A question for Fitness industry professionals.

[TommyKav]

I would really like to get paid for my hobby and need to get out of restaurants. My school schedual is quickly going to become demanding enough where it would be better to work during the day instead of nights at the restaurant. My main question is $40-$48K a year hard to make in the fitness industry. IF I include my overtime thats a little more than I make now as a restaurant GM(yeah I know I not even half of the national average for a GM). I wanted to ask around and get an Idea of which side I should really be looking in? Supplement stores, Gyms... etc?

With my time in management I hav no doubt that I can be successful managing something health and fitness related but would still like to get some opinions from people with first hand knowledge of working in the industry.

[homonunculus]

I would really like to get paid for my hobby and need to get out of restaurants. My school schedual is quickly going to become demanding enough where it would be better to work during the day instead of nights at the restaurant. My main question is $40-$48K a year hard to make in the fitness industry. IF I include my overtime thats a little more than I make now as a restaurant GM(yeah I know I not even half of the national average for a GM). I wanted to ask around and get an Idea of which side I should really be looking in? Supplement stores, Gyms... etc?

With my time in management I hav no doubt that I can be successful managing something health and fitness related but would still like to get some opinions from people with first hand knowledge of working in the industry.

If you're willing to sell your soul to the Devil and work for one of the big box gyms (LA Fitness, Planet Fitness, 24Hr Fitness, etc.), you can easily clear that after working your way up.

Have you looked into you local market?..

Hell, here's one selling memberships that has a BASE pay in that range:

http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Jobs/JobDetails.aspx?IPath=ILKV0H&lr=CBPAR_GYMJOB&APath=2.31.0.0.0&job_did=JHN8BC6HTV4XC02J9Q2

-S

[Ken Skip Hill]

What Scott said above.

You have to be a cold son-of-a-bitch to sell memberships and make a lot of money. The bigger money is cold-blooded sales in my opinion. There are high pressure car salesman and then below them are membership sales guys.

Skip

[TommyKav]

If you're willing to sell your soul to the Devil and work for one of the big box gyms (LA Fitness, Planet Fitness, 24Hr Fitness, etc.), you can easily clear that after working your way up.

Have you looked into you local market?..

Hell, here's one selling memberships that has a BASE pay in that range:

http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Jobs/JobDetails.aspx?IPath=ILKV0H&lr=CBPAR_GYMJOB&APath=2.31.0.0.0&job_did=JHN8BC6HTV4XC02J9Q2

-S

What Scott said above.

You have to be a cold son-of-a-bitch to sell memberships and make a lot of money. The bigger money is cold-blooded sales in my opinion. There are high pressure car salesman and then below them are membership sales guys.

Skip

Thank you both for your response. They did confirm my one fear. I did sell cars and gym memberships at LA fitness. Not something I'd like to do again.

[Jared Ragsdale]

I'll throw my 2 cents in.. To make that in a supplement store, you would probably need to own it or be managing it 100% for the owner.

Depends on the store.. 90% of stores out there, the owner probably makes that himself running the shop.

[moco]

I'll throw my 2 cents in.. To make that in a supplement store, you would probably need to own it or be managing it 100% for the owner.

Depends on the store.. 90% of stores out there, the owner probably makes that himself running the shop.

Only $40-50K as the owner? I knew it wouldn't be much, but that just doesn't seem worth it at all.

[Jared Ragsdale]

Only $40-50K as the owner? I knew it wouldn't be much, but that just doesn't seem worth it at all.

Half of small businesses fail in the first year.

The rest of those are just getting by.

90% of supplement stores aren't very successful.


I'm guessing for the 90%.. our stores are quite a bit bigger so I can't say exactly what most other stores are making since we do a much, much higher volume.

ps I made up that 90%.

[moco]

"They've done studies you know. Sixty percent of the time, it works every time."

[Cooporilla]

There's a supplement store around my area (Missouri) and they really took off and have like 7 stores and for 3 reasons. Their employees could sell ketchup Popsicles to a woman in white gloves, they give cool t shirts to anybody that makes any purchase. Now you can't go anywhere without seeing someone with one of their shirts showing what they sell and their location. And the third thing they do that allows them to sell supplements for so cheap and still make a large profit is the owner started a supplement company and the employees push their products like nothing I've ever seen. They sell their products at premium prices and drop the prices on all of their others. The stores are called supplement superstores and the owners company is 1st Phorm. I think it's a great business model and has allowed them to grow very rapidly.

Btw I am not a fitness professional. Just something I've observed.

[Jared Ragsdale]

There's a supplement store around my area (Missouri) and they really took off and have like 7 stores and for 3 reasons. Their employees could sell ketchup Popsicles to a woman in white gloves, they give cool t shirts to anybody that makes any purchase. Now you can't go anywhere without seeing someone with one of their shirts showing what they sell and their location. And the third thing they do that allows them to sell supplements for so cheap and still make a large profit is the owner started a supplement company and the employees push their products like nothing I've ever seen. They sell their products at premium prices and drop the prices on all of their others. The stores are called supplement superstores and the owners company is 1st Phorm. I think it's a great business model and has allowed them to grow very rapidly.

Btw I am not a fitness professional. Just something I've observed.

Yep, good guys, good company, good business model.

Met them at the Arnold back in '08, and we've brought in some of their 1st Phorm as well.

[thedunhill225]

Half of small businesses fail in the first year.

The rest of those are just getting by.

90% of supplement stores aren't very successful.


I'm guessing for the 90%.. our stores are quite a bit bigger so I can't say exactly what most other stores are making since we do a much, much higher volume.

ps I made up that 90%.

100% correct about most small businesses. People don't realize that most of the time all you are doing is buying yourself a job.... If your lucky.

[TommyKav]

Half of small businesses fail in the first year.

The rest of those are just getting by.

90% of supplement stores aren't very successful.


I'm guessing for the 90%.. our stores are quite a bit bigger so I can't say exactly what most other stores are making since we do a much, much higher volume.

ps I made up that 90%.

Keep in mind I'm not trying to start my own business just find a way to get the bills paid and leave me more time than I have now for my school work. I was only thinking that if I could do it by having a job that involved my hobby it would be great. If it's not feesable I'll figure something else out I really only have until september until my class schedual becomes more intense.

[FK86]

"They've done studies you know. Sixty percent of the time, it works every time."

Moco, I'm going to be honest with you; that smells like pure gasoline.

[bbjeff86]

Ken and Homon...

I'm not sure why the hate for membership sales?

I manage a club here in TX that is the fastest growing franchise (and has the most locations on the planet). I run the club (personal training, payroll, maintenance, marketing, everything), but membership sales makes up a large portion of my income, and takes up probably 70% of my focus.

I get that you could sell stuff in an underhanded and dishonest way... and I know that many take that approach. But in my opinion and experience that will build you a bad reputation, and and people wont like that. Perhaps in a huge market that wouldn't matter, but the town I'm in only has 25,000 people, so that word would get around.

They way I look at it pretty much everyone needs fitness (to be active, eat better, etc.) especially the general population. If you genuinely care about people, and wanting to help them live a healthier/more active lifestyle so they can look how they want, have more energy, and live a better quality of life, then you on't have to be underhanded. You just inspire them by showing how you and your club can help them. Granted I work at a great club that offers the members a lot, and we are smaller, so this is all much easier to do. If you worked at some crap club like Planet Fitness, Bally's, etc. then you might have to sell out a little to get people to buy.

To the OP, if you got into a market of 50,000-100,000 people, without a ton of competition (less than 3-4 other clubs), you should easily be able to make what you are looking for.

[Jared Ragsdale]

Actually, Planet Fitness just opened up here in town:

$1 to join
$10 a month w/ no contract.

I think they won't have a problem finding members. lol