Smart Choices through SmartCore

Client Success Story: Steel Curtain Boxing and Fitness

It’s been one year since Steve Reid, owner of Steel Curtain Boxing and Fitness, signed up for SmartCore. At the time, Steve admitted that technology wasn’t one of his core strengths. He knew he needed something to help him stay organized and communicate with clients.

We’ve been following Steve’s journey and recently sat down with him to get his feedback on how SmartCore is supporting him in his business goals.

“It’s an amazing tool. I can’t even recall what I did before this app came into my life. Actually, I can; I would have to make phone calls or mass texts to recruit for classes. It was a real pain, and it took up a lot of my time that I could have been spending with clients or helping kids,” says Reid.

Yes, Steve runs the gym, but he also runs a series of programs to help steer kids in the right direction. He started boxing himself when he was 13 living in a rough neighborhood surrounded by drugs and alcohol. He won a Golden Glove title in 1992 and turned professional in 2011; twelve years ago, Steve found himself homeless, living at the end of a highway.

He went back to school, got help for drugs and alcohol, and used his past as motivation to help kids with their future. “I grew up poor and struggled to get money to pay for the gym. I have a lot of kids who come here but are financially strained. I take them in and try to be a good role model. I point them in the right direction through education and physical fitness. I don’t want them to end up in bad situations or relationships like I did. I want them to have a real chance,” continues Reid.

Steve can use SmartCore to manage his growing list of clients, circuit classes, and kids. He can contact them when they haven’t come in a while, check-in, go back and see who’s attended classes, follow up on why, and encourage them to come back or try a new course.

He recently tried out other features of the SmartCore app, including adding locations and trainers to the Steel Curtain Boxing and Fitness website/app in support of his alliance with the non-profit Police Athletic League Boxing or P.A.L.

“I lend my gym to the P.A.L. program because they’re doing much good in our community. Through the SmartCore app, I can list classes for the trainers. I can also add them as administrators to the app so they can see who is coming to their sessions or recruiting.”

The coaches love it. We can send out mass notifications about cancellations or new classes. They can communicate much easier with people who rely on these classes in our community. There are other P.A.L. locations; we can add those to the app so they’ll know the right place to go. It notifies the kids so they can sign up and hopefully stay off the streets and out of trouble,” says Reid.

Steve says his clients and the kids in his program also love the SmartCore app. “I get comments about how grateful they are to have it. They can find the classes easier, sign up for classes, and the scheduling is available in real-time for them to access,” continues Reid.

He’s working on getting his 501c3 status so that he can continue doing work transforming the kids and families in his community.

“I know how hard it is to raise money, growing up in a bad neighborhood. Boxing saved me. I want kids who can’t pay to know they won’t get turned away. This technology gives access, and I couldn’t run this gym without it,” concludes Reid.

Check out Steve’s website built and managed using SmartCore: https://www.steelcurtainboxingri.com.