With over 40 years in the fitness industry, we are confident that we can provide you with the resources and tools you need to be successful in this challenging industry.
We need to hear from you
as soon as possible so that we can better understand your views, goals, hopes,
fears, and challenges. Having too much pride to ask for help is not the answer.
Hoping things will get better tomorrow is not the answer. Hope is not a
strategy. Remember, if you don’t ask, you’ll never know.
For all of us — and
especially for the many readers we’ve heard from lately — the fitness industry
suddenly feels like a very changing industry, one that just doesn’t seem the
same as years gone by.
For ourselves, our
families, and our financial success, we have to be able to meet the fitness
industry’s new and constant challenges. And that’s why you have to stop
avoiding your individual business challenges and seek assistance from seasoned
professionals. Don’t play hard to get. Reach out and ask questions, ask for
assistance, and always be moving forward and learning. I had a college
professor once tell me, “If you’re not always learning, you’re probably falling
behind.”
Everywhere we look, we
see rising tensions between large chains, franchises, and individual locations.
New competition ... new price wars ... and now, even the threat of government
intervention in the form of taxes and regulations.
The investment picture
is no less unsettling. We're seeing more mergers and acquisitions than ever
before. And now, more and more owners are throwing in the towel than at any
other time in our industry’s history. Why is this you ask — it’s because many
owners have no other choice but to surrender to the competition because they
were playing hard to get by not seeking help.
It’s an awful feeling
knowing that your business is out of control and the other shoe may be about to
drop, but not knowing when it will happen and who to turn to is the hardest
part.
To give you an idea of
what your competition has brought to our attention over the past couple of
years, the following list outlines their top concerns:
#1. Challenging business environment. Not surprisingly, owners are
primarily focused on the challenge of growing their businesses, including
finding new customers, hiring and retaining the right staff, and dealing with
the competition. Many were seeking help on ways to attract and retain customers
because they generally didn’t have large enough marketing budgets to compete with
the advertising dollars that larger companies had at their disposal.
#2. Landlord issues.
This was more common than not, many owners were unaware of their rights based
on the lease they signed. Many of their problems stemmed from paying too high
of rent, not understanding the triple net costs, personally guaranteeing the
lease, and how to deal with problems.
#3. Understanding Financials.
Again surprisingly, owners didn’t know their numbers, and didn’t understand
what their percentages should be. Many didn’t understand the correlation
between guests, telephone information calls, tours, and sales.
In conclusion, many of the owners spent
most of their time working in their business and not on their business.
Although it’s important to ensure their customers are happy, it’s equally
important for them to develop a business plan, which includes guidelines,
systems, and strategies.
My question for you is
simply this: How can we best help you?
I've made it easy for
you — just select the contact method you feel most comfortable with and let’s
talk.
Send
me an email: Send
an email to my personal inbox at gary@globalfitnessassociation.com.
Contact me directly: Simply pick up the phone and dial 925-672-4800 to reach me personally.
