Alice Nadin Responded on 12/9/2009

ASHLEY -

Start with research - outline your own ideas then look in your community &commuting area for competitive business or activitier. Thees will be your competition and the choices your potential client base is using now. Include school programs, community services, YMCA, church offerings (I know in my area they are very active with related activities) and of course the other gym options. Make charts of that is the same, what is not (it is the NOT that may be the niche you can offer --- or may be something that does not appeal to your market area)........... your goal is to understand every, everything you can about what is out there. including services, prices, facility benefits/expectations, affiliates (if there an Association you need to be in?)

AND then expand online to see similar facilitates around the country for more ideas - add to your plan.

AND then start pulling together your business plan for a written plan will force you to answer all the questions about this business including the tough ones like month by month financial flow of cash IN and cash out -- and there will be a lot more cash OUT before there is any cash in for the 1st years -- so get your $$$ in details.

See similar plans - see the detail and get ideas :
http://www.bplans.com/business_plan_search/index.cfm?search=gym (open several of these and read every page-- click past the offer they have)

And look to associations like this one for more information:
http://www.usaigc.com
Alice

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Joseph Akers Responded on 12/13/2009

Hi Ashley,
Alice provides excellent advice for the preliminary stages of your business. It's really important to know what you're getting into before you dive in head first. Without research, you could potentially stumble upon unexpected surprises.
After doing the research and deciding to move forward, it's also very important to consider setting aside a budget for developing your branding & identity. Because this is one of the first things a potential customer or investor sees, your brand is really a first line of defense in presenting yourself as an established and well-organized business. Your identity is a distilled representation of your company values, services and professionalism and an integral part of your brand so doing your research for a design firm to create this image for you is extremely important. While low-cost online "factories" for logos exist, they typically use generic clip art and don't provide the kind of in-depth market research needed to make you stand out from the competition. The investment is well worth it to hire a reputable creative agency who will work with you each step of the way to create something you can be proud of. Remember, it's your money, your business and your investment!

I hope this helps, let me know if I can help you further and good luck!

Joe Akers
Brainchild Collective

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