Thanks to those who have been following the blog and reporting back to me. I am enjoying sharing the information about us and the system.
I am lucky to have a great partner in Alan but he is only one of the partners in our operation. My wife Suzanne has provided a lot of feedback (sometimes unsolicited as most married men can attest to) that has given me a great perspective. The member experience at the club is ideally driven by the equipment and the atmosphere created but the personal touch adds so much more. Suzanne has jumped in and embraced what has been a stark change for our family. She has added a much appreciated aura just by making small adjustments and suggestions. One of those is creating and posting our "Koko Leaderboard".
Not unique to our location but with our own touches, we highlight our members performance and experience at the club. We (Suzanne) look(s) forward every Monday to posting new point totals, weight lifted, miles completed, strength sessions completed, pace scores, total points and more for each week. It is a way to compare apples to apples with our members. This leaderboard gives everyone in the club a chance to be a leader in one or more categories. We are seeing one member lead in weight lifted, another in sessions, another in average points per workout, yet another in pace score. It is fun to compete friendly amongst each other and it benefits all of us because it makes us healthier physically while we do it. Just another way Koko is unique!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Feeling strong
One of the many differentiating factors that Koko brings to the table is the strength test. We give each member an initial strength test to set up his or her program and goal. Several sessions later, the system programs a follow up strength test and compares it to the first one. Ideally, this test shows a gain in strength.
As we have been open for a month, many of our members are hitting their second and in some cases third strength test. According to our Chief Fitness Officer Michael Wood, seeing gains of 7% when using a personal trainer is considered very positive. Being that Michael is a former personal trainer and is one of the main developers for the programs at Koko, I would say this is gospel.
How are the Scottsdale members doing? Well, you be the judge. After one month, we have members with the following gains since inception ONE MONTH AGO.
49%
38%
29%
18%
15%
15%
10%
-3%
This is the whole lot. None omitted, none embellished. That equates to a 21% collective gain in strength! These are people like you and me. Average strength, normally healthy when they started. There were no veal in this set so everyone had some initial strength coming in. The anomaly is the -3%. I asked the member what happened and she admitted that she did not try as hard as she could have. She didn't realize she was supposed to. She admitted that she could have exerted more energy and will next time out.
I think these numbers speak for themselves. Once you get a taste of this system, I cannot imagine working out any other way.
As we have been open for a month, many of our members are hitting their second and in some cases third strength test. According to our Chief Fitness Officer Michael Wood, seeing gains of 7% when using a personal trainer is considered very positive. Being that Michael is a former personal trainer and is one of the main developers for the programs at Koko, I would say this is gospel.
How are the Scottsdale members doing? Well, you be the judge. After one month, we have members with the following gains since inception ONE MONTH AGO.
49%
38%
29%
18%
15%
15%
10%
-3%
This is the whole lot. None omitted, none embellished. That equates to a 21% collective gain in strength! These are people like you and me. Average strength, normally healthy when they started. There were no veal in this set so everyone had some initial strength coming in. The anomaly is the -3%. I asked the member what happened and she admitted that she did not try as hard as she could have. She didn't realize she was supposed to. She admitted that she could have exerted more energy and will next time out.
I think these numbers speak for themselves. Once you get a taste of this system, I cannot imagine working out any other way.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Guest appearance on the blog from Alan Cohen
Alan decided he wanted to put in his two cents so here are his comments...
Reacting to Dave's last blog, I felt I needed to let everyone know why I got involved with our Koko adventure.
As you know, I worked with Dave for several years. Therefore, when he approached me about Koko it was an easy decision for me to join forces with him. Since I was retired, I made up my mind that if I ever re entered the work force it would have to be with something I would enjoy, had a passion for and enabled me to help others in the process. Koko was the perfect fit.
As a result of our initial trip to Koko's headquarters, we found that the quality and passion of the people we met and the values of the company were exactly what we were looking for.
In all my years of weight training, I can honestly say I have never come across any piece of equipment that gave me a better workout then the Koko smart trainer. It is the best thirty minute investment anyone can make.
As we approach our grand opening on March the third, I look forward to meeting many of you and sharing what Koko, Dave and I have to offer with all of you
Reacting to Dave's last blog, I felt I needed to let everyone know why I got involved with our Koko adventure.
As you know, I worked with Dave for several years. Therefore, when he approached me about Koko it was an easy decision for me to join forces with him. Since I was retired, I made up my mind that if I ever re entered the work force it would have to be with something I would enjoy, had a passion for and enabled me to help others in the process. Koko was the perfect fit.
As a result of our initial trip to Koko's headquarters, we found that the quality and passion of the people we met and the values of the company were exactly what we were looking for.
In all my years of weight training, I can honestly say I have never come across any piece of equipment that gave me a better workout then the Koko smart trainer. It is the best thirty minute investment anyone can make.
As we approach our grand opening on March the third, I look forward to meeting many of you and sharing what Koko, Dave and I have to offer with all of you
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Our Partnership
Back in 2001, I joined a drug company called Organon and was a sales manager. After a few weeks, the guy who hired me was run out on a rail for general incompetence. Soon after, our management team was assigned a new leader and his reputation was good but no one really knew what to expect. We were a bunch of immature sales managers and speculation was something that we were really good at. When we finally got to meet our new leader, I knew I was going to get along with him and I was eager for some coaching and development. That new leader was Alan Cohen. Fast forward 10 years and now we are partners. I guess I met my objectives in 2001 in that he decided to join me at Koko. Either that or he is an easy mark!
Alan is highly accomplished in sales and marketing with a career spanning over 40 years. He has lead national and regional sales teams and has a track record that is impeccable. When I decided I wanted to explore the possibility of opening a Koko franchise, he was one of the first people I sent my business plan to. I obviously wanted his opinion, feedback and validation. A second but equally important objective was to entice him to join me since he was retired at the time and had a wealth of weight lifting experience as well. If I had to reflect on what I learned most while working for Alan at Organon it was the importance of having vision and being passionate. I knew that when I presented Koko and the plan, he would see my growth, my vision and my passion. I knew he and I shared the passion of exercise as a necessary part of a healthy lifestyle. From there, the hook was set and we have never looked back. We WILL help people and we WILL be passionate and enthused about it!
Koko is a wonderful avenue for us to share that passion with you and will help us live the lifestyle we want as well. We hope you agree.
Alan is highly accomplished in sales and marketing with a career spanning over 40 years. He has lead national and regional sales teams and has a track record that is impeccable. When I decided I wanted to explore the possibility of opening a Koko franchise, he was one of the first people I sent my business plan to. I obviously wanted his opinion, feedback and validation. A second but equally important objective was to entice him to join me since he was retired at the time and had a wealth of weight lifting experience as well. If I had to reflect on what I learned most while working for Alan at Organon it was the importance of having vision and being passionate. I knew that when I presented Koko and the plan, he would see my growth, my vision and my passion. I knew he and I shared the passion of exercise as a necessary part of a healthy lifestyle. From there, the hook was set and we have never looked back. We WILL help people and we WILL be passionate and enthused about it!
Koko is a wonderful avenue for us to share that passion with you and will help us live the lifestyle we want as well. We hope you agree.
Friday, February 18, 2011
I think this is going to stick
As I wrote previously, my son Matt is the computer genius thanks to a great curriculum at his school. He was proud enough of his old man to tell his teacher this morning that I am now a blogger. In her blog I even got some publicity for starting this! That was pretty cool.
If you could have seen me as a kid and young man, writing would not have been an area you would have pegged me to be interested in. To go a step further, anything studious would not have been associated with me. Then, one day back in 2005 I decided I would write a semi-memoir. I guess riding 4 hours alone on a bike in the middle of nowhere causes such irrational thought. Nonetheless, I kept to it and started typing. And typing. And typing. Next thing you know, I had a manuscript of why the heck someone becomes an Ironman triathlete. Now, I never said it was great reading but still I decided to get it printed and "sell" some copies. Let's just say I can buy a cup of coffee each quarter with my royalties!
Writing about being active is a great match for me. I can string a few words together and share my passion about why being healthy is a smart move for anyone you care about and yourself. As we go forward, I will introduce you to my business partner Alan and how we got here.
If you could have seen me as a kid and young man, writing would not have been an area you would have pegged me to be interested in. To go a step further, anything studious would not have been associated with me. Then, one day back in 2005 I decided I would write a semi-memoir. I guess riding 4 hours alone on a bike in the middle of nowhere causes such irrational thought. Nonetheless, I kept to it and started typing. And typing. And typing. Next thing you know, I had a manuscript of why the heck someone becomes an Ironman triathlete. Now, I never said it was great reading but still I decided to get it printed and "sell" some copies. Let's just say I can buy a cup of coffee each quarter with my royalties!
Writing about being active is a great match for me. I can string a few words together and share my passion about why being healthy is a smart move for anyone you care about and yourself. As we go forward, I will introduce you to my business partner Alan and how we got here.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Me? A blogger? I guess...
I have heard over and over again how important it is to be in the minds of your cutomers and friends. Thanks to my technologically advanced 7th grader, I am now on the cutting edge of blogging! Matty Mo helped this stubborn old man through the template design, picking of colors and fonts and all you see. Thanks kid. Now go clean your room.
Now, onward.
So. Koko FitClub. Why did I get myself involved with this venture? Well, after a lengthy career in pharmaceuticals, I decided to press the reset button. I made great friendships and had a lot of fun in my time in the drug business but over time, the love subsided. Market forces and several job changes over the last five years had a large part to play as well as you might expect. But mostly, I decided I owed it to my Mom Del Jeanne who had passed away last April to use the resources she left behind to create something I was passionate about.
I am a 6 time marathoner and one time finisher of the Ironman triathlon. It must have stemmed from the fact that I was a chubby pre-pubescent kid that had a poor self-image that made me feel like I needed to prove I could be better. So, I began running; and running. Then it snowballed and endurance exercise became one of the centers of my life along with my marriage and my kids. I have never been one to eat great but exercise has always been easy. Really my dream job would be a Food Critic but the career path is not bright. Needless to say, I need to exercise. I always tell people that I could be very heavy with almost no effort. But, exercise is there to save the day and keep the enemy from taking the line.
I truly believe that exercise is the magic pill. Depression, anxiety, obesity, you name it. Exercise can help! It can do so much for anyone. But, it is painful and lacks enjoyment for so many of us. Plus, who has the time? Well, most of us don't. Besides, most of us don't have the genetics to feel totally comfortable in a gym. We're round. We're soft. We're past being "beautiful". We think we aren't attractive in spandex (and we're right). So it makes us feel intimidated going where all the beautiful people are. Most people would agree that they need to exercise more. But it is work! Not many love to go and explore the gym and test new machines or free weights to see what works. People like being told what to do, how to do it, how much and how often. "Just tell me what to do, I'll do it", people say. They say it over and over. They are willing and able but don't have the knowledge. Enter Koko. It works.
Koko thinks so you don't have to. All you have to do is commit 30 minutes and be willing to do the work. It is the next big thing in fitness. Come see it and I think you will agree.
Now, onward.
So. Koko FitClub. Why did I get myself involved with this venture? Well, after a lengthy career in pharmaceuticals, I decided to press the reset button. I made great friendships and had a lot of fun in my time in the drug business but over time, the love subsided. Market forces and several job changes over the last five years had a large part to play as well as you might expect. But mostly, I decided I owed it to my Mom Del Jeanne who had passed away last April to use the resources she left behind to create something I was passionate about.
I am a 6 time marathoner and one time finisher of the Ironman triathlon. It must have stemmed from the fact that I was a chubby pre-pubescent kid that had a poor self-image that made me feel like I needed to prove I could be better. So, I began running; and running. Then it snowballed and endurance exercise became one of the centers of my life along with my marriage and my kids. I have never been one to eat great but exercise has always been easy. Really my dream job would be a Food Critic but the career path is not bright. Needless to say, I need to exercise. I always tell people that I could be very heavy with almost no effort. But, exercise is there to save the day and keep the enemy from taking the line.
I truly believe that exercise is the magic pill. Depression, anxiety, obesity, you name it. Exercise can help! It can do so much for anyone. But, it is painful and lacks enjoyment for so many of us. Plus, who has the time? Well, most of us don't. Besides, most of us don't have the genetics to feel totally comfortable in a gym. We're round. We're soft. We're past being "beautiful". We think we aren't attractive in spandex (and we're right). So it makes us feel intimidated going where all the beautiful people are. Most people would agree that they need to exercise more. But it is work! Not many love to go and explore the gym and test new machines or free weights to see what works. People like being told what to do, how to do it, how much and how often. "Just tell me what to do, I'll do it", people say. They say it over and over. They are willing and able but don't have the knowledge. Enter Koko. It works.
Koko thinks so you don't have to. All you have to do is commit 30 minutes and be willing to do the work. It is the next big thing in fitness. Come see it and I think you will agree.
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