“The Gymnasium is my husband's dream, but it also became mine”. It was with this phrase that Paula Caleça began by telling us the story that gave rise to a project that today employs close to 140 people.
In 1993, José Caleça, owner of the gym, wanted to start this project together with a friend, but the decision ended up being kept in the drawer and only materialized in 2011. In a small warehouse in Olhão, the first Gymnasium was born.
«We went to China alone and opened the first gym with machines there, which were very bad (laughs), but that was what we were able to give», says Paula Caleça ao Sul Informação.
Even at that time, the couple felt that there was a «gap in the market» with regard to the offer of existing gyms in the Algarve and Paula, despite being a psychologist by profession, thought it made sense to get involved in this challenge with her husband.
While continuing to practice the profession in which he had graduated, he was researching more about the business, trying to stay informed about all the news and, little by little, things evolved.
“Why have we been successful and why do we continue to be successful? Because we work for most people and not just athletes who already train in the gym. When we open a new space, what we do is look for new people, those who have never trained, those who are at home, and who, for one reason or another, have never been to a gym», he says.
Two years after the opening of the first space, in Olhão, which had 600 square meters, there was an expansion to 1000 square meters.
In 2015, the Gymnasium arrived in Tavira and a year later, in Olhão, it moved to the premises of Intermarché, where it remains today. 2017 was marked by the opening in Faro and in 2020 the arrival in Portimão takes place.
Yes, 2020, the year the pandemic arrived and forced everything to stop. This was, according to Paula Caleça, the time when, “without a doubt”, they felt the most business difficulties.
“We don't fire anyone. We spoke with the members, most of them could not continue to pay, but there were members who wanted to help us and kept the monthly fees. In these cases, we charged the month and then returned that month throughout the year – this is how we managed to find a way to pay wages and keep people working».
During this period, online activities were developed to keep members active, but, according to Paula Caleça, nothing replaces face-to-face monitoring.
“The classes are, without a doubt, what sets us apart. We have many classes, between 60 to 80 per gym, every week. Group classes are one of the things that gives us the most joy, but I think it also has to do with the way we treat people and how they feel inside: the fact that they always feel accompanied and that someone is always room available to help (at all times)».
In addition, he confesses that it is the good disposition with which people are treated that also makes the difference.
«Our mission is to “make people happy” – and making them happy can be with a “hello, good morning”, or a great workout or class. The idea is for this to be a place where people relax from everyday life, a place where they leave better than they came in».
Today, with four gyms in operation (and another one about to open, in Loulé), Paula Caleça emphasizes that in 2011, when they opened their first space, they never thought they would get where they are.
“We never thought this would be possible. Our initial idea was always to open a business that was a way for Zé to do what he liked and earn a salary», says Paula who, in the meantime, also left the psychologist profession to dedicate herself 100% to the Gymnasium.
«As a psychologist, I have always defended healthy lifestyles and, many times, when I saw parents and children, I referred to these more social issues: how to put them in team sports, for example».
In recent years, the commitment to know more, to always be aware of market news and to want to give athletes the best conditions, were factors that led Paula and José to be very proud of the project they founded today.
«I feel very proud of the brand and what we have built. We started from scratch, we are not the children of rich parents, it was all with our sweat, with our way of being and it also took a dose of madness", he says, stressing that Portugal "is not a country friendly to companies".
“We don't have an entrepreneurial mindset and I feel there is some animosity towards entrepreneurial people and people who grow up out of anonymity. Often, they comment “they are full of money”, but they don't even think about the hours we work. But watch out, because I don't complain. I do what I like and I never feel like I'm working because I love being here, I love this environment, this energy and the people who work with me, and I don't think my life now would even make sense without it».
Although they have not yet managed to return to what they were before the pandemic, Paula emphasizes that she already feels a great evolution, having also registered many entries. Calling new people to exercise is also what they hope will happen at the Loulé gym, which is scheduled to open in the third quarter of the year.
In the city of Loulé, the space will have 1500 square meters and will employ close to 30 people.
“The novelty is a cycling, finally in an amphitheater, and we are also going to bet more on digital led. There are things that remain, but in each gym we open, we always want to have different things».
As with all clubs, the monthly fee will be 37,90 euros and gives access to any of the Gymnasiuns, which are open all year round (except Christmas, New Year's Eve, Easter Day, 1st of May and 15th of August) . From Monday to Friday, it is open from 7:00 am to 22:30 pm, on Saturdays from 8:00 am to 18:00 pm, and on Sunday from 8:00 am to 13:00 pm. During the week, there is also the kids gym, «where parents can drop off their children for free during the group classes at the end of the day and also on the weekend in the morning».
Ao Sul Informação, Paula Caleça explains that the opening of a new space involves an investment of around 800 thousand euros. Despite the high value, she says that what makes them take risks is also the fact that they believe.
«We always believe because we have a lot of confidence in what we do in our daily lives. I have amazing professionals working with me, who I know give their best every day to make things happen».
In addition, the way they are received in each city makes them, according to Paula, always want to expand their business.
«We feel that we are very well accepted – and Loulé was proof of that too. When we released the news, we noticed that people were very happy for us to go. It was something that we had been asked for some time, but we still hadn't found an ideal space», he emphasizes.
Asked about the possibility of expanding the business also outside the Algarve, Paula says she does not exclude that possibility, but, for now, it is not an objective.
“This is my land and that tells me a lot. We, normally, here in the Algarve, never have different things, everything always arrives here much later, or else brands from abroad come to explore what is ours – and I don't want that. This, for us, is designed for the Algarve and for the Algarve”, concludes Paula Caleça.
Photos: Mariana Carriço |Sul Informação
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