If you surveyed 100 people, you’d be hard-pressed to find even one who could have predicted what the last 18 months held for all of us.
COVID turned everyday life on its head (seemingly overnight) and entire industries were thrown into turmoil, including our own.
And while there was no shortage of challenges and heartbreak at every turn…innovation and hope began to take root.
Health, fitness, and wellness facilities that would normally compete against each other for members began working together and sharing best practices (as catalogued in our Re-Opening Playbook and State Fitness Alliance Playbook which have been distributed to more than 50,000 industry professionals craving guidance).
Organizations stepped even deeper into the purpose of their mission like our long-time partner, the YMCA of Greater Houston. (I promise you won’t regret spending the 3 minutes to watch this video on how they are transforming Houston via their Impact Membership).
Owners and operators doubled down on their commitment to provide exceptional experiences to keep members engaged on their personal health journeys—like our phenomenal partner the St. James Club.
These examples remind me of something I told our team many times as we navigated the challenges thrown our way during this time.
You may already be familiar—the different ways that cows and buffalo react when they see a storm approaching across the plain.
When a herd of cows sees a storm coming, they turn and run.The only problem is that cows aren’t very fast. They end up getting caught in the storm and prolonging its impact even as they are trying to outrun it.
Buffalo on the other hand, react very differently. They CHARGE headfirst. They get through the storm faster, lessen its impact, and see the sunshine on the other side quicker.
From the examples above, the industry and our customers embraced their inner buffalo and charged headfirst into the storm.
Team Daxko did the same:
- We completely reconfigured solution roadmaps to release functionality that would help make the necessary adjustments todaily operations easier for a leaner staff.
- We launched Rapid Recovery Toolkits which offered free webinar resources, complimentary usage of our solutions, and $2.4million in direct financial relief to customers.
- We held virtual industry events like Accelerate and The Fitness Technology Summit so that industry professionals could network and learn from each other in this critical time.
- We surfaced regular industry insights to guide business decision-making through Insights & Impact.
- We launched new solutions, including those designed for retaining critical revenue and managing leads for growing your community.
- We’ve expanded our partner community and APIs so that you can confidently work with certified best of breed partners.
It has been an honor and a privilege to partner alongside you as we planted seeds of hope and innovation together in what now seems like a lifetime ago. We’ve enjoyed being buffalo together.
We have moved against all odds from surviving to THRIVING with an undying spirit and tenacity to serve a world where health and wellness—at an individual level AND at a community level—have never been more important.
We have been the buffalo.
Our work is far from over.
But I firmly believe the best yet to come.
Here’s to more buffalo moments ahead!
Ron