READ:
Building a Strong and Healthy Business
JCF Health & Fitness is a total body–training program created for women. The program utilizes personalized group fitness in a team-like atmosphere. Daris Wilson, founder of JCF Health & Fitness discovered that many women feel unsure about how to use gym equipment beyond cardio machines and basic free weights. Wilson made it his mission to eliminate the intimidation that women feel in a traditional gym setting by building his company using a group fitness model.
Wilson started his career as an accountant in New Orleans. After evacuating to Jersey City during Hurricane Katrina, Wilson decided to stay in the area and work on the New York Stock Exchange. Though he was successful in his career, the job soon drained him, and he found he had very little time to spend with his family. As a hobby, Wilson had already started working as a personal trainer and fitness instructor while maintaining his full-time career. His desire to help clients meet their personal goals and improve their bodies and lives drove his entrepreneurial spirit and helped him grow JCF Health & Fitness.
After Hurricane Sandy devastated the Jersey shore, New York, and coastal areas of New England, Wilson decided to restructure JCF Health & Fitness and pursue the business full-time. The company’s mission is to empower individuals toward happiness through a culture of fitness, leadership, camaraderie, and results. At JCF Health & Fitness, Wilson learns about the limitations and fitness levels of his clients through a questionnaire and a one-on-one meeting designed to developed a rapport and create goals. This makes people enjoy working out and then motivates them to continue. “It’s how we speak. How we think. How we train.”
Wilson turned to mentoring programs to improve his abilities as a business owner and manager. Wilson’s mentors put a focus on organization, marketing, and sales. He realized he needed to structure his resources and activities to accomplish the objectives he set in an efficient and effective manner. He also learned how important it was to market his business. JCF Health & Fitness often offers 21-day boot camp programs at a discounted rate on Groupon to attract new clients. And, to highlight its services, JCF Health & Fitness released a series of spotlight videos featuring real clients.
Wilson continues to set new goals for JCF Health & Fitness, including opening a second gym location to expand the company’s physical presence. Wilson believes his business is successful because he had a clear sense of what he wanted to offer from the very beginning. His ability to meet the needs of his clients has created a sense of trust and community.
The growth of Wilson’s business has created a need to reevaluate the organization of JCF Health & Fitness. Instead of offering exclusively month-to-month memberships, Wilson introduced yearly memberships. He moved his outdoor training program inside a gym and hired several additional employees to help him train and run the operational side of his business. Because of this, Wilson’s role has changed, and instead of giving all of his time to training clients, he has to focus more on the strategy, marketing, and the development of his team.
Complete and submit Case assignment:
Read the Case Study "Building a Strong and Healthy Business" available in the textbook, Chapter 6 (Ferrell et al., 2020).
Using only peer-reviewed publications (e.g., periodicals, journals), prepare an APA Report addressing the following:
1. A summary of the case
2. Describe the technical, conceptual, analytical, and human relations skills that manager Doris Wilson, founder of JCF, have developed in her experience as business entrepreneur.
3. Describe her role and activities in the organization using the four functions of management. Include at least two activities in each of the four functions.
4. Considering the historic (moment and time) situation of JCF Health and Fitness, choose a potential decision to improve the organization and explain your potential solutions using the decision making process.
5. Close this paper with an analysis in which you apply the discussed concepts to appraise critically the importance of the managerial issues addressed in this paper. Use real-life examples to explain the importance of these concepts.