What I've Learned So Far

I have learned that in order to sustain any successful business, you need to subconsciously reel in customers by making sure they are satisfied each time they enter and exit out the door.

The 24 Hour Fitness Service Promise, which is a set rule for all employees states, "contribute to running a clean, friendly and well maintained club, and executing the team member basics of being on time and complying with the dress code".

On Sari Hardyal's "How to Manage Fitness Clubs" eHow article, it states "Treat club members the way you would like to be treated. Respect them, and build rapport throughout your club. This helps retain members and attract more."

Hardyal, Sari. "How to Manage Fitness Clubs | EHow.com." EHow | How to Videos, Articles & More - Discover the Expert in You. | EHow.com. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. <http://www.ehow.com/how_5663583_manage-fitness-clubs.html>.

Independent Component 1 Plan Approval

For my independent study component, I plan on  filing papers, shadowing meetings held with employees, and making sure the 24 Hour Fitness club is nice and tidy.

I should be able to complete all 30 hours if I am patient and go according to my schedule, which has still not been given to me yet.

I should be trying out different methods of "managing" by shadowing, and see for myself which method was the "most efficient"

Defining the Essential Question

My Essential Question is "What is the most efficient way to manage a 24 Hour Fitness® club?". It is simple and straight forward but needs some clarification because 'most efficient' and 'manage' can be general.


By "most efficient" I mean "economical to use". This means "achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense". Even simpler, it means "Most Profit, Least Loss".

My possible answers:
By creating a workforce with employees who can use their skills to reel in customers and a manager with the talents that allow him or her to make the right moves in the market, along with other managers of the 24 Hour Fitness firm, in order to defeat competition.
 
My most important source has been 24 Hour Fitness® Manager Walleed El Sherif.

Second Interview Questions

Q. I know that in order to work at 24 Hour Fitness, one must be above the age of 18. Does that mean I will not be doing my service learning here?

Q. My main focus during my service learning is watching you manage this business. Will it be a hassle to have me following you around all day?

Q. Can you teach me how to create a business plan?

Q. Is there any type of waiver or agreement that can be signed to allow me to work/ volunteer at 24 Hour Fitness, even though I am one year below the requirement?

Q. Some days seem more stressful than others when you are on the job. Like a doctor, you never know when there might be a day were you have a lot of work on your hands. What precautions do you take when you realize that "today is going to be a long day"?

Presentation Reflection

My interview gave me a more descriptive image of how Walleed manages his 24 Hour Fitness. I knew the technical methods of managing a gym, but hearing Walleed speak of it himself made the process sound more realistic and critical. For example, one of the steps mentioned about managing a 24 Hour Fitness was creating a business plan. I thought a business plan was just a way of making sure your business is flourishing in the current state of the economy. It turned out that a business plan is literally a document that contains elements like: Description of business, Competition, Business insurance, Loan applications, Balance sheet, Breakeven analysis, Profit and loss statements, Three-year summary, & Tax returns.


During my 5-minute presentation, I made sure I stressed on the procedures of beginning a business. I gave more simple necessities that a business depends on, but that didn't specifically belong to the "fitness business". The reason I did that was in order to be able to fully present the specific procedure later on in other presentations. (According to Mr. Purther, anything that was discussed in this presentation is not to be repeated again in any other presentation.)


I had a hard time trying to figure out how to schedule an interview. Every time I would call, the manager would either be in a meeting, out to lunch, or on vacation!

Senior Project Presentation 1

Objective: The students will learn what a manager’s main roles are in a business.

Procedure: First, I will begin with an introduction of why I chose my topic and my best resource for help. Second, I will ask questions regarding whether or not students have an understanding of business in general or not. Third, I will begin to use my binder prop to help my audience understand the main roles of a manager in a business. Then, I will ask a few more questions. Last, I will exit out in theater format.

Check for Understanding:

                What are the main roles of a business manager?

·         Investigate the economic conditions

·         Conduct extensive market research

·         Prepare a detailed business plan

·         Adopt a team approach

·         Understand the skills and qualities you bring to your business.

What is the difference between economics, business, and accounting?

·         Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.

·         A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers.

·         Accountancy is the process of communicating financial information about a business entity to users such as shareholders and managers.

Resources/ Materials: I will bring candy for those who answer questions in order to motivate the audience to give feedback. My prop will be a binder.