CHEER360 CASE STUDY
BUSINESS PROFILE
Cheer360 is the Nation’s only cheerleading specific strength training, nutrition and mental coaching program. Owned by long-time sports and wellness professionals, Kristin and Artie Perri, Cheer360 is located in Smithtown, NY. The Cheer360 program coaches and educates athletes so they can achieve, maintain and perform at the highest personal, physical, nutritional, and mental level possible. Their program supports athletes of all ages and specifically works to preempt some common athlete pain points: frequent injuries, mental blocks and poor nutrition. The Cheer360 team is also passionately involved in supporting women’s health, in conjunction with fitness events, and hosting leadership summits and other regional training events.
CHALLENGE
Like many fitness businesses, Cheer360 began managing operations using spreadsheets and sending manual emails. As their student base grew, they found that this manual process caused problems. Says Artie Perri: “When we began we had eleven students, so spreadsheets worked. But soon we had forty to fifty students, and at that point Excel wasn’t going to cut it.” Sorting through papers that contained student data and monthly billing information was painfully time-consuming, and the Perris really wanted to spend that time working directly with students. Because of that, the Perris started to look for membership management software to support their business growth.
SOLUTION
The Perris investigated several different fitness business software options but found most too complex and out of touch with business owners or too specific to a certain type of type of fitness. “We were frustrated by the many CrossFit types of software solutions which required that we change the way our business worked, said Perri.
When the Perris tried Zen Planner’s gym software, they knew they had their solution. “The ability to use the software to work for our particular business was the immediate draw. Then we realized that Zen Planner has tons of great features and incredible customer support,” said Perri. Once they implemented the software their business efficiency greatly improved and the Cheer360 team went from “aimlessly shuffling papers to checking students in and taking credit cards.”
Artie and Kristin were also drawn to Zen Planner’s company culture, which they said is easy going and fun, while also engaged and supportive at the same time. “Zen Planner’s culture made us feel right at home,” said Perri. Additionally, the Perris really liked Zen Planner’s Faceboard feature for accurate and efficient student check-in. This feature in particular has also proven to be incredibly popular with their younger athletes who regularly change their profile picture and enjoy seeing themselves up on the big screen.
BENEFITS
- Zen Planner freed up 20-25 hours each week by helping the Perris automate billing and efficiently manage student data
- Enabled accurate attendance records
- Improved athlete check-in via Faceboard
- Allows owner time to build business growth
- Decreased number of unprofitable classes by keeping Cheer360’s classes full
