Why sell branded products at your gym Have you ever considered selling a branded product in your gym or online? They could be water bottles, hoodies, equipment or towels. Whatever. The point is your health club’s name would be on that item, wherever it travels. All the while, reflecting your gym's unique identity and generating a bit more cash for your company. What is the difference between a product and a brand? Products are what you sell but a brand is who you are. Brands are created through advertising, intent, and creativity. Your carefully crafted flagship image is your brand. The [...]
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I recently posted a blog about statistics in the fitness business. I really only just scratched the surface with that one. In this blog post I want to address a few things that I had to leave out, and tie up loose ends. It's always good to know where the next generation of competition could come from. I tend to think the source of competition to watch is self-employed trainers building followings through social media and then establishing studios once they have enough of a revenue flow. Also there were some statistics that relate the demographics of the industry to [...]
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Turbocharge Your Income With Gym Guest Passes There are many different ways to increase your gym's revenue. Let's focus on how you can use gym guest passes to increase your income, in the way a turbocharger boosts the horsepower of a small car engine. Of course, your own particular approach to this strategy will be strongly influenced by the unique layout of your local racetrack. So, here are two different approaches to gym guest passes, for very different local markets. Gym Guest Passes To Bring In New Members The best and most consistent form of income to keep a gym [...]
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This is part 2 of a multiple part series. Fitness Metrics Revisited It's about time for an update of fitness industry trends once again. Although many of the numbers that I relied on last year are still to be released, there are enough statistics around that I thought i could get an early start. There is a lot of information out there and I don't want to dump it all at once. It's much better to put out chunks of numbers in a controlled way. There is some Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data about employment in the industry to [...]
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Beating Functional Obsolescence Gym ownership is actually a pretty dynamic business, in case you didn't already know that (you're welcome). Rapidly changing trends mean that you always have to be on the lookout for a shift in what the membership expects. On a more basic level you need to reinvest to protect your assets, as they say. You can't have old, broken-down exercise machines that just take up space. You can't afford to have shabby signage outside with burnt out lights or missing letters. That is why, as a gym owner who sees other gym operations all the time, I'm [...]
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If you own a small gym, you probably know about taking on the heavy burden of capital investment and leasing your venue and equipment. It'll keep you awake at night when you're signing the checks, believe me! Like all small business owners, you really need to look at every possible way to bump up the value of foot traffic entering and leaving your gym. One effective way to do that is to sell retail items at the front desk or at a cash register in the foyer or lobby. What will people buy? It may take you some research and [...]
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Fitness facilities are no longer just for pumping iron. The word fitness has a whole lot of other connotations relating to overall health and wellness. And no matter how many squats you do, how many miles you ride on the stationary bike or laps you swim in the pool, you'll never be truly fit if you don't get proper nutrition. Many people who come to your facility are hoping to lose weight, and a good nutrition program will help them achieve their goals more quickly, resulting in better member satisfaction with your facility. A nutrition program can also add another [...]
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