Episode 37
Power of building business relationships and Exciting, world of fitness with Ross Campbell
My guest today is Ross Campbell founder & CEO at FIT Summit, thought leadership and networking platform for Asia-Pacific’s health, fitness and wellness industry.
I had a great time talking to him about lot of fitness industry related topics and his personal journey of growth, finding purpose and making massive impact on the industry
Special Offer:
25% off to attend your next Fit Summit Conference when you use promo code 'SUCCESSINSPIRED' at check out on the FitSummit site - www.thefitsummit.com
Links:
Highlights:
- (00:00:28) - Introduction of my guest today
- (00:03:41) - Why did Ross launch FitSummit
- (00:06:51) - How did I managed to get great speakers on my podcast
- (00:11:18) - What I enjoy about podcasting
- (00:16:40) - Power of goodwill capital
- (00:18:36) - We're talking about emerging trends we see emerging in the fitness industry
- (00:22:48) - Example of succesful pivot of an F45 Studio in Braddon
- (00:29:04) - Emerging & exciting world of online fitness
- (00:38:24) - What has been the most challenging part about launching the FitSummit
- (00:40:55) - Ross's discovery of purpose in his business journey
- (00:43:59) - What got me involved in the fitness industry
- (00:50:17) - We talk about our day to day routines, some bad habits and martial arts
- (01:01:27) - What does Ross wish he'd new when he started his business
- (01:03:09) - What advice Ross has for anyone to achieve more success in life.
- (01:08:26) - Special offer for Fit Summit
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Transcript:
Ross Campbell
Welcome to the success inspired podcast, a business and personal development podcast to help you accomplish more in life and realize your true potential. And now here is your host Vit Muller
Introduction of my guest today
Vit Muller: [00:00:28] hello everybody. My guest today is founder and CEO at fit summit. Which is a thought leadership and networking platform for Asia Pacific health, fitness and wellness industry, among many other things. Also, he has an extensive experience working alongside companies to connect them to global industry leaders and their partners in business finance, investment technology, and government.
[00:00:55] Please welcome to the show. Ross campbell.
Ross Campbell: [00:01:03] Thank you Vit. Absolute pleasure. Being here. Look forward to having a great discussion.
Vit Muller: [00:01:09] Great to have you here on the show Ross. Now I've introduce you a little bit, but for the listeners you're doing quite a lot of things. So keen to unpack just a little bit of a quick bio about yourself, and then we'll jump into some questions.
Ross Campbell: [00:01:21] Yeah, sure. Happy to do so. Um, my early career started in events. I used to do large scale CEO level events, uh, looking at the investment in sectors. Uh, I used to work in the big, bad, scary world of oil and gas, huge marketplace. Um, really fascinating, but very little purpose for me. So yeah. We built a company, we sold the company and then I moved into fitness.
[00:01:44] And, um, for all my sins, I started a gym, um, ma the next martial art gym here in Singapore. It still exists today and it does well, but I realized quite quickly, I'm not an operator. That's not quite where I am. My skillset lies. My skillset lies more than B2B and I'm in a meeting, all the gym owners across Singapore, we came up with an idea for building a community, a simple community that talks about the business.
[00:02:06] Finance and investment of fitness across the region. And that was the catalyst for fit summit. And we've grown exponentially since.
Vit Muller: [00:02:14] Wow. And like I said, I mean, community is important, especially when you have a like-minded people and, and it's, you know, people in a similar business helping each other, it's only to everyone's benefit.
[00:02:23] Isn't it?
Ross Campbell: [00:02:25] Well, you built your own community here with this podcast Vit. So, I mean, you've obviously it's not easy to do and it's persistence, it's quality content as the right people and making sure that they've got their the buy-in. And I think for us, we had an initial in the marketplace in Asia Pacific, there was no such community.
[00:02:40] There was no such authority that was trying to deliver the connectivity that was trying to deliver that community. And so gym owners and business owners were too busy looking after their own business to really connect to other business owners. And I think once we started to realize the power of that had and the paradigm has connectivity and community had, my word is unbelievable once you start talking to some other. Like-minded professionals a little bit different in Australia. And of course, I know you guys have done a much better job of has here in Asia. You've got some established associations and communities, but again, that comes down to people like you putting in the effort to actually drive this community and make sure it still exists.
Vit Muller: [00:03:19] Hmm. You're absolutely right. And you've touched on podcasts and same thing, right? I mean, I started this thing about six months ago, so it months ago, something like that. And it is like you said, it is being in touch with other podcasters being part of the community, whatever, whatever community is, whether it's talking about fitness or podcasting, it is that.
[00:03:37] Like I say, you know, you're, you're only as good as, as, as people that you surround yourself with. Right.
Why did Ross launch FitSummit
[00:03:41] So now fit, fit summit. That is incredible event. I'm a see, I didn't know about it until earlier this year. Uh, one of my, one of my coaches told me about it because she works for Less Mills and she told me about this thing.
[00:03:53] And like she said, you've got to check it out. So I went. I think it was one of the first one, which was a free at the time. So I went to that one. Um, I must say I was, um, I was very impressed how it's been, how it's been organized, um, for those guys who listening, what we're talking about is a, is a completely online, um, convention.
[00:04:12] Think about a big convention center that you go to and you've got all the stolls, although all the sponsors store, a store stores, which are stalls the, um, um, and you know, stage events, speakers discussions, but it's all on virtually. And, um, yeah, I must say I was very impressed. So where are we now going forward now?
[00:04:33] You've done another three since, haven't you?
Ross Campbell: [00:04:35] Yeah, in total, we've done six. Now the first four testing the water if I'm honest with you. I think like a lot of the operators that, you know, you yourself is one of them that, you know, getting this transitional step to become a virtual operator is not an easy task.
[00:04:52] Let's be honest. Right? I think anyone who's watching this, that's had a fitness and wellness business. Certainly just try to transition into the virtual world. Hasn't been an easy, last few months and yeah. Well, I think for those, and again, we draw parallels to this from the fitness world to those of adopted early, they're really invested well, but they've also tried to have a purpose as to what their virtual offering is.
[00:05:14] We're not trying to replicate the wheel. We're trying to do something else that we believe our network and our community want. So yeah, those were six times. We've got another one to go in a year and then thankfully a break. Uh, but then again, there's this new transition that we're going to go into. We're just going to become the hybrid model where it's just like any fitness operator is how'd you convene both the world of bricks and mortar and the world of virtual to become a hybrid membership hybrid subscription offering.
[00:05:40] That's the next transition that actually starts in December. So we've had a really good 2020 in terms of. Uh, building new capability financially, look, we're not going to lie. It's been a terrible year financially, but it doesn't matter. We are healthy. We're happy. We're still making an impact on our community.
[00:05:57] And we've got a chance now to build something bigger and better on the other side. And we're going to grab that opportunity.
Vit Muller: [00:06:02] And you've had some amazing speakers as well. You've had top CEOs of top biggest brands in the fitness industry from both manufacturers. Um, you had what program providers like Les mills and some of the other ones haven't you?
Ross Campbell: [00:06:17] We're very blessed. I mean, like the same as you, that we happen to have a value proposition, like your podcast, where people are talking business and there's a lot of interest and people learning to be at the business of fitness and wellness. And you must've saw that yourself. I mean, I mean, it's, it's.
[00:06:34] Not easy to secure speakers, if you're trying to bring them on to perhaps an educational summit on education. Yeah. Um, platform, however, F you're talking to them about the business, the future of their business, the future of our industry, that's really a pool. I mean, the question to you must be
How did I managed to get great speakers on my podcast
[00:06:51] how, how have you managed successfully get so many good people onto your platform?
[00:06:55] Because I know firsthand it's not easy. So what's your secret.
Vit Muller: [00:06:59] I don't know, but I must say I haven't really run into any troubles, so I don't know. Um, let's see. I've always been into networking. So I know when that's working, it's always enjoyed having conversations, meeting new people, getting to know their side of the story, you know, different businesses, different industries, as well as just something that I like to, you know, cause it kind of opens up your eyes a little bit and you know, things that you hear about what people do at different industry.
[00:07:24] Often times you can then bring it to your own industry. So I really enjoy meeting people, um, from the get go and I've, since I arrived to Australia, I started as a PT and a sort of. Work my way up. Um, but throughout that whole journey, I've always been interested in, I mean, also personal developments, so going to different things like Tony Robbins and you meet a lot of people there, a lot of positive and inspired people there, but then also regular business networking is what I've enjoyed doing.
[00:07:50] So I've been a member of BNI, which is the global business network. That's work. Um, recently I've been a member. I am still a member of another organization here in Canberra which is actually more of a Australia wide, uh, now, uh, called BX networking. You know, we actually have regular zoom meetings now, so that's been pretty good.
[00:08:09] Um, the other Avenue for me, I guess, would have been. LinkedIn where I might either outreach, but I must say I haven't been doing as much outreach as I thought I would have to, which has been a nice surprise. I actually have a, now as more and more episodes of being released, people actually outreach to me asking, you know, and with the right, you know, we have the right.
[00:08:29] Introduction, um, they gain, my attention and then we have a chat, so it's been really good, but another one that's been super effective for me, which is a big shout out to Mark Shaw. Um, he had a platform called, um, Um, SpotAGuest or website got SpotAGuest, which unfortunately shut down about two months back, but it was a free platform for all podcasters and podcastees or podcast guests looking to be on the podcast.
[00:08:56] And so I did put up, and that was very early. When I started, I put a post and I said, you know, I'm doing this, um, And, you know, I, I put a clear description of, of what I'm, what I'm going with, where I'm going with this podcast and who will be the ideal guests and actually got a lot of interests from it, actually a lot like 30, 40 people.
[00:09:15] And so from that, I've sort of obviously picked and choose has been great. Obviously platforms shut down, but now I must say there is more and more emerging. This podcasting thing, I would say this year as skyrocketed, um, Oh, actually, uh, I said to myself, I wish I would've done it. You know, two years ago, I've been thinking about doing podcast for so long.
[00:09:34] And now finally, when I get my ass off the couch to, to do it, a lot of, a lot of people will want to do it, which is great, which is grate for both podcasting community. And we can all learn from one another. But yeah, it's been a really good journey.
Ross Campbell: [00:09:46] Yeah, but again, I can congratulations to you. It's I think you've got to put yourself out there and I think that's never been as a pattern as through COVID and, you know, I know there's lots of things that this crisis has brought up, but one of the kind of key things I don't think people have quite considered yet is.
[00:10:02] People are used to meeting people in bars and restaurants and clubs and pubs and networking conferences and networking associations and trade shows, et cetera. Now, if you take a whole year of that connectivity, not only for personal development for business development, you know, how are businesses going to develop the pipeline for the future?
[00:10:21] And that's a real gray area at the moment in time. And so, you know, we highly encourage people, even if they might not be. You know, digitally savvy or even confident in some of the digital offerings, you've got to get yourself online. You've got to listen to these podcasts. You're going to get on online to these events, especially the ones that are interactive, because I think at the moment and timer is a lot of Clinton there's push and there's very little interaction and I'm sure you've been on the same list.
[00:10:49] Thousands of webinars and hundreds of beeing guilty and not having any interaction at all. There's no questions and answers. There's no chat box. There's nowhere that you can put on your LinkedIn URL for networking with other people. What a missed opportunity. That is why people are doing it, but it's it's for me, it's crazy.
[00:11:06] And so I love what you guys are doing because this is an interactive show and, you know, people can own. Can easily reach out to you afterwards and reach out to me afterwards and we can continue conversations. And that is key.
What I enjoy about podcasting
Vit Muller: [00:11:18] Absolutely. Now for anybody listening to podcasts here is what I enjoyed the most about podcasting.
[00:11:24] Firstly obviously is the power of networking. So now we're going to have a quality conversation for an hour. How often, how often do you actually get to speak to somebody for a full hour? We live in a, such a fast-paced society. Right. And what I love about is that I get a person that may have not even spoken to, but...
