Gym Business

A gym business in one way or another is decidedly part of show business. Making the client feel good and look good is very much a part of the endeavor. The gym is typically placed within the hospitality industry.

According to Oxford Dictionary, hospitality stands for a “friendly and liberal reception of guests or strangers”. Indeed, the chief endeavor of the gym is to be friendly and helpful in terms of fitness services, offer desirable work out atmosphere and food as tangible products, and clean rest rooms and spacious corridors for comfort. The concept of a gym was one of “temporary abode”; a place to burn those excess body fats. The business domain of the gyms appeared to be a fusion, an amalgam between the hospitality industry and show business.

The General Manager of a gm must know the basics of managing gyms. Management is characterized of the process of leading and directing all or part of an organization through the deployment and manipulation of resources. Functionally, it is an action of measuring a quantity on a regular basis and of adjusting same initial plan and as the action taken to reach the gym’s goals. From this perspective, five functions of management are identified. These functions are planning, organizing, leading, coordinating, and controlling. As the general manager of the gym, he or she constitutes these five functions.

Strategic planning is one specific type of planning. In the strategic plan, the present status of the gym business can be identified, future plans can be formulated and strategies to be able to accomplish the future plans can also be identified. With the gym’s problem, strategic planning can be used in order to identify possible strategies and make necessary changes.

On the other hand, organizing is establishing the internal organizational structure of the gym business. The focus is on division, coordination, and control of tasks and the flow of information within the gym. Moreover, managers distribute responsibility and authority to job holders in this function of management. In order for the gym to have organized functions, the General Manager should have good organizing skills. It should be realized what organization style the gym needs. To be more specialized, the gym should decentralize the management making each division more accountable for their actions.

Leading includes setting direction for the gym, groups and individuals and also influence people to follow that direction. Leading function establishes strategic direction such as vision, values, mission and /or goals and championing methods of gym performance management to pursue that direction. A leadership skill is very significant in a gym in order for it to run smoothly.
Lastly, controlling is a four-step process of establishing performance standards based on the gym’s objectives, measuring and reporting actual performance, comparing the two, and taking corrective or preventive action as necessary. Moreover, it includes checking the gym’s systems, processes and structures to reach effectively and efficiently reach goals and objectives. This includes ongoing collection of feedback, and monitoring and adjustment of systems, processes and structures accordingly.

In constructing the gym floor plans, there are certain laws and various regulations and standards in that must be taken into account and followed. These basic rules are the generally accepted technical rules for construction.

These laws and regulations are designed to ensure safety during and after the construction of the gym floor plans and to protect the gym against damage and defects. The gym must be constructed in such a way that the public who will go to the building as well as the structures within the vicinity of the building will be safe. Regulations are also enforced to guarantee the owner of the gym that the building will be profitable for him in the long run.

Fire protection and security are the basic concerns of many gym floor plans. The gym should be designed and constructed in a manner that all the people inside can leave the building without the risk of injury and at the shortest possible time once a fire breaks. Generally, it is a standard for gyms to have a floor plan with escape routes and fire escapes, fire compartments and with the choice of material. Operational security concerns the safety of elevators and escalators, stairs, railings and parapets and the installation of emergency lightings. Regulations for operational security also include the alarm system for carbon dioxide in underground parking lots; and the non-slip nature of floor in traffic areas, sanitary rooms and kitchens.

Stability and construction physics are also major concerns in standards and regulations for gym floor plans. Stability of the gym depends on how the building is designed and constructed. The gym floor plans and construction methods are governed by these regulations; gym floor plans which include stability calculations and material properties and specifications are checked by authorities and should passed their standards. Demonstrations of the internal structural strength of the construction and safe transfer of loads to the subsoil should also be practiced to determine the allowable maximum load that the gym can withstand.
The cost of construction of a gym ranges to roughly a million dollars. It is very rare that an owner can afford the costs without outside assistance such as banks and other financial institutions. Sources of capital to finance the construction of the gym floor plans depend on the type of low-rise. Financing of the gym floor plans depends on what type of gym business is going to be established. Basic sources of capital can be through equity finance, debt finance or internally generated funds.

Cost of construction of the gym depends on the nature, size, location and management organization of the project. Project managers and designers such as the architect and engineer should realize that the costs are only estimated values and may vary depending on the changes, schedule adjustments and site conditions.

Capital cost for the gym floor plans includes:

• land acquisition, including assembly, holding and improvement
• planning and feasibility studies
• architectural and engineering design
• construction, including materials, equipment and labor
• field supervision of construction
• construction financing
• insurance and taxes during construction
• inspection and testing
• owner’s general office overhead

Gym equipments have always been recognized as efficient and effective machines and technologies that help in improving an individual’s health and overall well-being. In the perspective of the fitness world, gym equipments focus on the careful management of the processes involved in an individual’s pursuit of a healthy mind and body.

Gym equipments normally come in two types. First, gym equipments such as treadmills, stationary bikes, and jump ropes induce aerobic fitness to individuals. Second, gym equipments such as the dumbbells, free weights, medicine balls, punching bags and heavy lifts promote more on strength training exercises. More often than not, ordinary, busy people don’t really have the time and capabilities to fully engage in using these gym equipments for overall fitness. Instead, they engage in activities that various schools of physical education typically associate with alternative exercising without going in the gym, such as brisk walking, cycling, and swimming. Other activities include jogging, running, or simply stretching.

Whether they are meant for aerobic exercises or for strength training, gym equipments make sure that the person utilizes the large groups of his / her muscles continuously. As a result, the individual’s heart rate as well as his / her breathing is raised higher for a sustained period. Extra precaution and consideration should be done along the process of choosing the modes of exercise and the corresponding gym equipments. Depending on the health individual’s objectives, various modes may prove to be beneficial to a particular situation. However, in general, it is a common practice to choose between and among several exercises and gym equipments. This method decreases the occurrence of injuries as well as reinforces conditioning, leading to the satisfaction of the individual. Although choosing the proper exercises and gym equipments really cannot be considered as a technique, possessing the appropriate knowledge and skills is still crucial towards the maximization of efficiency of gym equipments.

The duration of performing exercises and using the corresponding gym equipments will depend on the health individual’s objectives, available time, and physical condition. Normally, ten minutes to one hour is an acceptable range of time. If the health individual’s goal is to lose body fat, then the duration should be longer, preferably 30 minutes to one hour. According to the latest research findings, fitness levels have the capability to improve even with as little as ten minutes duration, but exercises have to be performed more frequently, around 2 to 3 times a day, 5 days a week. But in order to achieve an excellent general fitness, health, body composition, 30 minutes is the maximum for many people.

Gym equipments deal with all aspects done within the realm of fitness. Immediate responses and long-term adaptations among health individuals in relation to heart rate, stroke volume, and cardiac output are often associated with the continued utilization of these gym equipments. A great deal of emphasis lies on the efficiency and effectiveness of these equipments. Therefore, the continued utilization of these gym equipments leads us to conclude that it will eventually cause an improvement in terms of the heart rate, stroke volume, and cardiac output of an individual.

In order to successfully set up a gym at home, there is a need for the owner to establish a home gym set up plan. The home gym set up plan would serve as the link between the established standards and practices in the house. It would be able to articulate, organize, and most importantly integrate the content and processes of the gym with integration of appropriate technologies. It would facilitate multiple levels of gym ideologies and decision making.

In general, the home gym set up plan must be an ongoing process that would translate the fitness needs of the individual into concrete actions. It allows the individual to take advantage of the latest gym equipment innovations while at the same time minimizing the negative impacts of unexpected challenges in setting it up at home. The home gym set up plan provides a clear pathway for the implementation of the gym activities at home which could result into a more efficient expenditure of resources and an improvement in the health of the individual.

The home gym set up plan should reflect the goals of the individual and type of home environment where the gym will be set up. However, the home gym set up plan cannot guarantee the needed changes. The home gym set up plan must ensure that the processes of gym development, purchase of gym equipments, and evaluation of a conducive gym environment at home are included as the integral components of the implementation of the necessary home gym set up plan. A well-designed home gym set up plan would be a dynamic tool that will serve as a guide for the individual’s innovations. This plan would also represent opportunities for fitness development that enhances overall well-being.
The occurrence of problems in setting up a gym at home reflects the growing difficulty in their management and implementation that require the effective use of valuable resources such as money, materials, equipments, and people. And nobody is exempted to these. This is the reason why the home gym set up plan must be done by the individual in order to determine the most effective ways to coordinate these resources.

The home gym set up plan should:

• Be an organized and continuous process, utilizing a simple yet direct planning model, and resulting into a process which would improve how the various resources in the home are used for the gym’s management and integration.
• Take into consideration the objectives and philosophy of the health individual. While outside assistance, such as those that can be provided by gym experts and owners, can inject broader perspectives to the set up process, the process requires the total commitment of the health individual concerned
• Be broad but realistic enough in terms of its scope. The home gym set up plan must also include economical and technically feasible solutions.
• Involve all the stakeholders—including the family members, potential clients, and fitness experts–with experience in managing a gym.
• Identify the strengths and weaknesses of the home gym set up plan and how each will impact the implementation of the plan.
• Be driven by the goals and objectives of the health individual rather than by technological developments.

A competent gym business plan needs strategy to make sure that everything goes well in the gym. Through the use of strategic management everything done in the gym will be well organized and no detail is being left out. A complete gym business plan needs strategic management to make sure that the gym is doing well internally.

The term strategic management originates from the Greek language, where the word means the art of a general. The person who makes strategies is the strategist who is the leader of an army. Strategic management decisions have multi-functional and multi-business consequences, and this kind of decision require broad consideration of the gym’s external and internal environments, and it may affect the gym’s chance of prosperity. The strategic management paradigm is built on the notion that strategic decision making results from intentional actions in the name of individual or collective purpose. The paradigm accords central importance to the cognitive elements of understanding and intention as basic drivers of strategic choice.

A gym business plan is critical to processes of strategy formulation, for example, which require gym managers to envision and prioritize future states that are appropriate and proper. Similarly, a gym business plan is critical to environmental analysis, which requires gym managers to forecast and make predictions. These tasks all depend on individual cognitive capabilities and on cognitive processes such as attention, perception, reflection, and understanding. It is important to know what strategy is about, what can it do help the gym prosper, what will happen if not used properly, what are the advantages and disadvantages of having a strategy. A gym business plan assimilates the gym’s major target; policies and rules; decisions and sequences of action into organized whole. It can apply at all levels of the gym and pertain to any of the functional areas of gym management.
For a gym to meet the expectations of its stakeholders, it should make every effort to realize goals such as cost reductions, competitive advantage through fitness industry analysis and assessment, cooperative and competitive moves for winning, resources development and deployment, organizational learning and knowledge creation, and building links with other gyms in exchanging resources and information. That is, all these vital dimensions should be incorporated into the gym business plan.
In accomplishing its business strategy, the gym generally has three strategic options including market transactions, organizational mode, and strategic alliances. The first two correspond to market and hierarchies in terms of Transaction cost economics, and the third refers to hybrid structures or quasi-internalization. Nevertheless, these modes of transactions intermingle as gyms use a variety of approaches simultaneously and switch from one form to another. Yet, knowing each type of strategic option well would enhance the understanding of gym operations and their consequences.

The degree to which a gym business plan is formulated and implemented is a function of changes and developments in the economy. Central to these developments in recent years is the process of globalization or increased global interdependence. Gym business activity does not just happen. It is the result of conscious decisions made by public and private businessmen in various countries whose usual major interest is in profiting from activities in various other countries.

The scale and scheme of gym operations means they have a relatively low impact on their surroundings and have a limited power to influence environmental forces in their favor this will include both their suppliers and customers. However, their weakness in these areas can be countered and negated by their abilities to react and counter quickly to environmental and social changes. Fundamental shifts and transitions in social values, consumer tastes, technological developments, managerial techniques, financial markets and so on, have brought about more complex and dynamic commercial environments. For gyms, their less bureaucratic structural arrangements, together with concentration in the power of the owner, allows growth-orientated small ventures to capitalize on opportunities that emerge from such environmental changes.

Gyms usually thrive in a changing environment, although it must not be unduly complex in terms of the number of variables involved or the speed of their change. It is further suggested that the nimbleness of gyms in response to change is due in part to the fact that senior managers or owners formulate strategies that are closely connected with the work of the organization and with other workers and managers. Control and tactical decision making is not separated and distanced from ownership or senior management. In other words, such gyms tend to be task continuous; there is a close link between management, planning and the work activity. Larger gyms n the other hand are task discontinuous; there tends to be a separate and discrete planning and management structure.

Given the limits imposed by small scale operations, evidence suggests that potential gym managers and owners must be growth-orientated and pursue opportunities vigorously, flexibly and with innovation. In order to start a privately-owned gym, the owners must have to pursue a number of opportunities and will have to refuse to be constrained by the assets currently under their control. They must make tentative investigations of promising gym projects and must frequently assume that the techniques and gym technologies not currently available can be developed in the near future. In this way riskier opportunities are explored, despite not immediately having sufficient resources to underwrite their opportunities. Potential gym managers and owners must be prepared to pursue, evaluate and resource new opportunities in the full confidence of their ability to make things happen.
In order to start a gym, potential gym owners must seek new opportunities and be nimble and fast when they need instrumental relationships. In managing a gym owners need strong, more permanent relationships. The two are to a degree exclusive. One solution seems to be the development of new innovations and ventures alongside existing ones. The flexibility of the gym must allow this type of management operation, with resources being switched between past, current and new activities. Small and medium-sized gyms also sometimes suffer from a power imbalance when dealing with larger suppliers and customers, with both sides regarding the relationship as somewhat temporary. This arrangement certainly offers greater degrees of flexibility, but is also highly speculative and makes operations planning very problematical.

Owners of a gym are able to earn the respect and confidence of their colleagues because of their fantastic physique and excellent managerial skills. Thus, they are able to encourage others to set up their own gyms and expand their operations through the establishment of smart and achievable gym business goals and objectives.
Human yearning of setting up gyms comes to fore because of a person’s desire to get healthy. The image conveyed by gyms - freedom, well-being, and environmental friendliness - is thought to be flattering for the people who own them and who belong to them while setting an example for the youth. This was the reason why local communities encouraged people to set up their own gyms ir participate in sports and other related activities through competitions and cups. Being on a gym is also considered as another means of beautification, relaxation, and recreation to every individual. The natural effects of gyms are proven and tested by a significant number of persons. That is the reason why setting up gym still remains viable up to this time.

Today, people specifically gym aficionados are able to encourage other people to set up their own gyms and search for different areas of interests. Within the fitness industry, it is quite apparent that there are numerous choices that cater to their personal intentions. At present, the fitness industry is engaged in service provision than in manufacturing, indicating the continuous growth of the industry. Among these conditions are addition of services and facilities that concerns the eventual enjoyment, maximization of the benefits, and other personal fulfillment of the gym owners and other clients.

Truly, the changing needs of gym enthusiasts affect the present conditions of being able to encourage other people in setting up their own gyms. There are some actions done to fully develop as well as to improve the traditional means of encouraging people to participate and manage gyms. In the fitness industry, the addition of several recreational and leisure activities and facilities within gyms, aside from the potential health benefits as an attraction themselves, is an initiative of the fitness industry related individuals. Thus, people will be encouraged to own gyms for as long as the fitness industry provides new amenities, facilities, services, and offers that concerns the further improvement and enjoyment of the potential gym owners and managers.

To other people who are not capable and possess limitations in participating in gym activities, the simple setting up of their own gyms will be enriching. Aside from the beneficial effects, a personally managed gym is free of charge and anybody can do it the most convenient time possible.

More free time, changing lifestyles, and the breaking down of tasks into individual operations have brought new attitudes and calling for more energy of man as compared in the past. Being in a gym can already be considered as a competitive activity, so to encourage other persons to actually set up their own gyms would need established sets of rules for management purposes. In owning a gym, not only the athleticism, wits and endurance of the person is brutally tested, but also the managerial skills. Most often, this is the only difference in between being triumphant in setting up a gym or not.

There is no ideal gym equipment that can serve as a model for any gym at any given circumstances. However, gym equipments are important and the starting point of every gym operation.

Gym equipments that promote aerobic exercise and strength training have always been recognized as the efficient gym equipments that provide effective methods of improving an individual’s health and decision-making power. In the perspective of aerobic exercises, gym equipments that provide these types of exercises include the treadmill and stationary bike. On the other hand, gym equipments that provide strength training include dumbbells, heavy and light weights and lifts, medicine balls, speed balls and push up or pull up grips. These gym equipments help on the careful management of the processes involved in an individual’s pursuit of a healthy mind and body.

More often than not, ordinary, busy people don’t really have the time and capabilities to fully engage in aerobic or strength training exercise activities and use all of these equipments. Because of this, gyms have started to incorporate as part of their gym equipments sports utilities and clothing that can be used in exercises such as brisk walking, cycling and swimming. Other gym equipments are also available for jogging, running, or simply stretching.

Gym equipments make sure that the user utilizes the large groups of his / her muscles continuously. As a result, the individual’s heart rate as well as his / her breathing is raised higher for a sustained period. Extra precaution and consideration should be done along the process of choosing the types of gym equipments. Depending on the health individual’s objectives, various modes may prove to be beneficial to a particular situation. However, in general, it is a common practice to choose between and among several aerobic and strength training equipments. This method decreases the occurrence of injuries as well as reinforces conditioning, leading to the satisfaction of the individual. Although choosing among several aerobic and strength training equipments really cannot be considered as a technique, possessing the appropriate knowledge and skills is still crucial towards the maximization of efficiency.

However, all gym equipments must deal with all aspects done within the realm of physical exercises. Immediate responses and long-term adaptations among health individuals must be attained in relation to aerobic and strength training gym equipments. A great deal of emphasis lies on the efficiency and effectiveness of these gym equipments. Therefore, the continued usage of these gym equipments leads to the conclusion that it will eventually cause an improvement in terms of the heart rate, stroke volume and cardiac output of an individual.

Nevertheless, there is a need to study the characteristics of the gym equipments and the customers before the effective use of these equipments can be attained. When they are compatible, the gym trainers should be courageous enough to inform their clients of such health improvements while crediting gym equipments that act as catalyst and agents of health changes and improvement. Hard training and weight reduction cannot replace the motivation and enthusiasm of the individual to refrain from using these gym equipments. If commitment is present, risks will not be as risks rather a quest where everyone is counted to obtain health benefits as well as mitigate unwanted outcomes from it.

Gyms should broaden its business portfolio touching new gym services, offerings and markets to compete the shifting preference to aerobic exercise. Although such activities are offered in most gyms, apparently they still focus on heavy weight lifting.
It should show the market that the gym services are untied to the history, where Arnold Schwarzenegger works-out, and equipped with manpower and facilities to provide emerging customer needs. Gyms could change the outlook of their internal environment visible to the outside viewing by replacing the lay-out with an aerobics group of women. Gym services could also widen the scope of its business competencies by classifying anaerobic exercise from aerobic ones that can cater to men and women alike including young and old enthusiasts.

Diversification of gym services is needed by a gym which needs to increase profitability and maintain leadership in the industry. Since most gyms can be argued to reach their maturity stage along with their product life cycle, putting flavour to their current gym services can mean change but such is necessary to compete with emerging strong competitors.

In a different manner to upgrade gym services, gyms could acquire international fitness instructors all over the world and in different industries. Some of them can come from the martial arts sector, choreography and sports. This service-oriented approach suggests that the gym is risking its finances to pay relatively high compensation to these internationally-acclaimed instructors. The advantages of these moves are the continued upgrade of consultancy services to worldwide subscribers of it’s the fitness system. While other gyms do not prefer to risk the fruits of their innovation and keep it within themselves (as they use licensing for control), excellent gyms tap on several opportunities to offer new ways of performing fitness regimes that the risk of diminishing the value of its publicized routines are offset.

Gym services should also include the management of communication services by undergoing steps to develop effective communication. First, there is a need to identify the target audience and evaluate their familiarity with the gym services at one hand and favourability with its attributes. The second stage is to determine communication objectives that seek to transfer gym services information, change attitude and obtain action from the clients. Third, it is time to design the message by determining its content, structure, format and source. The next step is to select communication channels that can be face-to-face or utilize several forms of media. Fifth, there is a need to take a crucial step to establish communication’s budget wherein methods are available that could emphasize the cost, benefit and objectives of the design which only managers can decide. Lastly, the need to manage integrated communication process in the gym is stimulated by the proliferation of new types of media and growing sophistication of people.

Internet as part of gym services is one of the prominent media wherein gym communications are networked and data are integrated. However, security in critical network assets and services are hindrances to effectively harvest the fruits of information technology in gyms. Nevertheless, being a technology-based and –resourced gym, investments is needed to protect the online gym services from hackers that can adversely affect internal communications and loss revenues for the gym.

Gyms are widely considered as the leaders in the fitness industry with more than a million facilities in various countries worldwide. Gym management highlights the potential of human strengths.

In the management of most gyms, risks are intolerable to aggressively innovate new products and services. They expand even to other countries but offerings remained the same. This can be emphasized with the licensing feats that control the operations, advertising and products of franchisees. Because of this centrally-planned structure, it added impediments to search for value-adding products apart from weight lifting. In addition, the location of a gym’s franchises abroad near the urbanized areas or near the capital of the country could suggest that it is limited to cater in the high-end slice market. This lack of entrepreneurial commitment of the gym will prevent them to achieve profitable income at the log-run.

The process of gym management typically includes the continued offering of modern equipment, personal and group training, yoga and its core niche, weight lifting and other exercises. Gym management also involves the core business portfolios which include franchising, selling fitness machines and fitness apparels while maintaining good relations with business partners such as real state developers, equipment suppliers, textile companies, internet providers and franchisees.

To have a suitable gym management, most gyms rely to the efficiency of their marketing channel. Activities involved in the process of gym management are gathering of information from customers and competitors, stimulating purchase, reaching agreements in price from manufacturers, placing orders, acquisition of funds, storing and moving physical products, providing customers intermediaries for payment and overseeing actual transfer of product to the organization or person. These activities are divided into two kinds of activities: the forward flow (promotion) and backward flow (ordering and receiving payment). In evaluating major intermediary alternatives, the gym should be informed and aware on the pros-and-cons in selecting a business partner in the marketing channel. The Internet and telemarketing are relatively cheaper but have limited value-add of sale. On the other hand, creating own sales force and building alliances like distributors and retail stores cost more but provide higher value to customers and suppliers.

There is also the gym management option for the gym to internalize the marketing channel activities through vertical integration in view to keep its core competencies private and gain market power over rivals. It can save operating costs, improve quality of products and services, and prevent unfair imitation. Franchising became popular in fitness industries where competitions among small gyms are prevalent because it consolidates independent gyms in contractual relationships. In the franchising, the franchisor controls the sharing of resources and capabilities with the franchisees.

Gyms must understand that excellent gym management includes being risk-averse and knowing the entrepreneurial pros-and-cons. However, without innovation and risking some investments to improve product and service diversification, gym performance will not improve while rivals will capitalize on the former weaknesses. To be the number one in the fitness industry and being such requires strong differentiation and customer-value apart from competitors. To get out from this bottleneck, the gym management must create a committee to operate the risk identification and evaluation in the gym.