BEING a successful small business in Redland City requires being innovative and forming partnerships, according to a 2014 University of Queensland survey.
The $30,000 Redland City Council-commissioned survey of 127 local businesses found a quarter engaged in formal and informal partnerships to boost their bottom lines.
It also found a third engaged in research and development and half in "novel innovation", slightly higher than state-wide statistics.
One small Redland Bay business, P2P Fit Stop, has found incorporating both has taken it from a fledgling start-up to a highly competitive gym ready to flex its muscles in the market.
Gym owner Peter Hull, 27, said the Redland gym sector was competitive and to stand out meant being innovative and trying different marketing ideas.
One of his splashes of brilliance, successfully put to the test in Redlands, was contacting local restaurants and getting them to include a P2P Fit Stop dish on menus.
"Getting fit is not just about coming to the gym and exercising it's a lifestyle which is what my business tries to offer," he said.
"Involving local businesses is hugely rewarding for everyone.
"Our clients get to eat at restaurants where there is something on the menu to suit their lifestyle and the restaurant gets business from our 150 clients."
Redland restaurants on the P2P dining out guide include Harvest at Victoria Point, where its B Fit breakfast of poached eggs, toast, avocado and tomato with a coffee costs less than $14.
At Wellington Point, the Acai Brothers are also in Hull's network, offering bowls of fresh acai, the latest health food, which is also served at I Love Coffee in Redland Bay, another to join Hull's fitness network.
Another innovation that has worked well for Hull is using Facebook and a tailor-made phone app to keep his clients engaged and up to date with the business, bookings and payments.
"We use Facebook to encourage everyone and keep them motivated to hit goals without falling by the wayside as tends to happen at traditional gyms," Hull said.
The University of Queensland survey said for successful longevity, a network had to be vertically integrated and straddle different industries, a point Hull made cultivating links within the apparel sector.
Multi-national sports and lifestyle apparel company Jetpilot, sends its world-class athletes, including world BMX freestyler champion Logan Martin, to train at the P2P Fit Stop gym.
Cleveland nutrition business Power Supps has also benefitted from the small gym thinking outside the square.
It holds seminars for clients and offers discounts on supplements and products for losing weight, building muscle and toning.
A nutritionist from Sydney-based Flush Fitness is also on hand at informational seminars to plan meals around workouts. Other companies in the local network include Fuel Fotography, Rockwell Watches, Cleveland hairdresser Stephanie Byre.
Hull was able to convince Jetpilot to also offer prizes for winners of the gym's six-week competition, the Ultim8 Challenge, which gives entrants a before and after body-fat scan.
