Macclesfield man becomes sole owner of independent gym
A Macclesfield personal trainer has become the sole owner of an independent gym.
Macclesfield resident Michael Mason has fully taken-on Silk Fitness Therapy, marking a new era for the business, which is celebrating their fifth anniversary this year.
The independent gym, on Green Street, has high-quality trainer led sessions in small groups.
Until now, two other people owned the gym whereas Michael was the Head Coach and Manager, but now Michael is the sole owner. However, it doesn't mean standards have slipped!
Macclesfield Nub News met up with Michael, to find out about how he will take the business to the next level.
"The gym was owned by my clients and friends Katie and Fabio Mazzieri," said Michael.
"We used to joke about setting up a gym on our own during our personal training sessions, and that joke escalated to us opening here in March 2019.
"We are a small group personal training gym, which means we are a private training facility and not an open gym. Every time you come in, there is a coach-led session.
"We have two membership options, we have Option 1 which is unlimited training per week [up to six sessions per week], and there is Option 2 which is two sessions a week.
"We have had a really good set-up from the start. We are currently doing a trial which is six weeks unlimited sessions, for currently £119. There is no commitment to stay on."
Michael is now the sole owner, as part of a long-term plan of Katie and Fabio's to sell it to him.
"It does feel different to be the sole owner of the business," revealed Michael.
"It has always felt that the gym is my baby anyway, because we'd always set out eventually it would become mine anyway.
"But that escalated over the past 12 months, I'm looking at introducing a few new things like hybrid coaching, so a little bit of the online style of things, and we'll hopefully be putting more in-gym sessions on.
"I need a new member of staff, so I'm really hoping to get a team player on board."
And 2024 will be a big year for Michael, as in addition to the expected January influx of new members, the Maxonian will get married later this year.
"It is our fifth birthday in March, we are probably going to celebrate with a very late Christmas party, and I am toying with a few different ideas.
"I was very fortunate when we opened the gym, that I had a very core group of 30 people, that came straight over. And when we went into the pandemic, even though we had only been open a year, the vast majority of members were happy to keep taking payments as we transitioned to classes online.
"Anyone is welcome, come on down to learn how to lift weights safely and effectively. The way the sessions are structured, means that they are small groups of no more than six people. This means I can make sure that everyone is getting individual attention. From a business standpoint, we could increase session capacity, but the members would lose out. So we decided to keep it at six people.
"The way the sessions are structured is that Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are strength based, whereas Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday are more conditioning based. So you are getting a well-rounded programme.
"It doesn't matter if you are a beginner, experienced lifter, if you have injuries or different ailments; we can work with it."
Mike used to work for corporate gyms, but admitted he talked too much, which is what partially led to him starting his own business.
Silk Fitness Therapy also does their bit for charity, with their East Cheshire Hospice as their chosen cause. This year, Mike will take on a CrossFit obstacle cause in aid of the Macclesfield charity, and you can donate on this link.
"We have built such a community here", explained Mike.
"The feeling that people get when they come here, they want to come back.
"I have got therapy in the name for the reason that we also do sports massages here, but also because people say coming here is like a therapy session.
"I know it sounds cliche, but we are like a big family. Everyone gets on really well, knows each other's name and is here for the right reasons.
"There's no egos, people help and encourage each other. We are not like a normal gym in the sense that you are left to your own devices. We are a very supportive community.
"In the future, I would love to do more social things with the members like annual events, we do a lot of things for charity. I've set myself a very ambitious live target to raise £100,000 for East Cheshire Hospice as a business.
"I would love to be able to do two sessions at the same time, we've got the room for it, but with that I will need another member of staff."
Michael, who grew up in Hurdsfield and Bollington, now lives just minutes away from his Green Street gym.
He is proud to be a part of the independent businesses in east Macclesfield, and is a keen supporter of nearby foodie businesses Yas Bean, Tommy's and Early Bird Bakes.
He had this advice for and would-be business owners of Macclesfield:
"Keep going, and provide the service that you are proud of and you know that will benefit the community," he said.
"And that is something that I think we have done here, as well as the businesses on Buxton Road, they have the same kind of ethos as us being about the area.
"Macc is growing, it is on the right path, and we are proud to be a part of it."
Silk Fitness Therapy is located at Unit 6a, Green Street, Macclesfield SK10 1JN.
Macclesfield: You can learn more about Silk Fitness Therapy on their website and Facebook.
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