Gym owners, wake up! You're all fighting for a piece of the same market — slim, fit people. It’s time to embrace the nearly 70 percent of people in the United States who are overweight or obese. They want to exercise, too — just not for the reasons you may think. For this article, we spoke with Louise Green, founder of the Big Fit Girl campaign. Green is a personal trainer, spokesperson, and author who has created an online community supporting, encouraging, and training individuals in larger bodies.From a founding bootcamp for plus-sized women to creating a weight-neutral fitness movement that includes [...]
Read more...
Welcome back to our gym owner business profile. In each profile, we interview successful gym owners to learn what it takes to start, run, and own a health club. Everyone tells a new and interesting story. We hope you find their experiences as inspiring as we have! 300 Fitness Gym and Bar The idea of 300 Fitness Gym and Bar began like many other health clubs: Two guys who enjoyed exercising together saw an opportunity and jumped on it. In the small city of Pontotoc, Mississippi, there were plenty of other gyms. Four, in fact, serving a population of no [...]
Read more...
Five steps to sidestep a bad economy. It took 16 cameras and a digital key tag to inflation-proof Scotts Valley Gym in Scotts Valley Calf. After that, it was pure gumption. Today, when rising consumer prices are forcing all of us to make decisions as to how and where we spend our money, gym memberships are often first on the list. So how do you ensure your gym makes the cut? Or, if the economy really sinks, how can you be prepared? Should you raise rates to manage increased costs or decrease overhead? Scotts Valley Gym took the second choice. Originally one of four [...]
Read more...
On fitness forums, I have seen this question posted quite frequently: Which is better, to hire a personal trainer as an employee or as an independent contractor? In Part I of this series we looked at the very basic options that both gym owners and personal trainers have when hiring and being hired. I received a great response with an overwhelming majority of personal trainers who work as independent contractors. I have yet to receive feedback from gym operators. Regardless, some of the personal trainer responses described their independent contracting experiences as "win-win" both for them and the gyms that [...]
Read more...
Asking for (More) Business After the gym membership sale, what comes next? A fist bump and a calendar check? Excited smiles and vow to “see you tomorrow!” Or, perhaps, just one more ask? Leaping past the traditional goodbyes after a sale and staying in place to ask for referral business is the difference between a good close and a great one. According to consumer research group Nielsen, 92% of people trust referrals from people they know. So why would you not use this moment to secure a name or two of someone who might also benefit from exercising at your gym? [...]
Read more...
It's Not What You Think So, what does a small fitness business or startup look like? From the outside, it might resemble any one of a variety of business models that have nothing in common. Inside it's likely to be a different story. Your business probably has an architecture that fits into a format that any gym manager will recognize, a club with a subscription membership. It's a service business that has consumers for members. You have to deal with a competitive market, fight against lots of similar companies, and also contend with the giants that have unlimited resources. These [...]
Read more...
You know, we're in a resolutely business-to-customer service industry, are we not? So, you might be forgiven for thinking that attending trade shows would be a waste of time. Don't you believe it for a minute! It may be individual customers that you serve that earn your revenue but it's the relationships with your peers that keep you going. Your business is built on the relationships that you form within the industry and between professionals that makes the best B2C service possible. Let's take a look at trade shows (IHRSA 2015) and what they can do for you beyond being [...]
Read more...
We all know that fitness plays a very important role in our daily lives. It helps to maintain our health and keeps our bodies immune to fight off diseases and illness. Physical fitness is important for those who are suffering from obesity and other weight related problems. Joining a health club is great way of losing weight and improving your health because health clubs specialize in providing the necessary training and weight reduction activities that will help you stay healthy and fit. One recent trend that has started to build up a lot of buzz within the health club industry [...]
Read more...
Health Clubs or training studios that have just opened their doors will require an efficient system of receiving payments. Instead of having a landscape system, it is much easier if your accounts are taken care of through a payment gateway online. Additionally, payment gateways configured with a gym management system has many advantages. This post will focus on one payment gateway, PayPal. PayPal specifically is set up to where a new health clubs and personal trainers can easily acquire a merchant account in a shorter amount of time than most other payment gateway options. 1. Simple and easy to use [...]
Read more...
The emerging trends in healthcare and the fitness industry are starting to become clear, and they are trends that are currently on a path toward merger. What does this mean for fitness club owners? You can increase your potential market size by refocusing, to include programs that are designed to address the health of clients. To do this you need the knowledge base to support the participation of the people who would benefit most from increased fitness. These special populations include the elderly, diabetics, the obese and survivors of heart disease. But how Does That Tie Into Fitness? One thing [...]
Read more...
This is part 1 of a multiple part series. We have recently seen an immense increase in profitability of the fitness industry. This also means that there is an attractive prospect in terms of jobs and businesses in the industry. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests that the number of jobs within this industry is expected to increase by more than 23% over the next 10 years. The bureau also said that the number of jobs available under "fitness and recreational sports centers" even went up to 484,200 in 2010. Economists justify this prediction by looking at how businesses [...]
Read more...
St. Patrick's Day can be a great time to promote your gym. With all the parades and green talk, you too can join in and at the same time promote your gym. With all the dancing, sporting activities and food, you have great opportunities if you are looking at things from the right perspective. It is also a nice way to participate in your community's celebration and attract potential local customers. Below are some ideas through which your gym can leave a lasting impression on your community this St. Patrick's Day. Irish Dance Workout Irish dances are a great way [...]
Read more...
Group training involves a fitness trainer from your gym leading a group of participants in their path of fitness. Participants, apart from group camaraderie, also benefit from access to a knowledgeable fitness professional at shared costs. These basic benefits of group training are making more and more fitness enthusiasts go for it in today's world. It is therefore essential that gyms look at this trend and provide an avenue for such people in order to stay competitive in the fitness market. The effectiveness of group training is mainly because of the following factors: Social interaction: For most people, workouts are [...]
Read more...
