Customers.com & The Patricia Seybold Group Recognizes Koko FitClub for Customer-Led Innovation

Greetings!

Thought you might appreciate a little insight into what makes us tick here at Koko FitClub. We pride ourselves in being in tune with our customer. In fact, the entire genesis of this business came from the recognition  of a huge, underserved need out there in the market: Millions of people with the desire to get in shape but struggling to find a way to get it done that is sustainable within their lives. Everything we have done, and continue to do at Koko FitClub, is in service to that need - that customer. Our members feel like Koko was made for them because Koko was made for them - and continues to evolve as their needs do.

We have been recognized for this single-minded focus on our customer by one of the most respected experts on customer-led innovation, Patricia Seybold, founder and CEO of the Patricia Seybold Group. In 2006, our young company, Koko Fitness, was a case study in her New York Times bestselling book, Outside Innovation. She has returned again to Koko in recent research, "As we work with clients today on developing a culture of CX [customer experience]  and UX [user experience] best practices, we point back at how simply and elegantly Koko founders Mary Obana and Mike Lannon followed these practices before they were “hot.” Mary and Mike knew, deep down in their souls, that the key to designing a successful business was to truly understand what their customers wanted to achieve and how they, ideally, would like to achieve it."

Koko was also the focus of the Seybold Group's Total CX Blog last week for not only listening to customers in our product design, but also listening to them "regarding the environment in which they wanted to use the product." This attention to customer need led Koko to pivot our business model in 2008 from selling Koko Smartrainers to traditional health clubs- an environment our customers told us very clearly that they loathed-  to creating, and ultimately franchising,  Koko FitClubs. Koko FitClubs are, by design, exactly the kind of place our customers feel good in while using the Koko Smartraining System designed just for them.

If you'd like a glimpse at Koko FitClub's roots, and an understanding of our deep commitment to customer experience,  you can read the post at the Customers.com Total CX Blog:  http://bit.ly/j5cstA 

In good health,

Mary Obana
President & Co-Founder
Koko FitClub

Koko FitClub in 2010: What a Year it’s Been!

New Year's Greetings to you!

It's hard to believe that we are ringing in 2011. Time passes so quickly. And 2010- what an exciting year it's been at Koko FitClub!

Last year at this time we had 5 franchised clubs open in addition to our corporate club in Pembroke, MA. This year, to date, we have 22 clubs open- and 6 more scheduled to open in January.  By the summer, I predict we will have nearly 50 clubs open around the country!

Much of our growth in the latter half of 2010 can be attributed to the execution of multi-unit agreements- owners who have successfully launched club one, moving forward on to their second Koko FitClub. Multi-unit owners are going to continue to play a big role in our growth in the coming year, with half of the clubs scheduled to open through June either second, third and even fourth clubs for owners already in our system, a testament to their success.

In 2010, we truly became a national-and international- franchise. At the end of 2009 Koko FitClubs were open in Massachusetts, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Idaho and Toronto. Now we have locations open from coast to coast after adding clubs in Washington, New Jersey, Texas, New Hampshire, Nebraska, Tennessee, and Michigan.  And, not long into the New Year we will be adding California, Arizona, Nevada, New York and Florida to the list with multiple developers in many of these states and even more exciting announcements imminent.

But the most important news from the past year is our growing business has touched the lives of thousands and thousands of members who have now experienced the benefits of Koko FitClub first hand.  We have been humbled by the personal stories from individuals who are losing weight, off their blood pressure and diabetes medications and overall feeling energized in way they haven't in years. I encourage you to read them for yourselves on facebook, yelp, or on any number of the sites out there where people share their experiences. (In fact, you can easily find Koko on facebook using the button to the right.)  

This is why my husband Mike Lannon and I started this incredible journey in the first place and why our club owners and staff do what they do - to help people be their healthiest, strongest selves and to put our energies into something that makes a difference.  We have changed so many lives this year, but our work has only just begun. We know that Koko is the solution for the millions upon millions of people who struggle with exercise.

 
We continue to be highly selective about to whom we extend Koko FitClub franchise offerings. We are keenly aware that the quality of our owners directly impacts our ability to serve the people in their communities. Those who have been invited to join the Koko family come from a whole host of unique backgrounds and experiences, but all are accomplished in their own right. We are proud of the high-quality people who have joined us in our mission to change lives. If you're curious about who our Koko FitClub owners are, I invite you to get to know them better on our website at http://franchise.kokofitclub.com. Maybe this coming year you'll be there too?

 
To you and your's, we wish you a wonderful new year filled with reward and fulfillment. 

Here's to a happy, healthy 2011!

Mary Obana
President & Co-Founder
Koko FitClub