At 22, you are supposed to be just starting to figure out what to do with the rest of your life. Jessica Moulson at Vibes Fitness made those decisions a while ago. Armed with a diploma in professional golf management (she was the only woman in the course and has a 10 handicap) and experience in selling Kelowna real estate, she decided to pursue the entrepreneur’s dream of starting her own business. But just not in Kelowna.
With the impetuousness of all entrepreneurs, she got in her car, drove to Victoria, scouted locations, and opened Vibes Fitness on Fort Street within a month.
“Vibes Fitness is a unique workout concept and, as such, building trust with customers is the key to success,” says Moulson. The machines Vibes uses were developed for the Russian cosmonaut program to maintain bone density and they claim to provide the effect of an hour-long total fitness workout in 15 minutes, three sessions a week.
The machines provide a “wave vibration” that works on stimulating muscles through an involuntary stretch reflex. These machines are a new concept in the fitness business and the biggest challenge, according to Moulson, is being the first to introduce the concept.
“But it’s going really well,” she says. “My target market is women aged 35 to 50 but about 40 per cent of our clients are men.”
“Marketing, particularly word of mouth recommendations, is, of course, the largest goal,” says Moulson, “so I do a lot of local networking with organizations such as the Women’s Business Network and Business Network International.”
She also uses social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn to promote the business and keep in touch with her clients.
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“The machines are a major investment, so getting the business plan right was the first step,” she says. “I understood immediately that the success of the business depended on developing long-term relationships with my clients so I work very hard at ensuring their workout experience is positive.”
She adds, “And that’s the best part: seeing the people enjoying the exercise and getting the results they want.”
Check out some of our other 2010 10 to Watch winners:
AdrenaLINE | Vibes Fitness | Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre | AJ’s Organic Catering | Base Lounge | Victoria Executive Centre | Lúz Gallery | MD Esthetics | BONE | FOO
