Under Pandemic Pressure: Jennifer Gendron Provides Exercise Outlet
SAINT JOHN – Businesses of every shape and size have been thrown for a loop by the Covid-19 pandemic. In the conclusion of a three-part series of conversations with local female entrepreneurs, we spoke with Jennifer Gendron, owner and general manager of Lifestyles Health & Fitness Studio, about her struggles, pivots and adjustments during this difficult period.
Tell us about your business
“I own and operate Lifestyles we, which has expanded into a full health and wellness center about two years ago at the Lifestyles Health and Wellness Centre in Hampton.”
“I opened 12 years ago just as a small studio. I taught classes out of my house before that and then opened a small rented location and had classes and then personal training, then slowly grew the business.”
“We are reopening on June 1 for scheduled appointments because we’re so limited to the number of people we can have in the building and because some people are still uncomfortable. So we’ve decided to carry on with virtual, as well as in-person so we’ll be holding the classes live in the studio and then live-streaming them at the same time.”
Was it an adjustment pivoting to online? What are your future plans?
“We have gone virtual to a portion of our members offering online classes. It’s working really well. I would say probably about a third of our membership has gone that route and gotten involved with the online classes.”
“Those folks are super engaged and we’re doing daily online classes and they all keep showing up so that’s amazing. But unfortunately, it’s not really enough to sustain the business, long-term.”
“There’s a lot of people that still aren’t 100 percent comfortable coming in, or they’re not able to come in because they have kids at home that they’re trying to homeschool; there’s a lot of different reasons.”
How are businesses coping and adapting?
“I feel like there’s a misconception out there in the public that is damaging to small business. People like me are getting inquiries like, ‘what are you going to do for me, am I going to get credit, when are you going to give me my money back?’ I’m struggling just to figure out how to juggle things enough to pay the bills that have to be paid to keep from losing the business.”
“There’s a real misconception out there that you know we’re getting sent cheques, and that’s not the case; I think it’s almost a disservice to small business, the way that it’s being presented and people not understanding the dire straits we’re in.”
How do you think local and small businesses will restart and grow now that restrictions are being lifted?
“I’m really not sure what it’s going to look like, as we are allowed to start reopening. I certainly know when we do open we’re going to be opening at a reduced schedule than what we had before. I know I’m not going to be able to bring all my staff back and just start up full operations again with all of the programs and things we normally offer because there’s just not going to be the money there to do that.”
“For me, it’s going to look very different in that, I’m going to be a bit more of a solopreneur for a little while. That part’s really hard. I have an amazing staff who are like family, so having to lay [them off] and know that I’m not going to have work for them for a long time is a pretty hard pill to swallow too.”
“There are no specific guidelines in New Brunswick for gyms, which makes it difficult for reopening. Basically, we just have to follow the public health guidelines that are set for all businesses. British Columbia has put out some guidelines specific to gyms, which has been really helpful.”
“We’ve had to make sure that we can keep people six feet apart, divide up our classroom to keep people six feet apart in the studio as well; we’ve had to close down the changing rooms and just have one washroom open so that, because we need to sanitize it every time someone’s been in it.”
“Things like that are a little tricky and they’re gonna make it a little challenging, I think for some people coming in but we’re just doing the best we can with the limited guidance that we received and just trying to figure out the best system that we can.
What are your thoughts on the business relief programs that the federal and provincial governments are offering for business owners and entrepreneurs?
“They’re helpful to certain types of businesses that can run close to their capacity. But for somebody like us, where I don’t even think it’s going to be a quarter of what we would normally be able to [generate] in sales if we were open than we’re able to do online right now, it’s definitely not going to be enough to pay the bills.
“More loans are not something that I’m really wanting to take on at this point, especially with so many unknowns because I don’t know what the long-term ramifications are going to be.”
Other parts in the series: