Today we’d like to introduce you to Marissa DiNucci.
Marissa, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Growing up, I was an athlete. I played soccer, and basketball, but I HATED the gym.
Even as an adult I tried the Big Box gym, and personal trainers, but I would never enjoy it, and I would eventually quit.
After the birth of my 4th child, I was in chronic pain, and the baby weight was not coming off. I knew I needed to do something. But getting a babysitter to go to the gym became so expensive. And in all honesty, if I was going to pay someone to watch my kids, working out was not how I wanted to spend my time.
A good friend had recently join Stroller Strides, an outdoor fitness group, where you got to bring your children.
It sounded awful, I mean who wants to attempt a workout, and have to watch their kids at the same time? Right?
But I figured, I would give it a try.
From the very first class I felt so welcomed, and it wasn’t horrible at all. I mean all these ladies were in much better shape than I was, but they didn’t judge me, they encouraged me. It got me out of the house, and I was being active.
Soon I found myself making friends, and looking forward to going.
This franchise also offered an 8-week intense program, called Body Back. During this time in my life we had just bought a new home, and were in the process of moving, but I decided to do it anyway, because it was at a gym, and they offered childcare!
The first night, you do a “fitness assessment” and I was mortifying. The instructor times you, and you were to complete as many of the given exercise in the time allowed.
Exercise 1- sit-ups. And GO…. I could not do 1 sit up, tick tock, tick tock. I just sat there so embarrassed as everyone was moving up and down, it was a feeling I will never forget.
Then came time to run. How many laps can you do in 7 minutes… I started fast and quickly fell to the back of the pack, my lungs were on fire, and I swear I was about to cough up blood, but I kept going, cursing and on the verge of tears, I kept my feet going.
And at the end of that night, I told myself, for the next 8 weeks, you are gonna do whatever she says, and you are not gonna quit.
My new mantra became, if you want something you have never had before, you have to do something you have never done. And I did. I got stronger, and I ran farther and faster, and I was hooked.
Soon after that, I approached Angela, the owner of the Stroller Strides, and I asked her if she wanted to open a gym with me.
Because I wanted to share this feeling with every woman, no matter if they thought they were a workout type or not. Everyone and anyone can do this with the right support and guidance.
Today Max is full of amazing women, who have similar stories to mine, as well as many who love the gym. But we are all women, with a common goal, who love and support each other.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting our business we had a ton of good intentions. I had run a small business before but I had no fitness or marketing background, so it was a rough go at first.
Angela had a following from her outdoor business, but we had a different business model and price point so we had to cultivate most of the clients we have now organically.
But we both knew what we wanted, and we just had to figure out how to get there. The core clients we had, were amazing, and we always got a great feedback, we just couldn’t seem to grow. We would add 2 and then 1 would have to cancel. It was discouraging.
It took years of trial and error, and we made most of the common mistakes, like discounting ourselves to death, and the dreaded GROUPON.
Then at this time last year we decided we needed help, and we found a program called The Client Cure, and a lady named Lise Kuecker.
Lise was a former studio owner, who now exclusively helps small studios with, business development and packages. From her we learned everything from how to talk to potential clients, package our memberships, and really how to target our “Ideal client.”
She let us get back to what we loved about Max. Angela got to instruct and motivate, and run the studio, and I learned how to do the marketing, and the financials.
We still have so much more room to grow, but it’s fun again.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Max Fitness HB – what should we know?
MAX Fitness is a boutique group fitness studio, which specializes in women, specifically moms. We have a large variety of classes, and our mission was to be the only gym membership these ladies will ever need.
From TRX, to barre, SPIN to yoga & PiYo, we have every format, and eliminate the need for punch cards to 4 different places.
The community of Max Fitness is what I am most proud of and what sets us apart from others. We get amazing results of course, but the love and community of the women and their children is what makes Max really special.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
We always joke that we are relatable… We aren’t strutting around in sports bras ready to be on the cover of Shape magazine, but we are strong, and healthy, and we love what we do.
But I think our perseverance, and willingness to learn and grow is why we have succeeded.
Pricing:
- Introductory Package $30
- Unlimited monthly Platinum Membership $139
- 28 Day Challenge $349
Contact Info:
- Address: 9065 Adams Ave.,
Huntington Beach, CA 92646 - Website: www.maxfitnesshb.com
- Phone: 6572440821
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @maxfitnesshb
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maxfitnesshb/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/max-fitness-huntington-beach
Image Credit:
Candace Rock Photography
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
