Fitness works for Kangan Batman graduate
A former Kangan Batman student has negotiated a complete career change which now sees her as the CEO of her highly successful and rapidly expanding business.
Simone Minett's physical education company 'Fitnessworx' now employs 26 staff in Melbourne and Geelong and is expanding to Sydney and Brisbane. It is also one of the major providers of the Australian Sports Commission's Active After-school Communities program.
With a marketing degree but no qualifications in fitness and no experience at setting up a small business, her first goal was to go back and do further study. Simone chose the FitNation Certificate III and IV in Fitness and other accredited children's fitness programs. In 2005, she also started the NEIS program with Kangan Batman TAFE in Richmond, to gain knowledge in the development and launch of a small business.
The New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS) is a Commonwealth Government program to help people into self-employment. The program includes training in small business management, help with developing a business plan and mentor support, along with one year of income support while setting up the new business. Kangan Batman TAFE is Melbourne's largest and most successful NEIS provider.
Even with a strong marketing background, the NEIS program at GRAMETS Kangan Batman was very beneficial, said Simone. "It exposed me to areas I was much less familiar with such as finance, tax and small business law.
"It also required the completion of market research and a solid, viable business plan. "And this," Simone explains, "was one of the major keys to establishing a successful business.
Of her experiences, Simone says, "While I'm not in the corporate world any more, there are probably more challenges requiring a broader knowledge base when it comes to setting up your own business."
With qualifications complete, Simone Minett developed 'Fitnessworx Pty Ltd', as a mobile program for schools and private households, which would help Australian children and families see the benefits and experience the fun of an active and healthy lifestyle.
"Regular physical activity is part of a child's foundation for a long and healthy life. And helping children adopt a healthy lifestyle early has a tremendous impact on their physical, intellectual, emotional and social development," said Simone.
"The reason why a lot of young children shy away from sport and accidentally leave their sports uniforms at home, is not so much due to a fear of being active but rather a fear of competition and the competitive nature of team sports.
"Many believe they never developed the basic skills such as hand-eye coordination when they were younger and don't want to stand out or let the team down", explains Simone.
Fitnessworx allows schools the opportunity to provide children from pre-school through to secondary school a non-sport specific alternative that focuses on non-competitive exercise and just being active and having fun.
The mobile program can be conducted as an extra curricular activity or incorporated into an existing school program or curriculum. One-on-one personal training sessions for children and adolescents as well as small groups and families are also offered. Parent and child sessions are very popular too and are a fun and interactive way to get families more active.
"Fitnessworx is all about making fitness fun, and offering children of varying levels of fitness and skill an alternative to sport-specific activity. Sport is not for everyone - but physical activity needs to be a regular part of a child's life," Simone said.
The sessions are designed to improve and/or teach: Concentration/Learning Ability, Cardiovascular Fitness, Hand Eye Co-ordination, Fundamental Motor Skills, Confidence/Self-esteem, Team and Social Skills, Increase Energy, Running Technique, Posture and Weight Management.
Why would you give up a successful corporate career in marketing to run your own physical education business? "Because fitness works," says Simone Minett.
"Changing from the fast paced world of corporate marketing into the area of fitness and training has meant many new and interesting challenges but just as many rewards," said Simone.
"I'd been working in the alcohol industry for Fosters, developing and marketing new alcoholic drinks, so the change from alcohol to fitness was quite a leap and quite a paradox.
"But keeping fit had always been a personal passion and I wanted to do something about the increasingly sedentary lifestyle of today's youth and the rapid rise in childhood obesity," Simone explained.
"Leaving the security of the corporate world is a risk that is too great for many people to take, but it's all about finding something you enjoy and a subject that you are passionate about. The rest is easy. Well sort of!"
Kangan Batman TAFE's Business Enterprise Centre delivers the NEIS program in Melbourne's inner, western and north-western suburbs. Each year we help establish about 330 new businesses through NEIS. The program is held at north west locations including Essendon, Deer Park, Moreland, Werribee and Sunbury, as well as in Richmond and the southern and eastern suburbs. The NEIS program is available year-round, with new classes commencing every four weeks.
To enquire about any Fitnessworx services, contact the Fitnessworx office on (03) 9527 8282 or email info@fitnessworx.com.au
