I was just reading about some big-box gym managers earning salaries in the high five figures, without having to risk personal wealth or credit. Well, that $80K paycheck probably helps these big box managers sleep at night, even if they’re beholden to the bureaucracy of corporate America. So, how as a small gym business owner, do you get the best of both worlds? After all, if independence is good, then independence combined with prosperity must be better!
Automation – Building A Gym That Runs Itself
The answer has to be in being smart and efficient, and in this day and age that means using automation technology to your best advantage. You should also look out for other ways to maximize your income and minimize your costs. Everything that you do should move you toward a higher income base and lower overhead costs. Automation is a good thing for the small fitness business owner because it gives you the leverage to expand without adding payroll costs.
If you run your gym with the minimum sized crew, you will be spending a lot of time taking care of the business by yourself. That’s not an ideal situation, but you have to start somewhere and make the investments of time and effort. However, you are going to burn yourself out if you don’t take advantage of the available technology to run your gym remotely, Gym Insight Access Software can help you monitor your fitness center remotely and control how members come and go.
Vending Machines For Merchandise And Even Giveaways
You can make additional sales if you have products for sale in vending machines in your gym. Vending machines can offer convenience items and impulse purchases at a high margin, to boost your profitability, the products that you stock can be anything from energy bars to towels.
Such a move does come with a warning because vending machines are a whole new enterprise on their own. At the very least, you will be entering a contractual relationship with a partner that places and supplies their machine. Remember, this is supposed to be a way to reduce your overhead costs and add revenue. The vending machine business has its challenges, and scams promise more than they deliver.
There is another new strategy that you can apply to vending machines. New services are offering Internet-connected vending machines that trade social media promotion for swag. Social media vending machines will promote your brand name on channels like Twitter or Facebook. When your visitors stand in front of the unit and post your name online, it dispenses one item of whatever promotional merchandise you want to give away; you get publicity, your member gets a piece of your branded swag, or whatever you choose to give away.
Sign Up For A Poke Stop
If Pokemon Go is typical of what’s coming next, the future of augmented reality is going to be very unusual and full of surprises. This smartphone game appeared in the summer of 2016 as if out of nowhere and blew up overnight. The appeal has been so intense that people go stumbling around in the night to the places where they can collect the characters.
It is a simple example of augmented reality; it superimposes cartoon characters on your smartphone screen when you point the camera at a given location. When augmented reality is location driven and open to participation by local businesses, it can give you a chance to get involved; you just have to secure a place on the map to be a part of the excitement, which is an opportunity for gym owners to bring in new members.
Use Automation And Take A Bigger Profit Home
Automation is a force multiplier that you can use in combination with selling skills on the occasions that you have an opportunity to meet with your members. Your remotely operated gym that’s open 24/7, exploiting digital automated resources, is a powerful way to earn from a distance. If you take advantage of the latest technology you might just get the best of both worlds; one that gives you a terrific income and total independence.
Bibliography
Better Business Bureau. Automatic Vending Machines. 2016. (accessed October 31, 2016).
Bloem, Craig. 3 Easy Steps to Market Your Business on Pokemon Go. July 18, 2016. https://www.inc.com/craig-bloem/how-to-market-yourself-on-pokemon-go-if-your-business-is-not-on-a-pokestop.html (accessed October 31, 2016).
Fagan, Lawrence. 9 Tips To Keep Your Gym Business Lean And Healthy . October 5, 2016. https://blog.gyminsight.com/3999-9-tips-to-keep-your-gym-business-lean-and-healthy/ (accessed October 31, 2016).
McQuarrie, Laura. These Product Giveaway Machines Take Social Currency as Payment. August 19, 2015. https://www.trendhunter.com/slideshow/product-giveaway (accessed October 31, 2016).