Injecting Fun and Engagement into Your Fitness Business: Jared Orton, Savannah Bananas and Richard Toutounji: Episode 539

Injecting Fun and Engagement into Your Fitness Business: Jared Orton, Savannah Bananas and Richard Toutounji: Episode 539

Author: Justin Tamsett | Fitness Business Leader March 20, 2025 Duration: 39:48

Are you a gym owner, fitness entrepreneur, or wellness professional looking to inject some serious fun and engagement into your business? In this episode, host JT Tamsett and guests dive  deep into the secrets of creating a customer-centric experience that keeps people coming back for more. Drawing inspiration from the wildly successful Savannah Bananas baseball team and social media marketing guru Richard Toutounji, this episode provides actionable insights on how to make your fitness studio, health club, or personal training business stand out from the crowd. Learn how to build a strong community, craft engaging content, and gamify your workouts to drive client retention and boost your bottom line. Get ready to transform your business into the place everyone is talking about!

Key highlights from the episode:

- Spice up your Socials: Learn Richard Toutounji's six elements of engaging social media content: Surprise, Shock, Relatability, Personalization, Timeliness, and Playfulness to create a marketing strategy that pops!

- Embrace the "Fans First" Mentality: Discover how Jared Orton and the Savannah Bananas put their fans at the heart of everything they do, creating a unique and unforgettable experience.

- Gamify Your Fitness: Explore the power of gamification to drive motivation and engagement in your clients' workouts with Jay Worthy from MyZone.

 

Leave us a voicemail!

Leave a rating on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

 

Quotes:

"We feel like the critical mission of our team is to make baseball fun." - Jared Orton

"We exist to create the best possible experience for our fans and every key stakeholder within the organization is aiming directly towards that." - Jared Orton

"Don't take things too seriously, especially on social media. It is a platform to be playful as well." - Richard Toutounji

 

Resources:

Fitness Business Podcast's LinkedIn Community
Mystery Shopping for Fitness Businesses - Website

Jared Orton - LinkedIn

Savannah Bananas - Website

Jared's Book Recommendation - Unreasonable Hospitality

 

Merch Sponsor:

REX Roundtables - Website and Email

REX Leadership Academy - Website

Be a Merch Sponsor - Here

 

REX Wise Words:

Richard Toutounji - LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram

COM Marketing - Website 

 

Trusted Suppliers:

Eleiko - Website

ABC Fitness - Website

Instinctive Insights - Website

Budderfly - Website

 

About Your Host: Justin "JT" Tamsett is a fitness industry veteran with over 30 years of experience who aims to reduce global healthcare costs by promoting physical activity. Through his company Active Management, he provides business coaching to fitness entrepreneurs, leads 8 REX Roundtables in the US and Australia, and has spoken at over 40 conferences across 23 countries. His ultimate goal is to create a world of opportunity for his daughter Zoe by helping more people move and stay healthy, while empowering gym owners to build successful businesses that contribute to a healthier society

Related: Client acquisition, member engagement, fitness marketing, gym growth, customer experience, fitness trends, health and wellness, fitness industry, gym management, business strategy

Please note: We only recommend products we care about (affiliate links support our free content). Thank you for your support!


Running a fitness facility means balancing a dozen spinning plates at once, from member happiness to keeping your team engaged and the bottom line healthy. While plenty of conversations in the industry fixate on getting new leads in the door, Fitness Business Podcast: Leadership, Innovation, and Profit digs into what happens after they join. Host Justin Tamsett, known widely as JT, operates from a core belief: sustainable growth isn't just about marketing, but about mastering the human elements of leadership and creating a business people don't want to leave-neither your members nor your staff. In each episode, you'll hear JT's straightforward, actionable advice drawn from his deep experience as a global fitness business leader. The discussions move beyond theory to tackle the real operational challenges gym owners and managers face daily, focusing on practical strategies to improve member retention, foster a loyal company culture, and implement innovations that drive genuine profit. This isn't a surface-level chat; it's a dedicated resource for those ready to build a more resilient and impactful fitness business. If you're tired of the constant churn and seeking a smarter path to long-term success, this podcast offers the grounded perspective and leadership insights often missing from the conversation.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Fitness Business Podcast: Leadership, Innovation, and Profit
Podcast Episodes
476 Larry Levine: Selling From the Heart [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:32
Sales expert Larry Levine was fired from his corporate job at 50 years old. Then...he started a movement. Attention sales leaders, sales people and sales managers. Think about what it would mean to you and your business…
475 The Value Proposition for Pledging Physical Activity [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:00
Our country is suffering from an inactivity crisis, and the Physical Activity Alliance has identified a brilliant way to bring awareness to this issue. Join Sarah Pellegrino as she speaks with Graham Melstrand, President…
474 Abby Marks Beale: Speed Reading Skills 101 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:57
Abby Marks Beale spent her adolescence, college years, and 3 years in the business world hating to read. Then, she got a job that completely transformed her attitude towards reading. Dori chats with speed reading expert…
472 Generations in the Gym: Baby Boomers with Dr. Sarah Marion [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:22
As we wrap up our Generations in the Gym series, Dr. Sarah Marion is here for our final segment on the Baby Boomers. Dr. Marion shares some insights on what baby boomers are looking for in a fitness program, and how to b…
471 Stripped-Down Content Marketing for Success with John Egan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:34
Are you looking for secrets to content marketing? John Egan, author of The Stripped-Down Guide to Content Marketing, brings infectious energy to this episode on content marketing. John has a fun, but intriguing approach…
470 Your Email List Adds Value to Your Business with Corey Hiben [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:18
In today's episode, learn how your email list can add value to your business, and what's the most common mistake when composing an email. Email marketing has been around for a while, so this is the perfect episode to ref…
469 The Value Proposition for Managing Risk in Your Fitness Business [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:09
Join Sarah Pellegrino as she speaks with Ken Reinig and Rick Mayo about liabilities in the fitness industry today, ways in which Reinig Risk Management can help protect your fitness business and train your staff, and rec…
468 Battlefield Leadership for Your Fitness Business with Jim Czupil [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:23
Jim Czupil from Battlefield Leadership delivers a superb episode. Jim is the Senior Business Facilitator for Battlefield Leadership, and he talks about this amazing program that you and your team can experience together.…