The Niche Gym Business That Works For You
If you’re starting your own business, there are lots of fitness niches that you can pursue. CrossFit is but one of many. However, the CrossFit concept is the perfect example of a gym model that finds the strongest motivation for a specific type of gym membership prospect.
It has been about four years, maybe more, since I first noticed CrossFit boxes. I was suddenly aware they were popping up in storefronts, industrial spaces, and old service stations around here. I have to say that I am impressed by the resilience of this trend. It just seems to keep going and going.
Of course, the doomsayers and locker-room experts have it figured out that CrossFit is doomed, utterly doomed. Well, I have followed trends myself and jumped to conclusions many times. I think that all forms of HIIT programs have limits and may yet prove to be a health hazard.
However, gyms still provide a few things that matter to people. Specialty programs just take that to the next level. CrossFit draws on a hardcore market segment that wants to get the most out of training. There’s an element of elitism in it but with that come connection to peers.
Can You Hack Your Way Into The Business?
In the modern world, you have many more opportunities to build a business that connects people directly. The contemporary world is a lonely one by and large; you’re helping people when you bring them together. If you can ask the right questions, you’ll get useful answers.
The founder of CrossFit understood how to bring people together and start the adrenaline flowing and followed it up with a dose of endorphins. If you figure out a new way to do that you’ve got a chance to achieve something like Greg Glassman. Even a small fraction of Glassman’s success is enough to make you wildly successful.
The point here is that if you understand how to bring people together, it’s the secret to any club membership business model. Even though consumers can purchase all the fitness equipment in the world, membership-based fitness businesses are not going away any time soon.
If you look at fitness companies like CrossFit, SoulCycle, and Orangetheory Fitness, you see that they connect people to do things that could be done at home alone. It’s more than just access to equipment and trainers; it is the human contact of doing something together. In this day and age, human connection is the one thing that people crave most.
Bring Your Kettle Bells To The Park
Assuming you have skills and certifications as a trainer the hard work is getting the message out to the people who feel the need for what you offer. Fortunately, ubiquitous computing and Internet access mean you can reach out to potential members more efficiently than ever before. SaaS platforms for just about any activity allows you to access practically any IT infrastructure on an affordable subscription.
These days the tools to build a business can be very lean indeed. All of the software to organize a fitness club is available online either for free or at very reasonable costs. That includes Insight Gym Management Software, which you can use from the start. Once you make the connections and bring the people, it’s time to turn meet-ups into memberships.
Facebook gives you the most specifically targeted advertising ever. Event planning and management tools like MeetUp.com and Eventbrite help you organize events and take payments for ticket sales. Once you have Insight up and running, you can use our payment portal to turn your new members into a professionally operated fitness club.
Bootstrapping Boot Camps Or Any Other Creative Club Ideas
You can bootstrap your way into the gym business now, even if you’re working from the tailgate of your SUV. The traditional route to gym ownership of renting the club space, leasing equipment, and designing a brand will cost the price of a house. That’s either a risky investment or a dream-killing liability.
Event organizing group sessions and boot camps in the park. Rent studio space by the hour and bring in your clients. Partner with another local fitness clubs and use their facilities for a share of your profits. Insight is here for you, to provide the membership management tools, build your club, and keep members coming back.
Get Inspired And Start Your Own Business In Fitness
So, how do you set up your business to be customer focused? Can you make a personal appeal that gets through to people and entices them into your startup fitness club? It’s a matter of leadership, and the answer is in the question; it’s the people.
If you understand motivated buyers and the pain that drives them, you can hone in on the exact business model that will convert interest into monthly memberships. That is, as they say, the only marketing strategy you need when you’re starting your own business.
Bibliography
Berlant, Tony. 5 Questions You Must Ask Yourself Before Opening Your Own Fitness Studio. April 1, 2018. https://www.clubindustry.com/insights-resources/5-questions-you-must-ask-yourself-opening-your-own-fitness-studio (accessed April 20, 2018).
Fagan, Lawrence. Facing The Dilemmas Of Being A Gym Business Founder. October 26, 2015. https://blog.gyminsight.com/3550-facing-the-dilemmas-of-being-a-gym-business-founder/ (accessed November 18, 2017).
Patel, Neil. Why Understanding Your Customers is the Only Marketing Strategy You Need. April 18, 2018. https://blog.kissmetrics.com/the-only-marketing-strategy-you-need/ (accessed April 20, 2018).