Saturday, January 5, 2008

Mommy and Me Exercise

I was going to fill out a business plan and let you all read it, but I'm not ready for that... instead I'm going to put a few ideas that Dave and I have and ask for comments and suggestions from all of you. I'd like to start off with a declaration... I will establish a Mommy and Me Exercise Class and help provide an atmosphere of health and friendship.

How am I going to get there? Well, Dave and I have decided to start a Mommy and Me exercise program here in Denver. I've started designing my class with exercises that involve both the mother and the baby. For example, you lay the child down on the ground and do push-ups (on your knees or toes) down to meet the child's face. I've tried this with my 6 month old and my 2 year old and they both think it's a riot. Squats or lunges while holding either child is also fun for them. I'm also putting together a stroller workout for when the weather improves. There is a place up in Boulder that has a similar class but that's the only one I can find in our area. This will be a great way for women in our area to get together and meet other moms while doing something great for their body.

Here's where I need help...
  1. I need a catchy fun name. The name of the group in Boulder is Get Fit Mommy (http://www.getfitmommy.com/). Any ideas? We're thinking that we'll need a website name... mommyandmefitness.com?
  2. Music. I've been trying to work with some of Ally's kids music. She thinks it's great, but I'm not sure. There are some fun Disney songs... "I'm in love with a big blue frog" and some others that have a good beat for me to work with and they have fun words for the kids. I just don't know if this is lame... actually, it is lame but I don't know what else to do.
  3. How should I start? I've thought about doing a trial class with the girls in my ward and some from work and have them fill out questionnaires at the end to help before I start charging people for it.
We feel that following the Franchising Business Model would be most suitable for this kind of business. I'm certified to teach "Group Power" and we like the Body Systems type of business. I need a lot more help that this, but here are some main areas.

This is so fun! Let me know what you think.

Thanks.
Jill

3 comments:

The Creators Corner said...

Great Start. It's interesting how ideas start to flow as you write them down.

Michelle and I are already thinking of some fun songs that our girls like. It's really funny, but Lauren likes a lot of Queen songs like "don't stop me now" and "we will rock you" and this one song called Hong Kong Fooey on a CD called Saturday Morning Cartoons- Check it out. She also likes "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley. Also Michael Jackson.
You wouldn't necessarily have to do just kiddie disney songs, because it's funny how much little kids like these upbeat songs.
You could also do an entire class with Disney Songs called Mommy, Minnie and ME.

I think that starting with a few friends and ward ladies would be perfect. Even if you only had 3 moms and kids. You want to start small and get a feel for things.

I think a cool tagline could be something like, "Never to early to start, never to late to stop"

Name ideas:

Peas in a Pod
Mommycize
Kiddie Pump

I'll keep thinking. those are kinda lame-

Unknown said...

Jill, great idea. I dont have any names in mind right now but I have a referral for the music. There's a free podcast called Podington Bear. It's got great music that you can dance to or relax to and it's all kid friendly. Check it out.
If you need help with a logo and/or website let me know.
I think doing a few trial classes is great idea. I would always recommend coming up with a business plan and a business system (how things are done). Read The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber, it gave me great perspective on how to view my business'.
If you create value, dollars will follow, so focus on creating value for people. It's obvious that you have a talent, it's good to see you using it.
Lastly, talk to Shawn (my brother, he also checks this blog). His wife has a home based Toddlers Music School. She may have some good tips on how to get the word out. http://preludemusicschool.com/
Thanks for listening.
AR

The Creators Corner said...

Thanks Matt, Michelle and Adam... sorry it's taken me so long to respond. Our hard drive crashed and haven't had access to the computer for a couple days. I'll get going on all of your ideas. Thanks so much for your help!
Jill