I remember when I thought that getting a business up and running was going to be the steepest hill we’d climb…as if the state of Massachusetts was going to say “no thanks” to our $500 payment toward registering an LLC, and our new landlord was going to pass on collecting first and last month’s rent from me.
Turns out opening is just a matter of checking boxes off of a to-do list.
Sign the lease – Check.
Secure the insurance policy – Check.
Purchase the equipment – Check.
Announce the grand opening – Check.
Roll out the bargain-basement entry-level pricing strategy – Check.
When you open doors, every gym in town, even if just for a couple of weeks, becomes old news. Word spreads that there’s a new option, and there are ALWAYS program hoppers who are dying to try the next best thing. Take that new gym hype, mix in a low barrier offer, and suddenly your schedule is slammed.
Eventually that new gym smell wears off. Eventually you’ve got to pay down your new debt. Eventually everyone on your client roster is going to be told it is time to pay “regular rates.”
So what happens when they decide they were only here for the entry-level deal? What happens when they realize you overfilled the space with trial offers and now you’re asking them to spend more on an overbooked training space? What happens when the next new gym opens around the corner?
Those are the moments when your entrepreneurial journey gets real.
If Lin-Manuel Miranda ever wrote a musical about small business ownership there would undoubtedly be a line in it that read:
Opening is easy, young man…staying open is harder.
-Pete
PS: We’re offering BFU’s Time Management for Gym Owners video course at 50% off until tomorrow.
It’s the only time management course created specifically FOR gym owners BY a gym owner.
You’ll learn how to:
- Overcome your overwhelm
- Get more stuff done with less stress
- End each day knowing you ACTUALLY moved your gym forward
… all while working a shorter workweek, even if you’re not naturally organized.
Claim lifetime access HERE.