Have you ever wanted to try out a gym before committing to a membership? Or do you wish you could sell your space at a yoga class while you’re on holiday? If so, Matthew Mansell has created an app for you.
From potential alone, Athlo might become the next fitness unicorn. The app applies the idea of the sharing economy to the workout space, allowing users to sell and buy time at gyms, classes, courts, and more. Simultaneously, it offers health club owners and instructors the chance to provide specials and discounts to clients.
“Athlo was born with the goals of giving more control back to gym members, greater access to gym-goers, and better retention opportunities to gym operators,” Matthew Mansell said. “We felt that existing solutions weren’t cost-effective for the user or the gym, were cannibalising the sector and we wanted to change that.”
The app was born from Matthew Mansell’s personal struggles. As a former professional rugby player who played both in the UK and France, Mansell always had multiple memberships. He paid for access to gyms, tennis courts, swimming pools, and fitness classes. Seeing his expenditure, he found that he could no longer afford nor justify all the costs associated.
“One of the main reasons that people cancel their gym memberships is because they aren’t using them enough, so they don’t necessarily see it as good value,” Mansell explained. “What we want to do is to give members more control over their membership whilst providing users with on-demand access to the best gyms and classes at preferential rates without a subscription fee.”
Learning From Disrupters
As Matthew Mansell began to think of ways to implement a solution, he turned to Turo and Airbnb, which found ways to leverage the sharing economy.
But unlike with cars and homes, gym-goers don’t own the facilities they use. The Athlo founder realised he would need buy-ins from gym owners if the app was going to become the next fitness unicorn.
“There are a few key differences between Athlo and its competitors,” Matthew Mansell stated. “Our offering adds greater value for our gym partners and their membership, our partnered gym members are able to sell unused days / classes and access the best gyms and studios at preferential rates. People want to feel as though they are being prioritised and offered better value for money, we help facilitate this from a gyms perspective”
With gym owners on board, the Athlo idea started to gain steam. Mansell hired designers, engineers, and marketers and built out a team of experts from the fitness industry and beyond, ensuring he hired strategic thinkers who could add outsider knowledge to the space.
It proved to be a smart choice.
Going Global
As the Athlo app continues to expand, Matthew Mansell isn’t slowing down. He plans to make his start-up into the next fitness unicorn, a goal that can only be accomplished by sticking to a core philosophy, he said.
“I always ask, ‘Will this idea benefit our target audience?’ As a business that involves our partnered operators, their members, and our users, every decision we make is done with each of these groups in mind,” he explained. “You must never lose sight of your target audience.”
With that in mind, the Athlo founder isn’t slowing down anytime soon. He’s up at 5:45 a.m. to answer emails, in the gym by 7 a.m., and in the office after a workout. The routine keeps him from burning out and gives him the energy to focus on growing his company, he shared.
“We have ambitious plans to expand our partnered operators, providing even more choice to members and users on the platform,” Matthew Mansell noted. “We also have some incredibly exciting further functionalities being added to the app — of which some will be a first to market.”
Learn more about Athlo here: https://www.europeanbusinessreview.com/a-hybrid-world-athlo-and-the-future-of-fitness/
