Xplor Heroes – Erwin Korst

Based in Eindhoven, the fifth largest city in the Netherlands, Erwin Korst has over 25 years of experience in the fitness industry with a career that has taken him across western Europe. Now with Xplor, Erwin is using his fitness expertise to help grow Xplor’s enterprise customer base in Europe, most recently building our business in Spain from scratch.

Erwin grew up in a small village with his parents, and two sisters—one younger, and one older. He remembers always being active, enjoying time with friends and having lots of fun. In fact, from his formative years, going outside and exploring was a huge part of his life.

“Since school was not really my biggest hobby, I decided to go to the Academy for Sports, which laid the foundation for my love of sports, talking to and supporting people. My passion lies in traveling and practicing windsurfing, soccer, and tennis, always trying to discover something new. This is something I discovered myself by traveling the world with my backpack at a young age.”

Erwin’s training at the Sports Academy eventually blossomed into a full-blown career, starting in 1994. He certified as a LesMills instructor, LAPT (NASM) certified trainer, and EXOS Strength & Condition, and using his his passion for movement and exercise, he then took over sales for several fitness organizations, including HealthCity, SportCity & FitForFree and Fitland. These roles took him all over the world providing sales training and systems to teams. It wasn’t long before Erwin owned a high-end, boutique fitness club in Eindhoven, the next big accomplishment in his career in fitness.

Then as a successful fitness club consultant, Erwin spent the following years helping fitness business owners make the biggest gains they could in their business. He turned the roadblocks he encountered in the past, into opportunities for others to accelerate their growth. Needless to say, he understands the day-to-day of a fitness business owner all too well.

“I know from experience what it is like to work with investors, having gained a lot of experience through many acquisitions, so I know how fitness entrepreneurs think and feel. I have been sitting in the same chair for years both as an entrepreneur, a group fitness instructor and as a desk employee. These days I try to show mastery from my tenderness and compassion, because I want to stand for change and trust and open my network to anyone who needs it.”

When 2019 came around, Xplor found Erwin as he fondly remembers, and he’s been aboard our rocket ship ever since. Changing industries can be terrifying, even if the alternative means limiting yourself and your potential, out of fear of the unknown. But for Erwin, his years of experience in day-to-day fitness operations is an advantage for both Xplor and customers. With his unique insights, Erwin has seen Xplor’s Fitness & Wellbeing business in Europe go from strength to strength—a notoriously tough market for outsider software.

“In Europe, it has long been the case that fitness business owners only trusted the systems of their own country, but many of these systems have been focused on the organization rather than the customer. This means many tasks are still done manually and not in a digital way—business owners have had to rely on using many different systems at the same time to get a total solution for their business.”

Luckily, things are moving in a different direction. Erwin works every day with other passionate Xplorers to bring Xplor Gym, our all-in-one fitness  software platforms to fitness studios, health clubs and franchises. And the work to develop all the features a fitness business needs into our SaaS solutions has been just as rewarding to him as it is to the small business owners using it. Erwin says he’s proud to see Xplorers thrive in their roles, and the role Xplor is playing in helping fitness professionals and businesses create  lasting communities.

“I think the most important thing is that you dare to look into your soul, to find what’s really important to you, and be open to mental and spiritual coaching. Dare to fail, dare to investigate and stay an eternal student. Don't complain, create change and learn to be responsible with trust. But above all, enjoy everything that comes your way, get on that roller coaster and smile.”

Erwin Korst, Head of Business Development, Europe, Fitness & Wellbeing, Xplor Technologies.