Gage Bowra opened 24/7 Fitness in Coolidge, Arizona, after running a steady pre-sale campaign that resulted in signing up hundreds of early members. Yet, the cash he pulled in just barely covered new paint and carpets. So why did he bother with it? Because there’s no price on hope. And Bowra needed a lot of it. When he closed on the 5,500-square-foot gym in the tiny town of barely 20,000, he had one choice: success. Failure ... was not an option. Why gym pre-sales were the only answer Bowra is a construction guy and a father. More than five years ago, he [...]
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Your March Gym Owner's Newsletter! Exciting new Insight software features, a gym success story, Pro Tips, and more in this month's Gym Owner's Newsletter View in browser Welcome to the latest edition of the Gym Owner’s Newsletter! This issue, we're highlighting an exciting new feature in Toning Up. Our recently released recurring payments tool allows you to take control of your gym's product and services renewals - a key driver of your gym's financial success. On a lighter note, we've turned to Science Corner to solve an ancient gym floor quarrel, then in Gym Life explore outstanding new-owner moves. [...]
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Employee Profile – Alison Lynch Gym Insight employee Alison Lynch's one-year anniversary with our gym management software firm has nearly arrived and we are so thrilled to have her on board. When we asked Alison to join our customer service team last May, we were excited by her career experience, which included nearly 25 years of customer service and benefits administration with her family-owned insurance company. We know the best customer service representatives are a hardy bunch and Alison has not disappointed. She comes equipped with nerves of steel, a sense of humor, and the intuitiveness to handle diverse personalities – [...]
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In this issue of Hidden Features, we present our newest software update: Recurring Scheduled Payment (RSP), a tool that lets you automatically charge gym services, punch card add-ons, and annual fees. We’ve also added recurring payments to our Sales Guru© membership software – this way you can automate payments through membership packages. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Truthfully though, this is a game changer. RSP is an essential feature for services requiring regular payments, such as personal training sessions, tanning, massage, smoothie bar access, pickleball courts, towel rentals, and other add-on services. This functionality automates the billing process, ensuring a steady [...]
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The new year is behind us and gym membership sales are dwindling. As a gym owner, now is the time to make every sales opportunity count by slowing down the process and closely evaluating how effectively your staff handles each prospect. Are they missing sales? Let's figure out why. Four steps to a building sales team. Ask yourself: 1. How skilled are your salespeople? First off, to discover which sales people might be facing obstacles, dive into your software and pull up sales data. If a particular salesperson is selling the same membership and/or personal training package over and over again, they [...]
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At Abb's Muscle & Fitness everyone is younger than the owner. Many of the staff members are Gen Z, individuals born between 1997 and 2012. To manage this young team, owner Abbe Hockaday set aside society's prevailing views and approached them with her own brand of intergenerational acceptance and love. They are the seeds she sows to create an environment that is more ministry than gym. Simply said, this puzzling generation challenges her to think and act at her best. Here are some tips she's discovered to glean the most out of her Gen Z employees. Six simple tools to [...]
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Welcome to our Hidden Features blog, where we introduce tips and tricks you can use to optimize your Gym Insight software. Simplify gym management with these four powerful software features: 1. Automatically Charge Personal Training and Add-Ons Don’t miss out on recurring revenue. Now Gym Insight lets you create a scheduled payment for an add-on service so you can keep growing this profit-making segment of your gym! This feature allows you to automate and manage payment for an add-on (punch card) service, such as a series of tanning sessions or personal training. For example, now you can charge an account [...]
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Don’t let your gym’s size get in the way of negotiating a great gym lease — you’ve got more power than you think. Gyms are the darling of commercial real estate these days and here are four reasons why Four reasons landlords prefer gym leases 1. Gym clients stick around. Gym goers are known for something in the industry called “stickiness.” This odd word is the amount of time a person stays in the retail plaza after visiting (in this case) the gym. While in the plaza, gym goers frequently stop for a refreshment, socialize with friends or finish errands. According to Creditntell, [...]
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How can you sell more personal training without losing money or increasing staff? Kage Gym in Mundelein, Illinois, has figured out the secret sauce resulting in an insane closing rate of nearly 70%. They’ve been so successful with personal training that, after two years in business, they’ve just begun promoting memberships to the general public. What's Kage Gym owners story? Owners Omar Sanchez and Gonz Sanchez (no relation) opened Kage Gym in September 2022, taking on and renovating an existing gym. The two young entrepreneurs dipped into their enthusiasm and love of bodybuilding to create a gym that has become a magnet [...]
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In this week’s Gym Owner’s blog by Gym Insight, we interview seven-location Club Pilates owner Justin Kirkland for tips and secrets on growing into a multi-location fitness business. His experience with the successful franchise blends on-the-street advice with a marketing major’s savvy. Read on for details on what it takes to grow exponentially in the competitive field of boutique studios. Kirkland's early lessons changed everything The Kirkland family purchased three Las Vegas Club Pilates in September 2019. One of their first ventures into private business ownership, they immediately began experimenting with management and marketing styles. The results would shape future [...]
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As a gym owner, you would already know that the music you play at your gym defines the ambiance and affects the level of motivation for your members. With different personalities coming to your gym, you are probably having a hard time trying to keep everyone happy with the type of music you play. While hardcore bodybuilders are likely to prefer rock and heavy metal, others might be more comfortable listening to pop and blues. The choice of workout music can also differ a lot according to each type of exercise. When deciding which music or radio station you should [...]
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By a quirk of standards adapted from the Federal government's SIC codes, you will find gyms for sale on business broker sites under recreation. Whether you're in the market for a gym empire or not it helps to know what's going on in your neighborhood, state and industry in the way of gym businesses for sale. Information Is The Ultimate Resource There may come a day when you wish to put your gym on the market. The more information you have, the better you know what to aim for when the time comes. Alternatively, you might decide to buy [...]
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The number of specialties within personal training certifications is exploding. From adaptive special needs to sleep recovery, the range of human conditions now addressed by the fitness industry is stunning. For ambitious gym owners this evolution in specialty training programs creates the perfect opportunity to build a very profitable niche business. By selectively choosing to encourage your trainers to continue their education within specific categories, gym owners can sculpt and introduce their gym to a completely new set of members. Whether you wish to pursue individuals recovering from health conditions or pivot to holistic remedies or youth athletics, the specialties are out [...]
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As 2023 enters midyear, recession chatter is building. The stock markets are tilting sideways. OPEC just announced a hold on production. Inflation is still high and, for the first time in years, job openings are declining. What does this mean for your gym? How can you take advantage of an economic downturn? Well, let’s remember three years ago, the world shut down. And despite the 2020 pandemic eliminating thousands of mom-and-pop gyms, your company made it. Many gyms, indeed, thrived once doors reopened. How did the best gyms survive the COVID shutdown? The owners kept spying opportunities instead of barriers. Lawrence, Gym Insight Here [...]
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Welcome to our monthly customer profile. This spring we are speaking with Claude Mumpower III, owner of Iron Mayhem Strength and Conditioning in Bristol, Virginia. He brings an optimistic, growth-focused perspective we are excited to share with you. Lessons learned while growing a gym Mumpower established Iron Mayhem in 2014 after retiring from a career in law enforcement. His first fitness center maxed out at 2,000 square feet, which he quickly outgrew. Unfortunately, Mumpower jumped into his next location without vetting the lease and found an expensive secondary agreement that cost him both time and money. Using that mistake as a lesson [...]
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