Maik Wiedenbach is a former world cup swimmer, and now one of the most sought after coaches and entrepreneurs in the fitness industry. He’s been voted Manhattan’s best personal trainer for multiple years in a row and his facilities set the standard in New York. A standard that didn’t just happen by chance, but rather result of his defined philosophy. A philosophy that he started to share with fitness entrepreneurs in Dubai and the United Emirates.
Countless accolades and awards, one of the big names in the industry in the Big Apple. The opportunities for Maik Wiedenbach to turn his gym’s success story into a global brand and franchise have always been there, and still are. But the German former elite swimmer has a different vision.
Wiedenbach understands that sticking to your identity in face of the low hanging fruit is part of his success.
“We always had the vision of creating this very special boutique bodybuilding gym, filled with the best equipment, hiring the best coaches and most importantly having a friendly welcoming atmosphere. What makes us truly special are the little things: Our gym has a client hall of fame with before and after pics, lego models, free (!!!) protein bars along with free snacks.
You will not find this anywhere else, take it from a guy who has been in gyms since the 80s.
As a team, we never deviated away from our vision of being the best gym there is while keeping a special human touch.”
He knows that he could have taken the full on expansive approach, using success and his brand to walk through every door that opens with the process. But it was a very conscious decision for the athlete turned entrepreneur to concentrate on the things that got him where he is today.
“We could have sold out or taken outside money to expand, opened more branches and the like. But then it wouldn't be the same as far as I am concerned. Then you have board meetings to attend, shareholders pushing for what they think is best.
People who know nothing about fitness are calling the shots. I am certain that no investor in 2020 would have green lighted the purchase of our beloved Watson equipment , it would have been “too expensive, why ship from overseas, cut costs." “
Instead, decisions are made by Wiedenbach and his expertise and interest - which are fully focussed on providing the best possible experience to his team and members.
Wiedenbach, recently featured in Men’s Health Magazine, finds a fitting comparison to his philosophy.
“I recently read this piece about a Pizza restaurant on the Lower East Side. The owner still makes every pie by himself, despite having won every imaginable award in the industry. He could have taken his brand and made it global, the list of investors interested would have been long. But he decided to keep the independence of his vision which is making the restaurant a little bit better each day. He understands that you have to stay in charge, or that identity is lost very quickly. When I read the article, my first thought was "I want pizza!".
Once I got my appetite back under control, I realized that this could have been written about us and our little gym on 57th Street.”
The state of the art green machines became one of the cornerstones of Maik Wiedenbach’s gym’s success, with no comparable quality being offered by any competitors around.
The successful fitness entrepreneur has started to bring his knowledge to the other side of the globe, rather than opening branches there. In extensive workshops he has been sharing years of experience and success with both starting and established entrepreneurs and athletes in Dubai.
The demand for quality is obviously top draw in the region, this goes for all facilities including gyms. Dubai is not short of franchise fitness centers or personal trainers, but facilities such as Maik Wiedenbach’s are yet to be established. Further, once the standard is set, it has to be maintained, or raised further without losing the identity in a scaling process.
Doing so while taking the right opportunities to grow as a business, takes experience and insight that can only be gained over years of experience and success. All of which lead to the value that Wiedenbach’s knowledge has to other aspiring high end fitness entrepreneurs here in Dubai.
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