Gym Entrepreneuer

[insaiyan93]

How much would you pay per month for a gym that catered to our particular needs?

I know i personally would be more than happy to shell out anywhere from $75 maybe even $100 a month for a "good" gym.

Of course some of the stipulations i would personally have would be that chalk is allowed, 24 hour access, no restriction on noise being made from weights slamming(as long as im not breaking anything),a good loud stereo system that plays good lifting music, a couple platforms for deadlifts/oly lifts, and preferably atleast 3-4 squat racks.
Which i think is pretty reasonable for a gym that caters to more devoted lifters.

 

[Just Fish]

I paid 65 a month at that powerhouse over 10 years a ago. I currently pay 60 a month for a gym that I hate. The only reason I joined is do to the sauna and very low traffic but that has changed. I will be joining the golds gym near me shortly and they charge 80 per month. I live in New Jersey. I would pay 80 for a gym like that.

 

[Demondosage]

Hey trukker, check out the rig I saw last night

 

[gr8whitetrukker]

The problem with it is there just aren't all that many guys like us. Your radius of potential clientele is maybe 10 miles I think your max memberships would probably be in the 100 range. 100 memberships at 70 per month is only 7 grand a month. Factor in utilities, rent an employee or two and there isn't much meat on the bone.

I've done absolutely no research on the subject but there are no boutique gyms where I live. Even competitive bodybuilders use LA fitness. I'd say gym I've used has maybe 20-25 guys that I would consider "serious" and maybe half of them would be willing to pay a premium price for a membership.

I am in the Midwest though- land of the fattys. I'm sure you get more juiceheads up in the northeast and out west so I suppose it also depends on your location.

Now if you could get a YouTube channel or some shit that got some traction that would spread out your radius.

I've always wanted to open a gym too but the last small gym I was a member of changed ownership 3 times in three years. I just think the margins on a gym suck.

Gyms make money on the people that DONT use them. Everyone would use yours.

Perception on things change with locale.
My small hometown up in CNY isnt a good market for some flamboyant hardcore gym. Probably much like the rural midwest or where ever your from. In my teens and twenties i trained at a small privately owned fitness center that lay beneath a failing mall. When i say "mall" it was really just a small business center about the size of a courthouse filled with small mom&pop stores. Nothing corporate and mostly hippie related wares. No one shopped there. At least i didnt. The gym was great i worked there on sundays opened and closed the place for free in exchange for a free membership. I built up trust with the owner and he allowed me to handle it how i wanted. One HUGE perk was after hours i turned half the lights off, locked the doors and had the entire place to myself for a workout. No sharing equipment, no noise except the banging of my own weights and no people. It was freakin awesome! Every now and then the owner would throw a complimentary jug of protein my way. I was just happy to have a free membership and glad to handle his business. In a small town this was the only real gig. We had a YMCA in town but mostly older guys went there and wasnt really a nice place and cost more too. So given the population of a town like that it really wouldnt be a good place to set up a gym like i want. It just wouldnt work. No matter how cool it was.

That was over 15+yrs ago. I now live in a HUGE well known metro area in the south. Many many well known pros train and trained here. You all would know them if i was to tell you WHO they are because their names are synonomous with where their from. This place thrives and i think would do very well with good marketing and exposure for an idea like mine. It could attract professionals which is the type of clientele you want and amateurs alike. Its just a calculated guess and i certainly have time to digest all this and iron everything out but i cant really think of a better place to be if a gym is your game.

 

[gr8whitetrukker]

Some day when i get a lil free time im gonna take the drive to Wichita Falls and visit Mark Rippetoe's gym the WFAC. And see how a pro handles his business. Should be a pretty cool experience

 

[Super Charge]

I didn't read everyones replies but I know personally that partnerships are a fuckin mess. I own 2 businesses right now. One has a partner that is involved, does a 3rd of the work, and wants half the profit. We each have our own ideas on what needs to be done and we can butt heads frequently due to different work ethics. Hate the situation. The other I just have an investor that has enough trust in me to just let me do it. He'd spent over 300k and didn't even come to the business for over a year. He finally did visit and I said "here's where all of your money went". This is ideal for me and not the norm.
If you can fund it yourself do not involve anyone else in the ownership. Also, location is key, even if it's on a backstreet it has to have the right feel or someshit, IDK. I see nice buildings with good restaurants or whatever fail in the same buildings all the time. Word of mouth will do some but you need the guys that see you out in front and think "who's that big s.o.b. out there washing cars in his dukes". Anything to get the members in the door. Good luck,