When you do something you love, you won’t work for a day in your life, or that’s what they say. Though this is very much true in the sense that when you work with passion, it will make much sense than when you work because you have to, but working is still a very important part of the equation.

If you found your calling in improving yourself physically (and with that mentally as well) and helping others do the same, then you are one of the lucky ones. Having that amount of willpower and strength isn’t something many people can be proud of, but all that energy will have to quadruple if you decide you want to open your own gym or fitness center. Like with every beginning, it will be really hard, but you need to know what you’re getting yourself into before you dive in it head first. Being your own boss can be both a blessing and curse and you will need to learn how to handle yourself, your employees and every situation your business throws at you in order to succeed. It is in human nature to make mistakes and there’s nothing wrong with it as long as you learn your lesson and be better for it. For that reason, we’ve decided to talk about top five mistakes gym owners make and how you can avoid dong them.

Not Choosing Your Team Wisely

In case you couldn’t find a partner in crime, so to speak, to help you open your gym it is acceptable to be one-(wo)man-act for a while. However, don’t prolong this period too much, because all other parts of your life will suffer (and extinguish completely if you’re not careful) and there’s no better time than now to start looking for people that can improve your business with their qualities.

Now, hiring your staff isn’t an easy task and it will require a lot of your time and energy to hand pick the best of the best, or find the ones with the potential to be the best. We wholeheartedly suggest hiring a very efficient personal assistant first, preferably the one that can handle part of the workload for you. When it comes to the rest of the staff, tread lightly and don’t be afraid to be picky. You should only choose those you feel would be an asset to your gym, as well as that they’re able to work in a team you plan on assembling. After you’ve found your trainers, it is important to invest both your time and money into them, so that they can work with you toward the goals you set for your business. Speaking of goals…

Not Having Clear Goals In Front Of You

This goes for any over-enthusiastic entrepreneur that believes that they can just wing it as they go, but it is completely applicable to gym owners as well. If you want to set apart from everybody else in your line of business, then you better be ready to have a mission in front of you that will make all other gyms fall short. We’re not saying this is a piece of cake, but once you think about what drives you, how have you gotten so far from the first day you hit the gym, you’ll have at least a vague idea of how to inspire your clients. Inspiration is one of the crucial factors in fitness, it would seem, and you want your members to be as inspired as possible to walk through your gym’s door every day. Aside from this, having a clearly defined mission will allow you to align all other parts of the business to it and your decision making process on any business-related matter will become much easier.

Counting Memberships, Not Dedication

Of course it matters how many members your fitness center has, but you have to be aware that strength isn’t always in numbers. In this line of business, quality over quantity is a good policy, because with time, if the quality of your members is great, it will result in larger quantities of them as well. Let us elaborate.
Your gym should be one of your member’s favorite places to be, as improbable as it sounds. In other words, you should do all in your power to create an atmosphere that is contagious – have trainers that achieve amazing results and, more importantly, listen to the clients and their stories, have different programs for different types of trainee personalities, make everyone who walks through your door feel like they belong there. If you manage to do this with twenty members, you can be sure that they will recommend you to everyone who wants to listen and numbers will only go up from there. Always keep in mind that your members aren’t a number that keeps growing, but that dedicating your time to listen to what they have to say and share will come back to you manifold.

You Yourself Stop Being An Inspiration

We just can’t accentuate enough how often this happens – successful fitness trainers start their own business, which very quickly becomes an excuse for them stopping to work on themselves in every possible way. Yes, hours are long and you’ve got so much on your mind but you should always come back to yourself, as you are the beating heart behind this whole operation. Constantly seek out ways to improve yourself, so that you can be an inspiration for both your personnel and your members. It will be tough, no doubt about that, but success isn’t easy to come by and you have to give it all you’ve got.

Not Being Creative With Your Programs

With so many gyms offering trial period and free first {enter discipline here}, you won’t get far unless you come up with something new and something that works. You have to find your voice, so to speak, something that will appeal more to your potential customers than any other gym. This means having frequent brainstorm sessions with your staff, so that you can share ideas and implement new programs that will cater to the needs of your targeted clients, who are preferably living in your neighborhood. If you do it first, everybody will come flocking to you. If you do it first and continue being the best at it, then your business will flourish.
Starting your business and constantly improving it is always challenging, which is why it’s essential to always know where you’re headed. These mistakes can be easily overcome once you realize you’re making them, but always keep your nose in the wind and find ways to be better every day.

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Though Adam Ferraresi really loves his job of web developer, he’s also quite passionate about his writing. As every Texan, he loves spending time outside playing sports with his friends. He may have graduated from college a couple of years ago, but he’s already working on his dream job and couldn’t be happier about it, as well as his new life in Dallas.

Image Credits:
CC BY-SA 3.0NY
Anamaya Resort