Rowing

Dave did.

Dave was living the good life studying business at university and being part of the rowing team when one day a motorcycle accident left him seriously injured. It took 8 months of serious rehabilitation, but Dave not only made it backing to rowing he was now so fit he made Canada’s national rowing team … one day while training at his regular gym, the owner approached Dave and told him he was closing it down … Dave decided to buy the gym on the spot and operate it himself … he did everything from training people, to fixing equipment to cleaning toilets … and he was all set to go the Olympics as part of the rowing team when the 1980 Moscow boycott meant no more rowing for Dave that year… so with some unexpected time on his hands he headed south to see how gyms in the US operated. What he saw was group exercise classes .. and once he was back in London, Ontario he tried offering those classes himself … soon 400-500 people were lined for them and more importantly they stayed to use the club. Well soon, David opened a second club … and then another ….

Today, almost 40 years later, David Patchell-Evans’s gyms are everywhere … with over 400 clubs right across Canada serving a million and half members ... that is one in every 25 Canadians … and it is now the 4th largest fitness company in the entire world … Good Life Fitness

Good Life Fitness is a great idea because working out what customers need and delivering the solution can often lead to some very healthy returns.