Have you ever thought about owning your own gym? When you decide to own a business it should be doing something you’re passionate about doing, and if you are passionate about fitness then it makes sense to want to open a gym or fitness club that’s exclusive to your target audience.
For example, there are some gyms that cater exclusively to women and there are others that focus on just classes rather than with equipment. As long as you have an online health club safety certification, you’re going to be able to go places with your new business. Before you open your doors, there are some things that you’re going to need to consider to make sure that your new business venture is a total success. So, with this in mind, here they are!
- There’s a lot of ignorance out there. If you are dreaming of opening your own fitness club, you need to remember that while you’re helping others in a positive way, you need advice. You might not be a PT or a fitness expert and that’s okay – but you do need to hire some! Don’t be ignorant about the fitness world or about your target audience before you even get your business off the ground. Each industry has some key factors you need to know about, and gyms are no different. Find someone to help you to run your new place and work with the advice of others.
- Build something that works. What’s your niche? Are you catering a gym just for girls? Are you hoping to cater for those who want classes or those that want to sauna and workout on treadmills? You have to work with your legal team to ensure that you are able to segment the gym market without causing offence or discriminating against others. You might not be all things to all people, and that’s perfectly fine. You should consider what you want to offer and then put the feelers out to see if you would have any interest.
- Are you accessible? Your new health club or gym needs to be accessible for those you want to attract. If you’re off the beaten path, then the smart thing to do is to make sure that you can be found and provide signage locally to let people know you’re there. You need to make sure that your new health club is a convenient one, or you will find that people won’t want to bother looking for you. You’ll be closed before you know it!
- You don’t have a concept. You need to build the concept of your gym around your target market and make sure that it’s clearly defined and set out. You need to have your equipment and training programs laid out in advance, your logo, your colors – it all counts. If you’re going to have a cafe and a sauna on site, these should be listed, too! Having your own gym is a big job – are you ready for it?
