In the ten years of its existence so far, it has reached the market in sixteen countries, with more than six million customers and a turnover of four billion, it is the number one among Digital first fitness companies in the Czech Republic. It is headquartered in Košice, but a team of over six hundred employees works from different corners of the world. You can also meet part of the GymBeam team in Clubco.
We bet most fitness and healthy eating enthusiasts know GymBeam. The company, which was founded by Dalibor Cicman in 2014, specializes in the sale of sports and health nutrition, healthy foods, sportswear and accessories. It has more than 120 brands and thousands of products in its portfolio.
From home and the world, from the office and cowork
The company has its headquarters and warehouses in Košice, but you can find people working for GymBeam in all countries where the company operates. “A large part of the marketing and IT team works remotely, from home or, in our case, from a cowork. Since we are from different countries and in different parts of the world, we are of course connected online. In places where more employees are concentrated, we have coworking spaces available – for example Clubco in Brno, but we also have coworking spaces in Bratislava or Prague. So colleagues who care about personal contact or don’t like working from home have the opportunity to go to a cowork – and of course to the headquarters in Košice, where we are all always welcome.” describes Alexandra Hudáková, who works for GymBeam as an Online campaign specialist. Her specialty is e-mail marketing, i.e. creating and sending out newsletters. You can meet Alexandra together with other colleagues in Clubco in Brno.
The first one from the team who started using Clubco for work was Markéta Tesařová, a nutritional therapist and fitness trainer who has been working as a full-time copywriter at GymBeam for more than three years. Together with other colleagues, she writes articles on blog, prepares texts for products for the e-shop, for social networks or creates scripts and accompanying texts for YouTube videos. “I started on a 40-hour hot desk. I was no longer comfortable working from home every day, so I started looking for coworking opportunities. Clubco impressed me with its modern spaces, accessibility from the center and also the community atmosphere that prevails here. I went 1–2 times a week to the open spaces on the ground floor. Thanks to the fact that I am used to working quite early in the morning, I could choose whether it would be from an armchair, a box or small glass offices. I still value these opportunities to change the working environment.”
Office privacy, inspiration and a second home
When Alexandra joined her, they switched to a fixed desk. With another colleague, a copywriter Zuzana Gáliková, it made more sense for them to move to a smaller office on the third floor. “However, the team of colleagues from GymBeam who live in Brno or nearby and would like to use coworking opportunities was still growing. A four-person office was no longer enough for us, so we reached an agreement with Vojta (Head of Facility Maintenance Vojtech Laczkó, note ed.) moved to the current office on the second floor. Currently (in ten people, note ed.) we are extremely satisfied here, the office is beautiful, spacious and bright. We also like the second floor in that we have an overview of what’s going on in Clubec and there are lots of different seating areas, including a wonderful terrace.” adds Markéta.
Zuzana appreciates the variable work environment and 24/7 access. “Given that Clubco is in the center of Brno, I see the possibility of renting a parking space in the underground garages, which are directly part of the building, as a great benefit.” adds the copywriter Simona Svobodová. “I like the space of the entire Clubco, which really inspires and motivates me. When I need peace, I close myself in the privacy of the office, for inspiration and relaxation I like to use shared spaces, the kitchen, armchairs and in the summer, the terrace. I especially like the community events here. Thanks to Clubco, we got to know many members. Clubco is truly my heart and second home,” Alexandra says with a smile.
Alexandra met many members at Prosecco meetups. “Sometimes my colleagues also keep me company, but I don’t mind going there alone because I know I won’t be there alone. I already know enough people in Clubco who also go to meetups, as well as the Clubco team, so I’m not afraid that I won’t have anyone to talk to. We also attended several lectures, mostly about a healthy lifestyle, or I go to ‘flea markets’. I plan to get involved in blood donation as well. What I would welcome is, for example, a marketing workshop or networking, where the majority of participating Clubcars work in marketing. Contacts in this area and new inspiration always come in handy.”
An interest in a healthy lifestyle is only an advantage
GymBeam naturally connects people with an interest in nutrition and fitness. For example, Simona describes that a deeper interest is important for her work as a copywriter. “Thanks to this interest, I am able to convey relevant information, for example, to readers of our blog or to customers as part of product descriptions. We do not want to pass on unconfirmed information or half-truths. At the same time, it is necessary to keep up with the times and respond to current trends in the fitness world. In addition, of course, it is also necessary to orient yourself in EU directives and to be able to search in professional texts. If a copywriter has these skills, there is a good chance that he will share the same values as us in this area and fit in well with the GymBeam team.”
And how does a person educated in the field of nutrition evaluate the refreshment options in Clubco and its surroundings? “I have to admit that I bring my food in boxes from home. I have a milk allergy, so it is more difficult for me to eat well. But sometimes my colleagues and I go for lunch to the opposite Grand Kitchen, where they have a nice selection of daily menus. If I don’t choose from the menu, I go to the Grab&Go section, where there is a salad bar and also a buffet with hot food. As a nutritionist, I have to appreciate the offer of vegetable and legume dishes here. At Clubco Café, it’s nice to have smaller meals, like a sandwich or a protein smoothie,” comments Markéta.
If you want to prepare a balanced snack for work, according to Markéta, you can never go wrong with wholemeal bread, coated with ham, cheese and vegetables or white yogurt with fruit and nuts. It’s also nice to have a protein bar, a packet of natural nuts, or a good quality dark chocolate on hand in case you get hungry during the day. “In addition, chocolate has stimulating effects due to its high cocoa content, which is really useful during busy working days. Just be careful with the dosage, 1-2 squares of chocolate are enough.”
Plans and news in the portfolio
The company’s vision is to be a global eCommerce platform that will be a leading provider of functional foods, sports nutrition and accessories. “We strive to have the widest possible portfolio of products in as many European countries as possible. It is therefore essential for us to enter new markets and secure a position there as a stable player, ideally a leader, as soon as possible. For example, this year we are focusing on the DACH region. We are also constantly developing and adding new goods of our own brands to the assortment and keeping an eye on affordability for our target group, which is growing more and more,” approximates the goals of the marketing communication leader Vendula Resová and reveals more about the news in the portfolio and its planned expansion. “In addition to comfortable sports and leisurewear, you can also look forward to new healthy food items such as the stuffed protein croissant (the first batch sold out within days) and the Italian toast bread, which we believe will be a hit. We will soon introduce new raw bars. You might also be interested in the news of our XBEAM brand. It is profiled as a brand for e-sports players, but its products have a fine-tuned composition that will be appreciated by managers, programmers, in short, anyone who needs to kick in the brain, reduce fatigue and exhaustion, and help in stressful situations.”
“I can’t do it. I don’t have the talent for it.” Let those who have ever thought such a thing come forward. But ask yourself – are you focusing more on what you are not good at or are you strengthening your strengths? And do you even know your talents?
“Something doesn’t work for you because you have a predisposition to do it in a different way. It’s natural for you,” explains Markéta Gabzdyl Tichá. As a certified coach of Gallup CliftonStrentghs methodology she supports people in developing strengths and helps them find ways to compensate for weaknesses. At the same time, she is the founder of the Cloud 9 Institute, where they focus on the well-being and development of employees.
Searching for solutions
Markéta likes to simplify complex things and find ways to solve something. In elementary school she wanted to be a teacher, later a humanitarian worker, and in college she became passionate about coaching. “I enjoyed talking to people, finding out how and what they think about, what they enjoy, what they would like to improve. I spend most of my coaching time in executive coaching. And a lot of clients come to me because I’m a very creative person who always comes up with some other ways we can look at the issue.”
She used to work in a corporation. “I was very satisfied at IBM. Nobody expected me to quit. I had a kind of inner tension, I wanted to devote myself fully to coaching. I became a freelancer. I founded the Cloud 9 Institute because I began to realize that I have no chance of covering all the topics that clients come to me with.”
Like on a cloud
If you are on “cloud number 9”, you feel extremely happy. The Cloud 9 Institute also strives for client satisfaction and well-being, whose team organizes workshops, development programs and Health Days for companies. “I feel that awareness of this topic is increasing. In the beginning, we were lucky to come across several enlightened people in various corporations, without whom we would not have been able to spread enlightenment there. There are more such people in companies today.” Well-being has recently been given more emphasis, but at the same time it is the first area to be cut in case of any changes in the budget. “For companies, it’s a nice to have, not a must have. At times when there is a need to cut back, for example during events such as covid, we feel it.”
Discover your strengths and believe in them
In 2021, Markéta became a Gallup certified coach for working with strengths and CliftonStrengths methodology included in the Cloud 9 Institute offer. Thanks for the CliftonStrentghs test you will clarify which talents you have and how strong they are (e.g. for Markéta, so-called Ideation comes first, so she is very imaginative). Based on what you are good at and what you know, you can develop further. This will make you more efficient and satisfied. “Using the methodology, we can read that someone is great at rules, principles, processes… Another person will hate it and it won’t work for him/her, but maybe it’s natural for him/her to go out into the field, talk to people, get information from them. But it will be difficult for him/her to record the information in a system. That’s why it’s great when such people complement each other. But it certainly does not mean that they should not learn something from each other. We look at what that person is likely to be inclined towards, what ways of doing, acting and deciding, and how they can do that as much as possible to use their strengths to the greatest possible extent.”
Empower the strong, look for partners for weaknesses
Thanks to the test, you will gain insight into yourself and also a lot of practical development tips, which, according to Markéta, will be enough for five years of development. “Definitely strengthen what you’re good at first. If you are passionate enough, you can try to develop yourself based on the test results. If you are not from the population of people who can work on themselves in this way, whether short-term or long-term, it is advisable to have someone who can read the result, go through it with you and point out some aspects of development.”
Methodology clearly names the weaknesses and helps to find a way to compensate for them to the extent that they do not hold a person back. Keep in mind that trying to move a given (in)ability up the spectrum can exhaust you unnecessarily. Rather, look for someone around you who can do the thing and delegate it to them. Or look at your talents and abilities to replace it.
Women of Impact
She is currently preparing the fourth series of the educational podcast O talentech s Markétou (About talents with Markéta). Cloud 9 Institute has opened registration for the next run of the NLC leadership program for women. As part of special activities for the institute’s tenth anniversary, they are preparing workshops for the spring with an American coach who worked directly for the Gallup company. “For me, the greatest gift during the company’s existence is that our team does not change much. According to Gallup research, one of the hallmarks of top teams is that they are a magnet for talent; people want to work on that team. And I think that’s us. When we ask someone if they would like to work with us, they are excited. Furthermore, it makes me very happy when clients tell us that we have changed their lives. It’s not a little.”
In Clubco almost every day
Markéta found her way to Clubco three years ago. “The meeting rooms here are suitable for us as a company that is in the field a lot, doing coaching and workshops. I decided to close the office we had before, it didn’t make sense for us.” She spends time at Clubco almost every day, meeting clients for personal coaching, or organizing a workshop or lecture. At Clubco, she values freedom, friendship, humanity and trustworthiness. “I also know the strengths of the team here because they did CliftonStrengths test,” she notes with a smile. Community is important to her. “How it is possible to build it in such places. The energy, ideas and thoughts of the different people we can meet here intersect. We have several clients here, not only in Clubco, but in the entire Vlněna complex. But many people probably don’t know about us, because here we only use the meeting rooms and we basically move in the basement. (laughs) That’s also why I want to start going more, for example, to networking events,” she says at the end.
