by jimthomas | May 23, 2018 | fitness center business, gym business, gym business plan, gym consultant, gym marketing, Gym Marketing Promotion, Gym Sales Help, gym sales training, jim thomas on demand webinar, Member Retention, New Gym Start Up
Starting a business is tough but it can also be rewarding. Apart from the obvious benefits, such as working at your own pace and setting your own hours, running your own business also gives you a sense of satisfaction. At the same time, it requires you to be hardworking and persistent. No one is going to supervise you and tell you to do your work. You have to motivate yourself to get things done.
Taking Setbacks in Stride
Often, it can be difficult to keep going in the face of setbacks. But you have to remember that there are going to be setbacks in any business venture. Nothing ever goes 100% smoothly. You have to learn to take these setbacks in your stride and think of them as opportunities instead.
Creating a Budget
Most business owners go in with a certain financial plan. In your budget, you need to consider the rent on the space (unless you own it, in which case you are at a distinct advantage), the cost of equipment, the cost of hiring staff, the cost of marketing etc.
Turning Budget Setbacks into Opportunities
Most people find that they exceed their budget to some extent or the other. But this doesn’t have to hold you up.
- Rent: If you can’t afford the rent in the neighborhood of your choice, consider a different neighborhood. It may not have that many gyms but this could be to your advantage as it eliminates the competition.
- Equipment: If you don’t have money for as much equipment as you would like to get, get what you can. And start conducting classes instead, like yoga, free weight and dance classes. Then when you can afford to get more equipment, go ahead and get it.
- Staff: If the trainer you wanted to hire decided to go somewhere that paid him more money, don’t sweat it. Hire someone who’s just starting out instead. Chances are they’ll appreciate the opportunity and work even harder for you.
You can take any setback and turn it into an opportunity. Who knows? The setback may have appeared just to help you change your path and opt for a path which works out better for you.
Contact us for more great tips to start your fitness center business.
by jimthomas | Jun 8, 2017 | fitness center business, gym business, gym consultant, Gym Sales Help, jim thomas on demand webinar, Member Retention, New Gym Start Up
Thinking of starting a gym business? Starting your own gym is a great way to become an entrepreneur while doing the things you love. Here are a few important points you should think about when crafting your business strategy.
Study the Market
It’s vital that you do market research before you make the plunge. Research various locations and areas to see if they will be a good fit for your business. What are the people in those areas interested in? What are their gym habits? What are their demographics? Which competitors will you face, if any? This will help you develop a strategy that will make you successful and unique.
Develop Your USP
In order for any business to be successful, it must have a USP (Unique Selling Point). What makes you unique over your competition? Is it certain gym equipment that only you offer? Is it various classes or workout sessions that can only be found at your gym? Is it the membership price and its perks? Whatever it is, make sure you are unique.
Don’t Go It Alone
In order for a gym business to be successful, you’ll need expertise in so many areas: Fitness, weight loss, gym equipment, physical training, marketing, advertising, web development and more. You’ll also need the funds to get your business up and running. It’s unlikely that you can do all of this on your own, so get a partner or mentor to help you out. If you are thinking of starting a gym business but aren’t sure where to start, contact us today!
by jimthomas | May 12, 2017 | fitness center business, Fitness Jobs, fitness management webinar, gym business, gym consultant, gym design, Gym Jobs, Gym Sales Help, Health Club Jobs, Independent Health Club Survey, jim thomas on demand webinar, Member Retention, New Gym Start Up
If you have built your fitness center business from the very beginning, chances are good that you have put in a lot of hard work and money to get it going and make it successful. Unfortunately, this can make it hard for you to look at your gym in a neutral way. This is one of the benefits of hiring a gym consulting firm to help you.
Even though your fitness center might be a labor of love, there is a chance that there are some improvements that could be made. If you haven’t updated the look of your gym on the inside or outside in a while, for example, it might be time to do so. If you have been marketing your fitness center in the same way for years, it might be time to try something new. If you haven’t made any major changes, it might be time to invest in some new equipment or start up some new classes.
An experienced consultant can look at your fitness center in an unbiased way and can help determine if there are any changes that need to be made. Then, you can work together to come up with a plan to update and improve your facility. This can help your business grow and improve and can even boost your bottom line. It can also help you ensure that your gym is successful in the long-term. If you are looking for a consulting firm that you can count on, contact us at Fitness Management and Consulting to find out how we can help.
by jimthomas | May 4, 2017 | fitness center business, Fitness Jobs, fitness management webinar, gym business, gym consultant, gym design, Gym Jobs, Gym Sales Help, Health Club Jobs, Independent Health Club Survey, jim thomas on demand webinar, Member Retention, New Gym Start Up
It is kind of surprising that there are still fitness clubs that do not have an active blog. In today’s social media environment, blogging is essential for attracting potential members. Regardless of how well your website is designed, an active blog is often the difference between 10 website visitors a day, and 500 visitors per day. Is that something you could use in your situation?
Ultimately, every blog entry creates a new web page and a new opportunity for a future member to find you. The typical business website will have 5-10 web pages, maybe even a few more depending on the design. While this may sell a prospect that is ready to buy a fitness club membership today, it is likely not enough to get the person to your website in the first place. Every blog post is a new page for the search engines to index, for visitors to share on social media, and for other websites to reference and link back.
While you can provide the same, generic information that so many other fitness clubs produce, in order to stand out you must create content that is uniquely valuable to your ideal fitness club member. While some of this may include the standard “How to Burn More Calories” articles, you must branch out with fresh and relevant content, and treat blogging as a creative work. With this in mind, here are some great blogging ideas to boost fitness club sales.
Blogging Ideas for Fitness Clubs
- Why you became a fitness professional and opened your club.
- Expose the bad advice or praise the good advice of a celebrity trainer.
- Share information about a successful fitness club event, consider adding photos or a video.
- Recommend a local restaurant and talk about your favorite menu item as a cheat meal.
- Demonstrate the use of a funny piece of fitness equipment.
- Write about a local charity or cause that your fitness club supports.
- Share healthy recipe versions of local or regional favorite foods.
- Answer real customer questions. If one person asked, there are many who wonder silently.
- Share behind the scenes stuff, such as celebrating an employee’s birthday or a baby shower.
- Review other local (non-competing) health and fitness businesses.
What haven’t we covered yet that is important to you? If you like to talk about blogging ideas to boost fitness club sales, or a related topic, please contact us.
by jimthomas | Apr 27, 2017 | fitness center business, Fitness Jobs, fitness management webinar, gym business, gym consultant, gym design, Gym Jobs, Gym Sales Help, Health Club Jobs, Independent Health Club Survey, jim thomas on demand webinar, Member Retention, New Gym Start Up
Running a fitness center is a dream for many people. The work is rewarding, and you are your own boss. Having success is harder than many people realize. Although your work is important, you must make a profit when running your business. If you want to have success running a fitness center, you need to follow three key principles.
- Put Customers First
- Reduce Expenses
- Market to New Clients
Put Customers First
A lot of fitness centers are difficult for customers to enjoy. Building a quality experience for customers is first on your priority list. There are many fitness options that your customers can choose from. If it is not fun for customers, they will choose somewhere else for their fitness needs.
Reduce Expenses
When starting out in business, the expenses get increase quickly. As a business owner, reducing expenses leads to higher profits over time. Always make sure to think about the financial payback of every decision you make. It is tempting to upgrade your facility to the nicest one in town. However, you really need to market to your core customers in your local area. Spend money where it matters, but never spend so much that you go out of business.
Market to New Customers
Marketing is essential for any new business to have success. A lot of business owners struggle in this area. People who own a fitness center would rather be working with clients on their diet and exercise program. However, there are a lot of benefits to marketing. Especially when starting out, make sure to spend a considerable amount of time marketing to new clients. Starting a fitness center is not easy, but we are here to help in this process.
by jimthomas | Apr 21, 2017 | fitness center business, Fitness Jobs, fitness management webinar, gym business, gym consultant, gym design, Gym Jobs, Gym Sales Help, Health Club Jobs, Independent Health Club Survey, jim thomas on demand webinar, Member Retention, New Gym Start Up
When I first started as a sales person in the gym business, I was terrible. Every Monday when the sales standings would come out for the 4 clubs, I was dead last. I was so uncomfortable in the sales process, my mouth would actually get so dry that I could barely get any words out.
It’s amazing that I was not fired, but as long as I was still there, I wanted to get better. I was talking to a “seasoned” salesperson and he gave me a 2 inch thick 3-ring binder and told me me to go memorize it and I would be fine. I said fine, I’ll memorize it.
So, every moment that I had, I stood in front of my mirror at home withe recorder on and recited every script and scenario until I knew it perfectly. The results were astounding. Not only did my sales go up, but I became the sales manager of that very gym in 6 months and then at age 23 I opened my first of 6 gyms.
This experience has been the driving force in me putting togetherjimthomasondemand.com. I want to help you shorten the learning curve and improve your earnings.
I would like to invite you to try us out for FREE or 30 days. If you like it, it’s only $39 per month and quit when you like. jimthomasondemand.com
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Here’s what others say; I am a sales professional with over three decades of sales and marketing experience but no experience in the fitness industry; your website is my lifeline and it’s secretly makes me look really really smart. John K. VP sales and marketing.
Your site is invaluable. I just wish I would have found you sooner. I’m making more money personally but now I can better develop my team so I can make bonus. John F. General Manager
Hope to see you there.
Thank you.
Jim
