C2GO Newsletter Do You Want To Open Your Own Studio?

Opening a fitness studio is a dream for so many Instructors. 

Being able to create a full and exciting timetable is amazing opportunity, all the gaps in the market that the big health club chains appear to be missing is an exciting prospect, and of course as the cost of room hire is constantly going up opening your own facility potentially can be a fabulous idea.

 

The Boutique studio trend is spreading with more studios opening up around the UK so if you are constantly craning your neck looking at commercial space as you drive along the road then this weeks newsletter is for YOU. I’ve asked 2 successful studio owners to give you their 10 do’s and don’t when it comes to opening a studio.

 

 

 Are you going to Women On Fire this weekend? I’ll see you in Brighton and looking forward to it.

Quick News

 I am taking applications for my new 6 Months Business Mastermind and Coaching course starting in June – Email for details rachel@KSFLGroup.com

 

Facebook Stories / Messenger Day / Instagram Stories 

OMG MORE social media…. This week we have seen 2 new

products from Facebook.. so now…where do you start?

I have been trialing and testing this week and it has been fun, how this will play out in the future who knows but its another way to get your message out and reach your audience 🙂 

 

 

New Websites and Mailing Lists

I am updating all of my websites and mailing lists if you would like the Kick Start Nutrition and lifestyle newsletter click here.

Free 30 Day Sugar Detox Click here

 

 

 

 

Are you In the South West?

 

 

Fitness Pilates 2 Day Certification recognised by CIMSPA

1/2 July Click here to book

Fitness Pilates For Orthopaedic Conditions

Bristol 3rd June Click here 

Laura Armarda-Buch – Studio Owner Drogheda, Ireland.

10 Dos and Don’t When Opening Your Own Studio

 

DO’S

 

1: Make sure you have a client base before embarking on leases, rates and rents. Many people do not realise how much more expensive it is to have your own premises compared to renting a room per hour. You will need to have many clients to cover these expenses.

2: Market research: check what’s available locally and try to offer something different. It is not about the pricing, but about the service you provide.

3:Invest in yourself: you will need to be at the top of your game to survive in a tough market. You can’t compete with the facilities of a large gym chain (swimmingpool, etc) so you and your staff is what sells it.

4:PASSION (this should be number one). You have to have passion, passion and more passion for your project.

5: BELIEVE: So many people I have encountered in the industry have doubted the success of their studio from day 1. If there is room for doubt you won’t be successful.

6: Surround yourself with other similar peers that are business minded, strong and successful.

7: INVEST in equipment/brand/ programme that is not available in your area (hot yoga/ antigravity yoga/ cross fit etc). Many clients from other gyms will come to your premises as you are the only one offering it.

8: MARKETING MARKETING MARKETING… no matter how good of an instructor you are, you need to be even better at marketing.

9: Online presence: facebook, twitter , instagram….

10: DATABASE: mail chimp, constant contact…. you need email addresses to build your business.

 

DONT’S

1: Don’t avoid doing a business plan…they can be time consuming but it is essential.

 

2: Don’t go into a partnership with other instructors unless you have to!!! I’ve seen far too many going wrong.

  

3: Don’t doubt yourself.

 

4: Don’t try to grow too quickly.

 

5: Don’t neglect your health. Look after yourself..the first year in business is not tough…BUT SUPER TOUGH… your health is your wealth.

 

 

6: Don’t neglect your family either! But at the same time make sure they support your 100% before you embark on this.

 

 

8: Don’t lose your personality… far too many instructors teach only branded programmes which in my opinion takes away from showing your big personality… mix it up.

 

 

8: Don’t try to do everything yourself (i should apply that one myself!)… but identify which are your weak areas and source an expert to do it.

 

 

9: Don’t create tension with other local businesses of the same nature..you never know when you may need their help.

 

 

10: Dont let hiccups put you off…they are part of the learning journey !

 

 

Laura

www.labfitness.com

www.antigravityyoga.co.uk

www.antigravityyoga.ie

www.kickstartfatloss.ie

  

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

10 Do’s and Don’ts of opening a studio by Danni Evans

Hey all, it’s been a while since I wrote for Choreography to Go but the last time I did was about taking the plunge into setting up my own gym in Ellesmere, Shropshire.  Since then I have opened another Studio with friend and colleague Laura in a much bigger town specialising in Aerial Fitness – Antigravity, Pole and Hoop.  Here’s some things I’ve learnt along the way, I hope it’s useful for you if you are contemplating opening up a studio or gym. Please do message me if you want any further advice

 

1: Do realise you have to make sacrifice

 

2: Do love what you LOVE

 

3: Do speak to as many people as possible to find out what people want

 4:Do run charity events – they bring people together, creates a community spirit and great for getting in the press

 

5:Do work out what your USP (unique selling point) is – you probably know your avatar i.e. who your target market audience is, but what is SPECIAL about YOU? For example, my gym was the only place that offered Antigravity Fitness in Shropshire, now there is a place in Shrewsbury that runs it too – and I own that 😉

 

6: Do put a business plan together, I have a draft copy of one that won me an investment, please contact me if you’d like a copy of the outline plan

 

7:Do remember when you are wishing you could just have a moments break that you could be stuck in a job working for somebody else, working to their rules – this is me, the admin tasks are big sometimes BUT I no longer work in a college where I’d leave the house at 7.30am and back at 6.30pm.  I now get to take and pick up my kids from school, I get to work on my terms, I get to train for ME!

 

8: Do accept help – hard for control freaks like me who want to own their own places but sometimes we need help. It may be simple like having somebody grab the kids for me if my heads stuck in the laptop, or it might be that somebody offers to watch the gym for us.

 

 

 

9:Do accept you can’t please everybody with your timetable – be willing to change things.

 

 

 

10: Do enjoy every second you possibly can – it’s hugely satisfying, fun and personally has given me a huge amount of freedom despite being a very big commitment.

 

Now for the Don’ts

Don’t think it’s going to be easy

 Don’t just set up because you fancied it – RESEARCH!  Look for competitors – other gyms, classes.  Population of your town – age group too. We have a secondary and primary school in our town which means we have a lot of families just like us – they are our target market with what we offer

 Don’t be lazy!  You have to be strong, motivated and want it to work and want to work hard

 

Don’t be put off by some potential facilities – think outside the box.

 

Studios can be made out of all sorts of places.

We have a large and small version of the same thing – concrete floor, industrial unit.

You make the studio what it needs to be.

 

We started in an old sheep barn with a Bull in the corner!

Don’t forget everything that needs to be sought…

 

Change of use permission from the council

 

If you are erecting a mezzanine like we did – building regulations

Buildings and contents insurance

Companies insurance to cover Public Liability & personal liability for employees

Music Licenses – PRS and PPL

Fire risk assessment / alarm system

Don’t do it alone – bring in freelancers to support teaching, it gives the clients variety and you some breathing space

Don’t forget to treat your clients – bring in presenters.

They vary in price but

I have had Ceri Hannan, Lincoln Bryden,

and of course the lovely Rachel Holmes at my studios.

 

 

Presenters bring in motivation, something special and it’s great for your members to get involved.

 If you are a presenter – get in touch, I’m always open for others to come and visit us in sunny Shropshire.

Don’t forget to keep training – keep up to date with qualifications…but be careful not to fall into the ‘following the trend’ trap.

The classes that have failed the most at my place are Brands like Bokwa and Fitsteps – they work for a short while then people get bored.

I’m now doing a monthly rotation of different classes to spice it up a bit.

 

My Aerobics and Step on the other hand have been going for 13yrs in the same town and growing even more now we have the gym – stick to your roots!

 Do certs and qualifications that educate and give you skills that you can then use to suit you and what you like and what your clients’ needs are and preferably ones that don’t require a license fee to keep teaching – these costs really add up.

 

On a timetable of 50 classes I now pay one license fee to Antigravity Fitness.

 

Don’t be afraid to diversify – I sell Xenca nutrition products, I run Kick Start Fat Loss nutrition.

 

We built a small enclosed box within the gym area and made it into the Beauty Box – we have a beautician who specialises in tans, eyebrows/lashes and makeup who rents the room.

 

We sell hoodies and vest tops with a small mark up. We sell coconut oil.

 

We could probably do A LOT more, but all in good time.

 

DON’T RUN BEFORE YOU CAN WALK!

FINALLY…. don’t think about it all too much – you might scare yourself out of it.  If you are certain it will work, if you are motivated for it to work and you will drive yourself forwards to consistently make it work, then go for it!

 GOOD LUCK

 

 

Danni x

info@basecamp-ellesmere.com

tweet me @basecamp_danni

find me on facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/danni.evans.330

instagram: dannicevans

Just A Small One Day A Week Part-Time Job….Please..!!!

by Andrew Crawford

Don’t know about you but I want this small one day a week part-time job…!!

Unfortunately…. it only pays £650,000 a year.

After a few months, I would tell them  “…I can’t seem to do this job in only one day a week, can I extend it to 2 days a week instead?…”

Our ex-Chancellor recently landed a part time job with that salary attached.

I wonder …Is it for something he is going to do…….or……is it something he has done for them already???

Things that make you go ummmm??

Just like the Red Nose Day last week.!!

Don’t know about you but last week I was on the road most days, therefore lots of stops at the petrol station.

Lots of stops means lots of looking at the front pages of the papers. And what graced every front page (except the Westminster incident)???

Starving babies.

Yes…multiple pictures that broke your heart, but thank goodness for Red Nose day raising over £73 million.

Ah…don’t forget about the Red Cross Charity envelopes dropping through your doors last week collecting for ‘Starving Babies’ (For just £2 you can help these little children)…So that’s TV, Papers & the Mail…not forgetting all the shops & super markets peddling the Red Nose. Very convenient.

Oh….I forgot one main place…………School.

Did all your little darlings dress up in Red (Socks, nose, t-shirts, make-up etc) last week Friday??

Mine did.

Now…of that £73 million collection….how much of that do you think actually ‘reaches’ it’s intended destination?

Well………let me give you a clue.

They’ve been ‘collecting’ for the poor & needy for as long as I can remember…Children in Need, Red Nose Day etc…..and……Children are STILL in Need and as can be clearly seen, the problem in Africa has not been solved as yet..!!!!

So Andrew……

What has Red Nose Day got to do with Accountancy & Tax?

It’s all about Giving to Charity and the effects it has on your tax.

If you made a charitable donation under ‘Gift Aid’ your basic rate band is EXTENDED by your donation grossed up by the fraction of 100/80.

20% relief is given at source and further relief is given to higher rate taxpayers by increasing the amount of income taxed at the basic rate rather than the higher rate.

Your Gift Aid donation can be carried back and treated as having been made in the previous year. If you wished, your tax refund can be directed to a charity of your choice and treated as a Gift Aid donation……if you wished….!!

Oh …….don’t forget this……

If you give your old frocks to charity, dodgy videos, CD’s , even dodgier old magazines etc and the charity shop sells them, that is treated as a CASH DONATION …so you should gross that amount up and apply that to your Tax Return.

Why?….as I said before, this extends your basic rate band. So more of your income is tax at 20 per cent rather than at 40 per cent

As well as cash gifts, you will also receive tax relief on gifts of shares and land and buildings. Not that you will be giving your property away to charity any time soon….!!!

There are more complex issues relating to Gift Relief when it comes to Capital Gains but I won’t bore your red cotton socks off with that today…!!!

Finally

Watch out today as the government will publish details of its Great Repeal Bill, which aims to end the supremacy of EU law.

So what is Article 50 ? –This is a plan for any country that wishes to exit the EU. Once Article 50 is triggered, the UK has two years to negotiate its withdrawal. But no one really knows how the Brexit process will work

Interesting times ahead………!!!

Andrew James Crawford

www.andrewjamescrawford.com

www.zlogg.co.uk

www.fitnessindustryaccountants.com

www.solopreneursacademy.com