We recently interviewed Kevin Teixeira, Co-founder and Managing Director at The Warehouse Gym. His passion for fitness led him to co-found the company. His role as an owner of the gym is to build a chain of top-notch next-generation gyms. He has expertise as a personal trainer in the management aspects of being a company partner. He has impressive skills, like marketing strategy, strategic planning, and business strategy, to name a few. Let’s learn more about Kevin and his journey through this interview below.
Start Of The Journey
We started the interview by asking, “Which career path led you to where you are today?”
Kevin Teixeira shared, “Getting into the gym at 15 made a physical and mental impact so profound that it changed my life, propelling me in this direction. I made this my career over 25 years ago, working from the bottom up to become a managing director. After graduating from Lancaster University, I continued gaining experience in all parts of the career chain, from reception desks to personal training and management.”
Inspiration Behind Building The Brand
We were interested to learn about the significant aspects that inspired Kevin to start his brand. We asked, “What inspired you to develop the idea for your company?”
Kevin Teixeira shared, “As a customer of multiple gyms at one time, I often got bored and moved around from gym to gym. Boredom is a big reason members cancel their membership, so I want to create a gym membership that offers multiple gym experiences for one membership.”
Evolving Priorities
Priorities for businesses often keep evolving. So we asked, “How have your priorities in terms of business evolved since you first started?”
Kevin Teixeira replied, “No. Making The Warehouse Gym the most successful brand of health clubs in the world and continuing to develop the brand to become more than a gym, but a place that ultimately improves people’s lives.”
Challenging Situations & Key Strengths
It is inevitable for businesses to face challenges while functioning in the industry. We asked, “What are the most challenging situations your company overcomes?”
Kevin Teixeira shared, “As the fitness market grows, competition is increasing, and we are seeing more independent operators come in as the barrier to entry is low. Due to the unique nature of our industry, where passion often precedes sound business principles, more people are opening facilities without a growth plan or strategy. The collective of independent operators is a bigger disruption to the market than the chains.”
“What’s the key strength to overcome it?”
Kevin Teixeira added, “I adopt a Yin and Yang philosophy: have one foot planted firmly in order and one foot planted firmly in chaos. It would be best to have order, regulation, and systems to grow as a growing chain, but our competition is from disruptors. Hence, you need to have an element of reactivity and unpredictability to adapt quickly.”
Stand Out Factors
Every company owns certain special features that make them unique from their competitors. We asked, “What makes your company stand out from all the other businesses in your industry?”
Kevin Teixeira shared, “Our first location opened in 2013. A converted warehouse that bore its name based on its identity and history became quickly recognized for its street art, design, music, and freedom of exercise. Warehouse Gym, with soon-to-be 16 locations in the UAE, is the Middle East’s largest operator of premium gyms. It has established itself as an iconic fitness and health destination for its vibrant community. Warehouse Gyms’ uniqueness is that each location is beautifully and individually curated, and no two gyms look alike. Our members don’t get a gym membership at multiple locations; they get one membership at multiple gyms.”
KPI For Measuring Business Success
“What KPIs do you use to measure your business success?”
Kevin Teixeira shared, “I have many metrics that I look at to measure the performance of the business; obviously, revenue and membership growth are competitive realities. However, other KPIs that are less obvious are inquiries and review scores. Business is transient, more so in the fitness industry. I need to know what my customers think of their experiences and how to improve. Also, future business is key, so measuring the number of leads is key.”
Services & Current Projects
We were intrigued to know about the current projects and services that The Warehouse Gym is currently offering. We asked, “Tell us Something about your services. What are you working on now?”
Kevin Teixeira replied, “Something unique I have been working on is the launch of our loyalty program called Lift Loyalty, a first-of-its-kind gym loyalty program. As a member, you earn points every time you work out, take a class, get a post-workout shake, purchase a membership, or do personal training. These points can be redeemed for cash which can be applied against your next membership, personal training packages, and a wide range of healthy food and shakes.”
Building Trust & Boosting Productivity
Having strong bonds with employees ensures the success of any business. To learn about this, we asked, “How do you build trust with your employees and boost productivity without causing burnout?”
Kevin Teixeira shared, “In the fitness industry, you work with many different types of people, so it’s like a social experiment. Challenges I see in other workforces, especially in the post-COVID era, have been happening in ours for some time now. Ultimately, you must create a partnership with staff rather than the traditional employer-employee relationship. You have to foster a mindset that allows staff to feel empowered and responsible for their success, and the success of both the business and the individual is linked.”
Adapting To the Latest Technologies
Companies must adapt to fresh trends and technologies to stay in the industry’s top position. We asked, “How do you stay on top of new technologies and trends in your industry?”
Kevin Teixeira shared, “I travel and keep a close eye on what is happening in other industries as these filter through to ours over time. Also, I spend time on the gym floor to see how and what people are doing while keeping a close eye on the industry. Things are changing constantly, and you need to be ahead of the curve but not too far ahead, or people might not be ready.”
Advice To Beginners
Beginners will find it interesting and helpful to hear from experts like Kevin. So we asked, “What advice would you give starting entrepreneurs?”
Kevin Teixeira replied, “Be passionate about what you want to pursue; only that will drive you through the hardest times.”
Connect with Kevin Teixeira on LinkedIn.
Find The Warehouse Gym on Instagram, Facebook & YouTube, or visit https://whgym.com/
