Alexis Krisay: 11:51
Yeah. I think I was laughing as I was presenting it because I’m like, okay, I’m going to tell you this idea. And it’s again, typical of how I come up with ideas. And typically it’s like I present this huge idea to a client and usually they’ll pare it back just a few notches. But this one was like, you know, they were all in. I think it was just the shock factor in the San Luis Obispo market. They were, you know, they really bought in because they knew that nothing like this had ever existed in the market.
John Corcoran: 12:19
That’s unusual. Super unusual. Yeah. You’ve also done other types of companies as well, particularly like Multi-franchise location types of companies, similar to the student housing idea. Let’s talk about those and building out that kind of model also.
Alexis Krisay: 12:38
So we’ve worked with a ton of different franchise concepts. I mean, one that everyone knows is Orangetheory Fitness. So we started with them early on when they had one unit in Arizona and worked with the regional developer and just tried. The first location was kind of like a test here in Arizona, and we came up with this concept where it was really surrounded around the grand opening being a sales day. So like the last day before opening, sell as many memberships as you can.
So we were really smart back in the day where we’d really activate the grand opening party by partnering with other brands that were associated that had the like audience for Orangetheory. So whether it was like facial brands or there was like these to go food boxes that were healthy food that were really hot in the market. And so we built these grand opening parties to be, you know, 250 people lined up around the block to get in to win prizes and to get these discounted memberships and really become known around the country. As you know, it started as the 500 club, and then it went to the 700 club of that’s how many members they would open their doors with. So they would open, I mean, most studios, gym membership, gyms probably.
John Corcoran: 14:05
Right. Yeah.
Alexis Krisay: 14:05
Yeah. Their opening cash flow day one. And that was really our model. But we love working with, you know, franchises, the local franchisees or the franchisor to just really come up with a solid foundation for their marketing that can be replicated across multiple units and where they can have those efficiencies.
John Corcoran: 14:27
So Orangetheory Fitness is an interesting model because there’s tons of gyms out there. There’s been Gold’s Gym, 24 Hour Fitness. There’s been gyms that have gone bust that have, you know, been much bigger and come down. How do you differentiate a gym in that crowded marketplace?
Alexis Krisay: 14:44
Yeah, I mean, especially in Phoenix, Arizona, we have a different workout studio on every corner. So it really was, again, just about the buzz and the unique ideas. And back in the day we did this like an orange bike idea where we spray painted orange bikes, locked them to. Like different signage poles, and then put a sign there and said like, what am I? Where am I opening?
And people were like, what are these orange bikes like? What’s going on? And it just was again, thinking of something that’s like, so out of the ordinary for a market and getting people to start talking about it has really been what’s helped us like just come these off the wall concepts. And then it became like a scavenger hunt to find these bikes, and then you’d win a membership. So it’s just about really thinking, I hate that. Think outside the box term. But I like to say think outside like the traditional playbook in your industry. You know, if everyone else is doing, you know, X, you need to do Y to really stand out.
John Corcoran: 15:48
Do something different. Yeah. Speaking of different fitness, this is some wearable technology suit, like a wet suit that you put on. It’s got a battery pack in it and then you work out in it. This is another one you worked on. What is that all about?
Alexis Krisay: 16:03
Yeah. So OHM Fitness we helped build, create the brand and really build everything around the startup of this company. It was so fun because it’s so innovative. And what it is like is that it’s a suit, a wearable shorty wetsuit that you put a battery pack on, you go to the studio, you work out for 20 minutes. You have someone controlling your battery so you can work out and you’re not really working, worrying about what you’re doing during the workout. And it’s great for busy people. I mean, spending an hour at the gym is really hard for a lot of people, so we really help them come up with the messaging, the brand, the vibe in this like new creative space.
John Corcoran: 16:52
And it’s such an interesting, like, kind of different idea to do something like that. It really kind of, you know, stands out in the marketplace like there’s nothing like how do you educate the marketplace when it’s so different from everything else that’s come before it?
Alexis Krisay: 17:07
Yeah, I would say that it was kind of like the biggest challenge and still is because people are scared and they but once you try it, it’s almost like you’re immediately addicted. So it was all really a heavy education push of what it is. And then more about education. But how is it beneficial to you? So you’re a busy entrepreneur. Like you can. You need 20 minutes in and out. I mean, that’s like. Yes. And I’m going to get the benefits of my life.
John Corcoran: 17:36
Yeah. Yeah, exactly. It certainly isn’t putting on a wetsuit. Like that seems a little weird, but the trade off is 20 minutes. That sounds awesome. I want to ask an inside baseball question. So, you know, if you have a reputation for delivering big ideas and you’re meeting with clients and they’re like, you know, frequently, I think what ends up happening is, if the clients are like, well, what are your big ideas? How do you sell that service without giving away the store, you know, or without doing a bunch of upfront work like, oh, here’s a bunch of different things you should do. And then they kind of try and go do it on their own, or you’ve done a bunch of work and then they don’t hire you. You know what I’m talking about.
Alexis Krisay: 18:15
Yeah. You know what I have to say that has been, I would almost say, my secret weapon. I won’t do a bunch of work, but I always say ideas are free. And I think when people get to know me and my team, they understand how passionate we are about marketing. And it’s not.
We’re just pitching to pitch. We genuinely like if we’re going to go give you a big idea, we’ve thought about it and we’re excited about it personally. So you can tell that we’re excited about it personally. We’re vested and we’re here as your partner to help. And then based on our reputation and our case studies, people can see that we have executed on these big ideas and they’ve been successful.
John Corcoran: 18:54
And most of these ideas we’re talking about here are not things that can be easily executed. They require a lot of moving parts. They require a lot of energy. And probably most of the clients you’re working with are not going to do it themselves.
Alexis Krisay: 19:05
No. And we like to say that, I mean, that’s one of our things, is like we make it we make it easy for big ideas to come to life. So we want you to buy in on the idea and we’re going to make it happen. You’re going to sit back, relax, and we want you to sit at the table with us and brainstorm so your brand is aligned. But we want to take that heavy lifting off of you. And really, again, just we’re proud of the case studies when it’s done.
John Corcoran: 19:28
Yeah. That’s I mean, that sounds amazing. I want to ask you about business partnerships because a lot of people listening to this either have a business partner or are curious about business partnerships. You had a business partner for 16 years. You kind of came together. You were doing marketing, branding. She was doing media relations. What was the germination of that idea forming up and forming, creating one company?
Alexis Krisay: 19:50
Yeah. So I’m always the risk taker. And she was the conservative one and we were working together on a client. I was their in-house marketing director, and we were hiring her out freelance and she and I just worked really well together. You know, early on at a young age, we just had a lot of drive, same work ethic and honestly had a lot of fun doing it.
And so, you know, a couple we worked together for over a year. Ironically, she met a guy on a plane that needed student housing consulting. We hooked up, he hired me and I operated for about nine months on my own and just begged her like, come on. This is like a perfect partnership. Finally, you know, she was really unhappy with her job, so she decided to jump ship, take the risk.
Trust me. And, you know, we built a phenomenal company for 16 years, and we had so much fun. I mean, we’re great partners because we really did run two separate components of the business. So I was really running the branding, this activation marketing side. And Melissa was really focused on media relations, influencers, things like that.
And then just fast forward 16 years later, I mean, partnerships are hard, but, you know, life changes as well. So I think there were some life changes that made us realize, like what we both wanted to focus on, and it was just kind of different initiatives. And again, it was a great partnership. And we still work together now and on certain clients where I do not touch media relations anymore. So it’s just, you know, life changes.
Yeah. I have to say we learned a lot. We did have a great partnership, and it was because we stayed in our lanes. And I think that’s what made it so much easier to split up, because there was no arguing of like, hey, I’m taking this. You’re taking that. It was just really clean of I take PR, she you take PR, I take marketing.
John Corcoran: 21:57
Yeah. How has the adjustment been to shift back to being a sole business owner without having a business partner?
Alexis Krisay: 22:05
Well, it’s been hard for two reasons. One, I haven’t worked this hard in, like, since I was 25. But I’m honestly loving it because I’m immersed in my clients work now, which that’s why I started the business in the first place. When we grew, we grew so big it became about just managing employees, which again, I love my team, but I love the work more. I love the creativity aspect.
So that’s been hard. I’ve had a man who’s been with me for 14 years, and he’s kind of always been my right hand, and he’s not my business partner, but I have that person to bounce ideas off of, which that’s what she and I were for. And then it’s just been an adjustment of going from a team of 30 to now eight. You know.
John Corcoran: 22:56
That’s a big change. Yeah.
Alexis Krisay: 22:58
Yeah. But you know I’m excited. We’re comfortable right now. But building new things in the future. You know, we’re doing a lot of this fractional CMO work and thinking about building some stuff in the future.
John Corcoran: 23:12
And then, you know, you’ve been working with, you know, student housing properties and with, you know, franchise locations and things like that. And the market has changed so dramatically now compared to where it was like, you know, 15, 20 years ago. Now, what is it like now as you, as you develop, let’s say, a new brand. What is it like with the kind of digital first kind of world that we live in, or are you finding that you can still do these promotions, do these, you know, wild ideas and that it hasn’t changed that much? You just have additional distribution channels to get the word out about them.
Alexis Krisay: 23:51
So what’s funny is so Covid was like, everyone’s changing, going digital. And we built digital leasing offices. We, you know, invested so much money in this digital leasing experience. But ironically, I’m finding that now, you know, there’s still a great percentage of students that lease online. Or, you know, what we do is like the iPhone tour.
Or and then obviously all the digital tools like social media, we’re, we’re reaching the students, converting them to leasing. But a lot of the students and students still want to come and see where they’re living if they can. They want to touch and feel it. So that I would say is picked up more. And they are craving this community more than they have been in the past.
John Corcoran: 24:39
Why do you think that is?
Alexis Krisay: 24:41
I don’t know, I just think this student base is still on their devices, but I just threw a huge rooftop party for the ASU big 12 game and everyone was thanking me like we used to do this all the time. Thank you for doing this. And we had a blast. And it was about the connection and the community. And I think that people just are, I mean, human connection is real.
It’s not the same on the screen. You know, it’s totally to meet with someone face to face. Yeah. So the parties and activities are still working. What I think is different now, which is interesting with multi and students is, you know, everyone would build these wild sexy buildings and they’d have the gym and the golf simulator and everything and that’s what would attract people. But now they want more. So they want this brand activation component. So they want to know when they’re moving in okay. What’s going to happen in that clubhouse like before they live there?
John Corcoran: 25:47
So activities or events like that. Yeah. Yeah.
Alexis Krisay: 25:50
So we’re trying to partner with big brands that, you know, want to be in front of the students. And they’re like naming the clubhouse. And so they’re throwing the parties there in front of the students. And it’s kind of a win-win for everyone because the students get the activation and the fun, like a sexy brand component, and then the brands get access to the students, their data. You know them as a customer. So it’s been pretty cool.
John Corcoran: 26:14
I mean, I think it has to do with the fact that we’re all in these digital devices all the time, and we don’t have as much personal interconnection as we used to before. Everyone had a phone in their pocket and was using it 17 hours a day.
Alexis Krisay: 26:30
Yeah. And I have to say, we did. We’ve done parties all week, and this last week it was so cool to see the kids put their phones down. We did like these activities where we did like a succulent making party, and we had 80 people and they were being creative. They were having a conversation. And you know, I just think that that helps their growth as humans, you know.
John Corcoran: 26:54
You know. Yeah. Yeah. For sure. By the way, you use that term activation, which I’m going to be. I’m kind of slow here. What does that mean brand activation?
Alexis Krisay: 27:04
Yeah. It’s really about the true word Activating a space. So taking a brand and immersing the brand in a space or an area with their customers in a creative way. So we’re really, like I said, coming up with, for example, I don’t know if you know Postino. They’re an awesome wine bar here and they’re national.
But we are having them do it. They can’t do wine at the student housing places, but they’re doing bruschetta and charcuterie boards, like once a month at these different student housing places in their clubhouse. And they put a sign there and a QR code, so everyone that scans a QR code gets a free glass of wine if they’re 21, or a discount off a board if they’re under 21. So, I mean, it’s like this immersive experience that brands have an opportunity to participate in with their customers.
John Corcoran: 28:00
Yeah. That’s cool. I went to a party school. I know the kids that they’re finding a way to get alcohol, even if it isn’t being served. So I want to wrap up with my gratitude question. So I’m a big fan of giving our guests the opportunity to shout out, you know, people that have helped them in their journey throughout their career and entrepreneurial journey. Who would you want to recognize?
Alexis Krisay: 28:23
Well, first and foremost, I have to say the entrepreneur organization has just changed my business, my life and my forum mates I’m so grateful for. But I’d love to give a shout out to Carly Presley. She was my first manager on the, you know, student housing side, and it’s ironically come full circle where I’ve owned my company and she owns a large student housing, third party management and development company, and everything I’m doing now in my career, I’m just I’m remembering what she taught me and like that work ethic. And it’s so important because it’s really sad that a lot of the college kids right now that I’m interacting with, it’s just that work ethic needs to be driven into them unless like they’re their parents are true entrepreneurs. It’s really hard to like to activate that spirit and even that face to face. Like for them to want to be face to face with other people.
John Corcoran: 29:23
Yeah. Yeah. For sure.
Alexis Krisay: 29:24
And really cool. Yeah. I’m really appreciative of her.
John Corcoran: 29:27
Alexis, this is awesome. Where can people go to learn more about you and Serendipit Consulting?
Alexis Krisay: 29:32
Yeah, you can find me on LinkedIn as Alexis Krisay, or you can visit Serendipitconsulting.com and we have a contact page. So I’m looking forward to sharing big ideas with anyone that wants to chat.
John Corcoran: 29:44
I love that. Alexis, thanks so much.
Alexis Krisay: 29:47
Thank you.
Outro: 29:51
Thanks for listening to the Smart Business Revolution Podcast. We’ll see you again next time and be sure to click subscribe to get future episodes.