Results Speak For Themselves Ep 216

In a Gym Secrets podcast episode, host Eric LeClaire interviews Layla Hormosi, co-CEO and co-founder of Gym Launch, Prestige Labs, and Allen software. Layla shares her journey of meeting her husband on Bumble and quickly establishing their business, highlighting the growth and adaptability required to lead a successful company. She discusses the importance of giving customers what they want, learning from hiring mistakes, and the balance between leadership and management skills. Layla also emphasizes the power of attitude in overcoming challenges, especially during COVID-19, where she advises businesses to adapt by offering remote and in-person services. She advocates for being a positive leader in the community, and despite the potential for professional conflict, she stresses the insignificance of criticism and the importance of focusing on one's own path to success.

• Layla Hormosi discusses the rapid personal growth that occurs through the process of growing a business.
• She emphasizes that to lead and grow a business, one must also grow as a person.
• The idea is that business challenges push individuals to develop and enhance their abilities and leadership qualities.

"Because I think that there's nothing that really can grow you faster than growing a business quickly because you have to just continue to level up as a person in order to grow and lead."

This quote highlights the relationship between personal development and business success. Layla suggests that the fast pace of business growth necessitates a corresponding speed in personal development for effective leadership.

• The podcast focuses on strategies for acquiring customers, increasing customer value, and customer retention.
• It also covers the failures and lessons learned throughout the journey of running a business.

"Everybody, welcome to the Gym Secrets podcast, where we talk about how to get more customers, how to make more per customer, and how to keep them longer, and the many failures and lessons that we have learned along the way. I hope you enjoy and subscribe."

This quote serves as an introduction to the podcast, outlining its core themes and inviting the audience to engage with the content and subscribe for future episodes.

• Layla Hormosi speaks about the importance of relying on data and information to make decisions and protect oneself from emotional biases.
• She notes that people often avoid confronting data that contradicts their desires or expectations.

"The only way to protect ourselves from our emotions is in information and data, because it's just so. It's. But I think a lot of times people are trying to protect their own emotions by avoiding it because it's maybe not what they want to see."

The quote underscores the necessity of data in making objective decisions and the common tendency to avoid data that may be emotionally challenging.

• Eric introduces the "in the trenches" series, which explores leadership within the entrepreneurial space.
• He acknowledges the significant contributions of gym owners and entrepreneurs during challenging times.
• Eric expresses his admiration for Layla Hormosi and her work.

"Good morning, this is Eric LeClaire over at push press, and we are continuing our in the trenches series with a look, a deep look into leadership."

Eric sets the stage for a deep dive into leadership, indicating the focus of the series and the episode's intent to explore this theme in detail.

• Layla Hormosi co-founded Gym Launch, Prestige Labs, and the software Allen with her husband.
• She shares the origin story of their business ventures and their initial strategy of working directly with gyms.
• Layla reveals the evolution of their business model from a service-based approach to empowering gym owners through education.

"Yeah, I appreciate it, Eric. I'm excited to be here. Yeah. I'm Layla Hormosi. I am the co CEO and co founder of Gym Launch, as well as prestige Labs and Allen, all of which originated as businesses that serve gym owners."

Layla introduces herself and her businesses, highlighting the focus on serving gym owners and the expansion into other areas such as supplements and software.

• Layla describes the demanding and educational experience of traveling to different gyms to implement their business model.
• She discusses the realization that gym owners needed to learn to manage growth themselves to handle the influx of new members effectively.
• Layla's narrative includes the pivot from a service model to a coaching model, despite initial reluctance.

"We realized that people needed to do it themselves in order to grow into the kind of person who could fulfill for that many people."

This quote explains the strategic shift from doing the work for gym owners to teaching them how to manage growth, emphasizing the importance of personal development in business scalability.

• Layla shares her personal history of being growth-oriented and self-motivated from a young age.
• She discusses her natural inclination towards leadership and her belief that she would be leading a company regardless of the industry.

"I think I've always been somebody who's, I've always been growth oriented."

Layla reflects on her consistent focus on self-improvement and growth, which has been a driving force in her life and career.

• Layla and her husband have lived in multiple locations, partly influenced by business considerations such as taxes.
• She candidly discusses the practical aspects of their moves and the impact on their business strategy.

"Like, being really honest? It was like, taxes."

This quote reveals the pragmatic reasons behind their geographic mobility, highlighting taxes as a significant factor in their decision-making process.

• Layla explains the differences in hiring criteria between the early stages of their business and now.
• She acknowledges that the types of people needed in the beginning are not necessarily the same as the business grows and evolves.

"Our team in the beginning, who I looked for is very different than who I look for now, but I wouldn't have done it differently."

Layla reflects on the evolution of her hiring practices, indicating a learning curve and adaptation as the business has matured.

• Layla Hormosi emphasizes the importance of adaptability and scrappiness in team members for a growing business.
• She values employees who are hard workers, able to learn quickly, unafraid of change, and hungry for success.
• The concept of "gritty scrap" is important internally, but outward presentations of the business should not reflect this roughness.

"I looked for hard workers that were scrappy, that could learn quickly. I would say that that was probably the top things. I looked for people that weren't afraid of change and were hungry."

This quote highlights Layla's prioritization of certain traits in employees that align with the dynamic nature of a growing business and her preference for individuals who are eager and adaptable.

• Layla Hormosi oversees most of the business with nine direct reports, including the executive and strategic teams.
• Her co-founder, Alex, handles the marketing department, where Layla is less involved but still contributes to management.
• Layla is currently managing different aspects of three business functions: gym launch, prestige, and Allen, with varying levels of hands-on involvement.

"Today, I'm over most of it, aside from Alex is still pretty hands on with marketing. And so I think I have nine direct reports, which would be most like our executive team reports to me, and then some of our strategic team reports to me."

Layla outlines her managerial responsibilities within the company, indicating her broad oversight but also specifying the division of labor with her co-founder, particularly in the marketing area.

• Layla Hormosi takes pride in the growth of leaders within gym launch and the relationships she has built with them.
• She values the small, continuous improvements in the team rather than large, monumental achievements.
• Layla believes in the fulfillment and happiness of high-performing team members, which is not easily achieved.

"I'm proud of the leaders that are still here today who I've grown... I'm proud of the improvements we've made as a team."

The quote reflects Layla's sense of achievement in nurturing leaders and the collective progress they've made, which she finds more fulfilling than grand milestones.

• Layla Hormosi discusses the balance between camaraderie and maintaining professional standards.
• She is careful to maintain a level of friendship that does not interfere with her ability to hold team members accountable.
• The dual nature of her role is described as both the most social and the loneliest job.

"I'm hesitant to use the word friendships. I think it's a degree of friendship... it can never get in the way of me holding them accountable and holding them to their performance standards."

This quote illustrates Layla's cautious approach to friendships within the workplace, ensuring that personal relationships do not compromise her professional obligations.

• Layla Hormosi learned the importance of giving customers what they want, even if it differs from what the business believes they need.
• She reflects on a period when the company focused on retention over acquisition, which did not align with customer desires.
• Recognizing and meeting customer wants is fundamental to business success.

"Always give the customer what they want, not what they need... What made us was being really good at acquisition, really good at making people more money."

Layla shares a key business lesson, emphasizing the importance of aligning the company's offerings with customer desires to drive success.

• Layla Hormosi admits to making mistakes in hiring, particularly in leadership positions.
• She initially placed too much trust in new hires without sufficient management and accountability.
• One painful lesson involved an employee who overhired for their department, leading to Layla having to terminate those additional hires.

"I've learned a lot of painful lessons there, which is I've just made some really... I ruled a little bit too much by trust and not as much by tighter management and accountability in the very beginning."

The quote addresses Layla's realization that trust must be balanced with strict management practices to prevent costly hiring mistakes.

• Layla Hormosi discusses the inherent risks and rewards of leadership.
• Acknowledges that leaders face both significant gains and the potential for failure.
• Emphasizes acceptance of both outcomes as part of the leadership journey.

"I'm like, dude, that's the risk you take is you get the biggest reward, and you also have to live with the biggest failures that people will hate you for, which is interesting, but I'm okay with it."

The quote reflects Layla's understanding and acceptance of the dual nature of leadership outcomes, highlighting that with great risk comes the potential for great reward or significant failure.

• Layla Hormosi highlights the importance of balancing leadership and managerial skills.
• Describes the evolution from being an "operational leader" to focusing on managerial aspects such as running effective meetings, balancing KPIs, and tracking efficiency.
• Stresses that understanding and developing both skill sets are crucial for growing a company.

"And you need to understand what each of those is and what it means and what it looks like in an ideal world."

This quote emphasizes the necessity for a leader to grasp the distinct roles of leadership and management in order to successfully scale an organization.

• Layla Hormosi discusses the critical nature of data and information for businesses, especially small ones.
• Expresses frustration with the lack of interest in data among some small business owners, despite its importance for decision-making and efficiency.
• Suggests that some may avoid data to protect their emotions from the hard truths it can reveal.

"Because I'm just like, man, the only way to protect ourselves from our emotions is information and data, because it's just facts."

Layla underscores the objectivity of data as a tool to make informed decisions, free from emotional bias.

• Layla Hormosi shares strategies for dealing with criticism and competition.
• Advocates for ignoring negativity and focusing on the success and results of one's own efforts.
• Suggests that criticism often stems from the critic's insecurities or limited perspective.

"Most of those people aren't ever going to buy anything from me anyway, so, like, I give a fuck what they think."

The quote illustrates Layla's dismissive attitude towards unfounded criticism, prioritizing attention on potential customers rather than detractors.

• Layla Hormosi reflects on personal growth and the tendency to project feelings onto others.
• Recognizes that criticism is often more about the critic's own issues than the target of their words.
• Discusses the challenge people face in disagreeing without resorting to hatred or dismissal.

"I think that's because I do not believe that anything that anyone says about anybody else is about them. I think it's about themselves, right?"

Layla's quote reveals a philosophy of introspection, suggesting that negative comments are often a reflection of the speaker's personal struggles.

• Layla Hormosi provides insight on how to perceive and utilize competition.
• Argues that criticism from competitors can serve as unintentional promotion.
• Believes that being the target of criticism can signal success and leadership within an industry.

"Nobody talks shit about the gym down the street that isn't making any money. Right? They talk shit about the gym down the street that's making all the money."

The quote conveys the idea that criticism is often directed at those who are successful, implying that negative attention can be a sign of prominence in the market.

• Layla Hormosi discusses the role of technology in leadership and communication.
• Highlights the use of tools like Slack, Zoom, and smartphone notes to manage meetings and one-on-ones.
• Emphasizes the importance of these technologies in staying organized and maintaining clear communication within the company.

"Zoom is where we post all our meetings since day one. And honestly, notes in my phone."

This quote indicates Layla's reliance on readily accessible and widely used technologies to facilitate efficient communication and organization in a leadership role.

• Businesses are adapting to a hybrid model of remote and in-person services.
• The focus is on providing solutions that cater to both remote and in-person clients.
• Sales, marketing, and fulfillment strategies are being tailored to support this hybrid model.
• The software developed by Layla Hormosi's company now caters to leads for both remote and in-person gym services.
• The company is also adjusting its supplement line's user experience for remote purchases and releasing more affordable products.

"Yeah, we're going to continue to basically, I think it was about a year ago that we started encouraging our gyms to have remote and in person model."

This quote highlights the strategic shift that Layla Hormosi's company made a year ago to encourage gyms to adopt a model that supports both remote and in-person services.

• Attitude towards challenges determines short-term success or failure.
• Winners and losers face the same obstacles but react differently.
• Belief in overcoming challenges is crucial, as evidenced by some businesses thriving despite adverse conditions.
• Temporary setbacks should not be viewed as permanent; situations can improve.
• Perspective on challenges is important, with the understanding that circumstances fluctuate.

"The only difference between someone who's going to win in the short term or lose in the short term is how they react to what is happening."

This quote emphasizes the importance of reaction and attitude in determining success during challenging times, suggesting that a proactive and positive approach can lead to success.

• Layla Hormosi's company provides solutions for coaches who may have lost their jobs to transition to remote coaching.
• The culture of the company is performance-driven, which pushes individuals to excel.
• Coaches and gym owners are encouraged to see the current situation as a challenge to become champions.

"So if there are coaches out there that are listening to today and maybe they were let go from their gym and they're looking as like, I could be a remote coach today, I could do this from home, I could do it from my laptop."

This quote offers encouragement and a potential solution for coaches affected by layoffs, suggesting that they can continue their work remotely.

• Layla Hormosi advises focusing on controlling one's attitude and actions.
• She emphasizes that no situation is permanent and encourages a long-term perspective.
• The importance of community support is highlighted, with the notion that friends and family can provide a safety net.
• Leadership and positivity are critical, especially for business owners who have a responsibility to inspire others.

"What's the worst case scenario? What are you so afraid of?"

Layla Hormosi challenges individuals to confront their fears and consider the worst-case scenario, implying that often the fear is greater than the reality of the situation.

• Business owners and leaders have a responsibility to be a positive force in their communities.
• A positive attitude can have a significant impact on employees and clients.
• Taking time to prepare mentally each morning can change the outcome of the day.

"I think right now it's the time we need people to be leaders in the community."

This quote underscores the need for leadership and the role of business owners in providing positivity and support to their communities during tough times.

• Layla Hormosi can be reached through her social media accounts on Instagram and Facebook.
• She emphasizes a preference for privacy and internal focus over public exposure.

"You can find me on Facebook. Layla, hormosi. Okay, that's it. I don't have any links or podcasts or anything."

This quote provides information on how to connect with Layla Hormosi, indicating her limited public presence and preference for direct contact through social media.