As the proud owner of an independent fitness business you may be enthusiastic about keeping the decorations and equipment right up to date. That is, until you see the price tag and the amount of disruption. If you are caught unprepared the first time that you attempt an update you might even be forgiven for thinking: never again!

Finding The Balance

There is definitely a balance to be struck in maintaining your gym and keeping costs and disruption to an absolute minimum. That balance point is when you start to get complaints about the condition of your gym versus the disruption of updating the style and decor of your fitness center.

The more disruptive it is to refurbish your gym, the longer you will put it off and the longer you put it off the worse it will be for your brand. You don’t want to wait until you start losing members or new sign ups. So, the ideal solution will be less disruptive renovations done sooner and more often. Here are some other tips to get the results that you want without any more disruption than is absolutely necessary.

Update By Sections

If you are just now designing your gym space, take into account that at some future date you will want to update it and design it in sections that can be opened or closed depending on demand. So when it comes time to redecorate you can shut a defined section that enables you to keep the rest in service with the least amount of impact on member usage. If this is not the case and your gym layout is set, then try to work with your space as if you had designed it that way and close off sections along the natural boundaries within the space.

Have The Work Done Only In The Off Hours/Off Days/Off Season

Look at the least busy times of the week and year and let that determine when the update will be done. Users of Gym Insight will be at an advantage here; if you are using Gym Insight you can just pull up the right report to tell you when that period is likely to be.

When you are redecorating your fitness business you want to do it in such a way as to limit interruption and inconvenience to your customers. Keeping on top of the style; clean looks and well-maintained equipment to please customers will help maintain the highest possible levels of revenue and minimum membership turnover and disruption for the minimum amount of time.

Do Small Makeovers More Often

Customers will very likely be annoyed by even the least inconvenience but they will definitely appreciate a fresh look, potential customers will be impressed by the up-to-date decor and the clean fresh look. Nobody likes a dingy dilapidated gym. So it is inevitable that you are going to have to update at some point. The trick is to get it done with as little interruption and as rapidly as possible.

Be Prepared To Carry The Burden To Spare Your Customers

Just because you wish to minimize the impact on your membership means that, apart from making it as simple and smooth as possible you are likely going to be working even harder than you usually do. Remember my analogy of the graceful swan seemingly gliding along but paddling hard underneath? Well, now you are going to be more like the Roadrunner from the cartoons moving fast and trying to be everywhere at once.

Line Up Contractors And Keeping Them In Line

Look to your contractors to have the experience to know how to work on an open business. Try to connect with a contractor that knows the fitness business or one who’s recommended by people you trust. There’s a lot to be said for getting the right team for the job. As they say, the easiest way to solve problems is to prevent them. For example, the careful consideration of your choice of contractor will make all of the difference; again prevention is the best cure.

In some ways, updating your gym is a double bind: You can’t do and yet you must. The disruption and chaos must be balanced against the quality of the experience for your membership. At the end of the day it is just one of those things that you have to get on and do, taking the burden upon yourself to make it as painless and smooth as possible for your customers.

Bibliography

Fagan, Lawrence. How Health Club Management is Like a Swan on a River. https://blog.gyminsight.com/759-how-health-club-management-is-like-a-swan-on-a-river/ (accessed November 16, 2014).

Home Refurbishment Tumblr Blog. “Planning An Office Or Business Refurbishment? – Tips For Evaluating Contractors.” Home Refurbishment. August 1, 2014. https://homerefurbishment.tumblr.com/post/71741863349/planning-an-office-or-business-refurbishment (accessed March 18, 2015).