4 ways to give your new gym the best chance of success

If you’re passionate about health, fitness and encouraging people to achieve their goals, running your own gym could be the ideal career for you. Of course, setting up a fitness center is a big endeavor, so you want to make sure that you get it right. Enthusiasm and dedication will be a big help, but on their own they are not enough. With that in mind, here are some top tips for giving your gym the best chance of success.

1. Invest in high quality equipment

When gyms were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many people began exercising at home instead. In order to persuade them to return to fitness centers now that it’s safe to do so, you have to show people that you have more to offer than their home gym does. One way to do this is by investing in a wide variety of top-quality equipment. This gives customers a lot of choice in how they work out, whether they prefer to run on a treadmill, use an elliptical, or focus on strength training machines. Having technologically advanced equipment is also a great way to both attract more clients and help them to get the best results.

2. Offer more than just a workout space

Simply having a physical space to exercise in is no longer enough to be a successful gym. After all, people could simply use their homes or local park for free. Instead, you need to provide lots of different facilities for people to use. As well as the equipment itself, this could include a sauna and steam room, massage chairs to relax in, and so on. If you’re unsure about what will be popular, working with a specialist agency such as EXOS Consulting is great for generating ideas and seeing them through to fruition.

3. Run innovative classes

One effective way to attract clients to your gym is by having a diverse range of classes on offer. Some people join a fitness center solely for this reason, so its importance can’t be overstated. It’s a good idea to offer as many different types of classes as possible, because this will appeal to the greatest number of people. Try to have a mix of high intensity sessions such as spin and boxercise, and low impact classes such as yoga and tai chi. Adding this kind of social aspect to your gym also gives people another reason to attend, as they make friends and support one another in their fitness journeys.

4. Hire top personnel

Your gym will only be as good as the people who work there, so aim to employ staff with high levels of expertise. This is especially important for your personal trainers and those who run your classes, but even your receptionists should be fit, healthy and knowledgeable in order to give customers the best impression of your fitness club. You can attract top personnel by offering an excellent salary and benefits, as well as utilizing the services of a recruitment agency. Be sure to give employees autonomy and the confidence to suggest new ideas, in order to truly benefit from their skills and knowledge.