In the previous post, I was writing about some of the new projects we are pursuing at elements group…. Believe it or not, there was too much to fit into one post, so this is a continuation of the previous, “upward momentum” story…. it is certainly an exciting time to be in the fitness space, and each of these projects adds additional depth to our consumer experiences, and additional revenue for our franchisees…

Intranet Goes 2.0
Believe it or not, elements is the only fitness brand to offer a full service information and training intranet.
The owners intranet has served us well, and we have added literally 1,200 training tools, resources, tips, mini-handbooks, and forms. We have been researching new technologies that will allow us to transform the intranet into a “dashboard” for all clubs, franchisees, and central team members. The “dashboard” would include a better-organized access to the hundreds of training options, as well as a better way for us to deliver news, updates, and brand items to you and your entire team. It will have varying security levels to allow, for example, front desk employees to access certain levels of information, while owners can access a complete set. Overall, the “dashboard” will provide a better-organized way for us to manage the growing amount of training tools, enabling club managers to understand and easily access these resources.

We will also be developing video training for some key sales, marketing, and operational topics, which will greatly assist in staff development at the club level.

The official Workout of ______ Hotels!
We are working to secure a deal with a major international resort chain to brand their fitness and lifestyle amenities as “elements living.” Brand-name amenities improve a guests experience at a resort, and for us, it is a powerful way to expose thousands of upscale guests to our brand. There are many synergies that can develop from this relationships… and we will keep you posted

For more information on business opportunities including obtaining a stock prospectus on elements group, click here.

As the weather chills and the Holiday lights go up, the end of the year provides a great time to reflect, and to plan for upcoming 2009. Last week, I was writing a letter to our franchisees about some of the new projects we are investing in. When I was finished, I re-read the letter, then again, and found myself impressed (I am tough toimpress!) with the momentum and the positive direction and tremendous growth the elements fitness brand is experiencing.

We have been hard at work to continue to grow and position elements as the leading fitness and lifestyle brand for women. I thought it would be great to share a listing of some of the exciting projects that are currently in our development pipeline.

- elements stories - a new “social” website which will connect the corporate site, magazine, and BalanceD. elements is a special brand - we are a collection of people who are making it happen…. entrepreneurs, survivors, motivators, leaders, mothers, daughters…. although each of us id different there is so much which is similar…. We will be “weaving” stories throughout this site….. stories of our club owners, members, friends, family members… women who are transforming their lives through being a part of the elements movement….. We will be taking all of the member testimonials (and continually adding) to create a dynamic, interactive experience….. My thinking is that this will be an incredible membership sales tool, a entertaining website for current members to visit and interact on, and a market differentiator for us - elements will be the only fitness brand with a live, growing social network. before/after pics, stories, motivation, overcoming…. from across the country, we will see the bonds that tie, and watch a community be built (Jan 2009 launch)

- New supplement line! - we have some great developments in store here! The line is coming together nicely… we are still asking for as many survey responses as you can get - my goal is to have 500 individual surveys prior to making any development decisions on the products - we would like (if possible) a true cross-sampling from all clubs, all ages, and all potential buyers…. this will be a significant revenue center for your club, we want to ensure the new brand and products is the best possible fit! (Projected Mar/Apr 2009 launch, products will be available for purchase in-club and also commissioned online)

- elements television network - We are about a month from announcing “elements TV” - a full entertainment system and network inside the clubs. Music videos (with top selections for our target audience), tips from the advisory board, healthy tips, and branded “shorts” - commercials set to music that you can select and run for all things elements: the latest magazine issue (more readers is better exposure and retention for you), personal training ads, testimonials, diet coaching ads, supplements (once launched), specialty classes and more. elements TV is a complete, expertly branded entertainment experience which will take the club experience to the next level - best news is we are working on a major corporate sponsor (Victoria’s Secret, lancome, or Estee Lauder type) to underwrite 80% of the ongoing cost of the network, implementation and production! (Ready in-club Mar./Apr 2009)

NEW CLUBS! We are very excited for our newest club openings… Columbus, Ohio and Madisonville, KY are already in presale. We will very soon have some great new cities coming online including… Aventura, Orlando, Toronto, Greenwich, and California. In addition, we have some exciting developments in the works…Expect some big things in 2009!

Stock Offering:  Miami Beach, FL – 11/01/08 – elements™ is pleased to announce the launch of their new stock offering program through our parent company, ELEMENTS GROUP. Franchisees, vendors and investors will now be able to purchase stock and own a piece of the fast-growing fitness and lifestyle brand.

Set to correspond with the introduction of the new stock offering program, elements™ has also created a robust corporate business website at www.elementscentral.com to keep investors informed and generate interest for potential investors. The “elements central” site will offer real-time announcements, annual reports, brand previews and strategic information about all facets of the company.

For more information on business opportunities including obtaining a stock prospectus, click here.

What an exciting time of the year to be able to announce our expansion into the consumer products space.   elements has been growing steadily since 2004, to emerge as the category leading fitness brand for women. We have been heavily investing into the creation of consumer portals and networks, such as our elements living magazine, our All Star Fitness Advisory Board, BalanceD interactive Diet, elements living TV (coming soon!).  Possibly one of our most exciting announcements comes at the end of this year… the birth of Oceånica, by elements.  Our creative team has developed a genious offering with Oceånica products….  the beautiful, smartly designed line will feature organic and very potent anti-aging, slimming, and health enhancing ingredients. Over the next few months you will see a very exclusive line of weight loss products unveiled.

Having an exclusive, well-designed line will help the elements brand in many ways, including adding a powerful new revenue stream for franchisees, a great addition to the wellness experience for members, and an important “star” to allow elements into some of the top fashion and lifestyle books.  Look for many exciting announcements to be coming about Oceånica, our products, and our launch parties very soon!

elements group began a limited sale stock in our parent company last month, allowing outside investors, franchisees, as well as our own members to share in the impressive growth of the international fitness and lifestyle brand. A private stock offering is different from the publicly traded kind, each investor must meet certain financial criterion, and receive a several hundred page prospectus, which details the brands extensive growth strategy over the next 5 years. An integral part of the worldwide expansion of elements involves acquisitions as well as the development of company-owned locations, strategically creating one of the strongest fitness brands to date. We have also created (to my knowledge) the only fitness-oriented investment fund, with our Leisure Growth Fund product.

Over the past 4 years, we have positioned elements as a lifestyle - more than just a fitness club, elements is about a healthy, balanced way of life. The brand offers a complete experience to consumers, including popular fitness centers, diet and weight loss centers (BalanceD), acclaimed online magazine and media channel, All Star Fitness Advisory Board, and supplement /product line. Each quarter these offerings get further developed, and new additional announced, such as our soon to be launch “elements Broadcast Network” and “Channel Fit” launching in all club locations in 2009.

Our position as a lifestyle brand, and leading franchisor allows us to always be monitoring acitivities within the fitness industry, and give us a unique advantage in acquisitions - as we can carefully select only the best most qualified location to acquire and convert to elements clubs.

The stock offering and Leisure Growth Fund allow elements and our partner companies to pursue an aggressive acquisition and “rollup” strategy. One unique advantage we hold in this arena, is the value of the company-owned locations to further strengthen the performance of our franchised locations, using our core “hub and spoke” development approach. The far reaching effects of this model allow the company to be significantly stronger in operations than many others in the space, and allow a diverse scope of opportunities for our investors and partners.

We gave congratulations this week to our three Atlanta gyms, for winning the prestigious “Best of Atlanta” award. It was notable to mention that this was the second “Best of” award elements had won in two weeks. To me, this is notable because it shows that consumers and members are really expressing their loyalty and affinity for elements. We get countless requests each week from potential members across the country (and sometimes world) requesting or inquiring about club locations. This growing database is becoming a major asset to the brand, especially since prospects receive our “elements living” magazine free of charge, where they can interact with our fitness experts, keep tuned-in to the latest fitness and lifestyle tips and trends, create a customized diet, and download video workouts. This “element experience” is being enhanced again next year with the addition of a full supplement line and robust online store. Consumers are able to “experience elements living” at home, and also at their Award-winning local elements club… what a concept!

Isn’t it nice to be rewarded for a job well done? Isn’t it even nicer to have good business news to share in the midst of all of the media hype on the economy?

We were very pleased to read today that elements for women was named “Best of Alpharetta.” Our growing presence in Southern markets such as Atlanta has really started to create a buzz. Consumers are frequently seeking the best health club, the newest innovations, or the best franchise to join. With our stylish clubs, convenience locations, and exclusive features such as smartcard workouts and customized coaching, it was really no surprise that our clubs are really gaining popularity… it is however, a very nice surprise to read the growing number of customer feedback, testimonials, stories and awards we are beginning to receive.

Elements Diet & Fitness Receives 2008 Best of Alpharetta Award

U.S. Local Business Association’s Award Plaque Honors the Achievement

WASHINGTON D.C., November 19, 2008 — Elements Diet & Fitness has been selected for the 2008 Best of Alpharetta Award in the Health Clubs & Gyms category by the U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA).

The USLBA “Best of Local Business” Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USLBA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2008 USLBA Award Program focused on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the USLBA and data provided by third parties.

Pre/Postnatal Fitness Expert Corry Matthews Joins elements for women Advisory Board

MIAMI BEACH, FL – 10/31/08 – elements for women, the upscale Miami Beach based fitness brand, announces an exciting new addition to their All-Star Fitness Advisory Board: pre/postnatal fitness expert, Corry Matthews. She joins the comprehensive lineup of experts from the areas of diet, fitness, lifestyle and beauty that make up the Fitness Board, including syndicated columnists Dr. Fab and the Nutrition Twins, and Nike All-Star Trainer, Lisa Gaylord.

As founder of Corry Matthews Enterprises, Inc. and Strength & Grace Fitness, Corry has coached hundreds of clients in the areas of  pre/postnatal fitness, personal training, corporate wellness program design, government/military fitness programming and group fitness instruction and nutrition.

elements All-Star Fitness Advisory Board was created to complement the brand’s in-club diet and fitness offerings, online magazine and media channel. The lifestyle brand invited Corry to join the board to provide support to consumers and professionals in the highly-popular area of pre/postnatal fitness.

“The best thing about prenatal fitness is that it is fun and rewarding. We know pregnant women are going to gain weight, so the worry about losing weight is not there.  Pregnant women exercise because it feels good, reduces discomfort and, most important for many women, helps them regain their pre-pregnancy body much faster!” Corry states.

Corry is a professional figure athlete and fitness model, and has represented Gold’s Gym International as their Pre/Postnatal Fitness Institute Expert since 2003. She is Executive Director of the non-profit Fit & Healthy Schools, Co-Founder of the non-profit Fitness for Warriors, Health and Wellness Business Council Chair  for the Prince William Regional Chamber of Commerce, and Board of Directors member and Regional Director for Max Muscle Sports Nutrition.

Corry has been featured in media outlets including: NBC News Channel 4, Body Fitness Magazine (UK), Flex, Max Sport and Fitness, and Oxygen. She holds a Master’s Degree in Sports Medicine from the United States Sports Academy and a Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology from the University of Colorado, as well as a wide variety of health and fitness certifications from the ACE, AFPA, NESTA, and ENW.

For more information about elements™ or the Fitness Advisory Board, please call our Central Offices at (305) 535-1525 or click here.

[caption id="attachment_324" align="aligncenter" width="450" caption="Samples of suggested club interior furnishingsAt our owners roundtable event "][/caption]

The development of a truly great brand requires you to get feedback from your consumers and partners. This is something that we at elements for women do frequently, from our prospects, from our members, from our franchise partners, stockholders, and team members.

One good example of this is our philosophy on creative materials. In our effort to prevent internal brand and design documents from getting into the wrong hands, we had taken a high degree of precaution and security measures. Documents were distributed directly from our central offices to each club, and recorded. We have been receiving feedback that this process is cumbersome, and has resulted in fewer branded items being used at some locations. More concerning, was that staff members at locations were not aware of any of the resources, graphics, or tools available to them

As a solution to improve performance, tt was decided in our most recent brand roundtable to place all of these items, 12 Gigabytes in all, onto a central web server with open access for all franchise partners. Although we will still be able to monitor who is using what piece, partners and team members will have full visual access to the depth of materials available to them, and more importantly instant access (depending on their access level).

The result was an immediate increase in staff involvement, and in some locations an immediate increase in branded products and designs. I think this change will most greatly benefit new elements for women clubs (there are over 50 locations announced), as their designers, contractors, and team will be able to quickly survey and access a wide variety of graphical resources to build, market, and sell.