Forever Fit Coaching continues to fit the business to the needs of its clients
A little more than a year after launching as part of the the “Veterans in Residence” program, the start-up has made changes such as increasing the minimum engagement to six months. "“It’s about lifestyle, not simply a 12-week diet," says Bridget Manners.
A little more than a year after co-founding Forever Fit Coaching with his then fiancée and now wife, Stephen Manners says they are still working to best fit the business to the needs of their clients and the lessons they’ve learned since the January 2022 launch.
We first met the couple when Stephen participated in the inaugural cohort of the “Veterans in Residence” program organized by the Knoxville Chapter of Bunker Labs. Now, Bridget is a participant in the current third cohort of the program currently underway.
As highlighted in this May 2022 teknovation.biz article, the focus of Forever Fit Coaching begins with individuals who are committed to changing their lifestyle and sustaining it through exercise and nutrition.
“We quickly learned that a 12-week commitment was not sufficient to get people to where they want to be,” Bridget says. Now, their minimum is a six-month engagement, but hopefully longer,
“It’s about lifestyle, not simply a 12-week diet,” she says, explaining that 24 weeks takes a lot of pressure off their clients.
“Nutrition coaching is the meat and potatoes of what we do,” Stephen explains, with Bridget adding that their clients have or need to have the exercise portion covered. “They come to us for nutrition,” she notes, with Stephen saying that “we really are alongside these people.”
They have a little under 70 clients at any time, and about 30 percent are not local. That’s not a problem since Forever Fitness Coaching involves heavy use of the company’s app and weekly check-ins. The process begins with an initial body scan (the “Bod Pod” test) and a consultation, either in person or by phone.
From there, Forever Fitness Coaching provides custom nutrition information including macros, sample days of eating, education, and other items along with a customized training plan for each client with goals in the app and videos demonstrating all exercises. Clients can also track their weights as they progress through the program.
Other offerings include:
- Weekly coaching videos where individuals can receive education on nutrition and training from Bridget and Stephen;
- Weekly emails and mindset work;
- A private Telegram group with Forever Fit members and coaches where individuals can connect with others in the program, including sharing and receiving recipes;
- Access to a Facebook group community with posts on nutrition, training, motivation, life hacks, and other information; and
- 24/7 support and accountability.
Two of the challenges that the Manners have experienced are: (1) balancing marketing and acquiring sales with delivering to their current members; and (2) extending the optimal time frame for clients to see and achieve the success they want.
The current client base covers the age continuum . . . as young as 15 years old to someone in his/her 70s. That said, they see their target as those between 30 and 40 years old,
