There was a time when I would have thought that creating a brand was as simple as having an idea and commissioning a graphic designer to put my imaginings into visual form. I have learned a simple and harsh lesson over time: You have to work very hard to get recognized in your marketplace, as a business and as a brand. Be The Brand You can create your brand as an extension of your own personality but you have to make sure that it is the right image for your market and membership. Test your results and take measurements wherever [...]
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Accounting For The Details There are so many ways that paying attention to your costs will save some money and keep you earning a profit. Think of it like lacing your shoes before you workout. A better fit might only mean a slight advantage, but that could be the difference of winning the race or only taking second place. Small savings add up when it comes to supplies. When you factor in the behavior of staff it tends to have an even greater effect. Gym Insight gives you some great tools for measuring things like attendance and payments. There is [...]
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Gather Round For The Gym Insight Founder Story More businesses are creating mobile apps to either support their businesses or from which to bring forth a new enterprise and it is helping smart marketers to promote products and services in the most cost-effective way. The use of any digital offering is an awesome way to bring attention to the core service or product that you deliver. I am sure that you won't be surprised to hear that what we've done here at Gym Insight is a great example. Because I studied and worked as a programmer and also happened to [...]
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Building On Previous Discussions Some time ago, Gym Insight was fortunate to have a guest post from Mike Hedlesky. It was an in-depth piece that has been a real asset to the Insight Blog and, judging by the traffic, a useful source of information and validation for the readers. So first, thanks Mike! Second, I thought it might be good to go back, review and build on it with some further insights into running your own small gym business. Training is always easier to impart to your staff when you are clear about the basics of the company vision and [...]
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Sounding The Data Breach Alarm Again Once again I'm writing about the issue of liability in financial data. Data breaches can affect more than credit cards, although the driving force is the card companies' clamp down on fraud and identity theft. As the merchant, that is the account that is taking the payment will soon be responsible for the loss of information and fraudulent payments, as well as the theft and fraud that can be had with stolen identifying information. As the owner of a small gym business this means you are going to need to be extra vigilant. Having [...]
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Sharing The Conversation With Podcasting When you own a twenty-first century gym you really should support it with all the up-to-date media resources you can get. In my opinion, using the available tools of the Internet is the best way you can leverage even the leanest budget; many of them for free or less than the cost of an ad in the Yellow Pages. Podcasting is one of the most intriguing of these potential resources. It's under-utilized as yet but it could be a really powerful voice for your business. It's a way to connect with likeminded business owners and [...]
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We all know that daily exercise is important for staying fit. However, there are plenty of excuses that keep many people away from daily workout routines when they are at home or work. One of the best ways to ensure regular workout is being enrolled into a fitness academy where the trainers will make sure you do not skip your fitness regime. This also shows that developing a career as a fitness trainer has a lot of prospect. You can not just get a good financial return, but you will also be able to maintain your health in good state. [...]
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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 [...]
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Disruption is that thing that happens when an established way of doing this or that, or your network suddenly discovers that it has new competition, from out of nowhere, overnight. Technology is disruptive because it is evolving and emerging so quickly. Customer service is disruptive because most companies do it so poorly and, when done well, it generates such a powerful connection with the customer. Ideas are disruptive because they are the source of all innovation and change. As the pace of change continues to accelerate it become harder to anticipate changes and at the same time more desperately important [...]
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Working in the fitness business is a really rewarding way to make a living, as many of the readers of Gym Insight Blog know from personal experience. There are some great lessons from training and working out that apply well to the practice of small business ownership. What follows here are some lessons from fitness, applied to the business of fitness, which I have picked up along the way that I want to pass on as thoughts to share, food for thought if you will. Step Outside Your Comfort Zone As trite as it sounds, no pain no gain. It [...]
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Because The Bigger They Are... As the big guys get bigger, and keep pouring cash into their fitness center locations, you might think that they would be impossible to beat. It's just a fact that large corporations have all the money and other financial resources at their disposal that anyone could wish for. That does not mean they have a monopoly on innovation or competitiveness. The independent gym owner can still do much to fight back effectively because having capital resources is only part of the equation. You have to have a human side that doesn't crush customers in the [...]
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It never hurts to look back at the predictions of the past and look at where the trends are leading at the present moment. I recently posted about the latest trends that were published by the American College Of Sports Medicine (ACSM). So I figured it might be appropriate to go back and look at how things are coming up from the view of the International Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA). Long time readers of this blog will remember that I posted an article about their trends for 2013. Now that we are through 2014 effectively it seems like [...]
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OK so it is about time to start looking at the trends for fitness in 2015 and the ACSM has released their most recent survey of club owners. There were not a lot of surprises but there are some interesting conclusions from that report and some other things that come up elsewhere that are really worth taking a look at. The trends for High Intensity Interval Training, bodyweight training and an increasing demand for trainer professionalism all seem to be holding course and continuing onward. It's like there is no real change from last year but that is sometime how [...]
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This is another article that takes a look at a particular brand in the gym business. I haven't been asked to write these and I don't receive any payment from them. This is just my attempt to put the gym management business in context and to spread a little knowledge and insight into what's going on, and why it might be interesting to gym owners. As always, your comments are welcome. There is always room in the fitness marketplace for creative and exciting ways to keep the membership interested and coming back for more. The New York born and bred [...]
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After all of the hard work and time you have put into your small gym business you owe it to yourself to maximize the value you get out of it when you sell it. Quite simply, the best time to sell your gym is when things are moving up. When it has gone beyond your expectations and is still going. That is the exit point that will give you the most satisfaction and arguably the most cash in your pocket. To make sure you are prepared, have an exit strategy and clear milestones to indicate when you intend to exit. [...]
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