You might find it surprising to know that the original vision for elements was to develop just 10 clubs in 3 cities: New York, Miami, and LA. That was it. The idea was to offer the most complete fitness experience for women, in a hip, stylish environment, and to corner those three important markets. Our launch team was fairly well qualified, and we had many contacts within the industry.

A buzz began to develop about this new women’s brand, a chip off the block of Crunch Fitness. At the time, Crunch was making history with a 83 million dollar valuation, 9x EBIDTA - setting new records within the industry. Since the initial elements team shared some of the original Crunch minds (post-sale), it was only natural that we would begin getting attention

We were approached by several entrepreneurs who were interested in developing elements for women clubs in their local markets. These entrepreneurs identified with elements philosophy of a full-service, upscale club. elements for women was (and still is!) much different than the other “micro-clubs” such as Curves, Countours Express, Shapes, or Slender Lady. Those players were all serving a very entry-level niche, and did not offer a sustainable business model to their franchisees. We saw, 5 years ago, that there would be a significant consolidation with these players (as there has now been) - and that this would open a window for elements for position itself as the leading full-service fitness brand for women.

Fast forward 4 years, and here we are…. over 7 clubs open, 3 in presale, 54 clubs under development, pending acquisitions of company owned clubs in San Francisco, Georgia, and the Northeast. Given the growth, and our objectives to develop 800 elements for women clubs nationally within the next 6-8 years (including 20%, or 160 company owned units) we have invested more than a fair amount of time and dollars into long term development infrastructure.

Our patience has recently paid off with the launch of elements for women in California. This was an exciting announcement, coupled with other press elements has recently received, including a great placement in Valley magazine (“[elements is] a much needed breath of fresh air to the California Fitness Scene”). We also began with our first act of business in the state being a large charitable contribution to The Wellness Community, a Los Angeles based cancer-wellness foundation led by Courtney Cox and David Arquette.

I will be traveling to California next week to help with the launch of the state and meet some of our new franchisees. Look for elements to lauch the state in a big way - with a mix of company owned as well as showcase franchised clubs… more to come!

In my opinion, one of the best announcements a company can make (and one sure sign of growth) is an investment into leadership. elements for women has made several substantial announcements this year, with Nike Global Retail VP Bruce Fabel being named our CEO, some high level additions to our Board of Directors, and this month former Gold’s Gym Executive Courtney Minor joining the elements team. Our expert team brings a wealth of resources with them, from the VP of Nike and Calvin Klein, to operations team members with combined more than 50 years of experience in the fitness industry. From multi-unit operations to individual health club owners, brand art directors and All Star Experts, the elements for women’s team is fast becoming a who’s who of fitness and lifestyle.  Click here to read the full article

It was excited to see myself and read about elements for women in Investors Business Daily today! I was flying back to Miami from a visit to Detroit, and picked up a copy in the new (and very beautiful) airport. The article was about following your dreams, and the inevitable happiness that results from such. Randy Pausch, a well known professor at Carnegie Mellon University (my alma mater), and the author of “The Last Lecture.”   Pausch recently died of cancer at a very young age, but prior to his death began a national lecture series to share his belief that pursuing your dreams helps build a fulfilling life.

Click here to read the article.

Is your business famous yet?  It is important to understand how to really build buzz locally, and drive more traffic to your business organically.

We are all well aware of the importance of the web in consumer’s buying patterns. Consumers use the web to research, explore, and 78% make buying decisions prior to ever visiting your club (or business).

Web 2.0 is a term given to the new, interactive nature of the web, focusing on Social Networking, blogging, and consumer reviews.

Not only is it important for your business to have a great, clear website, but it is equally important to compliment a website with local business presence, and consumer reviews.

The more (positive) consumer feedback you have on your business, the more credible the business becomes, and the more confident a consumer will be in making a decision to join on her first visit.

A great way to quickly enhance the visibility of your business is to “partner” with top consumer review websites.  I recommend to our franchisees to to focus on one of the internet’s top Consumer Review websites, www.kudzu.com.   Kudzu, names after the voraciously fast-spreading vines the grow in the south, is a great way to describe the effects of consumer reviews.

It is exciting to see the continual interest from the press into our fitness programs, including Woman’s World Magazine. We are gathering large numbers of testimonials from elements members, video testimonials from BalanceD diet users, inquiries from press and media, as well as frequent features on blogs and online media.

elements is designed to become the leading fitness and lifestyle brand for women… we do this by focusing our energy to build the very best consumer experiences…. this is the foundation which causes the brand to grow rapidly.  New elements club openings in Chicago, Atlanta, and Colombus Ohio this month were met with buzz from the communities, members, and even online bloggers… even a new partnership locally with Whole Foods Market.  elements is fast becoming a community which will grow itself - this will be one of the runaway secrets to this brand’s success in the lifestyle and fitness sectors.

As seen in Woman’s World Magazine

One of the things I find most surprising about my job, is how frequently we are conducting video or photo shoots. Elements is truly positioned as a leader in the fitness franchise space, and it is very important to have unique content: videos, photos, workouts, stories… you name it.

It seems as if every shoot is an adventure – we have had some great locales, and being based in South Beach gives us a richness of locations beyond imagination. Today’s adventure took us to Miami Beach Golf Club where we were shooting a sequence for a feature story in the prestigious CBI (Club Business International) magazine. Elements is frequently written about in the magazine, which is the top industry publication for the fitness and leisure industry, but it is very special to receive a full feature such as this. Our art director chose a great photographer and a great location for this visual… however no one took into account the humidity (and mosquitoes) after a typical Miami summer shower. My instructions “look happy, look up, look over here, higher, no lower, no your hand…” and the team began to get weary very quickly, as we all were melting in the July Miami heat. Adding some complication, it seems as if a particular group of well-known celebrities did not see the “hole closed” sign and played through our shoot! I was keeping my eye out for a small white ball… and of course getting yelled at the entire time by the photographer - I couldn’t wait to get back to to real work!

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We were happy yesterday to celebrate a milestone… the one year anniversary of elements living magazine and media channel.   elements is the only fitness brand to offer such an in-depth portal, which is a cornerstone to our “balanced, healthy lifestyle” philosophy.  We encourage all members to live a great, balanced life - the magazine allows us to deliver great content, and also be a credible source for a host of lifestyle content - food, wines, travel, parenting, fitness, gifts, stress, and more!

We have grown the pilot program to include a full time creative staff, and 3 very popular syndicated articles (Ask Dr Fab,  Q&A with the Nutrtion Twins, and “elements of a healthy lovelife,” our relationship column).

The syndication of our Fitness personalities has really helped to spread the reach and optimization of elements… the magazine is currently distributed to over 3 million readers, with a goal to double that figure by year’s end.

elements living magazine is provided free of charge, and is a great way for consumers to get in contact with the elements brand. Its a great follow up gift for a prospect who has recently toured a club, and a nice way for franchisees to expand the reach and depth of their offerings locally. I am very pleased with the progress of this aspect of the elements brand….  more experts, a video channel, and a few very big surprises are planned - so stay tuned!

elements living magazine Announces release of newest Summertime edition
NEW YORK< NY - (July 1, 2008) - Celebrate life with the newest edition of elements living! In this issue, you will discover new ways to improve your body, mind and appearance with advice from Miss Florida Jenna Edwards and America’s Diet Doctor, Dr. Melina Jampolis. Learn about our newest weight loss success story and motivate yourself to even greater heights with pro rower, Victoria Draper. And of course, Dr. Fab, the Nutrition Twins and elements sexpert Letty Livingston are all on hand to answer your health and relationship questions. What are you waiting for? Start celebrating today! [VISIT]

elements(tm) is the premium fitness
and lifestyle brand for women. From
New York to Seattle, our boutique style
clubs and stylish lifestyle branding are
setting a new standard.

This website is the ongoing journal
written by Brand Director Chris Palumbo .

For more information on elements(tm)
be sure to visit our family of sites:

WEB CLUB: elementsforwomen.com
MAGAZINE: elementsliving.tv
EXPERT TIPS & ADVICE: Little Blue Book

pon entering the building, I noticed the use of “living walls,” one of the design features that we use throughout many of our elements clubs… the designers has used it to add character to the building exterior, as well as add intrigue to the space. It was a great evening, a delicious gourmet Italian meal, and a nice opportunity

Going green is the buzzword these days… rising fuel costs has made it not only politically correct, but often necessary to consider environmental and efficiency issues in our everyday lives.

Going green comes from our inherit desire to do good… recycling, conserving, and helping others ultimately make us feel better about ourselves. The most successful, or more established we become in our own lives, the stronger the desire is to give back, and do good for the community. It is not surprising to me how many executives are drawn to elements because of the desire to franchise or own a business which can do good for others. The fitness and wellness industries are very lucrative, due to their explosive double-digit growth and re-occurring membership revenue model, but I still maintain that the true success stories in our industry are those owners who truly enjoy what they do, and who are proud to own a business which does so much good for the community.

elements was featured on ABC news today, for our technologically advanced Smartcard Workouts… click here to watch the video