Akin Akman – Co-founder of AARMY, joined Yahoo Finance to discuss the future of the boutique fitness industry.
Video transcription
SEANA SMITH: The pandemic has had a huge impact on the fitness industry. As a result, many of these boutique fitness studios have had to change their strategy in the past year. We want to bring Akin Akman. He’s the co-founder of AARMY and, Akin, you – it’s been extremely difficult for your industry in the past year, but there is no end in sight. There is a lot of uncertainty at this point. And I understand that you have reinvented AARMY for a remote world of fitness. How did you manage to streamline your strategy and conduct your business during this uncertain period?
AKIN AKMAN: Well, actually, we should always be digital. That’s why I built AARMY. But my career, I was – I had a great, you know, personally following as well. So, I just needed to get to the digital part faster. So, when the shutdown happened to me and my team, we changed immediately. We closed on Friday, Saturday morning we were on Instagram doing live programming. We did this for 150 days for free and then launched our own application. And we’re still using different platforms like Zoom to fill our offer live in the studio, basically, until we have our own live on our platform.
ADAM SHAPIRO: We have an executive here at Verizon Media Group who believes in his program. I’m curious, what is the profile of the people who are following and registering?
AKIN AKMAN: Well, it’s actually a wide variety of people. We had, I mean, even personally, we had, you know, as a high school student or even someone younger, like a high school student, even as an 80-year-old guy. And they are all doing the same thing. And someone in their 80s is really hitting – not hitting, but he likes to do better than sometimes the rest of people. So it’s a very, very long interval. We have professional athletes for you know, for a normal person who may not have identified himself as a growing athlete and now identifies himself, then.
SEANA SMITH: You know, Akin, we were talking about your classes here before the show and I was saying, I think I have to get a little bit better before trying one of these after watching a few –
AKIN AKMAN: Oh no.
SEANA SMITH: –of your videos on Instagram.
AKIN AKMAN: You have to do this.
SEANA SMITH: Akin, when you take– I’m going to try. I will try eventually. But when you take a look at what you think the fitness world will look like after COVID, will it be more of that hybrid approach where many of these fitness studios, many of these boutique studios are offering online classes as well as face-to-face classes?
AKIN AKMAN: For sure. I think because of the way I built the method, in what I believe as an athlete too, I believe in showing up and really doing it all. So that you can really grow and be productive. So, I think a lot of people are going to keep digital and come in person and they have more access now and can do that in their own time. I think it will really fuel your growth.
And what we do at AARMY is really through mastery and movement, we unlock your mind. I always grew up as an athlete, but also before I entered the world of group fitness, I trained the best juniors and the best professionals in a gym where that was people’s life to become a professional athlete. But I think everyone has a different championship and what we do with physicality, mastery and movement is to prepare you for that. Thus, you create habits and rituals that fuel your successes, whether physical, mental or emotional.
ADAM SHAPIRO: Hey, very quickly, any chance that you could synergize with an Equinox or a Peloton to grow even faster?
AKIN AKMAN: So, sorry what was that? If you can ask me again?
ADAM SHAPIRO: Would you partner with a gym, a national network of gyms or a Pelaton to grow faster?
AKIN AKMAN: I mean, if someone came and offered, I would definitely look at the offer, but you never know.
ADAM SHAPIRO: Right answer.
SEANA SMITH: Akin Akman, great to have you on the show. Co-founder of AARMY. We wish you all the best. Perhaps we will see him virtually or in the studio.
AKIN AKMAN: Thanks.
SEANA SMITH: In a couple months. Thank you for joining us.
AKIN AKMAN: Hey, you’re at AARMY now. You have to show up.
SEANA SMITH: We are. I know, after watching those videos I think you sold me. So I’ll try. I am promising now that I will try eventually.