Chris Wilson’s fitness studios are not your ordinary gyms. At over $500 a week for a platinum membership, the small-business owner’s clients range from wealthy mining magnates to CEOs and doctors. Members enjoy bespoke equipment, luxury facilities, and a cold, lemon myrtle-infused towel after each workout.
But there’s a lot more to this small business than Rolexes and scented towels, as Chris explains. Before he could become the owner of a premium fitness service, he first had to spend 20+ years doing the hard yards as a personal trainer. Chris worked his way up the ranks, working for clients such as Olympic athletes, Apple, Microsoft, and Lululemon. From there, he built a network of existing clients and raised the savings needed to set up his own shop.
Chris Wilson Fitness Studios was initially bootstrapped: Chris says he used his own savings and a small loan from his wife to fund the construction of his facilities. The cost of hiring an architect and interior designer was four times his original budget, so the entrepreneur managed construction himself.
“This alone helped me save $100k plus,” says Chris, “which I could then reinvest back into the studio and upskilling my coaches.”
Building a luxurious customer experience
The next step was setting up a gym with a premium feel.
Chris says he put a lot of consideration into differentiating his fitness studios from the masses. He says the goal was always to make the studios feel “more like a hospitality venue than a gym”. The entrepreneur says he leveraged expertise from existing clients, many of whom worked in hospitality, to craft the vision.
“I presented [ideas about ambience] to a variety of my clients, who included property developers, branding agents, hotel and restaurant owners,” Chris says.
With an existing network of high-net-worth clients – and an interest in attracting more – Chris wanted to make the space feel both premium and exclusive.
“We attract our customers through client privacy, strong referrals and through our positioning of our brand which has higher price points, experienced coaches, premium touch points and services,” he says.
Chris has also retained a high-net-worth clientele by opening his studios in affluent areas and limiting the number of members he accepts. The latter has an array of benefits for the business.
“Having a lower number of members has allowed us to maintain a high-quality service, reduce footprint and traffic through the space, and has helped us stay boutique,” he says. “Our equipment has less wear and tear and reflects our identity.”
Most importantly, the feeling of exclusivity makes people want to be a part of Chris’ fitness community, he says.
“When we first launched our studio we sold 50 per cent of memberships on the first day. This was before we had even created or opened the studio. People wanted to be part of something that was unique, exclusive with limited memberships available.”
High-end, but down-to-earth
Though Chris’ studio is a high-end affair, prospective members shouldn’t expect to be waited on hand and foot. Chris believes heavily in gratitude and community. He expects clients to clean up spaces after themselves and engage deeply with other members.
Crucially, though Chris attracts his members through exclusivity, he retains them by fostering an atmosphere of inclusivity.
“A lot of studios now go for more of a performance model which makes it look like everyone is super fit at their studio,” he says. “For us this is not inclusive. We help people of all different ages and sizes.”
Chris Wilson Fitness Studios are also grounded in their approach to fitness. While some might expect Australia’s most expensive gym to keep up with the latest trendy gym fads, Chris is hellbent on avoiding trends and sticking to the basics. While more long-lasting fitness crazes like pilates and HYROX have made their way into his studios, fad diets, ice baths, and float tanks have not.
“Float tanks came and went, compression pants and watches have started to fade out so it’s better for us to stick to evidence based workouts and tailored individual needs,” says Chris.
