Hillcrest couple power their way through lockdown
The owner of GetFit Hillcrest, Neil du Plessis and his wife, Denya, spoke to the Highway Mail about the effect the lockdown has had not only on them, but on the fitness industry as a whole.
THE livelihoods of Hillcrest gym owners, Denya and Neil du Plessis, were destroyed during the lockdown and the couple were eager to join thousands in solidarity during a nationwide protest to ease restrictions on the fitness industry.
Despite the need to pay staff and looming overheads, Hillcrest GetFit’s Neil said he stopped all debits of his clients as South Africa entered level 5 lockdown.
“I couldn’t expect them to pay for a service they were no longer getting. We lost that income and went down to earning absolutely nothing. Our industry was told three weeks and there are now people in our industry who haven’t been earning an income for up to five months.”
For two-and-a-half months Neil continued to pay his seven staff members as well as the utilities.
Neil said, “We were having such a good year as we had our busiest challenges. A 12-year-old business -valued at R5 million- and its now valued at nothing. There is no use crying about it, just find ways to earn an income.”
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“Your first reaction is to panic but, because I am such a positive person, I said to Neil that we could either sink or swim. We need to be creative as we have a family to feed and a bond to pay. There were a few sleepless nights, but we got ourselves into a positive space,” said Denya.
With two children, a one-year-old and a five-year-old, the local family said they were put in a tight situation financially and chose to sell half of the gym’s equipment and rent out the rest to cover their bills.
“This was a saving grace for us as we could afford to cover our grocery bill,” she said.
In an attempt to turn a bad situation into a good one, and open up another income stream, the couple started an online 21-day Kickstart Challenge.
The couple said they fully supported the protest but didn’t feel that it would change many customers’ minds about returning to the gym.
“People want to feel safe and once the curve starts to plateau and the number of infections start dropping, maybe more people will be eager to return to gyms. Gyms are going to change forever,” said Denya.
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“For a lot of other people in our industry, the lockdown hasn’t been so kind. At some point, they need to start earning money as they are all going into panic mode and staff need to be paid,” said Neil.
To help boost their family’s income, Denya partnered with the out-of-work seamstresses from the Barnyard Theatre, who launched LiveWear, and is helping to sell masks.
The couple firmly believe that when they are able to trade again they will find a way to create their own space and grow their business again from the ground up.
WIN!
The couple have launched Dynamic Duo and are giving away one 21-day Kickstart Challenge to a lucky reader.
To enter, like the Dynamic Duo Facebook page (@dynamicduoza) and enter the competition form below.
Sorry. This form is no longer available.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
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At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.
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