Take one of the many classes offered at The Club – George Foreman III's Seaport boxing gym and fitness center – and you'll grasp immediately the power of throwing on a pair of boxing gloves and beating the crap out of something heavy. Whatever your fitness level, you will leave sweaty, exhausted and questioning the effectiveness of your current workout routine.
"I personally grade all of the videos, give feedback and sometimes require them to re-submit."
The reason is evident: Foreman, son of boxing legend George Foreman and a decorated boxer in his own right, has put his stamp all over the place and its daily classes. Walk in any time and you're likely to see his imposing stature and big grin prowling the premises, offering tips and jumping in whenever needed.
That's a primary reason the company, EveryBodyFights, recently announced $1 million in funding from Breakaway, a Boston branding agency and VC firm that's put its influence, and cashflow, behind such brands as Oath Craft Pizza, Drizly and M. Gemi, to name a few.
EveryBodyFights is planning to add more high-end boxing facilities, but it's the unique online instructor certification program that's caught my attention. Foreman III has developed a "one to many" strategy in which he personally coaches potential trainers via Skype and critiques their ability to execute, and teach, his BOXFIIT program. An App hit the market this past February, and soon, he hopes to be training hundreds of people at once, always with his signature eye for detail and hands-on approach.
I caught up with Foreman III to learn more. Here's our entire conversation:
Alex Weaver: How does the online certification work?
George Foreman III: Every EverybodyFights certification starts with me personally building a relationship with the trainer. Trainers spend at least one hour of face time with me on Skype to ensure that they understand the program and its purpose. The platform then requires trainers to upload videos of themselves performing the movements they learn as well as teaching every movement to beginners so we can see how well they communicate their knowledge. I personally grade all of the videos, give feedback and sometimes require them to re-submit. Typically, a certification program like this would be crammed into a weekend. By making the platform available online, people can move through the program at their own pace.
AW: What is the goal of this “one to many” online certification program?
GF: It's all about extending the EBF community in the quickest and most sustainable way possible. While we do have traditional pre-recorded home fitness videos, this does not create the "one-to-many" connection we believe is necessary to attract more trainers to the EBF brand, which is critical to accomplishing our mission of helping everyone unleash their inner fighter.
AW: Is there an app?
GF: We created a BOXFIIT app that delivers all of our proprietary workouts to our certified trainers. The app aggregates all BOXFIIT Workouts and playlists, allows trainers to create and share their own workouts with the EBF community and even stream the class timer to flat screen TV's during a class to keep everyone on the same page. This summer, we will launch the mass market "fighter," which will allow consumers to learn boxing basics on their own, check into BOXFIIT classes, do our workouts, set training camp goals and even get ranked globally as they rack up accomplishments.
AW: How many can you train at the same time?
GF: I always have around 100 instructors in training at any given time and they are graduating everyday. Currently, I do all the video conferencing 1-on-1 but I will soon launch online group conferences so I can work with hundreds of trainers in a single session. No matter how big we grow the business, I always want to be the first point of contact because it is important in maintaining consistency and quality throughout our training.
AW: What's next from here?
GF: It's all about using technology for us to open more doors in more places and create a community that loves boxing. We’re looking to take the brand national and are looking for more EverybodyFights franchises. Our trainer certification platform allows us to support multiple company-owned EBF gyms, franchises and BOXFIIT affiliates globally. It's our way to bring true community back to the fitness world.
Check out the first episode in Foreman's "Behind the Box" video series, an inside look at his life and the EBF business:
Images provided.
