KUMA Fit (KUMA) is a body-neutral kickboxing and fitness women's gym that has been empowering women since 2019. With two locations serving approximately 150 members each and offering 35 classes weekly in Westbrook and 24 in Saco, owner Stacy Kim has created a unique business model that trains members to become coaches—building a community that lifts each other up.
Scheduling might not have been a big problem for KUMA in the beginning but the need to keep everything—schedules, chats, and team communication—in one place quickly became a priority. When searching for a more overall solution, Stacy found Camelo and knew it was the ideal one for her team.
Creating a welcoming space for women in fitness
KUMA was born from a vision to create a comfortable, welcoming space for women to move their bodies and build strength.
“We have helped bring women back to the gym by creating a welcoming and comfortable space for them to move.”
Specialized gym practices for women at KUMA Fit
"We prioritize strength and confidence and empower our members in each class." Stacy shared. This philosophy extends beyond just their training approach—it's blended into their entire business model, creating opportunities for members to grow from participants to leaders.
A unique coaching model built on community
What sets KUMA apart is their distinctive approach to staffing. Rather than hiring trainers from outside, they've developed a system that allows members to become part of the teaching team.
"We have a unique model for our gym. We train our members to become coaches through a 6-week instructor training program I designed," Stacy shared. "We have 2 full-time employees and the rest are part-time coaching just a few classes each week. They have other full-time jobs, and they coach because they love giving back to our community and helping other women feel powerful and strong."
This community-centered approach extends to their assistant program as well. With two levels—Studio Assistants who help with setup and cleaning and Coaching Assistants who receive the same training as coaches except for leading classes—KUMA has created a tiered system that allows members to participate at their comfort level.
Managing multiple locations and schedules
With 60 classes weekly between the two locations and a staffing model that includes both coaches and assistants at different levels, KUMA faces unique scheduling challenges.
"We manage 4 schedules: one for coaches and one for assistants in each location," Stacy said. Each week, their assistants would pick up open shifts (classes) when they are able to help. This complexity requires a scheduling solution that can handle multiple overlapping schedules while remaining easy to navigate.
Although their previous scheduling tool, ZoomShift, was working adequately, they were using Slack separately for team communication, requiring team members to switch between two different apps.
Discovering Camelo: putting all tools into one platform
After discovering Camelo, Stacy saw an opportunity to carry out their operations more smoothly by bringing scheduling and communication into a single platform.
“Having one app for communication and scheduling has been great. When we onboard new team members, we just need to train them on a single app.”
This combination of many features in one app has been especially valuable for their remote management style. Despite having physical locations, the KUMA team isn't all in the same space at the same time, making efficient communication significantly important.
Message boards: a game-changer for team communication
One feature that has been particularly valuable for KUMA is Camelo's message board.
“We love the message board feature because it allows our team to announce important messages and see who has not acknowledged them. Making sure announcements get to people on time is really important for us.”
Message boards on Camelo web app and mobile app
This visibility has eliminated the uncertainty around whether team members have seen critical information—a common challenge in remote team management.
Team favorite: scheduling with recurring shifts
For KUMA, "shifts" are actually classes, and their scheduling needs differ from typical business operations. Camelo's flexibility has allowed them to adapt the app to their specific requirements.
“Scheduling on the desktop is amazing. One thing I LOVE that we didn't have before is the ability to schedule recurring shifts. This means we don't need to copy from the previous week or make templates, we can just set each shift as a recurring one and publish one month at a time.”
This feature has significantly reduced the time Stacy spends on administrative tasks, allowing her to focus more on growing the business and supporting her community.
Create recurring shifts with Repeat and End on options on Camelo
The comprehensive solution KUMA needed
KUMA now relies on multiple Camelo features to keep their operation running smoothly. From scheduling tools and timesheets to shift swaps and open shifts, the app has become integral to their daily operations.
The open shifts feature has been particularly useful for their unique staffing model, allowing Coaching Assistants to pick up classes when they're available to help—providing flexibility for both the business and the team members.
“Camelo has made this VERY easy to navigate and manage.”
Create open shifts on Camelo
The overall impact: time saved and better communication
For KUMA, Camelo has simplified operations and improved team communication.
“Camelo has saved me time and helped our business communicate more efficiently. It's been really nice having one place to manage our team.”
While Stacy noted that the chat feature still lacks some functionality they miss from Slack—such as tagging members and editing messages—she emphasized that "the benefits outweigh this."
A more suitable solution that stands above other options
Having used several other products, Stacy is particularly impressed with Camelo's user interface and the team behind the product.
“I've used many of the competitors (ZoomShift, WhenIWork, Homebase), and this app is so much better! It's well-built and simple to use.”
Finding Camelo as a ZoomShift alternative—and a strong replacement for WhenIWork and Homebase—has created a positive experience that turned Stacy into an advocate for our app. When asked if she would recommend Camelo to others, her response is enthusiastic.
“Absolutely. I've recommended it to my gym community already.”
Growing together with shared values
For KUMA, Camelo isn't just a scheduling tool—it's a partner that aligns with their values of empowerment and community. As KUMA continues to strengthen women through fitness, Camelo strengthens their operations by providing the tools they need to manage their unique business model efficiently. Now they can focus on what’s important—creating a supportive environment where women can discover their strength, both physically and mentally.
Try Camelo now and see the difference yourself.
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