We’ve been working with clients (by way of fitness Cape Coral and fitness Thoroughbreds) for a long, long time. Literally thousands of people have come into our gyms. We’ve had amazing staff and amazing members.

We have core values at Shark Bite. I’m incredibly grateful that we put them down on paper, and I go back to them often:

●     We are a family –  Introduce yourself to everyone, know everyone’s name. People view us as more than their 1-hour-a-day exercise coach. Treat them the same way.

●     The client’s experience comes first – Shark Bite should be the best 60-90 minutes of a person’s day. Create an atmosphere where members love coming and never want to leave. 

●     Team>Individual – When people focus on others, everyone becomes greater. No egos. Coaching must come before our individual training. Participate in classes and events with members.

●     Constant pursuit of excellence –  Continue to get better. Don’t rely on our history or experience to keep us relevant. Go above and beyond what is asked. Be early. Be overprepared.

●     Be the example – We are watched 100% of the time. Act in such a way that we would want to see ourselves. Smile. Stay positive.

●     Growth mindset – Be hungry to learn more. Want to be a better coach. Regularly read books, listen to podcasts, continually educate. Ask for more.

For real: the time closed has not been easy. To say otherwise would be a lie. But I can say that without these values, and our team living them so fully, I don’t know if we would’ve made it to the other side of this intact. I’m friends with lots of gym owners who didn’t.

We had to go through some massive changes, in a very short time. We finalized our Shark Bite Virtual and rolled it out to almost 200 members almost overnight. I think about this at least 3 times daily: how grateful I am that our staff trusted me to completely change the direction of what we were doing, and that they continued to honor our values by giving you all the best possible experience they could, during this time. 

We get it. We recognize that virtual coaching is not what (almost) any of you signed up for when you came to us. What I do know is, you signed up for coaching, guidance, accountability, encouragement, positivity, and a great personal relationship with our team. If you joined Shark Bite for the facility, or the equipment, or just the workouts, then you might be in the wrong place. We are not the gym that sells access to equipment or workouts, and we never will be. We are here to provide you the most supportive environment possible, as you smash life-changing goals, get healthier, stay happier, and maintain a positive lifestyle. 

Those goals are different for everyone. And just like always, whatever those goals might be: we got you.

From the business side: we’ve been working on continuing education, streamlining our systems, reevaluating how we can best help the most people. Our main goal over these past weeks has been to focus on serving you, and removing anything that doesn’t allow us to do this at our best. Our team has continued to be paid during this time, and I’m formally committed to providing for them, the same way they’ve been providing for all of you.

I’ll be real again: we’ve lost a significant amount of our revenue due to job losses, cut-backs, and other life stressors. I honestly cannot thank you all enough for trusting us during this time, and continuing to honor those promises you made to yourself and your health, physically and mentally. Feel free to google it: many gym chains are gone, or about to be (Gold’s Gym, the second biggest fitness business in the world, just filed for bankruptcy). It is because of YOU, and our amazing team, that Shark Bite will still be here at the end of all this. Thank you.

We don’t know when we’re going to be allowed to reopen. There’s lots of opinions, but very few facts. But when we do, this will look a little different. We’ll start with an abbreviated schedule, and adjust that as we monitor attendance, your feedback, and government regulations. Our goal is to handle this intelligently, not rush into it, and be ready to adjust to best meet your needs. 

It looks like we’ll have limited class sizes, and we’ll be doing some things like class reservations to help make sure nobody gets left out, and we’ll also be required to follow some specific social distancing guidelines (again, these are NOT known yet, regardless of what you’ve seen on the internet). You’ll know more when we know more.

We’re also developing some Flex programs, for the people who want to primarily stay home, but still come to the gym a couple times a month (for team workouts or open gyms), because a surprisingly high amount of you asked for that, and we’re excited about it! We’ll get that out with more specifics when it’s finalized, because I know it’s been asked about a lot.

Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart, for the trust, the group support, and commitment to your own goals. It’s noticed.

BTW: I love reading the comments in our Bright Spots Fridays posts. Sometimes, when I’m having a rough day,  I go back a week or two and read through them again, because watching all my people kick ass and be positive is the best way to cheer me up.

Nick Habich is the Owner of Shark Bite Cape Coral and Shark Bite Fort Myers. He is a fitness Level 2 Trainer, a Certified Athletic Trainer, a Licensed Massage Therapist, and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist