To the Alchemy Athlete Community,
I hope this note finds you well and that you’re all staying safe and optimistic during these trying times. I’m writing to provide an update on the work our team has been doing over the last several weeks, and also to share Alchemy’s vision and plans for the months to come now that our studios are conditionally open. I’d even like to recruit you into that vision as members of this special community we all share.
When we started hearing rumors that gyms like ours would be allowed to reopen we began to focus on the various ways to provide our services to our athletes. We understood that in our athlete base, there would be some who were simply not ready to exercise in any group setting regardless of how controlled the circumstances. We knew there would be other athletes anxious to train together, but who were apprehensive about doing so in an enclosed space. Lastly, we knew there would be a group ready and eager to return to training in the studio as soon as possible. So the team went to work – for the first group we offered multiple live classes per day digitally and, upon the request of our members, even built out a robust library of on-demand class recordings. For the second group we offered 80+ classes per week at outdoor, open-air locations around the Twin Cities and Denver and then, on June 8th, after receiving the green light from our local government officials in both cities, we opened our studios to athletes for the first time in over three months.
The severity of the Covid-19 pandemic is not lost on any of us but as a business owner, it was an extraordinary relief when we started to see people trickle back into class.
We want so badly to be through this time. We want to put your community back together. We want to get back to work helping people feel alive in our studios but the data and science has shown us recently that we all still have a role to play in the ongoing battle against the spread of Covid. We have at times been frustrated by how legislators have determined businesses “essential”, and frustrated by some inconsistencies in the laws surrounding controlling Covid, but we’ve always believed the science and that no amount of profit is more important than human lives.
Today, our business reflects those beliefs.
Specific training spots have been marked on the floor of your studio rooms, retail has been taken off the racks, the programming has been spartan and for the first few weeks since reopening, utilized only body-weight movements to avoid any unnecessary contact with equipment. Our coaches are wearing masks in the classroom. Our sanitation practices have been dialed up in both intensity and frequency. We’ve even adapted to ensure your studio experience is touch as touch free as possible.
We realize that it’s going to take some time not only for the Covid-19 virus to be controlled, but for the psychology of our members to normalize.
We even know that further closures are possible.
And so we’re back trying to walk the finest line we’ve ever walked as business, doing all we can to keep you interested in and committed to our brand, doing all we can to bring our services to you in whatever way allows you to FEEL ALIVE with us, but also STAY SAFE in the process.
The point is, the next few months are as uncertain for small businesses as ever. And as we did when Covid-19 first arrived in the United States, we’re looking in part to you all to help Alchemy make it through.
So here’s how we do that:
First, if you’re comfortable, consider joining us back in the studio for class. Our capacity has been substantially reduced to allow for social distancing in the room. Additionally, starting July 6th, we’re going to begin adding Torpedos back into our programming cycle but we’re asking those of you who have your own Torpedo to bring it with you to class. We understand the inconvenience this will pose but running a BYOT (bring your own Torpedo) model allows us to reduce contact, and ensure that all athletes get the weight they’re looking for. After the rental of nearly our entire arsenal of Torpedos, and after most of those Torpedos were purchased at a discount by our athletes, we are left with limited numbers of some of our most choice weights until our next full shipment arrives around the end of August.
We have a good number of Torpedos in the studio so if you are unable to bring yours in for class, or simply forget, it’s absolutely no problem. We’ll always accommodate and make it happen. We’re simply asking that for a short time, as we work to keep our facilities as controlled as possible and our customers as satisfied as possible, you BYOT to workouts that require one where possible. This effort will go an incredibly long way in helping us keep studios clean, as well as keeping athletes and coaches safe and satisfied.
On the other hand, if you’re not ready to come back, but still want to help Alchemy, please help us spread to word about the recent launch of Alchemy 365 Anywhere, our new and greatly improved digital class offering.
Initially, our team’s efforts surrounding our digital classes were reactionary – a simple necessity required to keep athletes in their training grooves. But as the reality of Covid-19 set in, our mindset shifted and our team has been busy learning new skills, taking on new challenges, with completely redefined work scopes all with the goal of putting out this final product.
Please consider sharing Alchemy Anywhere with any friends or family members that you think might benefit from the experience. Help us get this incredible product out to the world and in front of as many eyes as possible. We know there is no substitution for the in studio experience but for many people out there a digital class offering fits their lifestyle even better. We also know that building a successful and viable digital business bringing A10’s and A20’s to customers around the world represents a kind of hedge against Covid-19, any associated closures, and quite frankly, any number of other external factors which have the potential of derailing small, entrepreneurial organizations like ours.
Our formal advertising efforts will pale in comparison to any word of mouth marketing you are willing to deploy on our behalf – will you help us get the message out to people near and far?
Of course, do it any way you see fit, but if you’re looking for the easy button, search no further. Below, you’ll find some marketing collateral you can easily pull for Instagram, Facebook or even Tik-Tok. You’ll also find a link that will populate an overview email with a discount code that you can blast out to anybody on your mailing list with ease.
- Email or text this link to your friends.
- Post these graphics on social media.
So that’s it. That’s how we keep going and that is my humble ask, at what I know is the tail end of several asks.
Spread the word that Alchemy 365 is taking great efforts to ensure the highest levels of cleanliness and safety we possibly can in our immensely controlled studio environments.
Consider joining us in the studio for class and BYOT and for a few weeks look at schlepping your Torpedo from the car to the classroom as a little extra farmer carry and some icing on the cake.
Help us in any way you’re able to spread the word about this incredible new extension of our business called Alchemy Anywhere, which I sincerely believe will allow us to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the world in the same way many of your lives have been improved in our studios.
Before I sign off I want to also turn the table. What can we do for you? How can this company and its team support you at this time? We know that for several months we’ve been leaning in on this community for support, but I want you to know that we are prepared to continue to grow and invest in ways that will bring a better experience to the customer. So, as always, keep communicating with us. Keep informing us. Keep telling us what you’d like to see or hear from Alchemy and you have my word that we’ll constantly work to implement those requests into our business model.
Thank you for your ongoing support, your loyalty, and your unwavering commitment to your studio staff and this company’s mission.
PYL
Tyler Quinn
Alchemy 365 Co-Founder
tyler@alchemy365.com
