The Memorial Day Weekend is approaching as I write this and I am reminded that those who served our country are among the most deserving of our support. When it comes to charity donations gym and fitness center owners can make a great contribution by including marketing promotions that give back. I have a bias toward giving to veterans' causes and I make no apologies for it. There's a vast amount of need because, as a country, we've been asking so much of so many for so long now. It also troubles me to hear of the delays and shortcomings [...]
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Leadership has an element of theater and what are we as gym and fitness center owners if not leaders? Personally, I got into the gym ownership business out of an urge to follow my passion. I had a burning desire to make a positive impact and make a living doing something that shares that passion with other people. All of the trainers that I've worked with over the years also appear to have been just as determined, as far as I can tell. I think that you really only get into a career in fitness to make a positive statement [...]
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Did you ever hear the old story about two shoe salesmen who were sent by their employers to one of the poorer countries of the world? The first rep sent back a telegram that said "No good here. Coming home. Nobody wears shoes." The other one also sent back a telegram: "Great opportunity here! Send shoes! Nobody wears shoes!" That ringing phone in the back office or at the front desk can be so annoying. But you have to remember that the phone is at the heart of your business. If you want that heart to keep beating for a [...]
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Gym Insight is pleased to welcome Larry Francis as the head of our Customer Service Department! Larry has great enthusiasm and passion for the fitness industry. Larry is an avid fan of all the fitness heroes in our industry and will use his previous experience as a gym operator to help you build and grow your fitness business!
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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Since I am writing this on tax day, I am reminded of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and what it means for your small business. I want to look at some of the features that will result from the impact on small gym owners, of health coverage and collecting the indoor tanning tax. But First A Disclaimer This is intended to be informational and not to take a stand politically, on one side or the other. Businesses that have employees are going to have to respond and deal with the ACA and some cases of non-compliance may result in penalties. [...]
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There are some principles that are true for all businesses, not just for small gyms or fitness centers. You need to find the right balance of service and retail merchandise sales. If you can fit retail into your gym business model it's going to be a good insurance policy. It can complement your memberships, training and class sales. I've written before about retail sales and the pros and cons. I think it's worth revisiting with a few updated thoughts on the subject. Turnover Counts When You Stock in Large Or Small Amounts The key is to move stock and get [...]
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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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Do you have a back story to how your business started? Do your employees know the why and what-for of the enterprise they work for? Employees need a story that they can focus on and a reason to identify with your small gym business. If that story is something that new employees can buy into, they will become a more effective part of your team more quickly. Meaning is a higher human need that will override many failings. It help's people understand what you're trying to achieve and work harder to get you there. It frames the challenges and purpose [...]
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The fitness trainers that I've worked with over the years have been a very diverse range of people. They share a love of fitness and the drive to help others achieve it. Of course, I'm speaking in very broad generalizations here, but there is another thing that all too many certified fitness professionals have. I'm talking about student loans. It could sometimes be that they followed their dreams and went all out on a bachelors degree relating to fitness, followed by fitness certification. Alternatively, perhaps they majored in something like real estate management, only to find out that they didn't [...]
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Measuring Stimulation There was a lot of information that I left out of the Moscow Subway article because it was getting too long. For example, there was an interesting article on The Daily Beast Blog about how short bursts of vigorous exercise has a more stimulating effect than a cup of coffee. An intense burst of exercise such as dropping for pushups for thirty seconds has been shown to be more effective at generating the kind of focus and mental stamina of which coffee drinkers can only dream. That's all according to the study cited in the Daily Beast article. [...]
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Barcoded Key Tags Or RFID For Easy Entry RFID and Barcoded key tags are two widely used types of systems for gym access control, in common usage with gym management software systems. Gym Insight supports both key technologies, it's just a matter of which suits your needs best. Each has its uses, advantages and weaknesses. Fortunately there are two clear paths along which to tread and they match up neatly with one or the other of the access types. A small gym that has remote management and unattended 24 hour access has different needs to the one that has open [...]
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https://youtu.be/4Nc_LFR_-hI In this video, Anthony, a gym owner, shows you how to easily navigate the check-in access software by Gym Insight. He will quickly and efficiently show you how to do the following: Check-in a gym member. Search for gym member's account. View a member's status (green, yellow, or red) and what the status color represents. Edit/update a member's account. Cancel and un-cancel their account. How to accept payments via card on file, with a new card for a one-time payment, or cash. How to run a time/date search for what members where in your facility. If you have any [...]
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Social Networks are the fabric of community. I'm writing here about the social media networks that have emerged with the invention of the Internet and which connects people in a way that hasn't been possible for past generations. Like This Article on Facebook! The arrival of facebook, Twitter and other social networks like Google Plus have put social connection onto a different level. The spread of these networks into every aspect of daily life have made it possible to create targeted networks that are focused on particular interests, like fitness. There are now some great tools to make your small [...]
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The founder of the Spartan Race is releasing a book entitled "Spartan Up! You'll Know At The Finish". As I mentioned in a previous blog post, about Promotions That Take You to The Edge, I had the great privilege to meet the team behind Spartan Races a few weeks back. I feel extra-privileged that they have given me an advanced copy of Joe's book! I even had the opportunity to put some questions to DeSena, about it. I was not disappointed and I'm excited to relate some of that here. If you have heard of the Spartan Race then you [...]
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