It is fairly well-known that innovation is important for any businesses who are looking for a competitive edge in their field.
In fact, the Business Development Bank of Canada mentioned in an article that “innovation is vital to your company’s success in today’s highly competitive business environment” (link to the article can be found here).
One particular company that aspired to innovate so that they could better serve their clientele is Two-Brain Business.
Two-Brain Business is a mentorship practice that specializes in helping fitness entrepreneurs with successfully running and growing their businesses.
Chris Cooper, Two-Brain Business owner and CEO, says that even though the mentorship practice was already successfully helping many gym owners to increase their revenue and return on investment (ROI), Chris and Two-Brain Business wanted to do more for the fitness industry by addressing something that was overlooked in that line of work.
“We realized, as we matured as a company, that we really wanted to help our industry more. We wanted to do a better job of tracking data,” Chris said. “And the problem in our industry is there’s no central body that’s tracking anything. There’s no measuring stick for gym owners to know how they are doing.”
At first, Chris says that he initially worked with an app developer that was based out of Utah to build an app for Two-Brain Business that would help gym owners to track crucial information like revenues, the number of new clients added, and more.
Chris explained that this initial app ended up not working out though, and the reason was because of a crucial lesson that Chris learned in that moment.
“What we quickly realized was that building an app is not like a one-and-done process, but you have to maintain it,” Chris said. “We figured out that we would need to have the necessary staff to successfully manage and maintain it.”
Seeking a solution to his issue, Chris decided to meet with the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre (SSMIC), a not-for-profit organization that has expertise in helping businesses to develop innovative solutions.
During the meeting, the Innovation Centre assessed Chris’ needs and ultimately connected him with Acorn Information Solutions (AIS).
Acorn Information Solutions is a division of the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre, and their mission is to “promote and establish the means to share data, knowledge, and tools among organizations to create healthier, safer, and more prosperous communities and organizations”, as explained on their website.
Among the main services and products Acorn offers are GIS (geographic information system) solutions and data management consulting, custom software solutions, various products to improve efficiencies, as well as business insights, according to Acorn manager Paul Beach.
Paul mentioned that Acorn was able to work with Chris to come up with a suitable solution for what Two-Brain Business needed.
“It was decided that the best plan going forward would be to build a new web app from scratch using modern development technologies in which to improve the User experience and be more responsive to the various devices accessing the site,” Paul said.
To ensure that the app would be properly maintained for Two-Brain Business, Acorn worked jointly with Two-Brain Business to interview and hire suitable intern candidates for the job.
Once the appropriate two interns were approved, the Acorn team would go on to conduct extensive training, which allowed the interns to gain the necessary experience and confidence to operate the app.
When they were ready, the Two-Brain Business interns would go on to handle the app’s development, with Acorn acting as a high-level support to assist with the project until they were no longer needed anymore on account of the gradual increase in experience and development that the highly-skilled interns accrued.
“I think this project is a great example of how Acorn is able to utilize its expertise to mentor and assist other businesses in the technology field,” Paul said.
In terms of the results, Chris said that they speak for themselves, and he is very grateful for the services Acorn provided him.
“It was just a perfect fit. And honestly, without that app (which acts as a central hub for gym owners to access important and relevant data to help grow their businesses), we couldn’t have scaled to the size that we are at now, with 60 employees worldwide, 800 gyms at any given time, and 2000-plus gyms in the last few years. So yeah, it’s definitely been critical for us and our growth,” Chris said.
“The beautiful thing about Acorn is that they’re not only able to build you incredible software, but they’re actually mentoring the staff that’s going to take care of the software too. And so, as a business, you now have something that’s viable and sustainable long-term, and not something that would be just another business expense.”
Amidst the success of his innovative data-tracking and sharing app, Chris recommends that other businesses and entrepreneurs who require assistance should look into seeking the help of the Innovation Centre as well.
“Luckily, we are at a time where entrepreneurship opportunities are easily accessible and available to everyone. The problem is that when you start a business, you are not going to have every skill set that you may need to grow or operate your business. And you’re going to eventually have to ask somebody for help,” Chris said.
“And, you know, tech is really where most businesses struggle to expand or adapt, and so they make themselves obsolete. And so, the role of the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre is to not only help the businesses find new opportunities, but also to help businesses evolve into what their business ultimately needs to be able to effectively compete now. And that’s why the Innovation Centre is so important to the Soo.”
For more information about Two-Brain Business and fitness entrepreneur mentorship services they provide, you can visit their website at twobrainbusiness.com.
For information about the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre and the various ways they help businesses to grow through innovative solutions, visit their website at ssmic.com. And if you were curious about the services and products Acorn Information Solutions has to offer, you can find them at acorninfosolutions.ca.