Owning/Operating A Gym - Essay Sample

Introduction

Businesses are not only started with the aim of making a profit but also to meet a need existing within society. An entrepreneur is able to discover the need and transform it into a business idea. An example of a need is physical fitness which has become a necessity especially at this time when so many people are struggling with lifestyle diseases such as obesity. Starting a gym will meet the health and fitness needs of the society. Attending a gym has not only become a need but to some, they have made it a routine and a hobby. This, therefore, means that owning and operating a gym is a potential business which can be a profitable means to turn once' passion for health and fitness into a viable and potential business opportunity. Usually, fitness centers and gyms incorporate a variety of products and services. Gym and fitness industry has been tapped and hence operating in a competitive environment. Therefore, the owners of the gym should strive to be innovative and unique in their services in order to maintain a competitive advantage over their competitors.

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Thesis statement: fitness industry has become competitive and therefore succeeding in this business would require uniqueness in products and services provided and remarkable customer care.

Starting, Location, and Equipment

Starting would consider factors such as name, the location and the capital needed. The name chosen should be simple and have the name 'gym or fitness center'. The location should be strategic and accessible, a well lit and secure place for security purposes. A central place among estates is strategic. The capital is dependent on the size of the gym but registration, equipment, partitioning, and designing should be included. The room should be attractive, spacious, well ventilated and should have rooms for expansion. The choice of color should be bright and attractive (Peterson, 2018). Of importance is fitting it with air conditioners, a food and nutrition room, televisions and music systems for entertainment. The gym equipment should appeal to the wide customer variety while balancing between all the equipment. The equipment should include weight machines, flexion machines, street-strider, pull-up bars, weight training, wall bars, elliptical trainer, dumbbells, treadmills, benches, gloves among other basic equipment.

Services, Products and Customer Care

A better service to the clients should be a priority. The needs of the clients should be met making sure they are comfortable and satisfied. This will include providing the best and unique service that will make them come back for more (Zitnik et al., 2016). The products to be offered include weight lifting, training, scheduled exercises, entertainment and exercise where aerobics and dancing will be combined with weight lifting, eating for a health and fitness, aerobics, yoga, martial arts which will include judo, karate, aikido, kickboxing, and taekwondo. The gym will have a room for conducting lessons and training, a food and nutrition room. There will be classes grouped according to the age, the young, adults and the aged. Martial classes will be conducted by professional staff. In order to encourage exercise and attract more clients, there will be classes that will train the clients on how to dance but with a taste of exercise. The food would also be provided by a nutritionist who would sell food according to the body requirement of an exercising person. Music will also be played lightly and softly in the background to create a relaxed and social atmosphere.

Management and Staff

The gym would be managed by a person with management professional background, have past experience in managing and operating a gym. The management would ensure that the goals and objectives set for the business are met and ensuring that all the resources are combined to achieve profit and to sustain the business. The management would coordinate the various units of the gym ensuring that the responsibilities and duties assigned to each staff are achieved. The manager would also ensure that the staff taken in the various areas such as the gym instructors, the nutritionists, martial arts trainers among other staff are well experienced and can deliver their duties and responsibilities with much ease and efficiency. The staff of the gym would be taken to meet various responsibilities. The manager would be at the top, reporting to the owner, the supervisor, receptionist, nutritionists, gym instructors, and trainers will all serve different areas of the gym.

Marketing

Marketing is a very important aspect of the growth and development of the gym. The purpose of marketing would inform of the members of the surrounding areas of the existing gym, the location, the working hours, charges, the products and services available. The business will have many available avenues for marketing. Marketing will also serve the purpose of attracting new customer and therefore increasing the revenue for the business. Strategies taken would determine the efficiency of marketing (Glassman, 2015). One of the marketing strategies is to offer free days and discounts. Membership should be provided at different categories and duration. A client who has paid for a one-year membership, for instance, should be given a bigger percentage. Advertisements should be placed in local magazines. Social media is also another potential and effective platform where Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp would be used. Roadshows, posters, use of burners and word of mouth would also be applied in order to promote the business. The way the customers are treated is also another way through which the clients will be attracted.

Sources of Revenue

The sources of revenue for the business would be the daily payment from the clients. There would also be membership plans of different categories which have different payments. The first category would be one-year membership followed by six months membership, three months membership, one-month membership, and a week membership. Other sources of revenue would be from the lessons and training. Other source includes the sale of food and fitness gear such as tracksuits, shorts, and gloves. However, the largest revenue would be obtained from membership and daily charges from the clients and members.

Safety and Insurance

The facilities should be kept pristine always and customers should be allowed to access items for hygiene such as soap, hand sanitizer, and paper towels. The equipment should be inspected regularly for safety (Howden et al., 2015). The manuals for the gym equipment should be followed as recommended by the manufacturer. If a problem is experienced, the clients should be stopped from using the machine. The floors should be kept dry all the time. The room should be spacious to ensure that each individual is exercising at a safe distance from the other individual. Accidents are liabilities and hence the business should take an insurance policy to cover against accidents and injuries.

References

Glassman, G. (2015). Garage Gym II: the revolution. CrossFit journal. Retrieved from http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/35_05_Garage_Gym_II-The_Revolution.pdf

Howden, E. J., Coombes, J. S., Strand, H., Douglas, B., Campbell, K. L., & Isbel, N. M. (2015). Exercise training in CKD: efficacy, adherence, and safety. American Journal of Kidney Diseases, 65(4), 583-591. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272638614012803

Peterson, E. (2018). U.S. Patent Application No. 29/617,130. Retrieved from https://patents.google.com/patent/USD834857S1/en

Zitnik, M., Bucar, K., Hiti, B., Barba, Z., Rupnik, Z., Zaloznik, A., ... & Zibert, J. (2016). Exerciseinduced effects on a gym atmosphere. Indoor air, 26(3), 468-477. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ina.12226