As a professional fitness operator, with interest in the Gym Insight Blog, you probably know how to prompt reflection and planning for your members and clients. Working with clients and giving them feedback on their workout regimens and redirecting them for better results is a fundamental part of the fitness profession. When you use the tools of your business as the keys to leadership, you'll go much further, stay in business as long as you want, and make a higher level of profits in return. Like the classic leadership book by Stephen Covey, reflection and planning give fitness club owners [...]
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Starting your own fitness business has never been easier. That statement, of course, assumes you have the charisma and certifications to run your own shop. Or you have access to a high six-figure sum of capital to invest. I'm mostly talking to the former fitness employees, the gym professionals ready to strike out on their own. I've met many outstanding trainers that could manage the journey if they had to do it. If you fit that description and you've committed to bootstrapping your way into fitness club ownership, keep the following three things in mind. Charge What You're Worth One [...]
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A whole new class of businesses has discovered the subscription business model. Many internet-based startups realize that monthly memberships suit them better than selling one-time up-front payment for products and services. The business model for fitness has long been club subscription memberships along with add-on features and in gym purchases. Changes in technologies and consumer preferences have helped to make automated payments over time more appealing. Subscribing For Short-Term Wins The psychology of subscriptions changes the way customers think about your business. The pain of massive up-front payments that scare off prospects, without consideration for the big picture. A monthly [...]
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We've arrived at a golden age of trainer certification and continuing education options. There's an extensive range of possibilities in fitness to update your skills and to expand your value to the membership of your fitness organization. As you probably already know, continuing education is a fundamental feature of the profession. Adding to your skills and qualifications helps grow your organization if you pursue it in a coordinated manner. Considerations When You Choose Your CECs Choosing your present courses and credits depends on your accrediting institution of course. However, the leading fitness education organizations have diverse choices of new skills [...]
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The retention versus attrition club membership tension is never going to end in the gym business. It's sort of like the battle of the waistline, never-ending and more desperate around the holiday season. If your small fitness club or studio is getting quiet and new membership inquiries are tapering off leading up to the holidays and New Year, it's time to respond and take action. Of course, the pre-holiday season lull is the calm before the storm, as we then roll swiftly into the busiest time of the year for the fitness industry. Even so, now's a good time to [...]
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Where Do Gym Owners Go From Here? You may have noticed that with the rate of innovation for computer technology is thundering along. But what does that mean for your small gym business, your members, and the way you're going to develop your operations in the near future? There are two types of equipment that are most relevant to the industry: Management software and payment processing. The needs of gym staff are reasonably consistent, but the hardware is changing faster than you can say "Zumba class." E-commerce Thrives On Mobile Devices The mobile revolution is putting processing power into smartphones [...]
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As we've discussed here on the Gym Insight Blog several times before, special populations provide a path to an alternative business model that could take you to another level of success. Have you considered working with Special Populations to differentiate your gym business? Specializing your fitness club offerings is part of finding the niche that is the best fit for your business goals. Working with one or more category of special populations is a way to achieve that objective. As a fitness center owner, you face an uphill battle if you attempt to compete with the big box fitness brands [...]
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As you know, fitness is more than just providing a place to work out; it's about community and building a network of like-minded, healthy, and happy people. Whether you're networking for gym business owners or your membership, it's the connections you make that root your fitness enterprise in your local community. Success comes from connecting in this business because it's about people and building your membership one person at a time. There is one extra essential ingredient that goes into making your community, and that's passion. If you have the love and motivation that emanates from the energy of passion [...]
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Alternative Revenue Streams For The Good Of The Team Monthly memberships revenue is the engine that puts you in business and keeps you going. However, that doesn't mean you can't do better and deliver more value to your clients by adding alternate revenue streams to your income. In fact, finding the premium products and services are the sauces that take you beyond just being in business and into the realm of financial success. Even so, the winds of fortune are fickle, that's a saying or something, and, from the experiences I've witnessed, I'd say that it's a fact; everything can [...]
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The point of client programming is to add value to the lives and fitness of your members. There's a lot of talk about specialty programs that appeal to hyper-motivated gym aficionados. We all know those shining stars of fitness, those super-fit fanatics who continuously push the limits to find new fitness experiences. However, what about the rest? The average people who just want to get into shape and stay healthy? Here's the thing, most consumers are just looking to get fit stay fit and fit fitness into an already overcrowded schedule. It's up to small gym business and fitness club [...]
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A Pro Tip For Small Gym Business Client Acquisition If you look at your small gym business from the broadest perspective possible, client acquisition is the one central function that drives your operation. Arguably, everything else is a detail. Of course, some of the details are critical, but they address the members you pick up as part of the acquisition process. However, the cost to acquire new members isn't as useful a measurement for you as the lifetime value of those new memberships. Everything other than that drive for client acquisition is a refinement or facilitated by it. Your income [...]
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Take These Ideas And Become A Fitness Entrepreneur Do you want to become an entrepreneur in fitness and operate a small gym business? If you build a full-service fitness club from scratch, you're looking at an investment the size of a house. If you've got the cash or enough to entice a suitable investor then maybe that's the right way to go. If so, you might be the exception. If you want to dip your toe in the industry before you commit your family fortune, a very sensible attitude, these fitness entrepreneurship ideas are for you. 1. Boutique Fitness Studio [...]
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The Digital Age gives small gym business owners real choices for club management software. Now, everyone can have enterprise-grade options for information technology. That means that what was once the exclusive privilege of the big box fitness brands is out there for you in one form or another. Fitness entrepreneurs still have the temptation to collect different capabilities piecemeal, but that leads to much less useful results in the long run. That is why you should start as you mean to go on and invest in dedicated club management software. Liberation And Efficiency Through Automation So, what is ROI? And [...]
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Every once in a while I like to put out a few ideas for owners on the Gym Insight Blog. This time I have a few points about how to raise the profile and profitability of your small gym business. When you've scrambled to launch and run your business, you deserve to get the most fruit in return for your many labors. You probably started out with too few resources, ate your own dog food as they say, and slept in the back office once or twice. Why not seek out opportunities to multiply your returns with a little more [...]
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The On And Off Wearable Revolution So, things in the realm of wearable technology are moving pretty quickly. Last year I was singing the praises of wearable devices. Then, earlier this year I thought they were going flat. Now, I'm changing my views again because of recent announcements. Everything changed in the time since I decided to write this post and when I actually sat down to compose it it's like a whole new topic. While the wearables category includes everything from connected clothing to sticky medical sensors, it's the new smartwatches that seem to be getting traction so suddenly. [...]
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