From Fitspiration to Inspiration: How Daniel Remon conquered Asia’s fitness market
Growing up in a small suburb on Sydney’s northern beaches, Daniel Remon knew from a young age that he wanted to make a big difference in peoples lives.
Fast forward 30 years and he has built his way up the ladder to be regarded as one of the leading figures in the fitness, health and wellbeing industry.
Calling Bangkok, Thailand home for over 20 years, he has created some of the most successful fitness companies in all of Asia – Fitcorp Asia and The Aspire Club.
This has led Remon to be invited to provide his insight into the industry as a motivational speaker as he is seen as a specialist in human performance and guaranteed results.
I was privileged enough to sit down with Daniel to discuss how he has created companies that have proven results with clients who never want to leave the environments he has produced.
Q. How have your companies like Fitcorp Asia and The Aspire Club been able to become a global icon in the industry after starting off as such a small one man business?
A. I had a goal in my mind when i set out to do this and i still have that goal. I want to have an influence on over one million people. Back in the late 90’s, Asia didn’t have anyone or any company leading the fitness industry. I saw an opportunity to make a difference there and took it. There was a huge opportunity to create a space where people working in the corporate sector which was slowly starting to boom in cities like Bangkok, Singapore and Hong Kong. That’s where the name of the company came, Fit-Corp.
Once you have your first clients who may be expats or other workers in the industry, word gets around and I found myself needing to take on more staff because I wasn’t able to run a business and coach all these clients at the same time! Eventually, it got to the point where we had hundreds of clients at once and about a dozen full time staff members and i was able to then further expand the business into other sectors.
Q. What made The Aspire Club different to traditional gyms for you to make a name for yourself?
A. Someone can not simply just walk into a gym and know exactly what they need to do in order to make a difference to their health. We needed to have proven results from clients who wanted change. We assess every client before they start by assessing their movement. A diet and a workout is not going to do anything for you. If you can’t do a squat without weight properly then we need to fix that first. If your body is not aligned right, you can not perform the correct movements that you need to perform if you want the results. We focus a lot on movement, not traditional weightlifting or cardio.
Q. But what happens if someone doesn’t achieve the results that they or you have set?
A. It all starts with goals. We have to have short term goals and long term goals. Have that long term goal set but only come back to it once all of the short term goals have been achieved. If someone doesn’t achieve their short term goals then we have to re-assess. It’s ok, step back, acknowledge what changes need to be done and change the short term goal but still have that long term goal insight.
This can be used for any scenario. If you’re an athlete that’s just been hit with an injury, you’re not going to completely give. You’re going to do your rehab, make improvements and then strive for that next level.
Q. Looking at the social media accounts of Fitcorp and Aspire, everyone looks happy when they are there. Is there any secret you have done there?
A. Haha, I don’t think that there is a secret formula to it. A gym shouldn’t be place you go and it’s all gloomy and miserable with plain white walls and a rack of weights and cardio machines. With the type of training we do we need space. In Bangkok there is not a lot of it except for the top of buildings. Being out in the open and having the fresh air be around you is what’s best.
We have the whole cityscape to admire but we still get the work done. That’s what is most important. There is a social element of the “family” but we still get sh*t done.
Q. Being in the position you are now, you have been able to have many great experiences around the world. What are you able to pass on to your clients and staff that you have learnt over the years?
A. You just have to set your mind to something and stick to it. It’s a big world out there and everyone should be making a difference in some way or another. One thing that really sticks out in my mind was when i was taking care of the training facilities at the 2012 London Olympics. Having all those athletes in one close area just blew my mind about what the human body is capable of doing. You don’t have to be a professional in a sport to make a difference with your body, you just have to set those goals and stick to them as much as possible and then the results will come.
All trainers and coaches must be able to identify the areas needed of improvement if someone wants to have results. That’s their job. I feel that most trainers these days don’t necessarily know what they are doing which is why there are less and less people going to workout. It is difficult for everything to fall into place but with perseverance you can make anything possible.
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