Video by Influence Media. Article written by Tim Goodfellow.
There aren’t many household names in Hull, but Tommy Coyle would probably be in consideration.
It was a pleasure to interview the former boxer at TC60, the brand new gym he has helped pioneer. The facility, at Bridgehead Park, Hessle is an example of what Tommy and his growing team have achieved in the last few years.
It’s one part of the Coyle Health and Wellbeing business he started to help companies look after their staff. “Working out and being part of a community is great for mental wellbeing and releasing stress and anxiety. We go into a corporate company, such as Sewell Group, and not only can we offer them onsite wellbeing tools and a 24/7 app in their pocket, we’ve also got a gym facility where they can hang out and workout."
It's an impressive offering and makes a great place to chat, surrounded by state-of-the-art equipment and lighting. We talk about his transition from the world of sport to business, the importance of having a network, and the influential figures in his life.
Going into business after boxing
In the professional boxing career where he made his name, Coyle won the Commonwealth lightweight title and fought at Madison Square Garden in New York.
However, becoming a businessman after hanging up the gloves was always on the cards. After all, he comes from entrepreneurial stock, with his father starting Coyle and Sons fruit and veg traders, AKA The Barrow Boys.
Having set up his community gym, Tommy Coyle Academy, during his career, he was approached by local business leader, Finbarr Dowling in 2016. “He asked me if I'd be able to develop a wellbeing programme for his company.” That company was multi-national firm Siemens Gamesa. It would prove to be the start of Tommy’s next chapter.
“I agreed to work with the company for 18 months, identify issues surrounding wellbeing and provide them with bespoke solutions. That was pretty much how the company was born. And now we’re almost six years in. We’re working with lots of new clients, identifying their problems and providing them with bespoke solutions.”
Tommy expands on the benefits of a service like this. “What makes a company a world class company? Some would argue it's the product. But for me, it's the people. How do you get world class people to work for your organisation? You've got to be a talent magnet. If you can say well, we do this and this for your mental health – ‘You get a gym membership, we have away days etc.’, it makes that company much more attractive to work for.”
A session at the gym.
Adapting to lockdown and embracing tech
The new TC60 gym is surely a sign that it’s proving successful. But they’re not stopping there. Tommy wants to set up further ‘Training Clubs’ (the TC60 brand has multiple meanings) in Beverley and York and the business is working with more companies locally like Paragon ID and Siemens Gamesa and further afield with the likes of Thames Technology.
The combination of in work programs, off site training and a digital app companion is an impressive hybrid offering.
This app, which was developed with the help of software development company and C4DI resident, Sauce, is a bespoke ‘24/7 wellbeing coach’ that aims to provide support wherever people are and was created with remote workers in mind. It was one of the many benefits of being a member here at C4DI. That and having Tina on hand to open doors of course!
“What better place to be than C4DI. You can pick up the phone or walk down the corridor, and there's somebody there to help you. Being a part of a community like C4DI is great for an early-stage startup business like ours. I see so many similarities between what we're trying to create here at TC60 and C4DI.”
All this progress is impressive considering the challenges faced during the Covid-19 pandemic. Of course, like many businesses, they adapted to the circumstances.
If you walked around Hull’s Fruit Market during 2021 you may have come across groups of people working out in the summer sun, tunes filling the air.
"I turned the gym into a market stall. I got the stall bars that we make the [fruit] stall with, put a sheet on it and I made an outdoor gym so everybody could train on the amphitheatre.”
It went well but required serious guts to give it a go. It’s just one area where the resilience and determination of a boxer shows up in Tommy’s approach to business. He also says it wouldn’t have happened without the influence of his dad.
The new site on Bridgehead Park, Hessle.
“Your network is your net worth"
When we ask Tommy about the best advice he’s had, he becomes emotional, as he recalls a man who’s had more impact on him than most. "I've been very fortunate in my life to have had some great people around me. My father, who's no longer here, gave me some of the best advice I've ever had in my life.
Very sadly, Tommy’s father died last year. Tommy paid tribute at the time saying “Dad, my hero I love you so much. Thank you for teaching me everything.” And it’s clear how much his legacy is felt in what Tommy does.
"I wouldn't have opened this gym if it weren't for my dad." Tommy says, sharing some of the inspiring words of wisdom he’d given him throughout his life and the encouragement he’d provided in tough times.
He’s also been mentored and supported by local stalwarts of the business scene and another individual he mentions is another former boxer, Mike Esa, who offered some wisdom and advice as Tommy was transitioning from a boxing career into business.
"The combination of having my dad and all these other influential individuals has made me the man I am today."
It’s testament to the power of having a network around you, something C4DI also adds to, and how it can shape both your character and your business. “Your network is your net worth,” says Tommy. “And many things I've done in my very early business career have been the product of my network.”
The boxing days.
Leaving the ring
And what about that transition from a sporting career into business? It’s far more common than perhaps people realise and Tommy is keen to educate younger people in sport and fitness about how they can approach it.
“I planned for the day that I retired way before I did. I didn't know how far I was going to go professionally. I had plans to be a bit of a personal trainer as well, just so I could make ends meet. But boxing did okay, I think because of my style of fighting. I wasn't the best fighter in the world, but I was tough. And I was entertaining. So, people tuned in and I think that's why I got the fights I got but I always knew that boxing was not going to be forever.”
“I'd already built this brand, but I realised I only had a short time on the shelf. So, I thought while the suns shining I'm going to make hay. While I was getting media attention and on the tip of people’s tongues, I managed to build a brand and a concept which people liked. I made it into a family and a community.” When he did call it a day, he had something ready to jump into.
In fact, that media attention and familiarity may have been one of the best investments he could have made. It’s certainly not hurt to have a recognisable name while growing the business locally.
But he’s clear it isn’t what’s made the business successful. He’s happy to admit that whilst he achieved some success, he was far from being a world champion. In many ways though, that’s no bad thing.
“Not being a world champion probably helped me. Because sometimes when you're World Champion, it's unobtainable to the masses. But being… let’s say I was average, meant more people could relate to me and made a more relatable brand: I was a kid off the street, done half alright, threw a few punches, And I stayed in touch with the community.”
The importance of team
The success is also down to his team, he says. “Coyle Health and Wellbeing + TC60 is nothing without my team. I've got a phenomenal team now.”
“I've got some super intelligent people working with the company and the brand is so much more because of the people that work in it."
He’s keen to give back and is excited by the prospect of enriching the lives of those who work with him and their families.
A personal brand firmly rooted in Hull has endeared him to the local business world, but it’s also allowed him to do more in the community.
“Tonight, I'm over in Bridlington with Coyle Sports community, working with the Get Inspired programme and I'm physically going to be there myself. I'm not just a poster boy, I'm actually going to have the pads, the gloves on and I'm going to be getting involved. That's me.”
It certainly is and there’s no doubt you’ll be hearing the Coyle name for years to come.