NATHALIE LE MOTTEE (left)
Born: 07/01/1977
Marital Status: Married
School: JCG
First Job: Air Traffic Controller
Car: Alfa Romeo Spider (one day!)
Book: Anything by Bill Bryson – he makes me laugh out loud
Music: Paul Simon – particularly Graceland. This reminds me of family holidays in France
Film: This depends on my mood, but my current favourite is Argo
Gadget: Corkscrew!
Last Holiday: A romantic weekend in Paris
Enjoys: Getting away from it all with my husband on our boat
GLENDA RIVOALLAN (right)
Born: 09/08/1973
Marital Status: Married
School: St Ambrose, Scotland
First Job: Physical Education Teacher
Car: The Healthhaus Mini Cooper S convertible (wave if you see me!)
Book: Sophie’s World – will make you reassess how you view the world
Music: Michael Buble & Bruno Mars
Film: The Green Mile
Gadget: iPad mini
Last holiday: Florida & Disneyworld with the family
Enjoys: Muddy puddles with my son on a Sunday
An exclusive boutique style private members club for the discerning health-conscious individuals, healthhaus offers a time efficient, results guaranteed fitness offering in a home from home environment; leaving time for you to indulge in a 360 degree approach to wellness.
So, tell us what inspired you to get this off the ground? We were disillusioned with the huge volume of people who will not set foot in a traditional fitness club as they feel intimidated. We’re an ageing population in Jersey and it’s important to encourage people of all ages to exercise. We wanted to turn fitness on its head and aim to appeal to a much broader market, in terms of age and interests.
What did you do prior to starting this business? I am a manger at Highlands College where I look after quality and the Sport & Management degree. Prior to living in Jersey I opened 227 fitness clubs as a private consultant, so I guess you can say I know the industry pretty well (G) / I have an operational background, having managed health & fitness clubs where I also worked as a personal trainer and sports massage therapist (N)
Did that teach you any lessons that helped you succeed? Having worked in the industry for 24 years I feel I am really well placed to understand what doesn’t work and how we can encourage our members to come for a visit but stay for results (G) / I agree with Glenda, I saw so many people coming and going and realised that we make fitness too difficult for people. At Healthhaus we want to make it easier for our members to look after their health. (N)
What’s the hardest lesson you’ve learnt since starting the business? The whole journey has been a learning curve, however rather than seeing this as a hard lesson I can honestly say this has been the time of my life (G) / Look after yourself as well as your business (N)
Any funny stories that you have about the business starting out?! On one of our market research trips we walked into the changing rooms only to find 6 naked men in the sauna – apparently it’s quite normal in Europe!
What are your plans for the future? To ensure that the Healthhaus experience is a memorable one and to further develop the brand (G) / To make Healthhaus a happy place for our members and staff and to keep evolving (N)
What advice would you give to would-be entrepreneurs? Never give up, work hard, stay true to yourself & your brand values & above all else pick your partners wisely (G) / Plan, plan, plan (& make sure you get plenty of sleep!) (N)
