Mike Bates’ Story

My business is about relationships; this is truly what separates Refine Fitness Studio from any other facility. With this in mind, I want to tell you a little about myself and my journey that brought me to where I am at today. While the following story is largely about me it is also a way for me to say thanks to the many people that have helped me along the way.

In no way is this journey complete but I can tell you I am very happy (more than just content) with what I have achieved so far ...... how many people can truly say that?

Growing up I had part time jobs delivering papers that taught me a lot about work ethic and running my own business. I was motivated to make money but also sincerely enjoyed taking care of my clients. Instilled in me at a young age, these qualities are the driving force of how I run my business.

During my high school days most of my time was spent playing sports year round, in particular track and basketball, but I also played volleyball and ran cross country. I was not one of those athletes that was gifted with natural talent; I had to work hard for everything I wanted to accomplish. For me, sport is what got me through school and allowed me to channel my energy in a productive way that made me a better student and taught me the importance of hard work and dedication.

As my high school days were coming to an end I enrolled in the Human Kinetics (HK) program at the University of Windsor. What else was a ‘jock’ like me to do? In second year, I became involved with student parliament and was elected Class President. About 5 years after graduating I decided to go back to school and complete my Masters in Business Administration (MBA). I truly enjoyed my university experience; it has definitely played a key role in my success over the years. Today, I can proudly say I’ve maintained many relationships that I developed in university and I am honoured to teach in the Department of Kinesiology, as well as be an active member of the Alumni Association at the University of Windsor. Giving back to the community that I grew up in is very important to me.

It was during university that I was exposed to the fitness industry as potential career option. A classmate asked me one day if I would be interested in working at Good Life Fitness. My response right away was ‘YES’ even though I had never considered this as an option before. My part time job at Good Life Fitness led me to my first full time job when I graduated university and a major shift in where my career would take me. During my third and fourth year of university I was leaning towards a career in teaching, chiropractic or physiotherapy. One day I realized that I loved what I was doing in the fitness industry and that I should follow my heart, so that is what I did. For the next few years I managed fitness clubs for Good Life Fitness. It was during this time that I realized I wanted to have my own fitness club one day. That dream never died, but it did get put on the back burner for a few years.

I eventually left the fitness industry to pursue another opportunity with Human Kinetics Publishers. While this was truly a great company to work for, after 7 years I got tired of travelling, sitting behind a desk all day and answering to someone else. Let me be crystal clear when I say that this was not the type of job or company you simply leave to ‘try your own thing’, so more than a few people thought that I was crazy when I finally opened my own fitness studio in September of 2007. While the decision was not an easy one it was one that had been many years in the making.

My goal with Refine Fitness Studio was to offer an alternative to the ‘big gym’ experience, an experience which not everyone enjoys. In my opinion, big clubs are not able to properly take care of the majority of their members due to their size. I wanted to offer a higher level of service and assistance to those people that needed it most, to ensure that Refine Fitness would be known for our Personal Training services and the results that our clients got and to hire and keep the best staff available while giving clients the best possible experience.

During our first two years we saw great success helping our members improve their health and fitness; we began to build a name for ourselves in the community. Soon after it became obvious that we were going to need to expand our space in order to accommodate future growth and widen our Personal Training options and other programs, thus, in the fall of 2010, we doubled the size of our main personal training area.

While we have seen great success to date, we are still a small business and are very much impacted by the ups and downs that all businesses experience; in no way have we ‘made it’ but I am confident we are well on our way.

I also believe strongly in community and feel it is important to get involved and give back. For this reason, as a business, we are actively involved with numerous charities and fundraising events. My business is also a family one. You will regularly see my parents, wife and kids around the gym and my sister’s cleaning company keeps they studio spotless.
I need to remind myself occasionally how lucky I am to be doing what I love while also making a difference in people’s lives.

Refine Fitness Studio is truly about the people – our staff and, more importantly, our clients. If you need help accomplishing your goals, I can say with absolute certainty that no one will go to the lengths we will to help you.