If you’re considering opening your own fitness business there’s a lot of things to think about before taking the plunge.
You’ll have an idea in your mind of what you want, but determining whether the idea makes commercial sense and is sustainable is extremely important.
Read on for our top five tips to help you get your new fitness business off the ground.
Lay the foundations
Start the planning stage by completing a comprehensive budget. Equipment costs are the obvious place to start, but don’t forget other outgoings like marketing, utility bills and insurance.
Speak to owners of similar sized gyms to get their advice about some of the potential pitfalls in the industry.
Boost your budget by taking advantage of Pala Casino offers to generate extra income and seek independent financial advice to make sure your budget stacks up.
Use a design service
A full design service offers customers the opportunity to see full 3D images of what their gym will look like prior to placing an order.
Engineers will attend site, assess your equipment needs and take full measurements. From there, they will prepare you a full 3D Cad designed presentation and a quote for you to approve.
Use a company who can also audit your equipment – this is particularly useful if you expand your business over more than one site.
For a more corporate look, you could consider colour coding your upholstery and incorporating embroidered gym logos.
Don’t skimp on servicing
Regular servicing and maintenance of gym equipment reduces the number of breakdowns and increases the longevity of equipment, preventing costly repair and replacement.
Each item of equipment should be serviced twice a year to meet the strict industry health and safety requirements.
There are different levels of service plans you can utilise. These include ad hoc, annual scheduled service agreements, all-inclusive contracts, audit servicing and full estate management.
Invest in your website
It can be tempting to try and cut corners to keep costs down, but investing resources into a regularly updated website will help you attract new members.
Making a strong first impression is vital in any industry, while ensuring it’s easy for people to find details about your services keeps existing members happy too.
Publishing regular features about what’s happening at your facility builds a sense of community, aids customer retention and boosts your hopes of seeing new members sign up.
Get social
Establishing and maintaining a strong social media presence is crucial to the success of any business.
Facebook and Twitter are now many people’s first port of call when they’re looking for information. Keeping these platforms updated is an easy way to attract new members and engage with existing ones.
Creating social content helps you advertise your business and provides effective targeted marketing as members share your posts with their family and friends.