Vital stats
- Company:Lisa Raleigh
- Player: Lisa Raleigh
- Est: 2000
- Connect: www.lisaraleigh.co.za;+27 (0) 31 207 7117
Lisa Raleigh has been in the wellness game since 2000, when she finished school and launched a career as a fitness trainer. She was soon operating three private gyms, but it was in 2006 that she got her big break as the blue team trainer on South Africa’s version of the TV hit The Biggest Loser.
Since then, the highly energetic entrepreneur has used PR, traditional media and social media in shrewd and strategic ways to grow her business and build her reputation in the marketplace. “In this business, the media has given me the ability to communicate with so many more people. But it’s social media that really transformed the way I grew the business.”
Using social media to achieve goals
It’s her fluency in the online world that led her to launch South Africa’s first online personal transformation programme, ’well i am‘. In business, there’s a tendency to get hung up on social media tools when it’s more important to know what your purpose is and what you’re trying to achieve from your marketing and communications. It’s something that Raleigh got right from the start.
“As my personal brand grew, my clients wanted to engage with me only, and it was simply not possible to be everywhere at the same time,” she says. “I realised that the best way for me to grow the business and make a real difference to as many lives as possible was to make my wellness plan available online and support it with corporate sponsorships and endorsements. The response was amazing. I was hoping that 100 people would register on the mobi site for the first round, but we got 1 120 clients from all over the country.” well i am is on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram, giving people access through whichever platform they prefer.
Membership includes online resources from certified eating plans and training programmes from experts, video demonstrations, motivational snippets and daily tips. Participants also receive personal fitness devices so that their progress can be monitored.
Winning means being first
She points out a key entrepreneurial lesson – to be successful, be first. “There are many fitness programmes on the market, but this is the first to be completely online and to incorporate lifestyle and wellness plans.”
For Raleigh, the move has given her business massive scaleability, enabling her to grow her client base significantly, while still maintaining personal contact. “My goal is now to create a massive online community and a wellness portal that covers all the aspects of living healthily, and to demystify a way of life that can seem very difficult for many people.”
Raleigh says the change in her business model has generated additional income streams from memberships, endorsement contracts and sponsorships, which will fuel growth into the future.