A year ago, two friends met while climbing the intimidating, bone-breaking, nerve-wrenching Kilimanjaro, Africa’s tallest mountain. Inspired by the daunting challenge and their individual passions for physical fitness, they took the first steps towards scaling the heights of their own dreams.
Over dinner one night, Rahim pitched the idea of a low-cost gym where the general public could access a first-rate facility at an affordable price. The conversation stirred up a mutual passion.
I met Kunaal Shah and Rahim Mawji at their gym, Infinity Fitness, located on the third floor of T-Mall along Lang’ata Road. With a welcoming reception area curved off the 4,000 square feet space, the facility is mostly busy during peak hours from 5:30 am to 8pm, and 4:30 t0 9pm. It is midday, so there are few fitness seekers streaming in. So I have ample time to test out the treadmills, bench presses, leg curl and extension machines, the dumbells, pullup bars, squat racks and a host of other newly-imported equipment. The muscled-up and friendly trainers – Baraka, James and Isaac take me through the various exercise regimes as other gym members work out in to the cool Nairobi afternoon. Inside the studio room is a group of ladies sweating themselves out as they jump, stretch and twist to the aerobics, zumba, rhumba and insanity tunes.
Rahim is a Canada-trained Chartered Accountant with an interest in construction and software development, while Kunaal is a UK-trained Finance and International Business graduate with professional experience working with multinationals in the pharmaceuticals, investment banking and commodities trading industries in France and Kenya.
Together they have transformed the 4,000 square metre space, which the mall management was using as a junkyard – into an ultra-modern fitness centre, from where they plan to expand to a network of gyms to provide access to first-rate fitness facilities in multiple locations.
“I’ve always wanted to build my own gym because I wanted to make something that’s affordable and accessible”, offers Rahim, a cricket, field hockey, motorbike racing, windsurfing and sailing buff.
On his part, Kunaal is a sports and fitness aficionado with multiple feathers in his cap- swimming, football, rugby, athletics, cricket, kick-boxing, squash… This duo is simply the ultimate sporting combo. And therein lies their Midas touch!
They wanted to create not just a gym, but a space for education and transformation. They do not just open the door and send you to the machines. They have developed a holistic lifestyle program that caters for the physical, psychological and physiological aspects of your health- be it weight loss, bodybuilding, cardiovascular endurance and diet training.
Before you begin your fitness regime, the trainers give you a personalized fitness assessment, measure your weight and body fat, take time to understand your lifestyle, medical history and past fitness activity to enable them to tailor an appropriate training regime for maximum results and for your own health and safety.
As with any start-up, they needed a sizeable wad of cash to set up the facility. While they had pooled together their resources as start-up capital, the astute entrepreneurs thought it more prudent not to pump in all their money. They needed to leave some buffer just in case the ride got turbulent at take off. Fortunately, they had had a cordial business relationship with ABC Bank. And what are friends for anyway? ABC Bank, impressed by their business plan and model, extended to them a credit facility. The bank’s agile and customer-focused relationship manager went the extra mile of taking off the documentation and processing hassle from their shoulders so they could focus on the designing and partitioning of the space.
They have aggressively grown their client base to over 115 on full membership in the first month and expect to triple the number by the end of the year. They are confident their plans to expand the business to a chain of fitness centers strategically spread across Nairobi and eventually other major towns in Kenya. Their vision is to provide their clients with unlimited access to multiple facilities with a single membership.
The fitness center also offers corporate packages for the gym and team building to help companies boost the productivity of their employees and keep them motivated.
“Unhealthy employees equate to low productivity and increased costs to a company; we provide organizations with an opportunity for their employees to access fitness and health services to improve their health and productivity,” says Rahim.
The location of Infinity Fitness is strategic. It is a residential and business microcosm only five kilometers west of Nairobi CBD and therefore ideal for those living or working around Madaraka, Nairobi West, South C, Langata and Upper Hill.
The restrooms easily match any four-star hotel and the steam rooms are a good way to rejuvenate and detoxify the body after a long week in the office.
When I asked them what advice they would give to anyone considering venturing into the health and fitness business, they were very generous with their ideas.
- Location, location, location – The ideal location for a fitness centre is a residential or office area of a major city. It should also be easily accessible and convenient for customers to visit. Most working professionals prefer to work out before or after work hours, or during the weekend. Your location should help potential customers keep to their schedule. That explains their choice of T-Mall.
- Capital– Any business that requires a significant investment in machinery and equipment usually needs a lot of capital. However, the amount of capital you need to set up a fitness centre will vary depending on the size of the facility you want to start with. You could start with less equipment first and scale up gradually as your business grows.
- Have a nose for changes in trends– The health and fitness industry can be significantly influenced by changes and trends in the tastes of consumers. The hottest weight loss technique, diet, or exercise routine one year may be all but ‘old school’ a couple of years later.
- Be passionate- Passion can turn impossibilities in to possibilities. When you are passionate you can anticipate customers’ needs, then money will follow.
- The right partners- You can’t do it alone. You’ll need partners either as financiers, technicians, consultants, lawyers, or as suppliers. The right ones will help you take off without as much challenge. The reverse is also true.
Infinity fitness contacts: Web- www.infinityfitness.co.ke; email: info@infinityfitness.co.ke; Phone: 0737-559-894
, 0702-456-196