Dave Hembrough tells us how a combination of Sheffield’s rich sporting heritage and the entrepreneurial spirit he inherited from his dad inspired him to start his ‘disruptive, novel and social’ club
I was inspired to start Hallam Barbell Club by…
My dad who owned kitchen, bathroom and soft furnishing stores when I was growing up. He had the entrepreneurial spirit and I must have inherited it. I was also inspired into action out of frustration from being constrained by being managed in a job. I wanted to have my own income and project to manage without being told what to do. That freedom is a blessing and also a challenge.
My favourite thing about running Hallam Barbell Club is…
The people and the difference our programmes make. This includes our members who train and exercise with us, and also our staff and volunteers too. Hallam Barbell is a sports club which essentially sells a membership services through different programmes that are suited to different people. People are the cogs that make the machine go round and to see them happy and thriving is very satisfying.
The three words that best describe Hallam Barbell Club are…
Disruptive
Novel
Social
Sheffield City Region is a great place to start Hallam Barbell Club because…
It’s a growing and diverse region, with a rich sporting heritage. With the likes of the English Institute of Sport and the Advanced Wellness Research Centre, as well as businesses like Sport:80, there’s focus on elite performance in this great sporting city. But more than this, initatives such as MoveMore and the work of Big Brother Burngreave, means community-focused activity create opportunities for collaboration and shared learnings.
Sheffield City Region is a great place to grow Hallam Barbell Club because…
When you get a proud sporting city taking a system-wide approach to increasing activity levels, you get momentum rubbing alongside competition. You strive to do more, do better and provide more opportunities for the communities you work with. This certainly is true for Hallam Barbell. We’re always looking at new programmes which we know will add value – whether that be expanding our women’s Powerbelle programme to support female cancer survivors, or looking at ways to introduce new generations to strength training through Hallam Barbell Bears. My experience is that people in this city are willing to help, support and will embrace new ways of doing things. You have to work hard but the success makes it worthwhile.
The best advice I ever got was…
Move fast and break stuff.
The worst advice I ever got was…
Buy Northern Rock, banks are a safe bet.
The organisations that have supported me and Hallam Barbell Club include…
Business Sheffield, Knowles Warwick, Wosskow Brown, Millichamp.
The main challenges facing my industry/sector are…
Regulation, quality control and training/certification. Perceived value by a wide (new) customer segment. Internet gurus and online experts.
In 5 years’ time I expect Hallam Barbell Club to…
Have grown (a lot). We’ll be delivering more programmes to more people in more places and positively affecting more lives. This will include national and international reputation and a certification programme to licence instructors and coaches.
