Starting up a gym/supp store!

[smalls1]

Sup peeps me and a good friend our wanting to make our dreams come true and open a gym/supp store, and i mean go big cuz its go big or go home so we wanna incorperate not only your basic bodybuilding equipment but classes such as cross fit, and stuff like that for the fitness freaks, and add a badazz supp shop in it. I also wanna get a big bodybuilding and powerlifting following so if anybody has experience in this department or if you have any ideas to throw our way that would be great! I mean who better to ask then ppl like US right!!!???

[sofargone561]

Re: Starting up a gym/supp store!

He forgot to mention that SFG gets free stuff and no one else lol

On a serious note i have no real advice to give to you other then check demographics and pick a good location and market the piss out of it and make sure you go online you will do a lot of business online. Hopefully some other guys can chime in here and give you better advice. I think you will do good with an actuall gym gym. not these run of the mill things popping up for people to drop in for 5 minutes run on a treadmil post it on FB and leave but a place where people actually workout and better then selves and others

[chris32]

Re: Starting up a gym/supp store!

good luck with that!

[Heavy Hitter]

Re: Starting up a gym/supp store!

Don't kick people out for training with intensity.

[sofargone561]

Re: Starting up a gym/supp store!

Don't kick people out for training with intensity.

this, or grunting

[DaMaster]

Re: Starting up a gym/supp store!

.

I used to own a gym. Like you it was a life long dream. I had to close down when the local town opened a community center and undercut my membership rates by about 70%. It's the government and they have the tax dollars behind them and I just couldn't compete. I mention this because to me it sounds like your plan is for a large big box type of gym. Those gyms are VERY expensive to start up and operate, and you'll be competing with large chain gyms that have built in name recognition and a corporation behind them. I think that's an ENORMOUS challenge to over come. Remember those big box gyms charge a pretty small amount for their memberships. I have a membership at a couple of gyms so I can use which ever one I'm closest to. One of them is a 24 hour fitness. After my first year of around $600 I now pay $30 per year. They make no money on me at this point.

I'll open another gym again in the future for sure but I won't try to be all things to all people. I'll pick a niche, powerlifting type gym. I won't offer Zumba, yoga, spinning etc. I'm going to focus small on a special niche that's not well attended to in my area. I'll do this and do that one thing well.

I'd suggest starting on a smaller scale, cut your teeth on something easily managed with a lower cost investment. Make that a success and you can always expand bit by bit. Then you'll actually look like you're growing and being successful and that drives more people to you. Start HUGE and you have no where to grow... if you grow at all.

Just my opinion and not worth much. I do wish you the best of luck and hope you are a huge success.

Do we get a discount?

[smalls1]

Re: Starting up a gym/supp store!

LMFAO of course you would haha! And I hear where your coming from man. That's exactly what I told my friend, start small then expand. I rly just wanted one that looked like a dungeon and was for hard core lifters only but he wants to go bigger scale. However the supplement part was my idea. Anyways thanks for the advice man I hope we can get it going. If so I'll let everybody know. I just know its hard to compete with a big corperation.

[sofargone561]

Re: Starting up a gym/supp store!

Ive always wanted to buy a gym with a suppliment store in it. There is a gym downtown near me and its the only one around for a few miles so everyone around here uses it. I want to buy it and change a few things around and buy the store next to it and in the store next to it add a supplement store and tanning salon. But im piss poor and have knowledge about shit like this so as most people this will remain a dream as ai pursue hings closer to my reach lol. I wish you and anyone else in here chasing there dreams the best of luck!

[BABY1]

Re: Starting up a gym/supp store!

Sup peeps me and a good friend our wanting to make our dreams come true and open a gym/supp store, and i mean go big cuz its go big or go home so we wanna incorperate not only your basic bodybuilding equipment but classes such as cross fit, and stuff like that for the fitness freaks, and add a badazz supp shop in it. I also wanna get a big bodybuilding and powerlifting following so if anybody has experience in this department or if you have any ideas to throw our way that would be great! I mean who better to ask then ppl like US right!!!???

WE have some places around here that have been very succesful in a industrial type area! They rent a big warehouse and offer all the things you mention. No fluff. but great classes, equipment, and supps. I wish you the best of luck with this. Here is an example of what I am talking about. Look at the pictures and you can see the warehouse setting.

Gallery

Here is another one in industrial area ib a warehouse setting. Both these places are VERY successful.

About — FLO Fitness & Martial Arts

[tn94z]

Re: Starting up a gym/supp store!

From my experience in gyms (not owning them personally, just my perception), it's going to be very difficult to be a one stop gym. I have yet to see a gym that is cardio, crossfit, BB, and PL friendly all at once. More so because your cardio freaks will ALWAYS complain about the PL guys. It seems that no one wants to hear the weights banging and the grunting and all that comes with PL. Once you add in the spin and treadmills, etc....the older crowd starts coming in and they seem to be the ones complaining the most.

I agree with the advice of finding that niche and starting out with it. A true PL gym is going to be hard to mix everything else into from what I have seen. Good luck with it though! I would love to own something like that myself.

[wutlisstrice]

Re: Starting up a gym/supp store!

Ask FIST

[TGB1987]

Re: Starting up a gym/supp store!

.

I used to own a gym. Like you it was a life long dream. I had to close down when the local town opened a community center and undercut my membership rates by about 70%. It's the government and they have the tax dollars behind them and I just couldn't compete. I mention this because to me it sounds like your plan is for a large big box type of gym. Those gyms are VERY expensive to start up and operate, and you'll be competing with large chain gyms that have built in name recognition and a corporation behind them. I think that's an ENORMOUS challenge to over come. Remember those big box gyms charge a pretty small amount for their memberships. I have a membership at a couple of gyms so I can use which ever one I'm closest to. One of them is a 24 hour fitness. After my first year of around $600 I now pay $30 per year. They make no money on me at this point.

I'll open another gym again in the future for sure but I won't try to be all things to all people. I'll pick a niche, powerlifting type gym. I won't offer Zumba, yoga, spinning etc. I'm going to focus small on a special niche that's not well attended to in my area. I'll do this and do that one thing well.

I'd suggest starting on a smaller scale, cut your teeth on something easily managed with a lower cost investment. Make that a success and you can always expand bit by bit. Then you'll actually look like you're growing and being successful and that drives more people to you. Start HUGE and you have no where to grow... if you grow at all.

Just my opinion and not worth much. I do wish you the best of luck and hope you are a huge success.

Do we get a discount?

I agree with this ^ Supplements are the same way. It is a very competitive market. To compete with the big name supplement stores it can be tough. Many people buy online now because the prices are so low. Everyone is out to have the lowest price because that is what the people want so the profit gets lower and lower til it isn't worth selling certain products. It can be done but you have to be 100% into it. If you are talking about only a store in the gym that would be a little easier if you don't have a lot of competition locally. It is pretty easy to beat GNC's, Vitamin shops, and so on with price but there are so many supplements out there. It will be hard to please everyone. It is always a pleasure when a customer comes in my store and asks me if I can match a price they found on Amazon. Sometimes guys are losing money on products they sell on amazon just to get rid of a product . You can succeed at anything if you try hard enough. It will be tough but if you put everything you have into it and you love it you can make it work . Also beware of partners they almost always never work out when it comes to money and business. I love what I do and I would do even if I could barely survive doing it. IMO I would rather do what I love for a living and barely get by than be rich doing something I hate. Go after your dream you have to take a chance otherwise there is not possibility of making your dream come true!

[O2BESOHUGE]

Re: Starting up a gym/supp store!

GOOD LUCK WITH IT MAN!

[BICEPBULG]

Re: Starting up a gym/supp store!

3 years ago I asked what it took to open a supplement store. I put two things together. Supplements and smoothies. I now have 7 locations. I also help friends with their gyms and recently put one of my stores inside one. The cost of equipment will be around 150,000 if you cover the basics that people want. You need to lose the go big or go home attitude. That's good for lifting but not for business. Most building leases for the space needed would range from 4,000 - 10,000 a month. I would also make it 24/7 Supplement cost would be around 7,000.00 to cover everything you need. I franchise my stores if you would like to put one inside it. Feel free to pm me.

[BABY1]

Re: Starting up a gym/supp store!

Great advice here smalls!!!! Good luck to you