It’s MY opinion that’s uninformed, though.
I’m curious if you have a sense of how many highly dedicated lifters are in your area, and how you arrived at the number.
Regardless, best of luck with the venture.
[quote]landuatj wrote:
@pk0ad
Thank you for mentioning my uninformed opinion. However,
No, I am not going about it ass backwards.
- I know who my target costumer is.
- I know how to meet their needs. (There is an underserviced population here in my area that are serious about the lifting they do and the lifting sports they participate in. However, there is no place that caters to them. Just places where, I’ll put it in one of their own words: “You know it sucks but Ill just do the best I can with what they have available.”)
-I’ve been in this process and I bleieve I have, for the most part, come up with a plan/model which will provide these people with a place that meets their needs for a competitive price.
If you read what I am saying is actually this:
I am thinking about, starting the process, of opening a gym in my area. Im putting together the business plan(meaning that I have thought about things and have a general idea of what I want to do and how I want to do it)but, I am asking anyone who owns, has owned, or who operates a gym if they have any advice for someone who is looking to do the same thing. Something that I have not thought of
Example: “Hey, when I started my gym I forgot to budget for repair and maintnence costs. Once I rectified this I found myself more prepared for those emergencies. Being able to take care of this allowed for a better quaility of gym, a better quailty of experience for my members, and as an extension a more profitable and less stressful business.”
I will agree with you that the market is saturated. However, for the most part with clubs that compete for the same type of member. Zumba loving, BOSU ball ballancing, I need aqua aerobics, and if it isn’t fun it isn’t exercise pansies. You know the old catch 22. Its better that they do something then nothing but how much more then nothing are they doing? The serious lifters lift at one of these many places by defacto. The gyms dont market for that specific member type. Gold’s hold most of them because of Gold’s reputation. However, these Gold’s franchises are not even weightlifting oriented.
As one of my former clients, a fourtune 200 CFO and Executive VP, told me: " You have to ask yourself how do you build a better mousetrap?" In this scenario I provide a space and equipment that serves the underserved and most dedicated of lifters in my area. By extension we create a atmosphere of succeess, motivation, and dedication that attracts anyone in the area who truly wants to be better. In short we promote Quality by being better in every facet of what we do. I don’t want mom’s who want at least 60 classes a week but go to two. I dont want a place where somebody is looked at wierd if they use choke, puke, grunt, or lift over 225lbd(oh my). I want a place where success and hard work are appreciated, aknowledged, and celebrated. We have everything else in the area but we dont have that. I can provide that and although only a nutshell it is a better mousetrap. [/quote]