By January of 1994, I was already a veteran of the fitness industry. I had worked in numerous fitness centers, been a manager of several coed clubs and even owned a facility. Here I was, in Dublin, Georgia, the owner of a new Ladies Workout Express franchise. Ladies Workout Express had recently come on the scene offering small to mid-size, full service, women only fitness clubs. As a new owner, I was eager to prove myself; plus, I needed to earn a living.

Since the club was new, I still needed to build the member base. Therefore, I was in a quest for new (and inexpensive) marketing ideas. Around that time, Oprah (Winfrey) was in the news for having transformed herself. It was widely publicized that she had enlisted the services of a personal trainer, as well as private cook. (Side note: A few years earlier, while living in Florida and going to school, I had worked solely as a personal trainer for nearly two years. While I enjoyed that aspect of the business, it was hard to do perform that role and run a club at the same time due to time constraints.) Then, a thought occurred to me. Why not offer a personal training program in the club…only exclusively (to one person)?

The idea was simple – I would run a contest. The individual who won the contest would receive the benefit of a six-week personal training and nutrition program. I promoted the contest within the club, constantly referencing Oprah and her amazing transformation. My whole idea was to play on the media attention that Oprah had received in her battle to lose weight. If I had simply offered a six-week personal training program, it would have been typical. However, by using Oprah’s experience as an example, I knew people would relate on a more personal level.

The question remained: What criteria would be used in determining the contest winner? I decided it would be the first person who brought in three new members. I made up special guest passes and handed them out to everyone, talking up the contest as often as I could. The race was on. Within a week, I had a winner…and 30 new members.

The winner was Tammy, a 24-year-old probation officer. She had recently graduated from college and gotten married. As the case with many people settling down, Tammy had gained a little weight. Now, the transformation was about to take place. I set to work designing an exercise and diet program. I had her keep a daily food journal and met with her for a minimum of one hour per day to monitor and coach her exercise routine. My project was going to succeed.

Week in and week out, Tammy worked. I was quite impressed with her commitment and intensity. (However, I wasn’t too surprised as she worked so diligently to win the competition in the first place.) Then, the day of truth came. It was time for the final weigh-in. She came by during her lunch break, removed her shoes, took a deep breath and stepped on the scale. There it was…124 pounds…her goal. In a rush of excitement, she jumped off the scale and gave me a big hug. By the time it was all said and done, Tammy had lost 14 pounds, 12% body fat and over 12 inches.

Through working with Tammy, I re-taught myself something I already knew, and something that I continue to learn, and that is this: 1) The positive power health and fitness can have on people’s lives; and 2) If we have a particular knowledge or skill in a given area, we are obligated to pass that on to others.