An individual workout and a personal trainer for less than 10 euros per week? absurd wants to offer exactly that. Contact with a personal trainer takes place via a proprietary app. Sounds exciting – so we asked the founders seven questions and received seven answers.
1. Who are you and what do you do? Please briefly introduce yourself and your product!
A team, both professionally and privately: We, Sabine (30) and Marc Keidler (31), have turned our passion into our profession. As certified personal trainers and fitness professionals, we have been training people for more than ten years and have been able to gain valuable knowledge, which was a fundamental prerequisite for our idea.
Sabine:
"I worked as a club manager at a fitness studio, where I was responsible for customer service and club organization. As a graduate in business administration (FH), I bring the necessary business knowledge."
Marc:
"I was a surf coach for several years. I gave training courses on injury prevention, technique, and coordination training. I was also a sales representative and responsible for establishing and expanding the market position in the sales territory and providing expert customer advice."
Motivation is key in fitness. Many recreational athletes give up due to failure and a lack of support. They lack the necessary know-how to achieve their individual training goals. We developed absome for precisely these people, to accompany and support them professionally and personally on their path to their goals. Personal training is the most effective and promising form of training – with our website and app, we want to make personal training accessible to every budget and always be by our client's side.
2. But that's been around for a long time!
absome is the first online-based personal training concept in Germany, offering customized training and nutrition plans and real personal trainers online. We offer 100% personalized support, not a generic online fitness program. We offer a long-term platform with individualized support for training and nutrition. This makes our concept unique.
3. What has been your biggest challenge so far?
The biggest challenge so far has been developing the product to market readiness. From the initial idea, conceived two and a half years ago, to a functioning website and app, it's been a rocky road with many challenges: These include financing, company formation, shareholder structure, and the practical implementation of our business plan. Often, things turn out differently than initially planned.
4. Let’s get down to business: How is business going?
We went online with our website and app on August 31, 2016, which means the fish is currently swimming its first laps in the fitness pond.
This is what the absome app looks like:
5. What does the greater Munich area mean to you?
As an online company, we are not tied to a location; our personal trainers come from various parts of Germany. Munich, or rather Freising, has personal significance for us, as our friends and family live there.
“The industry is undergoing a transformation”
6. How will your startup become the next unicorn? Or will we see you soon at Epic Fail Night?
The entire industry is currently undergoing a transformation as customer demands are changing dramatically. More and more people are embracing flexibility in their daily fitness routine. This is why digital fitness products are in greater demand than ever. The online fitness market is still relatively new, but the industry is already recognizing its huge potential. Therefore, we are fortunate that the industry is currently developing in our direction. Together with our team, we want to reach as many people as possible and support them in achieving their goals.
7. Which fitness exercise makes the pounds melt away the fastest?
Exercise alone isn't enough, because unfortunately, there's no single magic bullet in the fight against excess weight. We could happily start randomly recommending fitness exercises, but what's often forgotten is that it's not just about training, but also about nutrition. As a rule of thumb, you can say that success depends on nutrition and training. Anyone who wants to lose body fat needs a suitable training and nutrition strategy that also takes success into account. The path to a fitness goal isn't a sprint, but a marathon that requires motivation.
