Plankk it Until You Make It: An Interview with Plankk CEO, Colin Szopa
By: Noor Abdulbaki
Project for ENTI 559.7: Technology for Entrepreneurs, Winter 2019, University of Calgary
Image description: Colin Szopa is planking on the floor, in front of him is a laptop and on the wall is a scoreboard.
Introduction:
Plankk is a Calgary based tech company that creates customized apps for fitness influencers. The Plankk team not only creates the app but is there to assist the client with design, growth and technical support. The design team assist with creating your customized app and developing your marketing campaign, for example, planning the launch and creating content. The growth team, also known as, growth ninja, are there to assist clients with “customer acquisition, improving conversion and customer retention” (Plankk,2019). Lastly, the technical support team is there to tackle any problems that arise (Plankk, 2019). If you are a fitness trainer thinking of taking your workout from the gym into cyberspace, Plankk is the company for you.
So, What Does Plankk Do?
Plankk builds customized apps for fitness trainers to share their workout tips, nutrition guides, host fitness classes, and connect with their end users. Fitness influencers are able to charge a subscription fee, similar to a gym membership, for access to their content. I looked into Nicole Mejia’s Fit & Thick app created by Plankk to look into the user perspectives. For $15USD/month, you can “access workouts offline, step-by-step exercise visuals, expanded descriptions for beginners, recommended equipment and resistance breakdowns, track your progress, share your workout progress and photos to social media” (Fit & Thick, 2019). From the perspective of the clients, fitness influencers are able to form a close bond with their app users. Since its launch, Plankk has partnered with 57 influencers and reaches 112 million people (Plankk, 2019). I interviewed the CEO of Plankk, Colin Szopa, to gain a better understanding of the technology behind its success.
Image description: The image is split into two panels. The first shows a fitness trainer in a standing position before a lunge. The panel to the right reads the following: fit and thick app workout at home or in the gym.
Interview with Colin Szopa, the CEO of Plankk:
Note: The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Tell me about the work you do at Plankk?
Image description: A photo of Colin Szopa sitting on a stool with a mic in hand looking away from the camera. Behind him is a banner which says startup grind.
As a start-up founder, you wear multiple hats and you must be willing to get your hands dirty to get things done. I stay focused by looking at the big picture and position the people you are working with. There are several moving pieces and you have to keep track of everything, as well as, equipping staff with tools to do their jobs.
What tools do you use to equip your staff?
Depends on every individual they might need access to Sketch, photoshop and video editing software if they are creating content and filming. If you are on the growth team you will be using Instagram advertising tools. For the overall strategy, developers need to have the right feedback to be able to write efficient lines of code.
Sketch is an application that can be used to design prototypes of the app. The design team can use this tool to build models and consult with the client. You can download Sketch for a 30-day free trial, no credit card or email needed. Sketch would be really valuable to use when working on your creation or consultation projects. You can download Sketch for free here!
Can you tell me about what motivated you to pursue this idea?
App design is one part of the business for influencers, we built a platform to do it efficiently and cost-effectively to cater to their needs. We also handle the other parts of the business, which include, the marketing launch, monitoring the growth of the app, events, content production, and live streaming with Plankk Studio
Prior to the creation of Plankk, fitness influencers were using PDFs, e-books, workout videos, and social media to reach their customers. By using Plankk, clients are able to use an app to distribute their material leading to higher retention rates and increasing their audience.
How does Plankk work? What technology are you utilizing? Do you use any technological tools in your daily work? (For example, G Suite, Slack, OneDrive)
We use a tech stack. A Technology stack is the combination of software with programming languages. The layers create different features for the app. Our apps are built with C++ and we use different source layers of code for each application. In addition, we use Slack, Flow Project for project management, Skype for video conferences, and ZOOM Media.
As mentioned in lecture, Slack is an instant messaging and file sharing web app, users can collaborate as a team in conversational channels. I have used Slack in the past to work on group projects and my favourite feature is the ability to send parts of code into a group chat. Everyone can work on the code and find any bugs to create the finalized version. If you are thinking of using Slack for this course or any future projects this video explains all of its features!
Flow Project is a web app that allows users to create individual and team projects, manage tasks/resources, and integrates with other APIs, for example, Slack and DropBox. Flow is really valuable for managing your own schedule, your team’s schedule, and when working on your consultation project. Unlike a traditional paper calendar, you can use Flow to follow up on group tasks, assign deadlines, share files, and build timelines in one web application.
Image description: A woman and man are running on two treadmills looking at a television screen that is displaying the following text: powered by ZOOM active, lifestyle, marketing.
Lastly, Plankk utilizes ZOOM Media. ZOOM Media is a marketing firm that plays advertisements with and without music on televisions at the gym to target specific segments of the population. For the consultation projects, partnering with ZOOM Media could be a possible recommendation once the business has become successful.
What application programming interface (API) are you using?
The biggest thing we are using is the Apple HealthKit API and we make our own API with Stripe to ensure all out data is private. Apple’s HealthKit records and monitors everything from the number of steps taken today to your ongoing nutrition plan.
What KPIs does Plankk measure?
We measure the number of subscribers, the number of downloads for the app and the number of people reached. Using Plankk Studio, we measure the number of live streams and the on-demand classes people view. When using Plankk Studio viewers can watch a live stream and join a real class where they can engage with the fitness influencer or choose a pre-recorded video.
How have you been able to integrate Plankk with other web apps?
Currently, Plankk integrates with all social media channels, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to export content.
Are there any gaps in technology Plankk is working to solve?
The current gap we see is with live streaming content. We want to get to a point where Plankk is the best at live streaming and then explore augmented reality.
Image description: An advertisement for Plankk Studio split into three panels. Each panel displays an iPhone with the benefits of using Plankk, to track workouts, host live classes and Q&A sessions, and yoga practices. Each panel features a fitness trainer.
Do you have any projects in progress to expand on Plankk’s success? Any thoughts on expanding Plankk to reach other types of influencers?
Yes, we have recently launched Plankk Studio. Plankk Studio in a mobile app where users can join live streams hosted by fitness influencers and browse other workout videos. The goal of Plankk Studio is connecting fitness trainers and users so you can ask questions during the live stream. In addition, being able to workout anywhere and track your results. Down the road, once Plankk Studio has dominated we would like to explore different types of influencer and reach a greater market.
Image description: Photo of an iPhone with the Plankk Studio app open. The page shows the community feed with photos of a trainer lifting weights.
Where do you see technology taking fitness culture in the future?
Currently, I see it happening through Plankk Studio.
What advice would you give to someone who is interested in pursuing a career in technology and entrepreneurship?
The biggest thing would be to ensure you take risks because you never know when a door will open for you. When you start operating in the field, there are so many opportunities for pivots. Take a step back and reflect because you never really know where you will go. When you are working on a start-up, your head is down and you are busy with the daily grind you need to remind yourself about where you were and how much you have accomplished a day from now, a month from now, and a year from now.
Final Thoughts:
From interviewing Colin Szopa the CEO of Plankk we can learn about how to use Slack, ZOOM Media, Sketch, and Flow. This interview has shed a lot of light on the creation of relationships between influencers and fans through social media are adapting to technological advancement. One of the key factors that contribute to Plankk’s success is the relationship between influencer and user, the app allows users to stay updated on what the influencer is doing and eating while Plankk Studio allows them to collaborate together. For $14.99/month you can work out virtually alongside your favourite fitness trainer. It is clear from Plankk’s success that people want to develop closer relationships with fitness trainers, and I am really curious to see how this will evolve to encompass other types of influencers. When I looked into the trainers that use Plankk apps or Plankk Studio, all of them have a strong presence on social media and before Plankk relied on it build their businesses. In the future, I wonder how influencers will utilize augmented reality to create an artificial relationship between influencer and fans and how it will be regulated.
Sources:
Download.com. Photographer. (2019). [Screenshot of advertisement for Plankk Studio] [Online image]. Retrieved from Download.com: https://dl1.cbsistatic.com/i/r/2019/01/28/68e30771-5370-431f-a251-cb3743d226f6/resize/620xauto/2a9fea72ef0c9c9dc12f87152b19f6b1/fit.jpg
Fit & Thick. (2019). Fit and Thick Homepage. Retrieved February 9, 2019, from https://www.getfitandthick.com/
Fit & Thick. Photographer. (2018). Fit & Thick Advertisement [Online image]. Retrieved from Fit & Thick: https://www.getfitandthick.com/pages/f-t-app
Flow — Simple Project Management. [Flow]. [March 6 2018]. Say Hello to New Flow [Video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5Opgdu2q3w&feature=youtu.be
Plankk. (2019). Plankk Your Influencer Brand. Your Fitness App. Retrieved February 9, 2019, from https://plankk.com/
Plankk Studio. Photographer. (2019). [Image of the Plankk Studio app] [Online image]. Retrieved from Plankk Studio: https://plankkstudio.com/
Slack. [Slack]. [January 16 2019]. You’ve Probably Heard of Slack [Video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watchv=6c7_TpPUpL0&feature=youtu.be
Startup Calgary. Photographer. (2017). The company focuses on app creation to bolster social media fitness experts [Online image]. Retrieved from Startup
Calgary: https://www.startupcalgary.ca/startup-calgary-news/2017/11/08/plankk
Unknown. Photographer. (2018). [Image of Colin Szopa at Startup Grind Calgary] [Online image]. Retrieved from:https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1088456093036990465/Y3GIO5q7.jpg
ZOOM Media. Photographer. (n. .d). [Looking at a television screen that readsZOOM media] [Online image]. Retrieved from ZOOM Media: http://www.zoommedia.com/blog-can/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2016/07/sportexpert_en-375x250.jpg
