Fitness & Gym Franchises For Sale - Help Your Customers Get Into Shape

If you own a gym franchise, this is exactly what you will experience. And the help you get won’t end there. Your parent company will be fully invested in your success, and as a result, will be more than willing to help you set up your website and booking system and advise you on running your new gym business as smoothly and efficiently as possible.

Take Advantage of a Successful Franchise Business Model

While it’s true that owning a franchise does require you to adhere to strict guidelines set by a franchisor, the advantages franchise business opportunities give you are invaluable. 

In essence, they allow you to fulfil your dreams of entrepreneurship while not taking on the large risks that come with it.

Of course, there is no such thing as guaranteed success, but starting your business ownership with a franchise gets you as close to it as possible – you’ll be using a proven business model with systems in place whose results have been demonstrated over many years in the industry.

Also, you’ll have the ability to reach out to fellow franchisees in your network and receive advice regarding the potential pitfalls along your path.

Immediately Break Through to Customers

Like most other industries in the world, it can be extremely hard for independent businesses to breach the walls of the fitness sector and attract the kind of clientele they need to survive financially.

Building a customer base is a lengthy process that can often take years of consistently good service as a brand’s reputation slowly grows. With a gym franchise, this isn’t an issue you’ll have to concern yourself with. You’ll be under the umbrella of a global brand that will bring people through your door from the very beginning.

Other benefits of buying a fitness & gym franchise might include:

• Brand recognition
• Proven business model
• Extensive marketing and advertising support
• Group purchasing power that allows business owners to save costs on equipment, supplies and other operational expenses

What Do You Need to Apply For a Fitness & Gym Franchise?

If you have a passion for both business and helping others improve their lifestyle, these fitness and gym franchise opportunities might just be for you. Look through brands both large and small and try to identify the franchise for sale that best matches your unique experiences and goals.

Be aware that while you won’t need particular qualifications in the fitness sector, to make yourself appealing to franchisors, you’ll need to show that you’re willing to go the extra mile to make your endeavour a success.

There will be an expectation that you’ll be happy to undergo the necessary in-depth training, improve your managerial skills sufficiently and then run your operation at a level that your parent company can be satisfied with. This includes monitoring employees and handling payroll as well as managing the condition of your equipment and venue. Unsure what you’ll be getting in return for this level of dedication?

Instead of having to go through the gruelling process of creating your own business plan and branding, you’ll inherit everything from your franchisor. Independent businesses don’t have this advantage and as a result, you’ll be leagues ahead of them. Further to this, if you’re joining a larger brand, they may be able to help you identify which properties are suitable to be used as your new gym and even provide you with financial aid directly.

Plus, as your own boss, you’ll have the independence to set your own working hours. However, the level of flexibility you experience will naturally depend on the size of the establishment you plan to run. For instance, if you aim to deliver at-home services to customers instead of running your own venue, it’s likely you’ll be able to fit in many other personal commitments while furthering your business. On the other hand, larger gyms require more of your time.

If you think these terms are acceptable, you should begin your search!

Explore the Inner Workings of the Fitness Industry

As people’s attitude towards health, diet and lifestyle has changed positively throughout the past several years , the demand for gym and fitness businesses has shifted as well.

The events of the past few years pushed people away from visiting gyms, yet the market size for the gym, health & fitness clubs industry is expected to rise over the next few years.

The habits of consumers have changed, too. People have started looking for new alternatives to classic gyms. Now, you can see people being more interested in outdoor training and personalised home training programmes.

But this doesn’t mean that regular gyms aren’t in demand at all. On the contrary, those people who got tired of their garages or basements are happy to return back to their preferred training ground.

After all,  a customer’s desire to achieve their individual fitness goals will always be counterbalanced by their inclination for convenience and affordability.

To succeed in this industry, an entrepreneur must be able to offer services that cover all of these.

For example, an increasing number of companies are keeping their gyms open every hour of every day, including weekends and bank holidays. Their clientele is then able to come and go as they choose, whenever they like, without limitation, which is ideal if they have a non-standard schedule. What’s more, these businesses are also capitalising on the modern desire to arrange everything online instead of in-person. This enables them to not only become a gym member on a website, but book specific training sessions and more.

Additionally, there are those who prefer to have their fitness instructor come directly to them. This is far more convenient for them as they don’t have to travel to a certain venue, which may be miles away or waste any of their free time waiting for certain pieces of exercise equipment to become available as they’re currently in use by other gym members.

This flexible arrangement can also be highly beneficial to the owner of this kind of business. Why? Because if they exclusively offer personalised at-home services, there’s no need for them to rent or buy a property large enough to house a gym,  significantly reducing their overall costs as well as their staffing needs.

Now you know which methodologies are leading to profitable operations in the fitness industry, you can accurately identify a franchise business for sale that will give you the best chance of success.

Important Considerations When Planning Your Fitness Business 

Banks Only Want to Back Businesses Destined for Success

If you asked them directly, an investor would tell you they’d prefer you to pursue a fitness franchise opportunity rather than start your own independent business. 

And the statistics show they’re right to say this. Recent research shows that an almost overwhelming majority of franchises become profitable. While approximately half of new, unsupported ventures experience a critical financial failure within just five years after they first open their doors for business.

As a direct consequence of this, banks are far more likely to back you if you’re supported by a reliable parent company with a strong track record of economic success.

Simply put: if you’re joining a fitness franchise network, it means less risk for an investor, so they’re more willing to take a chance on you.

Marketing Is Far Easier When a Ready-made Formula Is Provided

Were you aware that a significant proportion of franchisors put in place teams of marketing experts specifically to aid their franchisees? This support is absolute and incorporates digital and physical marketing, social media promotion, original content creation, PR and much more. The best part? All of these initiatives have not just been created and only barely tested. They’re the result of extremely thorough market research performed over a long period of time. Your parent company will have identified what customers want from fitness services and they’ll fill you in on all of the secrets they’ve learned. This is just one more reason why fitness franchise opportunities shouldn’t be passed up.

Proper Training Will Prepare You For Every Scenario

Ongoing support from your parent company is all well and good, but how can you proceed if you aren’t entirely comfortable with the idea of running a business? The answer is simple – you won’t have to. As part of your fitness franchise agreement, you’ll be able to take part in a full training programme specific to gym business management. This will cover learning all about the services you’ll be offering when you launch and so much more. Be mindful of the fact that each individual franchisor will provide a different training regime – these will vary in both length and intensity.