Shows
Fitness Business Podcast: Leadership, Innovation, and ProfitInjecting Fun and Engagement into Your Fitness Business: Jared Orton, Savannah Bananas and Richard Toutounji: Episode 539Are you a gym owner, fitness entrepreneur, or wellness professional looking to inject some serious fun and engagement into your business? In this episode, host JT Tamsett and guests dive deep into the secrets of creating a customer-centric experience that keeps people coming back for more. Drawing inspiration from the wildly successful Savannah Bananas baseball team and social media marketing guru Richard Toutounji, this episode provides actionable insights on how to make your fitness studio, health club, or personal training business stand out from the crowd. Learn how to build a strong community, craft engaging content, and gamify your w...2025-03-2039 min
Coach James Short PodcastWIth Richard ToutounjiWelcome to another episode of the Leading and Growing Your Real Estate Business podcast. I'm your host, Coach James Short, and today we have a special guest who brings a wealth of knowledge from the fitness industry that is incredibly relevant to our real estate professionals.
Our guest is Richard Toutounji, the owner of Australia’s first Private Fitness Studio and the founder of one of the fastest-growing corporate wellness companies. Richard, along with his wife Joey Toutounji, founded COM Marketing, a company that has empowered thousands of fitness studios globally through their award-winning COM Marketing Ninja Program. They have be...2024-08-1326 min
Gym Owners Fitness Business Podcast With Mel TempestSelling Menopause Fitness SolutionsRichard Toutounji is a social media genius and is the lead presenter at the Women's health summit. Saturday's Ignite Women's Health Summit is where Richard will dive deep into selling women's health to your community.
Richard will guide you through a four-step process to stay on brand, even when the market shifts. Learn how to showcase your offer to outbid competitors on lead costs using the right words and captions, and master the kind of content you need for effective Facebook ads and social media planning.
Attendees will receive a comprehensive framework for organic social...2024-07-1502 min
Gym Owners Fitness Business Podcast With Mel TempestRichard Toutounji from COM Marketing shares insights on leveraging social media to enhance your gym.Welcome to the Ignite Fitness chit-chat! We're excited to announce an incredible event happening in Melbourne on August 2nd and 3rd, catering to fitness business owners and women's health enthusiasts. Join us to learn from top industry experts and get inspired to grow your fitness and wellness business.
On Friday, our fitness business event is tailored for club and gym owners, featuring in-depth discussions on marketing strategies and industry trends. Richard from COM Marketing shares his decade-long experience and insights on leveraging social media to enhance your business presence.
Saturday is dedicated to the Women's...2024-07-0935 min
The MumSafe Movement PodcastEp 20. Marketing For More Impact with Richard ToutounjiIn this episode of The MumSafe Movement Podcast Jen is talking to Richard Toutounjo of COM Marketing.
Richard along with his wife Joey Toutounji founded COM Marketing, COM educates health & fitness studios globally.
Their award winning COM Marketing Ninja Program has empowered thousands of Fitness Studios and have now been recognised by governing bodies, partnering on marketing education with AusActive, Exercise New Zealand, Pilates Alliance Australia & Yoga Australia.
Richard is a best selling Author and International Speaker. He is obsessed with helping fitness business owners achieve impossibilities through his proven experiences and programs to...2023-10-0155 min
Pilates Association PodcastS7 Ep19 PAA Conference 2023, Richard Toutounji IntroductionIn the lead up to the PAA conference happening in August this year, we have a series of short podcast episodes to introduce each of the workshop presenters. On this episode we have Richard Toutounji. The PAA strives to continue promoting the expansion of the Pilates Method as a professional and valued healthcare and fitness discipline. The goal of the PAA podcast is to explore the many facets and layers of the Pilates industry through conversations with the community. PAA Course Competency Criteria standardsVisit the PAA website Find us on Facebook ...2023-07-0511 min
Financial Freedom Secrets Show - The Aureus Financial PodcastRichard Toutounji - Grow Your Fitness and Wellness Studio With The Right StrategiesIf you’re a fitness trainer, it’s time to double down your efforts and stop spending time on marketing strategies that don’t give you leads for your business. Today we dive into the fitness realm with industry expert Richard Toutounji. He helps people grow their fitness businesses, from studio owners and gym owners to personal trainers. He’ll be sharing some easy to implement strategies that you can utilize in your business, so make sure to listen to this episode and give it a go. Key Takeaways: What was his initial mindset going in...2022-08-1538 min
Fitness Business Podcast: Leadership, Innovation, and ProfitMarketing in Post Pandemic 2022 with Richard ToutounjiRichard Toutounji has been working in the fitness industry for 20 years when at just 17 years of age he bought Australia's First Private Fitness studio. Richard shares his forecast on what marketing looks like moving forward. In his episode, Richard stresses that NOW more than ever, it's time to focus on your marketing budget. Listen up, as Richard will help you disperse your funds to find the perfect marketing budget for your facility.2021-10-2631 min
The Fitness Business PodcastMarketing in Post Pandemic 2022 with Richard ToutounjiRichard Toutounji has been working in the fitness industry for 20 years when at just 17 years of age he bought Australia's First Private Fitness studio. Richard shares his forecast on what marketing looks like moving forward. In his episode, Richard stresses that NOW more than ever, it's time to focus on your marketing budget. Listen up, as Richard will help you disperse your funds to find the perfect marketing budget for your facility.2021-10-2631 min
Industry ChangeWhy Pilates Is The Next Big Thing In The Fitness Industry | Industry Change Ep 27On this episode of Industry Change, we sit down with Sharon Simmons from the Pilates Association of Australia. Pilates has come a long way from obscurity and burst onto the mainstream fitness scene in the last few years and the PAA does a great job in setting the standards for the industry as well as supporting Pilates Studios and Instructors.
The biggest prediction that Sharan has for the rest of 2020 is that there will be even more diversity within the Pilates space. More and more consumers are choosing Pilates classes and the studio’s as part of a...2021-09-2920 minIndustry ChangeFrom Wolf of Wall Street to Meditation Teacher | Industry Change Ep 26In this episode of Industry Change, I speak with long-time friend and meditation teacher, Tom Cronin. Tom traded his life as a finance broker to become a meditation teacher and has an incredible story. Interestingly he’s the first person who actually got me to sit in stillness for 20 minutes and I’ve now incorporated meditation into my daily life.2021-09-2924 minIndustry ChangeHow to predict the winning horse with Justin McDonnel | Industry Change Ep 25In this episode of Industry Change, I chat with Justin McDonnel, Co-Founder & Chair of Collective Wellness Group which includes Anytime Fitness, Orange Theory and Xtend Barre.
Where does Justin see the fitness industry heading?
As surprising as it is, the 24/7 model is still growing and there is still a significant amount of people still signing up to gyms every year. But people are looking for relationships rather than just a membership. Larger gyms and 24/7’s can achieve this even on a larger scale, but have to focus on the manager and coaches building relationships wi...2021-09-2925 min
Your Coach, Helen Uskovic31: How To Succeed In Business With Richard ToutounjiToday we have such a great discussion for my new SMART CHAT series. This is a great episode for those of you that are in business, high achievers, seekers or if you are wanting more. I have a great guest who is an author, a speaker and a successful entrepreneur!Richard Toutounji has over 15 years of experience as a market leader online. He developed Australia’s first & largest online video directory in one of the most saturated industries.Through his established innovate marketing methods, he has created online TV shows, became a best-selling author and a contestant on the Amazing Ra...2020-09-2337 min
Industry ChangeHow the fitness industry is turning into a wellness industry with Andy Peat | Industry change Episode 24Want to know the importance of technology and mental health in the fitness industry? In this episode Richard chats with the Chief Operating Officer of LIFT Brands Andy Peat. Andy was 17 when he started out in the industry, conveniently not having to tell anyone his age… he was a personal trainer, worked on cruise liners and then became a SNAP fitness franchisee and from this he became the CEO of SNAP fitness Australia at the age of 25. Now he is the COO of LIFT Brands and the creator of technology fitness and nutrition app ‘Nomergy’. Take a read or watch...2020-03-1320 min
Industry ChangeHow to Make the Right Moves in the Fitness Industry with Ty Menzies | Industry change Episode 23In this week’s episode of Industry Change I chat with Ty Menzies the CEO of LIFT Brands. Ty has had over 15 years of experience in this industry with a background of owning independent clubs, franchises and is now the CEO of LIFT Brands with over 300 locations across the Asia-pacific. Recently Ty was elected as a a Board Member of Fitness Australia and the Exercise Association of New Zealand. We discuss how to succeed in the industry and take advantage of the right opportunities at the right time and more.
Ty’s journey in the fit...2019-12-0225 min
Industry ChangeHow You Can Help Set Standards in the Fitness Industry with CEO, Richard Beddie | Industry Change Episode 22In today’s Industry Change episode I chat with Richard Beddie CEO of Exercise New Zealand about the journey. Richard has been in the industry for over 20 years, initially, he was a gym owner and eager to learn more he went to a fitness industry conference. He did this because he figured that people who knew more than him about the industry would be talking and giving worthy advice, so he went along and found the AGM for Fitness New Zealand.
How did you start this journey of running an organization and going global?
Wh...2019-11-0622 min
Industry ChangeHow Sumo Salad Has Adapted in A Changing Industry with Luke Baylis | Industry Change Episode 21In this episode of Industry, Change Richard talks to Luke Baylist co-founder and CEO of Australia’s biggest health food chain: Sumo Salad. At one point for a long time, Sumo Salad had 92% brand awareness in the market as they were the first health food chain in Australia. Now after 16 years Luke Baylis has created Sumo Well which aims to combine fitness and food together.
How did Luke start out as an entrepreneur?
Going back to the beginning Luke says the beginning of his entrepreneurial career was not a ‘glamourous story’. In the early...2019-10-1030 min
Industry ChangeHow to get more Australian’s Fit & Active with Fitness Australia CEO, Barrie Elvish | Industry Change Episode 20In this week’s episode of Industry Change Richard speaks with Barrie Elvish the CEO of Fitness Australia. Appointed at the beginning of 2019, Barrie is striving to empower and build healthier communities alongside the fitness industry.
Despite coming from outside the fitness industry, Barrie has set a number of goals to entice Australians to live healthier, more active lives. Barrie discussed with us that 20% of Australian’s have a gym membership but only 6% are active with their memberships. This means that 94% of Australian’s are not active in gyms! Fitness Australia is now r...2019-09-2729 min
Industry ChangeHow to stand out in the fitness industry with Rick StollmeyerIn this week’s episode of Industry Change Richard speaks to CEO and Co-founder of global wellness platform MINDBODY, Rick Stollmeyer. From humble beginnings Rick started this company in the late 90’s, which aimed to provide fitness businesses’ with software to create change for their clients. Now, in 2019, MINDBODY is the largest platform in the industry that brings fitness businesses and clients together, reaching almost 300 000 businesses and 35 million consumers worldwide striving to connect wellness with the world.
Rick had the big idea to create a health and wellness portal, where people could find the information they needed to live...2019-09-1909 min
Industry ChangeThe Key To Reducing Your Marketing Spend With Tarek Chouja | Industry Change Ep 18
I was lucky enough to sit down with my good friend and Co-Founder of Functional Training Institute, Tarek Michael-Chouja to talk about their new book that launched this week!
Tarek is one of the innovators of functional training and shares his message not only across Australia, but globally.
The truth about marketing is that if you have a bad product then you will continually pay higher prices for marketing and it will always be an uphill battle. The better that you can be at your craft and the better coach you can be –...2019-03-2122 min
Industry ChangeHow Kayla Itsines Transformed Her Local Fitness Business into a Global Phenomenon with Tobi Pearce | Industry Change Ep 17
If you’re in the fitness space, most likely you’ve heard of Kayla Itsines – she’s a global phenomenon growing from a local fitness trainer in Adelaide to becoming the global face of the app and brand SWEAT. Who you probably haven’t heard of is Tobi Pearce – Kayla’s Fiance and CEO of SWEAT. Tobi has been beside Kayla from the beginning very much in the background building the brand to wear it’s at today.
I was lucky enough to catch up with Tobi while he was in Sydney and talk all about growin...2019-02-2535 min
Industry ChangeSystems To Scale Up Your Fitness Business With Chris Muddell of Employsure | Industry Change Episode 16
On this episode of Industry change I chat with sales and performance expert – Chris Muddell from Employsure. We talk all about the systems that you need to have in place in order to scale. As solo business operators there can be a real fear around growing our business, bringing on new staff and the obligations that might mean. I mean, we went into business because we were good at what we did – not because we wanted to be writing employment contracts all day.
I call Chris the ‘magic man,’ Not only because he’s a g...2018-09-2822 min
The Entrepreneurs Locker RoomRichard Toutounji - Author. Speaker. EntrepreneurJoining today's episode of The Entrepreneur's Locker Room is Richard Toutounji, founder & CEO of COM Marketing. Richard shares his journey from being a personal trainer to a business owner helping health and wellness companies achieve marketing success.2018-07-2600 min
Industry ChangeCreating The Story For Marketing ft Nigel Benton | Industry Change Ep 15
In the eyes of Nigel Benton, publisher of Australasian Leisure Management, there are endless great stories to share. Everyone has a story to tell. While some may be able to share their own, others may be too close to see the amazing story right in front of them.
The leisure industry plays a very significant role in the economy as well as peoples individual social and community benefits. Whether you are going to fitness clubs, sporting games, children play centres, participate in recreational activities or attend shows and entertainment programs it’s all classified as le...2018-06-1419 minIndustry ChangeHow To Create Unique Experiences For Your Members | Industry Change Ep 14 with Ryan HoganThis week I sat down with long time fitness industry expert Ryan Hogan. Ryan has been in the industry for over 20 years, he has been heavily involved in Filex during that time and now is moving into a role with Wexer - creating digital experiences for gyms.
Being in the fitness industry for so long he's seen many things come and go (including the Reebok Slide - who remembers that??). As things move into the digital space and our members expect us to provide digital experiences, it is even more important to provide an amazing experience for...2018-03-2305 minIndustry ChangeHow To Position Yourself For Predictive Profits | Industry Change Episode 13On this week’s episode of Industry change, I sit down with influencer, former athlete and best-selling author, Steve Brossman. We talk all about positioning yourself as a personal trainer in order to find success in your market no matter how often the environment changes.
The concept of positioning might sound easy, but actually going through the process is where the difficulty comes. Just remember, you don’t have to be the best in the world, you just have to be the best in their world. If you have helped someone or a group of people, you have...2018-03-2227 minIndustry ChangeHow To Come Back From Failure | Industry Change Episode 12 With Geoff JowettIn this episode of Industry Change, I sat down with long time fitness industry expert, Geoff Jowett. Geoff was involved as an original founder of Vision Personal Training, where he saw great success in building boutique personal training studios. He went on to have major success with the BodyTrim brand. And yet even after all the fame, all the money, all the ego - he hit rock bottom. After going through rehab and alcoholics anonymous he realised that he needed to find his true north again. And so set out to discover that what he was really passionate...2018-02-1330 minIndustry ChangeHow To Cut Your Gym Marketing Budget in 2018 | Industry Change Ep 11 with Justin TamsettThis week on Industry Change, Richard talks with Justin Tamsett who is the founder of Active Management and part of the fitness industry for 30 years! Just is a business coach for gyms and personal trainers and travels the world teaching business owners how to retain clients and run a more successful club.
Last year alone he trainer in more than 70 clubs!
Everyone knows someone who has a gym membership, but never goes. It's become a standard in the industry and something that gym managers have become quite used to. What JT reveals to Richard is...2018-01-3121 minIndustry ChangeThe Evolution of Sales | Industry Change Episode 10On Industry Change this week I sat down with Steve Jensen, hall of Fame Lifestyle Industry entrepreneur with over 30 years experience, to talk about the evolution of sales and marketing.
Steve bases his sales practice on the inspirational model. You need to inspire excitement and happiness in the customer for your product, or service. If you’re dealing with a customer who is excited and inspired they will be happy to go ahead and spend money. This form of sales is designed to engage with what Steve calls the ‘Green Brain’ otherwise known as the limbic system. This p...2017-11-3027 minIndustry ChangeFrom Hobby to Global Business | Industry Change Episode 9This week I sit down with Dan Henderson from Function Training Institute to talk to him about the functional fitness space. Interestingly, 5 years ago I did a similar interview when functional training was just in it's infancy. It was great to get him back and see how the industry has evolved over that time.
At the time, 5 years ago, his business was still in it's infancy and operating more like a hobby based business. Fast forward 5 years and the industry is booming and Dan and his co-founder, Tarek, can be found speaking and training trainers worldwide.
2017-11-2419 minIndustry ChangeBusiness or Pleasure | Industry Change Episode 8On Industry Change this week I’m in the beautiful Maldives, speaking with James Schramko from Super-Fast Business.
When you’re running your own business, it is difficult to establish a work life balance. Many people put themselves at the centre of their business and work themselves to the bone trying to make it a success. You might be under the assumption that this much hard work is what it takes to make. The reality is that your business, and your stress levels, will benefit from you being able to take a holiday.
James has had...2017-10-2616 minIndustry ChangeSales is not a Dirty Word | Industry Change Episode 7While I was in Malaysia I got the chance to meet up with Jason Campbell from Mindvalley. During our interview we spoke about the importance of sales for business.
Mindvalley’s mission is to push Humanity forward through education. They are a company that recognises that there are gaps in traditional education. Mindvalley focuses on teaching in four key areas:
Mind
Body
Spirituality
Impact
They teach both through online courses and offline with events like Awesomeness Fest. Mindvalley’s founder Vishen Lakhiani’s goal is to impact one billion lives worldwide!
In the interv...2017-10-0421 minIndustry ChangePeople Follow People | Industry Change Episode 6Welcome back to this week's episode of Industry Change where I speak to my good friend Sam Cawthorn. Sam is an international best selling author and sought after keynote speaker around the world. We chat about the future of speaking and how, as business owners, it's imperative that we know how to communicate effectively.
One of the things that holds most people back when it comes to public speaking is not wanting to look bad in front of family, friends or colleagues and talks me through how we need to shift our thinking into how we can...2017-07-1215 minIndustry ChangeThe DIY Real Estate Game | Industry Change Episode 5Welcome to Industry Change Episode 5, where Richard talks to Malcolm Gunning, the Principal of Gunning Real Estate and also the president of the Real Estate Institute of Australia. They discuss how the consumer has changed as vendors have become smarter as more information has opened up to them via the internet.
In just 10 years the face of the real estate industry has changed dramatically. Where 10 years ago consumers would sit on a Saturday morning and look through the classifieds of the newspaper. Now they are sitting on their iPads browsing through new real estate portals and platforms...2017-06-2919 minIndustry ChangeThe Evolution of PR | Industry Change Episode 4In this week's episode of Industry Change I'm talking with PR expert and founder of The Comms Department Bec Brown about the significant changes to the PR Industry especially in the online space.
Bec Brown began The Comms Department as a publicity consulting business in 2012, under Bec Brown Communications. Since then the business has evolved with the changing industry and grown to a team of 6, located in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, before rebranding in 2016 to The Comms Department.
The PR industry has undergone a massive change in the last few years and Bec talks...2017-06-1620 minIndustry ChangeThe Rise Of The Socialprenuer | Industry Change Episode 3This week on Episode 3 of Industry Change Richard interviews Gary Ng, the CVO of EWeb Marketing in Sydney about what's next in business. Gary Ng has been in the Digital Marketing business for 18 years and has built his company to a point where he doesn't have a day to day role in the running of the company. Instead, he pursues his passion for socialpreneurship & other enterprises.
Richard talks to Gary about how he gradually stepped away from the day to day running of the business and how he conquered the fear of handing over those...2017-06-0116 minIndustry ChangeThe New Generation Of The Fitness Industry | Industry Change Ep 2Welcome back to Industry Change Episode 2 with Fitness Australia CEO, Bill Moore. Bill has been in the fitness industry for over 3 decades, starting his career as a Personal Trainer with his own studio in Balmain through to co-founding one of the largest online training programs in Australia, 12 Week Body Transformation with Michelle Bridges. And is now currently the CEO of Fitness Australia, the peak health & fitness association in Australia.
Having been in the industry for over 30 years he has seen the transformation of fitness businesses from predominantly operating an offline model to having to compete in...2017-05-2421 minIndustry ChangeHow Commercial Asset Finance Has Changed | Industry Change Ep 1This week I am proud to launch the first episode of COM’s new show Industry Change.This is a show that is dedicated to interviewing industry leaders on changes that are occurring in their specific industry. We’re talking to masters of business who have prospered by adapting to changes in their industry.
In the first episode, I am proud to announce that our guest is President of CAFBA, David Gandolfo. CAFBA is an industry body of professional leasing/finance brokers who represent the interests of its members by assisting with regulatory, governmental matters, bank...2017-05-0418 min