If you have long been wondering how to open a fitness club, this article will help answer it. It would seem that in every city there are already a sufficient number of such clubs.
However, more and more people want to look good, be slim and monitor their health. A good figure is now in fashion, so a huge number of gyms and fitness centers are appearing.
Despite the fact that the opening of such a club can be very costly and difficult, this business, if successful, will soon pay off well.
Ways to open a fitness club
There are several options for opening a fitness club:
- buy a franchise from an existing network of clubs;
- open a new fitness center;
- buy a ready-made business.
Having bought a franchise, you get both a brand and a business plan for a fitness club, as well as assistance in finding a room and choosing equipment. But choosing this option, you still have to invest at least 30 thousand dollars and pay at least 5% of the profit every month.
To open a new fitness club from scratch, you need to solve many issues, such as renting a room, buying equipment, etc. If you choose the right strategy (and a well-composed business plan of the fitness club helps with this), the business can be very successful. For such a project, starting capital of $ 1800 per square meter of the selected premises is required.
Choosing the third option, you need to understand that the cost of a fitness club is the sum of the cost of the premises and profit for three to four years. A small club can be bought for 50-60 thousand dollars, but usually good objects are not for sale. This means that the buyer will have to correct many points in the purchased institution.
A business plan is your assistant!
Before embarking on a discovery, develop your fitness club business plan. In it, for starters, determine what organizational form of doing business you choose, which visitors your business will be designed for, in which room the fitness center will be located, with what equipment, how staff will be selected.
Do not forget about the financial component, that is, how much you have to invest in opening, then in the development of the club. Include a fitness club project in your business plan. In the end, evaluate the success of your venture and payback.
An example of a business plan of a fitness center can be made to order, but for a future businessman it will be more useful to work out this document yourself. This article will help you understand what you need to focus on.
Registration as a legal entity
Since 2009, permission to open a fitness center is not required, as licensing of fitness services was canceled. You should open a company, such as FLP, and pay tax. However, the best option would be to open an LLC or a private entrepreneur - customers have more trust in legal entities.
Typically, beginning entrepreneurs have a problem with choosing the organizational form for doing business and taxation. An individual entrepreneur, an individual entrepreneur, is liable with all his property in case of debt obligations, while a limited liability company, LLC risks only a share in the authorized capital. At the same time, when conducting IP, the document flow is very simple. We can say that there are pluses and minuses both there and there. You just need to study this issue more deeply, since only you can make a choice.
Room
Visitors to fitness centers usually go to places near home or work. Therefore, it is better to open such an institution in sleeping areas or other places where a large number of people gather. You should also check the presence of competitors nearby, the number of potential customers, etc.
When calculating the size, you need to consider the estimated number of visitors and the concept of the club. It is believed that at least 2 square meters are required per person. In the room under the fitness club should be good ventilation and communications. A big plus will be the presence of high ceilings. There must be a parking nearby and convenient transportation.
Of great importance is the design. The room should be comfortable, bright, spacious. Therefore, it will not be superfluous to order a fitness club project from specialists. The client should not feel discomfort, self-doubt due to too dark or bright walls, loud music, inconvenient location of the reception desk and fitness equipment, cold in the locker room, etc.
The layout of the fitness club should be such that the equipment, furniture, reception area and other rooms are in harmony with each other.
Equipment
When choosing equipment for fitness, one should proceed from the concept of the club. Each visitor has his own goals and level of training, so that, equipping the club, it is better to focus on different types of classes. Halls should be made for strength training, dancing, Pilates, yoga, etc.
The club should allow visitors to work on different muscle groups. In the gym for strength training you will need mechanical and cardio machines, rods, benches for the press.
Depending on the size of the room, you need to calculate the number of simulators. Power trainers can be purchased in large quantities, and expensive cardiovascular equipment will be enough in the amount of two or three.
When choosing a manufacturer, you should choose equipment suitable for commercial use, in which case it will last a long time. Choosing a popular manufacturer is not necessary - it will be more expensive to maintain.
It will be more convenient to choose the company that will deliver this equipment to the specified address and install with all the recommendations for care. Often, such companies offer training of fitness instructors on these simulators for a fee, which will not be superfluous.
Approximate cost of simulators:
- professional power simulator - from 2600 dollars;
- Professional exercise bike - from $ 2,450;
- Professional treadmill - from 8050 dollars;
- professional elliptical trainer - from 3280 dollars;
- benches and stands for the gym - from $ 285.
This is the minimum set of simulators, without which even the opening fitness center can not do. The fitness club business plan should contain this information.
Relaxation
For leisure visitors will need to purchase the necessary furniture. In this case, it will be necessary to take into account the tastes of the prospective customers, it will even be possible to arrange a survey: what kind of furniture they want to see in the fitness center. Furniture for fitness clubs is very diverse in design and comfort: manufacturers take into account the tastes of different categories of people.
Indoors you can put small soft sofas and armchairs, sofas and armchairs harder, chairs, tables. In the reception area, you will need to install bedside tables, a safe (for storing the property of visitors), shelves or wall cabinets (for drinks, dishes). Of course, in the locker room you will need cabinets for things and benches. Furniture should be in harmony with the design of the premises.
Staff
One of the most important quality indicators, which should include a business plan of a fitness center, is the presence of a good trainer. If visitors are unhappy with the coach, they will soon find another club. The charm of the staff greatly affects the opinion of visitors. Do not save on coaches, especially if the club is small.This can only be afforded by large centers, they usually have a turnover of both customers and staff.
Finding a qualified trainer is quite difficult, as this specialist needs medical and sports education to become a professional. Also, the trainer should be able to control the well-being of people and distribute the load. Sports universities do not train fitness trainers, this requires special courses. They can be quite expensive, and many take several of these courses. So the salary of a professional trainer will be high.
In addition, the coach must be sociable and positive. This is very good for attracting customers. For staff, the ability to captivate and give visitors as many positive emotions as possible is important.
The administrator of the fitness center plays an equally important role. It is necessary that he understand the field of management and the fitness industry. Often this position is occupied by one of the club's coaches, while receiving a surcharge.
For document management and tax payments, as well as reporting for the tax organization, you will need to hire an accountant. It is better not to save on this specialist, but to take an experienced one, so that later you will not suffer from the mistakes of an inexperienced and young employee. It is worth remembering that it is impossible to joke with the tax, and mistakes here are unacceptable.
Sale of services
Of particular benefit to the fitness club is the sale of club cards with a long validity period of 6 months or a year. Also, the sale of season tickets can be increased by giving customers the opportunity to pay by installments. In most of these cases, the card is first paid at 50%, and the remaining amount is distributed for several months. Profit will bring additional services.
For example, you can make a small massage room, manicure and a solarium, a swimming pool, as a modern person is limited in his free time, these additional services will be in demand. Personal trainer - a service in demand, a modern person is ready to overpay for a personal trainer who will help you choose physical activity and nutrition for a particular person. And he will lead it until the end of the personal program.
Profit
If you invest about 40-50 thousand dollars in a business, then with its quality management it can pay off in a year. Subsequently, the amount of profit will depend on the number of visitors, the variety of services provided and their prices. The profitability of the fitness club is approximately 15%. The profitability of small clubs is 5-10 thousand dollars.
In the first year of its existence, a small fitness club should sell about 500-600 half-yearly and annual subscriptions worth $ 100-500 in order to pay off and make a profit. In this situation, the revenue will be about 160 thousand dollars, of which, in the best case, the profit will remain 75 thousand dollars. The net earnings of such a club will be 50 thousand dollars.
Advertising
Do not forget about advertising, because this is one of the most important levers in the business of attracting customers. You can and should start advertising with your relatives, friends, acquaintances. The first customers in any business are people who are familiar to you or familiar to your friends. The least expensive will be sending out mail to business centers, distributing leaflets, advertising in free newspapers.
You can advertise a fitness club on social networks and in public transport. When developing a business, advertising can be served on television, for example, on local channels, in more serious publications, as well as hanging several banners around the city. On the opening day, organize a presentation in the form of free use of gym equipment.
There are little things that the visitor will be pleased to receive for free. This, for example, free water, towels. It all depends on your imagination and financial capabilities.
Children's fitness
Children's fitness is gaining popularity these days.From a young age, a child can thus be accustomed to a healthy lifestyle. Children's fitness is a healthy posture, and coordination, and willpower.
Sports in childhood instills the right values in life, gives self-confidence, and group classes will not deprive the child of communication with peers.
Not to mention that it is very convenient for parents who have no one to leave their child with to go to training. For children's fitness, it will be necessary to provide a separate room from adults with a cheerful and colorful design.
For such fitness you will need to purchase gymnastic balls, cones, rings, children's fishing rods, moving platforms, runbikes, massage mats, tactile discs, bicycles. Such types of fitness equipment will help not only to play sports, but also to turn ordinary physical exercises into a fun and entertaining game. For adolescents (11-17 years old) will need to purchase special simulators to perform a wide range of exercises.
Hiring a trainer for children will be much more difficult than for an adult. He should not only have a pedagogical and medical education, but also be able to find an approach to each child, since all children are special, with their own tastes and habits. Each child has his own character. For a child’s trainer, it’s important to be able to support and motivate the child to exercise.
Summary
If you do not want to spend your whole life working for another person, there is a way out - your business. A fitness club with the right leader will bring profit, good mood, excellent physical shape to all visitors, happiness to the owner from doing what he loves.
The main thing is to surrender to this business with all your heart, put all your strength into it, and a good result will not keep you waiting! And an example of a fitness club’s business plan will help you figure out your dream and highlight the strengths and weaknesses of your future business.
