[Robbcore]

Hi guys, i currently work as a personal trainer at a fluffy little health club with a nice jacuzzi and step machines and a yoga class where they turn the lights out and go to sleep and its killing me day by day. Ive tried teaching clients some olympic lifting and deadlifting but everytime the plates hit the floor the beautician come out and tells me to keep the noise down.

Ive decided its time to do things my way and i want to set-up my own base to train people out of in a warehouse or something. Its not going to be a crossfit facility but i will have barbells, dumbbells kettlebells, some gymnastics stuff, boxing gear etc (westside barbell & defrancos is a big influence) just somewhere i can get people strong and get them moving properly, athletes or joe public!

I was wondering if i could start some sort of discussion with people who have done it before (sure, mainly for my benefit) stuff such as an idea about start-up costs, how you went about it, equipment recommendations, how you structure classes/schedules, website hosting, things you would avoid doing things like that.
Obviously reveal as much or as little as you want i dont expect you to post your business blueprint or anything like that, and im gonna share some stuff as im in the process of setting it up (dead excited)
I'd even love to hear from people who dont want to set-up their own business but would be interested in training at a place like that, things you would & wouldnt like to see etc.

Cheers guys hope to get some good ideas going here!
Much Love
Robb

[mrbourgot]

I don't run a gym but if you're a fan of DeFranco this could be handy:

http://www.youtube.c...feature=related

[Gubernatrix]

Good luck Robb!

[Franz29]

Just starting out on this process myself, I'm going to be following this topic closely.

Right now I run out of my garage. Far from ideal, but it allows me to train 1-3 people at a time which is good thus far for nailing down the group workouts and equipment shuffling. Most everything I have is pre-owned but in good nick, and everything else is cobbled together (My GHD is a rugby pad strapped to a work-mate for example. Does the trick nicely until I can get a "real" one).

I figure if I can get a set of bumpers and a couple of extra bars in the new year, and maybe a C-2 then I should be good for equipment for groups up to 5. Then I will start looking for a premises of my own. Real estate round here isn't cheap so I am looking at around nine hundred to a thousand a month in rent plus utilities and rates etc so it's not going to be cheap.

[absolution]

I set up my own PT, Pilates and Yoga Studio a few years ago after working as a PT at Greens Health and Fitness in Wakefield. I had built a good client base and they all promised to come with me to my new premises. I took on a great spot in a Town square. 1st floor, 2400 sq feet. 3/4 was for training and 1/4 was studio space for Pilates/Yoga classes. I had male female toilets, male female showers, juice bar, physio suite. I did it all myself. My plan was to run the PT side, renting space to other likeminded pTs in the area. I would rent the physio room every day to a different therapist and i had a girl willing to run the 'Mind/Body' room for me.
2 weeks before opening my Pilates teacher moved to Cornwall with her boyfriend. s***!

I spent nearly 3 years trying to make this work. I took on a number of pilates, yoga and tai chi teachers to help me with the studio. All of them proved to be useless in generating business. I was busy in the PT side but my income all went on paying the bills. I was paying £2400 per month in rent/rates and bills.

In the end, i pleaded with my landlord to let me out of the lease 6 months early. He agreed. I sold all my kit on ebay. It cost me approx £15000 to set gym up. I got less than £3000 back.

Anyway, the point I am making is, dont try to set something up that relys on others to pay your bills. If you can pay your first 12 months rent from your savings you will have a good chance. As a strength and conditioning PT I should never have taken on Pilates and Yoga. They are too specialised and all good instructors tend not to work for less than £35 per hour. I should never have got 1st floor premises in a town square. Industrial much cheaper.

If could go back, I would get a 'box' and spend the £15000 on useful gear, not carpet, fitballs, showers, juice bar, coffee machines, etc.
Good luck.

[glasshouse_bc]

Best of luck with it bud.....

Started on a shoe string myself............quality of training is more important than equipment......I run bootcamps as well as semi private training; started off on a field and 'jungle gyms' in the area, come rain or shine, we were outside....no equipment to start off...just used body weight....started off with 4 paying clients and 2 family members in August 2009.....ALL my athletes have come from word of mouth....I now train 30 regular clients and we are growing each month [and I am the most expensive in the area....town of 20,000]....., within a few short weeks, I added Kettle Bells, Resistance Bands, TRX and Gym rings [and I have a sh*tload of olympic plates which I introduced to the guys in November]....since the winters here in BC are so frickin cold, we are in school gyms and a church hall.....

I don't say this to impress you, just to point out that you don't need fancy equipment or location.....if you give them a bloody good workout, you will attract quality of client.....Andy from Crossfit Reading and Mark from the Box are outstanding on the training side with some great workouts....indeed when I am in the UK and able, they are my first port of call for training.....yet they are not in fancy locations, they don't have the top of the range equipment....but what they do have is a knowledge and passion to make frickin 'Kick Ass' warriors.....[and no, I am not one to blow smoke up your Ass's guys, just tell it as it is ]

I have a website upon which I list all my workouts that we do, we do a different workout every time, I have a face book fan page, and I publish a newsletter every fortnight [with a main article, some news, recipes and a workout of the month]....

My plan for 2010 is to move into my own facility, since I want to introduce serious strength training, Concept 2 rowers and an 'F' off Pull up station....

I bought my equipment when I had the money to, I only bought a handful and run circuit style workouts if the need arises.....I approached the gyms in my area to see if they had any old equipment to get rid of....I was fortunate in that I picked up a concept 2 rower and an Olympic Lifting Bar for knack all.....and several months later picked up 2000lbs of Olympic plates for $70!!

Have a passion for what you do, have the knowledge, aim to give the best workouts they could experience [none of my athletes have ever worked out with so much intensity, they are wiped at the end, but they love it....I have even achieved 'finger status' and I await 'we hate Steve' page to appear on facebook] and grow organically...........by that I mean, grow when you can afford to; when your clients tell you that you need to grow [not enough space, not enough challenge, or they are in a place where they need to take that next step]

Sorry, long post.....in essence, I am doing something I love, and I wouldn't change a thing about how I went about it......I look forward to getting a facility of my own, but I know that my success doesn't necessarily depend on me getting a place right now......

Feel free to stop by my blog and check the workouts I have done with my guys.....you will see my fees, my offers.....and if you are ever in Reading or Derby, be sure to stop by and say Hi to Andy and Mark and have the beasting of your life.....they're the real deal.

Train Hard, Live Easy

Have a great one

Steve

[Gubernatrix]

Your set up sounds awesome Steve. I miss the countryside!