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egym.comPhilipp Roesch-Schlanderer founded EGYM in 2010 to connect the dots between exercise and real health outcomes. Through its corporate wellness network and smart gym equipment, 6 million people globally train with EGYM every month. Following its recent $200M raise from L Catterton and Meritech Capital, Philipp shares EGYM’s growth story
EGYM was founded in 2010 - how has your perspective as CEO changed from early stage to growth stage?
In the early days, I was deeply involved in solving every problem and this hands-on approach was critical in shaping EGYM. However, as we’ve grown, I’ve had to evolve from tackling problems directly to focusing on system-building and delegation, empowering our teams to take ownership and scaling the company through processes that allow people to make decisions and move forward independently. This shift has been key to our growth and will be key to sustaining this pace into the future.
What key strategies have you used to achieve sustainable growth in the past few years?
Always add value for customers and continuously invest with a view across the short, medium and long term. The more success we’ve had, the more we’ve been able to invest in initiatives with longer payoffs. Today, most of my time is dedicated to projects that will bear fruit in two to three years.
Was there one counter-intuitive strategy that really worked for you?
Even though it’s unconventional, one approach is reverting to micromanagement when things don’t feel right. As a founder, you develop a strong instinct for when something is off and when this happens, I get back into the weeds. It’s a conscious decision to dive in at a granular level, look at the details and help get us back on course early. When needed, hands-on intervention has helped me catch issues before they escalate, saving time and resources in the long run.
How did you maintain or adapt your company culture during rapid growth, particularly when making acquisitions such as Hussle earlier this year?
There’s a quote from German-French theologian and physician Albert Schweitzer that I always come back to: “Example is not the main thing in influencing others, it is the only thing.” Leading by example is the way to truly influence others. As we’ve grown, and made acquisitions like Hussle, maintaining our culture has been about us embodying the values we stand for, at every level. That’s how we’ve adapted even as we scale rapidly and integrate new teams.
If you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself at the very start of the growth stage?
I’d tell myself that the temptation to juggle multiple initiatives at the same time, in a bid to get more done often has the opposite effect. Mostly, focusing on one thing is faster and more efficient. Sequential execution allows you to show clear results and build on them. It’s tempting to push forward on all fronts at once, but by being disciplined and taking things step by s