Michael Riordan, a fellow New Yorker and entrepreneur, shares his journey in building a unique fitness tourism business. We'll dive into how his personal experience and professional background as a personal trainer inspired him to create immersive, wellness-focused tours for travelers and business people visiting the city.
While in Hawaii, he was faced with the decision of either running on a treadmill or exploring outdoors, he chose the latter and embarked on a beach run that turned out to be one of the most memorable experiences of his life. This moment of clarity inspired him to integrate more local and immersive activities into his routine.
Back in his professional life, he noticed a recurring theme among his clients, who often traveled to fun destinations for work but rarely got to experience the local culture. Michael became a staunch advocate for blending fitness with business and/or adventure travel, encouraging clients to explore and enjoy their surroundings, no matter where their travels took them.
Riordan states, "The identity of the the Fit Tours business is that we are actually a tour company with a fitness twist as opposed to a fitness company with a tour twist."
Key themes discussed
- Embrace local experiences & keep up your fitness while traveling for work.
- Fit Tours offers a combination of unique fitness and city exploration.
- Strategic partnerships and filling classes for entrepreneurs.
- Balancing cost and sustainability for fitness tours.
- Recruited dynamic, engaging tour guides for events.
- Competitor collaboration led to successful new business entity.
A few key takeaways:
1. Innovative Business Concept: Riordan identified a niche in the market by providing fitness-focused tours for travelers. This stemmed from his own experiences and frustrations with traditional gym routines while traveling.
2. Target Audience and Value Proposition: The primary target audience includes both leisure and business travelers who want to maintain their fitness routines while also experiencing local sights and culture. This dual-purpose offering provides an immersive wellness experience unique to each city.
3. Effective Team Building: Riordan found success by hiring actors and performers as tour guides. These individuals not only had the fitness focus he needed but also brought an energetic and engaging dynamic to the tours, enhancing the overall experience for guests.
4. Adapting and Expanding: During the pandemic, Riordan expanded to Chicago by acquiring a local running tour company at no cost, demonstrating resourcefulness and strategic growth. This move was facilitated by his connection with the former owner's similar vision and goals.
5. Merging for Better Outcomes: By merging Fit Tours NYC with City Running Tours to form City Fit Tours, Riordan and his partner combined their strengths and resources. This allowed them to share the workload more effectively, with Riordan focusing on business development and his partner on operations.
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Resources:
- Michael Riordan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-riordan-97a1167
- City Fit Tours: https://fittoursnyc.com
- Prospect Wizard: http://www.theprospectwizard.com
- Promotion Vault: http://www.promotionvault.com
- HigherDose: http://www.higherdose.com
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