Matt Spencer opened his gym - CrossFit Orillia in Ontario, Canada - in 2019. During the first three years, he tried three different gym management software options. He was tired of switching and hesitant to try yet another platform. But eighteen months ago, he decided to try PushPress.
What happened next surprised him.
Spencer recalled the switch being so easy that his manager was able to handle the transition entirely.
“It was completely hands off for me,” he said. “PushPress has been instrumental in helping my business run smoothly, so that nothing is a headache.”
But that’s only the start of his story.
After switching to PushPress, Spencer found himself gaining some of his time back.
“My manager is able to seamlessly handle all the business operations,” he said, “which allows me to pursue these larger ventures.”
Launching an Impactful Non-Profit.
As a result, Spencer was able to launch a non-profit to help those battling substance use disorder and addiction. He opened the Community Empowerment Collective (CEC) one year ago. And he now offers classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at CrossFit Orillia.
Over the last year, Spencer has worked with approximately 20 people recovering from addiction, some of whom he has helped to get jobs. He also credited his partnership with RAAM (Rapid Access Addictions Medicine), a local clinic in Ontario, for consistently referring new clients to him.
“We have a great retention rate,” he said. “A majority of people who come through, stay, and eventually convert into CrossFit members so they have a new community. A lot of the struggle of recovery is the isolation that comes with changing your entire social circles and habits.”
Similar to the journey his regular CrossFit members take, CEC members start with a No Sweat Intro. Spencer aims to find out as much as he can about each individual before getting them started on their own health and fitness journey.
Right now the program is free for participants and Spencer has essentially been volunteering his time. But he has big plans to grow the program in the near future.
Plans for Fundraising and Growth.
With a successful fitness business already in place, and PushPress in his corner, Spencer has the time and energy to devote to his non-profit.
Next up, he has his sights set on fundraising efforts in the form of events, and corporate/individual donations. His goal is to scale the program to other gyms in the province and - hopefully one day - across the country.
“Our rough structure is to go into affiliates who want to take the program on,” Spencer said. “And we will train their coach or owner how to facilitate the program, and then we’ll pay them to run the program. So it can hopefully become a new revenue stream for them.”
Though he has a big endeavor ahead of him, he’s confident he can make it happen.
“Your business needs to be stable and secure, and functional first before you can use it as a launchpad to do something more impactful in the community,” he said.
How PushPress is Helping.
When the Community Empowerment Collective was in its infancy, Spencer was thankful for the non-profit discount PushPress extended to him. He also credited the free trial period for helping him get on his feet.
In regard to the tools and solutions he finds most helpful, he said PushPress makes it easy to manage attendance and deliver assumption of risk documents to attendees, among other things. He believes it has simply helped his business run more effectively from an admin and financial perspective.
Further, PushPress has helped his community cohesiveness. Spencer credits the Social Feed in the Members App for replacing their antiquated Facebook group and getting more people involved.
“We have some people who don’t have social media, but the social feed has become their social media,” he said. “It has really brought our community together.”
Also, Spencer noted that the Habit Tracking feature and challenges added to PushPress Train recently have been great for community building. Some of his coaches have used the features to create innovative challenges designed to elevate the client experience, he explained.
“The engagement has been really great,” Spencer said. “And it has been a great way to give coaches autonomy and freedom to create what they want.”
In Summary: Supporting a Significant Cause with PushPress
After 18 months as a PushPress client, Matt Spencer couldn’t be happier with his decision to switch gym management software. Through his non-profit, the Community Empowerment Collective (CEC), he’s pursuing his dream of “making an impact on a population that really needs help.”
His fitness business is running smoothly as well, and he’s got the data to prove it.
“It has been really cool to see our consistent and constant improvement,” Spencer said. He then added that he also loves all the resources PushPress provides.
“From webinars to emails, it’s nice to get content that is relevant to us as CrossFit affiliates,” he said. “And most of the folks you talk to at PushPress either own or coach or manage an affiliate. So it’s nice to see that across-the-board cohesion.”
.
