have Shannon Hudson. He is the owner and CEO of 9round Franchising which is one of the fastest growing businesses in the fitness industry.
Shannon talks about some of the things that had helped his business grow. He also gives pieces of advice to entrepreneurs who are struggling in their business and provides tips in simplifying the business.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
One key to success is simplicity in the business model. If the business model is complex, it creates confusion in the marketplace.
Focus is to follow one course until successful.
System is to save yourself time, energy and money.
Focus and systems is the key to a successful business. Be great at one thing. Hone in to a niche and be amazing at it.
The skill of being able to sell must be learned because almost everything that we do is selling. Once you find your niche, you should be able to sell.
You can’t have just one strategy and do one thing for marketing. You have to have many poles in the water. You have to do many things.
You must find balance if you think that you’ve niched too far. You need to find something that reaches the masses but yet it’s niched.
TRANSCRIPTION: Business Growth Strategies – Shannon Hudson
Kamala Chambers
On this episode, we’re here talking about how to create rapid growth in your business using business growth strategies.
Luis Congdon
Hey, Thriving Launchers! Today, we’re going to be talking to 9round owner and CEO, Shannon Hudson who has created one of the fastest growing businesses in the fitness industry.
We’re going to learn his business growth strategies to help your business grow.
All right, Thriving Launchers without further ado, let’s get Shannon on the show.
Shannon, are you ready to launch?
Shannon Hudson
I am ready!
How Business Growth Strategies Help Companies
Luis Congdon
One of the things that’s really impressive about 9round, I know you have been all over the media. You have grown and become an international business and it’s really incredible to watch how fast you guys have grown, what you guys are up to especially because it’s in the fitness industry, which is something I’m incredibly passionate about.
I’m curious, what are some of the business growth strategies that helped you? You must have had a lot of systems in place and really understood that.
Business Growth Strategies – Keeping The Business Model Simple
Shannon Hudson
Yes. Great question!
One of the business growth strategies that helped us grow is number one, keeping the business model very simple. I think it is the key to success. I do not like complexity. I think most humans like simple processes, simple concepts and simple things to grasp.
I think keeping the business very simple is one of the most attractive things in the world and that’s what we’ve tried to do with 9round.
Business Growth Strategies – Do One thing Better Than Anyone In The World
Shannon Hudson
We do not have a lot of moving parts. We do one thing and we try to do that one thing better than anyone in the world.
You look at any great brand like Starbucks. They’re great at coffee. That’s their thing, right? They’re not going to start doing pizza. You look at Five Guys or In and Out Burger. They do one thing and they do it great.
Too many people I see and too many entrepreneurs try to be everything to everyone and do this and do that. I tell you it creates confusion in the marketplace and they’re not good in anything.
Kamala Chambers
I love that and it’s something that is really hard to do I think for people who have a lot of ideas, have a lot of passions, want to bring it all forward, and want to be able to help everyone.
People Struggling to Implement Business Growth Strategies
Kamala Chambers
I know what I say to those people but I’d love to hear what you would say to someone like that struggling with that in business.
Shannon Hudson
You’re so right. I see it all the time. People come to me all the time with ideas of businesses and want me to help them. I tell them the same. I said, “Get great at one thing. Hone in to a niche and be amazing at it.” Right?
For 9round, we do a thirty minute full body kickboxing circuit workout. That’s it.
Business Growth Strategies – Stay FOCUS On What You Do
Shannon Hudson
Could we go in to a personal training one on one? We could. Childcare, showers, smoothie bar, could we go all those directions? You know we could but we don’t. We just want to stay laser-focused on what we do and be the best in the world at it.
That’s what I tell people to do. It is called FOCUS, right? I love acronyms, right?
I’ll give you a couple of them. FOCUS, I read this in one of Robert Kiyosaki’s books. It said “Follow one course until successful. FOCUS.” I just always keep that in my brain.
Business Growth Strategies – SYSTEMS
Shannon Hudson
I know earlier we are talking and you said you love systems and another acronym for SYSTEMS which I love is Save Yourself Time, Energy and Money. Focus and systems is the key.
Kamala Chambers
Yes! That is fantastic! It’s something that I really appreciate and admire about what you guys are doing.
What is something that you would recommend just like a concrete call to action that you would give to people to simplify their business using business growth strategies?
Shannon Hudson
Great question!
Business Growth Strategies – Look at The Biggest Revenue Streams In Your Business
Shannon Hudson
I think if you watched that movie, The Founder, it’s a documentary Michael Keaton played Ray Kroc and what they did is they looked at the menu and found what the items that they were selling the most of and 80% or 90% of the revenue was cheeseburgers and fries and milkshakes. That’s what they did. They cut all the BS out.
I would tell someone take your business and find out what are the biggest revenue streams in there. What is the biggest revenue stream? Let’s hone in on that and be great at it.
Business Growth Strategies in The Field Of Fitness
Shannon Hudson
If you own a restaurant or if you are in the fitness space, be great at a certain aspect of fitness.
Fitness is such a big genre. It’s such a big thing. There are many places you could go with it.
For example Zumba, they did a great of niching the dance fitness. That’s what they do and they do great at it.
Business Growth Strategies – Pick Your Niche
Shannon Hudson
That’s what I would tell anyone for advice right now.
Luis Congdon
As I’m listening to you, I’m reminded of my conversation that I had earlier today with one of my clients. He was kind of afraid that niching down was dangerous like being too niche.
I gave him an example of one of our previous guests who came on our show, Jordan Reasoner. Not only did he niche down, he niched down to a point that it was like only a few are the exact perfect person for what they have will you even discover them. Do you find any kind of danger in that?
Business Growth Strategies – Finding Balance In Niching Down
Shannon Hudson
Well, I think you could niche too far. Find balance, right? You need to find something that reaches the masses but yet is niched.
Fitness reaches the masses. Everyone needs to work out. Everyone is starve for time so best one we do thirty minutes but yet it’s niched to just kickboxing.
That’s where we found a good balance there. I think there is some danger there but you’ll find it. The old “Seek and you shall find,” and if people will just do that instead of trying to be everything to everybody and halfway.
Business Growth Strategies – Learn How To Sell
Shannon Hudson
I think the next skill they have to learn is to be able to sell. Selling people are not born salesman. I’m telling you.
Some people say they are born, some they are not. You have to learn this skill.
Everyone is selling. I’m selling my wife of where I want to eat tonight. I’m selling my kids to go to bed at 9:30. I’m selling this member to come back and do another work out tomorrow. I’m selling my employees to follow my lead and do what I asking them to do. I’ve got to be able to ask for the money and ask for people to enroll in the program, become a franchise owner. That’s the next skill.
Once you find your niche, you got to be able to sell.
That’s what I would tell someone if they are asking me about some advice there.
Business Growth Strategies – Focus On The Solution you’re Offering
Kamala Chambers
The approach I really like to take with niching is really to look at the solution that you’re offering. That’s what you guys are doing. You’re focused on solution and the solution is specific.
Shannon Hudson
You got it! For us the solution is time because everyone is busy. With our model, there’s no class time. It’s a circuit. Whenever you walked in the door if it’s 5:13 or 6:37, you are going to get a trainer led work-out in 30 minutes. That’s where we prey on. That’s our unique selling proposition and that’s what makes us different.
Business Growth Strategies – Focus On What Makes You Different
Luis Congdon
What I really think is cool too is that the fitness industry is a huge industry. How do people find you when they go online because it is such a big industry that it’s got to be really incredibly hard to get found or for people to recognize you as being “That’s the place I want to check out”?
Shannon Hudson
It is very hard and it’s very competitive but you’re talking to a competitor here. I love to compete.
You’re right. Sometimes, we don’t do very well online. I think the way people find us is through word of mouth. Current members say “You have got to come do this,” or someone at work says “What are you doing? You look like you’ve lost weight. You have more energy. What are you doing?” They’re like “Hey, I do 9round. It’s a 30-minute workout. Come do this with me.”
Business Growth Strategies – Help People Feel Better About Themselves
Shannon Hudson
Online, maybe we are not the best and yes we need to get better at it. The way people find us is by delivering results back to that problem solving, giving solutions, helping people feel better about themselves and that’s how people find us.
Luis Congdon
I really love that. I think word of mouth is something that’s highly untapped.
I’m curious is there a certain strategy that you guys utilize to help people talk about you more, be more comfortable suggesting that they check out your gym?
I know that one of the great mentors, one of the things he kept saying is you need to have all these different channels in your business dialed in and you can borrow from different businesses and some businesses are excellent in referrals. Some of them are great at email, webinars and the more that you are going to include all of that into business then you get this nine pillars of a successful business that regardless of what falls out, there’s always something there to replace it in case one of the pillars gets weak for whatever reason.
Business Growth Strategies – Utilizing Word Of Mouth
Luis Congdon
I’m curious. Are there certain business growth strategies that you guys utilize or something that helps you use that word of mouth?
Shannon Hudson
You nailed it and you said it so right. I’ve also heard that one is the most dangerous number. You can’t have just one strategy and do one thing for marketing. You have to have many poles in the water. You have to do many things.
Business Growth Strategies – Ways To Get Referrals
Shannon Hudson
The way we get referrals is number one giving your customers results. Number one is making sure you know if they want to get back in the skinny jeans, let’s make sure they get back in their skinny jeans. Let’s call them if they don’t show up and check on.
I like to joke we are the only fitness center in the world that wants people to show up. Most people just want you to pay and hope you forget about it, right?
We want you to show up. Our clubs are very small. We only need 200 to 300 members to do very well and we want you to see results. Number one, we get the customer results.
Number two we ask for referrals. We’re not shy about saying “Hey, we love you. We want more people like you. Who do you think can come in with you next week? It’s a bring a friend week and who can you bring in to work out with you? It’s always more fun with a buddy. We’ll give them a 10-day pass. We’ll give them a free week pass to work out with you.”
Number one, give them results. Number two, don’t be shy in asking for referrals.
Kamala Chambers
That is good. That is really important. It is so simple it’s just easy to overlook because it’s so simple.
Tips On Utilizing Business Growth Strategies
Kamala Chambers
Before we wrap up here, are there any last tips that you would want to leave the Thriving Launchers with? What is your number one strategy that you want us all to walk away with?
Shannon Hudson
The number one strategy is the focus.
As the CEO, I got pulled a lot of directions every single day but I have one focus, to be the number one kickboxing chain in the world and that’s my drive every single day.
When you get up, you got to have one thing that pops in your brain. That’s your driving force that pulls you like a magnet in one direction and that’s it.
Business Growth Strategies – Be A Fighter In Life
Shannon Hudson
I want to be number one. I’m competitive. I like to fight. I like to fight in the ring. I like to fight in business and I want to be number one. Those of you who are listening and you are not a fighter in the ring, that’s okay, but you need to be a fighter in life and get that focus honed in, niched down, and go for it.
Luis Congdon
Thriving Launchers, I hope you picked up some from today’s episode. If there’s something I’ve taken away, it’s that energy. Wake up with something that’s driving you. Have a goal and have it really clear. Have it be clear in your mind what you want to accomplish. Have it clear in your mind what you do for your clients and have it clear how you are going to get there.
Business Growth Strategies – Have A Clear Goal
Luis Congdon
First and foremost is waking up with that driving and that burning desire to be number one or be the best however that looks for you. It really is reminiscent of Napoleon Hill and it really speaks to why 9round has done so well.
Thriving Launchers, hope you got something from today’s episode on business growth strategies and we’ll catch you on the next episode. See you soon you all.
