The Second
as many staffi ng problems and twice “You have to be sure that the club
as many general business headaches. you’ve created is awesome – and that
Build your
Always an optimist, Kuntze claims he your awesome club is a result of your
wouldn’t change a thing if he could actions,” he notes. “Some clubs are suc-
management
do it all over. “I’m grateful for the mis- cessful simply because they have no
takes I made because they taught me competition, the owner fell into a great
Time Around
skills with
what I needed to learn to run a strong lease and/or the economy has been fa-
business.” vourable. With your second club, your
these favourite
Dream about opening a second good fortune may not repeat itself.”
club? Before you take the plunge, con-
sider these suggestions from Kuntze Duplicate what you know
resources from
and other multiple-club owners. It is crucial that your second club be
Barney Kuntze
as similar to your fi rst club as possible,
Think hard say Kuntze and McPhee. When both
“Take a good look in the mirror,” clubs target the same demographic
advises Kuntze, “and ask yourself if and offer the same services and prices,
you’re as passionate and inspired as you can cut your expenses by using
1. The E
you were when you were planning the same business template, market-
Myth by
your fi rst club.” Kuntze’s vision is to ing pieces, promotional postcards,
serve the communities around his mailouts, staff training programs and
Michael E.
clubs, run successful and profi table member programs. And when prob- Gerber
clubs and to be a fi t and healthy role lems arise in the new club, they will
model. ”If you’re drained and stressed be easier to manage with the problem-
out you won’t be doing your members solving skills developed at your fi rst
2. Think
a favour, and you’ll have nothing left club.
and Grow
to give to your friends and family.” “If your two clubs aren’t the same,
Many people underestimate the it’s like owning a plumbing compa-
Rich, by
time, energy and stress that simply ny and a tiling company and saying
Napoleon Hill
driving between two locations can you’re in the construction business,”
cause, says Mike McPhee, principal of says McPhee. ”You’ll need lots of time
Club TeamWorks, a club design, mar- and money to make the two very dif- 3. www.
keting and management consulting ferent operations run smoothly.”
IHRSA.org – for
company. “If your only motivation for Financing is 100 times easier for a
expanding is to take out a competi- second club when it is a duplicate of
conferences,
tor, drive a nicer car or double your the fi rst club, adds McPhee. But banks
online resources
salary, think again,” says McPhee. will deem the venture more risky if
and magazines
Instead, he suggests that owners fo- you plan to target a different demo-
cus on creating a business that will graphic or offer a different quality of
make them happy. club.
Another advantage to owning
Take your time two similar clubs is the ability to of-
Give yourself plenty of time to learn fer reciprocal memberships and, if
the club business before rushing to you choose, to charge more for the
open a another facility, say the ex- privilege.
perts. “Make sure you’ve been steadily
successful for at least fi ve years and Seek group support
that you’ve been through some tough Surrounding yourself with people
times and a couple of business cycles who can help you be successful is cru-
and that you’ve dealt with competing cial, says Kuntze. He is a member of
clubs,” says McPhee, who worked with the Pro-Fitness Alliance, a network 4. www.myf2f.ca – member
two of the country’s most profi table of independent Ontario fi tness club
retention programs
clubs (he owned one and managed an- owners who meet regularly to share
other) before opening his consulting information and ideas and learn from
practice.
guest presenters. In fact, Kuntze was »
5. www.profitnessalliance.com
– The Pro-Fitness Alliance
“It is crucial that your second
6. www.todddurkin.com –
club be as similar to your fi rst Todd Durkin Mastermind group
club as possible...”
November/December 2009 Fitness Business Canada 23
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