Forbes: Why The Gym Is Becoming The New Center For Business

Why The Gym Is Becoming The New Center For Business

Forbes Article

Forty years ago, it might have happened on the golf course. A round of eighteen with a partnering exec, some negotiation on the fairways, and a handshake agreement after the last putt. Business as usual.

Today, though, business is finding a new home outside the boardroom, one with a lot more Under Armour and a lot less plaid. The gym has quietly grown as a new center for business, where aspiring partners in commerce can work off stress while making connections that follow them right back to the office. And for many young entrepreneurs, it’s the main nexus of business and social we’ve come to know.planet fitness lunk alarm , lunk alarm planet fitness,health club news,la fitness logo,healthclubnews.org ,lunk alarm,terry fasy,anytime fitness india ,north castle partners curves  , lunk alarm at planet fitness   ,giscombe gym jamaica  , north castle partners and curves,  planet fitness rules,cybex international lawsuit ,  www.healthclubnews.com ,  planet fitness lunk, healthclub news , bally fitness,health club, giscombe gym, what is planet fitness lunk alarm,  lifetime fitness tulsa ,  north castle partners and curves international, planet fitness,   equinox rockefeller center, pure fitness for women, health club industry news, synergy fitness owner , synergy fitness corporate office, xercise4less,la fitness,anytime fitness in india   ,lifetime fitness birmingham al   ,premier fitness financial problems , what is the lunk alarm at planet fitness ,planet fitness alarm lunk ,gold\’s gym ,what is a lunk alarm at planet fitness ,planet fitness promotions 2012 ,planet fitness alarm   ,what is the planet fitness lunk alarm ,sport and fitness center projects,curves new ceo ,blast fitness buys ballys  , planet fitness lunk rules, health clubnews.org  ,

To be fair, I might have an exaggerated perspective. I work for Greatist, a health and fitness content startup, and being in the health and wellness space means talking shop and talking fitness are basically one and the same. But some of the best connections I’ve made in gyms, yoga studios, and other sweat centers are motivated more by how I work out than where I work. I’ve made numerous connections with potential sponsors, advertisers, and advisers who knew about my squat form well before they knew about my business life.

There was the time a fellow asked for a spot on the bench press. He ended up being an efficiency guru who swung by our office the next week to give a productivity seminar.

Then there’s the doctor I met at a CrossFit box (that’s CrossFit slang for “gym” for the uninitiated) who now serves on Greatist’s Expert Network, a group of researchers integral to verifying our content. A few trainer friends have also ended up becoming regular contributors to our site.

Two of my lifting buddies in Boston — who had no prior connections outside the gym — ended up becoming business partners in a new venture shortly after I moved to New York.

I’ve connected more than a few gym friends with companies they ended up working with.

Regardless of where you pick up the stress you take out on the weights or treadmill, sweating together breeds a unique sense of camaraderie. If I trust someone to spot me when I’ve got a few hundred pounds hovering above my chest, chances are I’m bullish on them replying to emails on time. Small talk proliferates between sets and reps, so getting to know your partners in fitness — including their professional lives — is all part of the game. With the right pieces lined up, making the leap from fitness friends to business partners isn’t at all farfetched.

And as anyone who’s ever grinded through a CrossFit workout or mucked through a Tough Mudder can tell you, recent fitness trends have sped the growth of these hybrid fitness-business relationships. It’s especially true in urban centers like New York, where schlepping out to the links seems impossible, but a lunchtime Spin class can get you huffing away with thirty other gym rats from your neighborhood — and maybe from your industry, too.

The trend also works in reverse. More research is connecting fitness with workplace productivity (a topic I’ve written about before on Greatist), and companies are increasingly happy to get employees together for a weekly Zumba class or even a half-marathon obstacle race. Class instructors and race organizers are encouraging this development, of course, since they can make a nice premium from corporate signups. It’s a win-win that has employees getting more active and all sorts of companies teaming up with health and wellness entrepreneurs.

The growing office-gym link could even help foster innovation. In The Creativity Cure, Drs. Carrie and Alton Barron suggest exercise as a key method to boost creativity and abstract thinking. Maybe you’ll come up with that next great innovation while pumping iron. Or maybe you’ve already got the idea but need to run it by a trusted gym buddy before pitching to the boss.

Either way, it probably can’t hurt to grab a quick workout this afternoon. You know, for business’ sake.