Now that nearly a full financial quarter is nearing an end, I'd like to express my honest opinion about my conversion to a World Gym 1440 All Axcess operation. I'd like to start by stating that my club was not performing to my expectations. Although the club was only a year and a half old, I had underestimated the level of competition in the area where I located the club right from the start. For this reason, I had to make some major changes, whether that meant converting to a franchise or not.
With that being said, I felt like we needed to do something that really made a splash. Since we hadn't moved into the space all that long ago, the old standard remodeling, adding new equipment, and having a grand reopening was not a viable option. For those reasons alone, I felt like it was marketing and branding that we were lacking.
Enter World Gym. In this industry, who hasn't heard of World Gym? I knew that if I did decide to go with a franchise operator, I wanted it to be one that was quickly recognized as a real fitness center chain, and not here today gone tomorrow operator. After talking with Ben and Chris at World Gym, I realized that they were taking this 24/7 club concept very seriously. I feel strongly that these guys are going to be making some very big waves in this category, especially with the backing of parent company and industry phenom Planet Fitness.
In the next 5-10 years, the two companies are going to be making huge inroads into this industry, and I don't think I'm alone in my thinking that they are going to be putting the squeeze on the independently owned clubs. I may be wrong, but if I'm right, then I want to be in on the ground floor.
In summary, depending on the circumstances of your club, I think converting to a World Gym All Axcess may make very good sense for you. I would especially consider something like this if your club isn't performing to your expectations. Chances are, if your numbers aren't good, you probably need to make some changes anyways, and the branding that comes from affiliating with a franchise could be just the shot in the arm your club needs - I know it was for me.
On a side note, if you are thinking about opening a new club, I highly recommend a franchise. Opening a business (any business) is difficult. There are so many places that mistakes can be made, and so many decisions to be made, that having the marketing programs, operational guidelines, and purchasing power that a franchise offers can make the process immensely easier.
Good luck and please feel free to post your comments.
My 24/7 fitness center underwent a big transformation - I converted to a World Gym franchise operation. In my blog, I give details about costs; corporate support; and even bottom-line results after the conversion, such as membership sales. Here's a chance to get an inside look at exactly how an independently owned club morphs into a franchised operation.
2 comments:
Lee,
Great info. I drive by your club every Saturday on my way to church in Phoenix. I was actually surprised to see a club in that area at first. I am glad to see the WG concept is working out.
Do the WG 1440 All Axcess clubs have any free-weight equipment? I was a member at Planet Fitness in N. Syracuse until gas prices forced me to work out at home. (I live off of rt 57/Longbranch area so the almost daily commute to N. Syracuse wasn't worth the low $10/month membership.) I know Planet Fitness has a limited free weight area...which was still enough for me.
Does World Gym offer it's members any value added offerings such as interactive web pages for members to get diet/exercise info? Other revenue generators? I know some of the other 24/7 concepts have such offerings.
Lastly, what does it take to start a WG 1440 All Axcess? I have a strong interest in the fitness field as I have a BS in Phys Ed / Exercise Science, though I have been in sales & retail for close to 20 years. I want to eventually do something on my own and wouldn't consider a fitness club unless it was a known franchise such as WG 1440 / Planet Fitness (though a full sized club would definitely be out of my budget...as a small club very well might be at this time too...but it doesn't hurt to plan for the future). I like the idea of mitigating the start-up risk while being able to "keep your day job" ....that is if that is actually possible. I know the other popular 24/7 franchises convey their concept that way to potential franchisees. Anyway good luck! I'll keep reading.
SMB
Thanks for the comments. Yes - we do have a freeweight area, although like Planet Fitness it is limited. As you probably already know, WG is owned by PF, so you would recognize quite a few similarities between the two.
As far as what it would take to start a club like this - pretty much the same things it takes to open any business: a good business plan, great credit history, $25-50k on hand cash, and above all - a passion for working for yourself. I've been self employed for several years and the ups and downs of it can be exhausting and overwhelming if you aren't in it for the long haul.
If you are truly interested in learning more about this type of franchise, email me all of your contact information at Lee.Roberts@keytagclub.com and I'll forward you some more information.
And good point about keeping your day job. I think one of the huge benefits of this particular type of operation is that you could easily manage one on a part time basis.
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