Gym owners turn to HybridAF for plenty of reasons, the most common being:
- They want to provide more value to their members, and having the freedom and flexibility of unattended access does exactly this.
- They see it as a potential revenue-generating source, as they can (if they choose to) sell unattended access, either as its own membership or as an add-on cost to a regular membership.
- They want more freedom to, for example, go on vacation without feeling guilty. As Christina Mazzullo, the owner of two Tarheel CrossFit locations in North Carolina, put it: “HybridAF makes our life easier because we have the freedom to give our staff time off for holidays and not have to close the gym down. We are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, and we believe our members appreciate the freedom and flexibility that comes with that.”
HybridAF does all of the above, but long-time owners say it has also brought unexpected conveniences to their lives in other ways.
Five Unexpected Ways HybridAF Helps Gym Owners, Coaches and Members
Never Miss a Delivery
These days, packages can arrive at any time. Whether it’s 4 AM, a weekend when you’re closed, or an evening after you’ve already locked the doors, having unattended access means you can allow the delivery person into the gym to drop off the package. You can watch them deliver it and ensure they leave, never missing a delivery again.
Scott Panchik, a nine-time CrossFit Games athlete and owner of CrossFit Mentality in Mentor, Ohio, has been using HybridAF for eight years. He says this feature is one of the most useful tools HybridAF offers him as a gym owner.
Accommodates 5 AM Accidental Sleep-Ins
Though it’s not ideal, if you’re a 5 AM coach, chances are you’ve had an alarm mishap at least once, leaving you running late, without coffee, and rushing to open the gym. Meanwhile, a few eager members might be standing outside in the dark, locked out, hoping they didn’t wake up for nothing.
With HybridAF, members can let themselves in, while the coach makes their way to the gym, knowing they didn’t waste anyone’s time at a moment when everyone would much rather be sleeping.Scott Panchik, a nine-time CrossFit Games athlete and owner of CrossFit Mentality in Mentor, Ohio, has been using HybridAF for eight years. He says this feature is one of the most useful tools HybridAF offers him as a gym owner.
No More Fumbling Around for Keys
It might be a small thing, but for Amalie Flowers, the owner of Breakfast Club Barbell in Medina, Ohio, not having to fumble with keys is a bigger deal than you might expect, especially in the winter months when temperatures drop below freezing in Ohio.
- “Having the ability to open the door quickly and not mess around with a key is something I’m proud we offer to our members and coaches,” Flowers said.
Drop-In Game Changer
For many gym owners, drop-ins can be a bit of a pain in the bum.
You know the one: The drop-in who shows up late and hasn’t yet signed a waiver, and now the class coach is pulled away from the class to get the drop-in sorted.
HybridAF solved this problem for Adam Ludlow, the owner of Rewired Fitness Co. in Spokane, Washington.
- Since adding HybridAF, drop-ins are no longer a headache, as HybridAF and PushPress software work together so drop-ins can sign a waiver, register for class or unattended access, pay the fee, and receive their unattended access pass all without Ludlow getting involved.
Ben Benson, the owner of Victory Gym in Savannah, Georgia, is another gym owner who services a lot of drop-ins seamlessly.
- Benson sells one to three day passes for $20 each, as well at least one one-week or one-month membership each day, generating passive, completely hands off revenue for his gym.
Makes the Open Easier for All
Finally, for the small gym owner, the CrossFit Open can be a particularly stressful time, with devoted athletes wanting to redo workouts multiple times at inconvenient times.
…And all of a sudden the gym owner finds himself at the gym on a Sunday evening judging yet another Open workout.
Unattended access makes this dilemma disappear, as athletes can redo workouts on their own time, and the already overworked gym owner or coach no longer has to show up just to open the gym.
Justin Mazzullo, the owner of Tarheel CrossFit in Spring Lake, North Carolina, can attest to this.
- “If athletes want to retest a workout after our scheduled Friday Night Lights, they are able to do so…with a judge during off hours,” Mazullo said.
Further, many of his more competitive athletes also have additional programming they follow, especially leading up to the Open. Unattended access makes this easy to accommodate, Mazullo explained, as they can come in before or after class, or during off hours, to get ‘er done.
