As 2023 enters midyear, recession chatter is building. The stock markets are tilting sideways. OPEC just announced a hold on production. Inflation is still high and, for the first time in years, job openings are declining. What does this mean for your gym? How can you take advantage of an economic downturn? Well, let’s remember three years ago, the world shut down. And despite the 2020 pandemic eliminating thousands of mom-and-pop gyms, your company made it. Many gyms, indeed, thrived once doors reopened. How did the best gyms survive the COVID shutdown? The owners kept spying opportunities instead of barriers. Lawrence, Gym Insight Here [...]
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Welcome to our monthly customer profile. This spring we are speaking with Claude Mumpower III, owner of Iron Mayhem Strength and Conditioning in Bristol, Virginia. He brings an optimistic, growth-focused perspective we are excited to share with you. Lessons learned while growing a gym Mumpower established Iron Mayhem in 2014 after retiring from a career in law enforcement. His first fitness center maxed out at 2,000 square feet, which he quickly outgrew. Unfortunately, Mumpower jumped into his next location without vetting the lease and found an expensive secondary agreement that cost him both time and money. Using that mistake as a lesson [...]
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Guest blog authors: Mariann Murphy, Vice President, Medical Fitness Association Cosmo Wollan, Senior Executive, Synergy Cubed Approximately 45 million adults in the U.S. have a gym membership. Sounds like a lot, but the sad reality is that’s only 14 percent of the population (Source: Realbuzz). Baby boomers alone make up over 21 percent of the population. According to ACSM’s Worldwide Surveys of Fitness Trends for 2023, the number 4 top trend is: “Fitness Programs for Older Adults.” It’s no secret that people are living longer, working longer and, most important, wanting to stay active longer. Tap into your client’s wellness [...]
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Danny Fagan, director of customer service Here’s the inside scoop — Daniel’s the guy who’s in charge of keeping our customers happy. We count on him to direct a team of U.S.-based customer service pros who reflect our gym-obsessed focus. Then, because he’s so close to the customer and understands their day-to-day so well, we made him our training specialist, too. Here, he and his team ensure our customers know how to use every feature built into the software, recognizing that no matter how well-designed a product is, there’s always a hurdle to overcome. Read on for the lowdown on Daniel. [...]
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Who Are You? Where You Are Going & The Vision Thing This is a follow-up to the article about the key values that you need to consider in regard to your customers. There are three things which customers value most, in my experience, that I elaborated in the first article of this topic. Beyond that, you will need to decide on your own list of values, because only you know the reason that you got into the gym ownership business in the first place. Likewise, only you can decide on the vision for your organization. The vision statement of your organization sets out [...]
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You’ve got the energy, ideas, and passion for your sport. But what about some solid facts about how to open your own club? This June, we’re going to help you learn what it takes to start a gym. Each week, we will cover an important step to your successful new business launch and provide some common sense advice from established gym owners. First, do you have a business plan? Why do I need a business plan? Too many small business owners open their first fitness center without creating a strong plan of action. A business plan is a written guideline [...]
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Gym Management Have you considered raising your gym membership rates yet? It’s a scary thought but the truth is inflation is running hot with no signs of cooling off. As a gym owner, you get the big picture: higher fuel prices, limited labor market, and costly commodities. This all adds up to less cash in the bank. And, even though you didn’t start a gym to make a fortune, that buffer between income and expenses — aka your profit margin — is the foundation of a well-run business. Profit is where growth, reinvestment, and risk-taking occur. In order to keep [...]
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Growth This summer, drive gym membership for college students by offering them a great deal on your awesome club. Last year, we wrote a blog urging gym owners to reach out to cooped-up college students tired of learning online and alone. Your gym would become their oasis – a place to meet friends, expend some energy, and prepare for a new year on campus. A refuge from a rough, COVID-crazy year. This year, the kids are back home for the summer and ready to hit an exercise class or two. Let’s look at some reasons it’s the perfect time to target this [...]
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Customer Stories Gym Insight's digital keytags fixes a big problem in the gym business — access theft. This innovative door access system reduces theft by making it nearly impossible for members to share gym keys. Read on to discover how this simple change made a big difference for gym owners just like you. Photo credit: Tangible Wellness ProFitness Greenville Mark Edwards, owner of ProFitness Greenville in Greenville, South Carolina, runs a gym and personal training studio. He is, as he likes to say, a “one-man show.” Despite having bought the fitness center at the end of 2020, business is thriving. Gym membership has tripled [...]
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We invite you to test our newest product – digital keytags. If you've ever worried about customers sharing keys or have lost business because you can't get to the club in time, this key is for you. Gym Insight's newly released, app-based digital keytags are equipped with a QR code that can never be copied or shared. At the same time, members enjoy immediate, secure mobile access to your fitness center within minutes of sign-up. How does our digital keytag work? Customers download an app on their mobile phones. Embedded in the app is the digital keytag. Your member simply pulls [...]
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Opening a new gym can be really stressful. You’ve put a ton of money into this new business and now it’s time to switch on the lights and hope members sign up fast enough to cover mounting bills. But it does not have to be that way. Established gyms know the best way to promote a new location is Pre-sales. This simple idea takes the pressure off opening day and provides much-needed cash for final construction snafus. What are gym membership pre-sales? These are sold prior to your fitness center’s opening. Marketed through social media or an advertising campaign, this [...]
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Buying used gym equipment for your business can seem like a cop-out. Why would you invest in second-hand gear for an industry seeped in an Instagram culture? Don’t looks matter here? Uh, no, actually. What matters is keeping your health club in the black so you can stay in business. Last month, Gym Insight’s sales representative interviewed Steven Harvalias, owner of Superfitness New & Used Gym Equipment, based in Burlington, North Carolina, about starting a successful fitness business. In this podcast, Steve and Anthony Pasquale discuss how keeping start-up costs low and customer service at top-of-mind, safeguards an emerging gym’s success. Originally [...]
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Ensuring your fitness center appears in an internet search engine's local business listing feed is one of the most important marketing steps you can take as a new gym owner. Your health club needs to be on the list when a potential member types in “gyms near me.” Here’s how to make sure you’ve got a shot at the top spot. Which are the top business citation sites? There are literally hundreds national directories, but you need to make sure your gym is listed in the top business citation sites. As well, your gym should be listed on top industry niches. Niches [...]
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As a gym owner, you're constantly balancing spending money with losing money. One of the hardest decisions is always — where to invest your marketing dollars. Although that's a complex question, it might be easier to start at a very basic idea. From how far away will someone drive to exercise at your gym? Most industry experts say about four miles. Gym goers will trek twice that distance, or between six and eight miles, if they can expect a high-end, exclusive club experience. There are exceptions, of course, but we can safely assume the best way to survive – and thrive as [...]
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It takes passion to run a small gym. Not just an interest in hanging around weights, but a true desire to be in the industry, to pull it off when so many factors are pushing against you. We all want you to succeed, but what does it take to make it in today’s competitive fitness industry? Who are the ones succeeding? Most Americans are not gym members! Fewer than 40% of people in the United States currently have gym memberships, according to Policy Advice’s research. That totals about 64 million people who visit a club regularly. So although the number [...]
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