To run a gym or workout facility, you’re going to need some fitness equipment. But many gym owners struggle with the decision of whether to buy or lease gym equipment. Members choose which gym to join based on several factors, but one of the most important variables is the equipment that’s available.

Whether you’re just starting out, or looking to make upgrades to your existing facility, there’s a lot of thought that needs to go into your equipment. Gym-goers want to see fitness equipment that’s modern, up-to-date, and user-friendly. You also want your inventory to attract new members, while still meeting the needs of current clients.

Your fitness equipment is arguably one of the most important decisions you’ll make—and has the potential to be one of the most expensive aspects of your business—so to help you decide which option is right for you, this blog will cover some of the pros and cons of buying gym equipment versus leasing equipment.

BUYING GYM EQUIPMENT

The main difference between buying gym equipment versus leasing equipment comes down to ownership. When you choose to purchase the equipment, that ownership can add value to your fitness center in several ways.

Pros of buying gym equipment:

• You can customise it: Deciding on the aesthetics of your fitness facility is one of the most fun parts of opening a gym. If you purchase your gym equipment, you can customise it by choosing colours and branding your inventory to match the overall look and feel you want. Creating a cohesive environment also helps build a sense of community, which is attractive to both current and prospective members.
• It gives you an asset: Ownership of fitness equipment is an asset, which becomes especially important for gym owners who decide to sell their fitness facility. The added value of owning your fitness equipment means you can ask for a higher selling price, and it may also entice buyers who don’t want to spend the time or money to find new inventory.
• You can sell it to offset upgrade costs: Buying gym equipment is expensive, but another benefit to owning your own fitness equipment is that you can sell it to help offset upgrade costs. Not only does this help lessen the financial burden, it also keeps your facility modern and up-to-date, which is attractive to both current and potential new members.  

Cons of buying gym equipment:

• High initial purchase price: Whether you purchase the equipment entirely out of pocket or have to make a large down payment on a loan, the initial purchase price will require a large amount of your cash reserves. Purchasing loans that require high monthly payments can also put pressure on future cash flows of your business.
• Maintenance & upkeep costs: When you own your own fitness equipment, you’re the one responsible for covering repairs and maintenance costs. In addition to costing even more money, this can also be inconvenient for your members when the fitness equipment is unavailable.

LEASING EQUIPMENT

While buying gym equipment can offer several benefits like we talked about earlier, it’s not always the best option for gym owners. Leasing equipment can offer greater flexibility, and help you stay ahead of competitors.

Pros of leasing equipment:

• Lower upfront cost: One of the biggest benefits to leasing equipment is the lower upfront costs required. Although some lease terms may require first and last month’s payment right away, the cost will still be lower than buying gym equipment.
• Tax benefits: If you have an operating lease, you may be eligible to write off your monthly lease payments as an operating expense on your taxes. By deducting the monthly payments from your revenue, you’ll lower your taxable income.
• Flexibility to upgrade more frequently: When business owners decide to purchase the equipment, they’ll most likely keep the inventory for as long as possible. This means there’s a greater likelihood for the equipment to become outdated, or in constant need of repair. Leasing equipment provides greater flexibility for upgrades since the lease term is usually shorter than the equipment’s lifespan.

Cons of leasing equipment:

• Lack of ownership: The only reason for not leasing equipment is that you won’t have ownership of it. Some lease agreements allow equipment to be considered an asset (with corresponding liability) on the balance sheet, but that doesn’t mean you own it. Unless your lease includes an option to purchase the equipment for a reduced price at the end of the lease, you’ll need to return it once your contract period is up.

CONCLUSION

Deciding whether to buy or lease gym equipment can be daunting, but it’s one of the most important decisions you’ll make as a fitness business owner. To figure out which option is best for you, you’ll need to thoroughly consider your fitness center’s needs and available resources to determine which approach makes sense for your business at any stage of growth.

To learn how EZFacility’s gym management software can help you stay organised and on top of your finances so you can successfully grow your business, schedule a free online demonstration and personalised product tour.

Once upon a time, gyms were separated into two pricing categories—budget gyms and elite fitness clubs. Over the years, however, fitness businesses began expanding offerings and experiences, creating the need for new membership models and pricing strategies.

Today, many gyms use a variety of pricing models to satisfy their membership base and their bottom line. But with so many to choose from, it can be difficult and overwhelming to figure out which membership options and pricing models are right for you.

In this blog, we’ll compare a few different options to help you determine which best suits your business needs. 

What is a pricing strategy?

A pricing strategy is the approach you take to determine what you should charge for your products and services. It’s one of the most challenging and important decisions you’ll make as a gym owner.

If you set your prices too low, you’ll risk losing money and overcrowding your gym. On the other hand, if you set your prices too high, you’ll risk outpricing a large number of potential clients and may lose existing clients to competitors who charge less.

Popular Membership Options

When determining your pricing structure, keep in mind that cost isn’t the only important factor. Many people are actually willing to pay more if they feel the value and experience is worth the price. Conversely, others may be extremely cost-driven and base their decision solely on the cheapest option.

Below are three common membership options to consider:

• Monthly membership: A monthly membership fee is one of the most common types of pricing structure. With this model, members pay a set fee every month. Most gyms offer 12-month contracts to be paid monthly, or a set annual fee. Some gyms opt to offer contract-free memberships, but charge initiation fees.

• Pay as you go: The pay as you go model is an attractive option for gym goers who don’t want to feel tied down. This has become an increasingly popular pricing structure as fewer people want to feel locked into a contract when there are more flexible options available.

• Hybrid model: When the pandemic hit, fitness businesses had to shift to digital offerings in order to survive. And while restrictions have been lifted in most states, many people have become accustomed to the convenience and flexibility that digital fitness offerings provide—but they still want the option to visit a physical facility.

Under the hybrid model, your digital offerings are meant to complement your brick-and-mortar operations. A hybrid gym offers the best of both worlds, and includes a combination of in-person and online workout options. For example, your gym may offer in-person exercise classes that are also live streamed or available on-demand for members who want to continue with home workouts.

Conclusion

Determining the right pricing strategy for your facility can be the difference between success or failure. Your pricing will impact every aspect of your business, so it’s critical to do your research and invest the time to get it right. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, so you may want to consider offering a combination of membership options at different price points to figure out what works best for you and your members.

To learn how EZFacility can help you streamline operations—from online gym scheduling and text messaging, to point of sale and automated billing—click here to schedule a free demo and live online demonstration.

In order for your members to reach their fitness goals, consistency is key. And to stay consistent, some people need a bit of extra motivation, encouragement and accountability. Fitness and workout challenges are a great way to help keep your members on track by offering an incentive—and a little friendly competition.

Workout challenges can also help generate new leads, increase referrals, and assist in building long term relationships with clients. They help your members set challenging yet attainable goals within a time specified timeframe—and when participants start to see the physical results, they’ll also start to associate your gym with success and be more motivated to keep coming back.

5 Tips to Consider When Developing Your Fitness Challenge

If you’re trying to decide what types of challenges to host, the first thing you’ll want to do is determine the end-goal and what you hope to achieve from a business standpoint. From there, here are five key things to keep in mind when developing a fitness challenge:

1. Once you set your duration for each challenge, be sure it’s communicated clearly to participants so they know what to expect.
   
2. Results can be tracked using a mobile app, a fitness tracker, or your staff can create a leaderboard and manually enter results.
   
3. An individual challenge has members working toward a set goal, such as running 100 within a certain time frame. Rewards are typically smaller with individual challenges since every participant could be a winner.
   
4. A competitive challenge has members compete against each other. Since awards are usually tiered and given in the order in which participants finish, rewards are usually larger.
   
5. Once you determine how many people will be rewarded for participating in your workout challenges, you must decide what the rewards will be. Popular rewards include free branded swag, a free personal training session, a discount on membership, or other items that can assist members on their fitness journey—for example, a fitness tracker or other wearables.

So, which fitness challenge is the best fit for your gym? Below, we’ve outlined some popular workout challenges for you to consider.

6 Fitness Challenge Ideas

When it comes to fitness and workout challenges, the opportunities are limitless. You can choose to structure them any way you’d like, and it’s a great way to keep your online and offline customers engaged. Feel free to create your own, or pull inspiration from the six popular fitness challenges outlined below:

1. Cycling Challenges
   
   Cycling challenges work especially well for members who may not be able to run. The challenge can be based on distance traveled, the speed at which it was traveled, or the duration.
   
2. Running Challenges
   
   Running challenges are one of the most common types of workout challenges because members can go at their own pace. The fitness challenge can be based on total distance, or the speed at which a certain distance is run.
   
3. Rowing Challenges
   
   Rowing is a popular workout because of its aerobic intensity and full-body training, so consider adding a rowing challenge to your repertoire. You can use the machine’s digital dashboard to set time, distance and speed challenges.
   
4. Calories Burned
   
   The Calories Burned challenge makes the goal an end-result, so it gives your members a little more freedom to choose the exercises they’re most comfortable with. Participants can choose to run, spin, swim, walk, or do any other type of physical activity. And, fortunately, there are a ton of apps that can calculate the total calories burned for specific exercises and the time spent doing them.
   
5. Most Club Visits
   
   Most Club Visits is one of the easiest gym challenges to set up and run, and there’s no better way to incentivise your members to come in as much as possible than with a total check-ins challenge.
   
6. Improve Your Personal Best by 10%
   
   Most people prefer certain activities and exercises, and this fitness challenge encourages members to reach their goals by improving upon their favorite workouts—whether that’s rowing, running, walking, or any type of lift. To successfully run this challenge, ask participants to come in on a particular day to record their best number to-date and document it.

Conclusion

Fitness challenges are a fun way to boost member engagement and retention, and they also help your customers reach their fitness goals by creating a sense of community and rewarding members for participation. After all, who doesn’t love to win prizes?

Have you held any workout challenges recently? If so, we’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Maintaining ongoing communication with members is fundamental to maintaining your memberships, engagement and customer loyalty—especially in the wake of the pandemic, when face-to-face contact is at an all-time low while digital consumption is at an all-time high.

Fitness newsletters are a great way to keep in touch with your audience on a regular basis and to keep them informed about your fitness business. But with the average person receiving around 121 emails per day, it’s critical to ensure your newsletters are captivating, relevant and tailored to your audience to avoid going unread or ending up in the trash.

You may be wondering if you really need to bother creating and sending fitness newsletters—and the answer is, yes. Regardless of the size of your business, email campaigns are still an extremely effective and valuable marketing tool. In fact, research shows that email marketing offers the highest ROI of any marketing channel.

But in such a competitive landscape, what can you do to increase open rates and the likelihood of your emails actually being read? Read on to learn how you can make sure your emails are the brightest in the inbox. 

What are fitness newsletters?

A fitness newsletter is a form of email communication that should be part of your larger content marketing strategy. Fitness newsletters can be used for a variety of purposes—for example, providing updates about your fitness business, sharing relevant industry news and fitness tips, or celebrating members’ milestones.

While the content will vary depending on the purpose and the audience, the ultimate goal of email marketing is to capture readers’ attention and keep them engaged.

What makes the best fitness newsletters?

Preparation is the key to success, so before you roll out your email marketing campaigns, you’ll need to start by defining your purpose and creating a strategy.

Here are some tips to help you get started:

• Set your focus & objectives: Starting with a clear understanding of your goals and objectives is critical to the success of your email campaigns. The focus of your emails will drive the content and design, as well as the relevancy to your recipients.

• Identify your audience: If you want to engage your audience, you need to know about them—for example, their likes, interests and other demographic data. By understanding who you’re talking to, you can create tailored content to pique interest and maximise engagement.

• Segment your email lists: Segmenting your email lists can take some time, but it’s extremely important to the success of your email marketing campaigns. Sometimes general information newsletters are appropriate to send to everyone, but creating tailored lists enables you to deliver the most engaging and consistent content to the right people. If you send too many emails that aren’t relevant to the recipients, you risk getting blocked or even reported for spam. 

• Determine the frequency: After you’ve defined your goals and identified your audience, you’ll want to create a distribution plan that outlines the emails you plan to send, what you plan to include, and when you plan to send them. Consistency is key, so outlining your dates and topics in advance will help you avoid the last-minute scramble. It’s important to be realistic with the goals you set, so if you’re just starting out, consider sending one or two emails per month—you can always increase the frequency later).

• Create a template: To make things a bit easier on yourself, considering creating several templates to use for different audiences and purposes. The templates you create will be the foundation of your email marketing campaigns, so it’s important to ensure your branding and tone is consistent in order to build trust and familiarity with your audience.

What’s Next?

Now that we’ve covered the basics, it’s time to start creating and sending your fitness newsletters!

Here are some tips to help you create awesome email campaigns that catch readers’ attention:

• Write snappy, attention-grabbing headlines: The subject line is one of the most important parts of your email. We’re all busy people, and most recipients will make a snap judgment whether or not to read your email based on the headline alone. To entice readers to open your email, your headline should be a balance between being informative and intriguing.

• Include high quality, captivating visuals: Visuals are the first thing we look for, so the reader’s eye will be immediately drawn to whatever visuals you include. Using rich imagery is a great way to highlight an essential point and keep your readers engaged. But it’s important to find the right balance between text and imagery, because using too many images will increase your load times and risk losing the reader’s interest.

• Make your text scannable: The simplicity of your fitness newsletters is key to their readability. The majority of your subscribers will open your emails on their mobile devices, and long blocks of text can quickly cause readers to lose interest. Break up your content into shorter, more digestible chunks.

• Include a clear call-to-action: If you want your readers to take specific action after reading your email, tell them. Guide your readers to a clear call-to-action button so they understand the purpose of your email, and make it easy for them to do what you’d like.
  
• Optimise for mobile devices: The vast majority of your subscribers will likely be reading your fitness newsletters on their phones or other mobile devices. For this reason, you want to make sure your template is optimised for mobile use to provide a seamless user experience.

Conclusion

Email marketing remains one of the most cost-effective and conversion-rich forms of digital marketing. Creating and sending fitness newsletters is a powerful way to build stronger relationships with members, improve conversion rates, and generate new leads.

To learn how EZFacility can help you create customised email marketing campaigns, click here to request a free trial and live online demonstration.   

As a gym owner, you’re constantly thinking about ways to retain your members and keep them motivated—especially considering 50% of members quit the gym within the first six months.

So, what can you do to help reduce membership churn?

One solution is to provide consistent motivation. And while motivational drivers vary from person to person, there’s some truth to saying “there’s strength in numbers.” In fact, a study published in the Journal of Social Sciences found that participants gravitated towards the exercise behavior of those around them, suggesting the healthy actions of others can rub off on us.

In this blog, we’ll talk about what small group training is, as well as how it can benefit your members and your business.

What is small group training?

Small group training is an instructor-led, group exercise class that typically includes between 2-10 participants. It’s essentially the same thing as personal training, except with a group instead of an individual working one-on-one with a personal trainer. 

How does small group training benefit your business?

If you’re wondering whether small group training classes are worth your while, here are just a few examples of how they can benefit your gym:

1. Small group training helps diversify your services.

Today’s consumers want options, especially when it comes to their workout routines. And one of the best ways to attract and retain members is to offer a diverse range of services. Not everyone can afford private personal training lessons—and not everyone wants to do a one-on-one workout with a personal trainer. Offering small group training makes your gym more inclusive and affordable for people from different backgrounds, which helps give your facility a competitive edge.

2. Small group training can be more profitable in the long-run.

Small group training classes can actually be more profitable in the long-run than traditional personal training sessions. Consider this—if your personal trainers are hosting individual sessions, they’re limited to one person at a time for a set price, whereas group training provides the opportunity to train multiple people at once. While the cost per individual may be lower, you can end up making a lot more even if you only have a few people in each group. 

3. Small group training can attract new members.

Each of your members will have different preferences in regards to their workout routines. Some will want to workout on their own, while others feel more comfortable going to the gym with friends or family members. By offering small group training, you can accommodate those who may have some gym-related anxiety by offering a comfortable atmosphere where they can exercise with others—which also benefits you by encouraging referrals and attracting new members.   

How does small group training benefit your members?

Now that we’ve covered a few ways small group training can benefit your business, let’s talk about how it can benefit your members.

1. Small group training is an affordable alternative to traditional personal training.

Individual personal training sessions may be too expensive for many of your members, but small group training offers them a similar experience at a much more reasonable price. It’s the sweet spot between keeping the fitness experience large enough to be fun, but small enough to be personalised.

2. Small group training helps members connect with other like-minded people.

Small group training classes are a great way for members to meet, interact and socialise with other gym-goers. It helps them bond with each other, and creates a sense of belonging at your gym. When you have a community of members that are excited to come to your facility and interact with one another, it creates a better overall environment for everyone. 

3. Small group training increases accountability.

Let’s be honest—it can be really hard for some people to stay motivated. But as your members connect and build friendships with other people in their classes, they’ll naturally be more motivated to keep coming back and working toward their fitness goals. A little extra support from your personal trainers and other group members can go a long way—and it can have a huge positive impact on your retention rates.

Conclusion

While many trends in the fitness industry come and go, small group training isn’t just some passing fad. It continues to rise in popularity given the number of benefits it can offer your members, as well as the positive impact it can have on your bottom-line.

To learn how EZFacility can help simplify member management and streamline class scheduling, click here to schedule a free personalised product tour.

In case you haven’t already heard the big news—we’re excited to share that we’re rolling out a major user interface (UI) redesign! Featuring a responsive, modern design across devices, EZFacility’s new UI offers an intuitive edge and solution to workflow challenges fitness businesses have been struggling to address since the Coronavirus pandemic upended the industry in 2020. And our latest investment doesn’t end with design—the upgrade also includes a new hosting partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS), the world’s largest cloud computing provider.

Responding to the Fitness Industry’s Changing Needs

By now, we’ve all seen the extent to which COVID-19 has disrupted the fitness industry—from the physical landscape where people work out to the needs and expectations consumers have regarding how fitness businesses should package and deliver products and services. To address these new challenges, we chose to invest more heavily into technology in order to create an all-in-one, seamless solution that addresses our customers’ unique operational needs.

“Many of our users are on-the-go admins who rely on our software to provide time-saving solutions. The latest interface updates are fully responsive, require fewer clicks to accomplish tasks, and are packaged into a clean, intuitive dashboard. This helps ensure we continue to lead from the front and provide our clients with the tools they need to excel in a new landscape,” says Bryant Strozinsky, President of EZFacility.

What’s in EZFacility’s New UI?

The UI redesign carries over the same functionality users are familiar with while also introducing simplified processes and expanded capabilities. Key benefits of EZFacility’s new user interface include: 

• Streamlined workflows help you complete daily tasks faster. Plus, training new staff will be easier than ever. 
• Lightning-fast speeds. Technology upgrades ensure that your software moves as fast as you do and is always available when you need it. 
• Unlimited storage, thanks to our partnership with Amazon Web Services—the world’s largest cloud computing provider.
• Responsive design that gives you the best experience on every device. 

To see all the updates, watch a tour of EZFacility’s new UI. 

Supercharge Your Productivity with Intuitive Design 

EZFacility’s new UI introduces design elements intended to reduce clicks, decrease admin time, and boost productivity. For instance, the convenient slide-out navigation menu allows users to access popular tools when needed and to hide the menu when not in use. Similarly, an editing pane appears whenever you need to make changes to a client profile, membership, or package, providing a consistent experience throughout the software. 

“Consistency makes the software more user-friendly, which means it’s easier for new staff and users to learn,” explained Greg Barra, EZFacility’s Support and Training Manager. “This is great news for managers and admin who can spend less time on software training and more time running their businesses.” 

For instructions on how to use the latest features and functionality, see our collection of user guides for the New EZFacility Experience. 

Technology Upgrades for Speed and Reliability

The transition to Amazon Web Services prioritizes client data security and increases site speed, with AWS boasting a reliable 99% uptime rate. 

“With built-in, unlimited storage capacity our clients can spend more time building out their operations without worrying about typical associated costs. Moving forward with AWS puts our development team in an excellent position to incorporate cutting-edge tools and integrations like Machine Learning into our software in the future,” adds Michael Vidal, Director of Research and Development at EZFacility.

How to Access Facility’s New UI

All new and current EZFacility clients will have access to the latest interface beginning in 2021. For additional information about our new UI or to schedule a personalized product tour, please request a demo with one of our specialists. 

Whether you run your own personal training business or work at a fitness facility, the ultimate goal is to build a roster of loyal, engaged clients. The online fitness market is booming, but there are a lot of other fitness businesses and personal trainers vying for the attention of your current and prospective clients.

So, what can you do to break through the noise and stand out?

In this blog, we’ll cover five tried-and-true marketing strategies to help you attract more prospective clients to your personal training business.

1. Leverage social media

Utilising social media is the fastest, cheapest and easiest way for personal trainers to reach their target audiences and potential clients. It also allows fitness businesses to control the narrative by deciding what content to share and when.

Here are five social media marketing tips to keep in mind:

• If you’re just starting out, it’s best to pick just one or two social media platforms to focus on so you can maximise your marketing efforts.
• When it comes to social media marketing, consistency is key. To build an engaged following you need to be in constant communication with your followers.
• Focus on creating and sharing content that’s relevant, of interest, and will resonate with your target audience to keep them coming back to your social media pages for more. Even better—try to identify a niche or a need you can fill.
• The communication on social media goes both ways, and followers don’t just want to be talked to—they want to be listened to. In addition to sharing regular and compelling content on your pages, make sure you interact with your audience as well.

2. Participate in local events

Most places host health fairs or other fitness-related expos several times throughout the year, creating the perfect targeted marketing opportunity for your personal training business. Setting up a booth at these types of events is a great way to introduce potential clients to your personal brand, and face-to-face conversations give you a greater ability to sell yourself and build relationships.

If you bring free swag to hand out, you’ll likely attract even more people to your booth—and it’s a great opportunity to snap some pictures to post to your social media accounts, too.

3. Highlight customer reviews & testimonials

Did you know that 92% of consumers will hesitate to buy a product if there are no reviews left by customers? And 97% of consumers say the customer reviews they read influence their purchasing decisions?

If you haven’t already done so, it’s time to create a testimonial marketing plan. Your online presence is more important today than it’s ever been, and not only do potential clients want to see what others are saying about your personal brand—they expect it. So much so, that 92% of consumers say they’ll hesitate to buy a product if there are no reviews left by customers.

The great news is—72% of customers say they’ll provide reviews and testimonials simply if a local business asks them to! With the right marketing efforts in place, you can easily beef up your online presence by garnering more online reviews and customer testimonials.

4. Incentivise referrals

Countless statistics show that the majority of us are influenced by what others say—for example, 83% of customers say word of mouth recommendations from friends or family members make them more likely to purchase that product or service, and 41% say they trust a recommendation from someone they know more than a social media recommendation.

Given the power of peer persuasion, rewarding your clients for referring friends to your personal training business is a win-win. Not only will this benefit your business by introducing new potential revenue streams, it will also create a more fun and meaningful member experience.

You can structure a refer-a-friend campaign a number of different ways. A few ideas include offering a discount on personal training services, a free session for a certain number of referrals, or giving away free branded swag.

5. Enhance the member experience

Providing a great member experience is critical to creating a positive association with your personal brand, establishing credibility, and building a robust network of personal training clients. The experience you provide—whether positive or negative—will stay with you and impact your long-term success.

Today’s consumers are more empowered than ever, making it that much more important for you to differentiate your personal training business from competitors, and to consistently deliver an exceptional experience that no one else can.

Conclusion

One silver lining of the pandemic is society’s heightened awareness of the importance of exercise to maintaining total body health. This has created a lot of new opportunities, especially in the digital fitness space, meaning the climate is ripe for personal trainers who are able to effectively utilise marketing efforts to connect, engage and build long-lasting relationships with clients.

To learn how we can help streamline your personal training business so you have more time to connect with potential clients, click here to schedule a free personalised product tour.

If you’re a gym owner, you already know how much time and energy it takes just to manage the day-to-day operations. From scheduling staff and fitness classes to overseeing equipment maintenance and inspections, the number of moving parts at any given time can be overwhelming. Without the right organizational tools, clear communication channels, and effective oversight, things can get out of hand pretty quickly and result in costly errors.

Gym management software continues to grow in popularity given its ability to increase efficiency and productivity, reduce the risk of human error, save time and money, and enhance the member experience. On top of that, the low upfront cost structure of a cloud-based software solution makes it a financially attractive option for fitness businesses of all sizes.

In this blog, we’ll cover some key benefits of using gym management software, in addition to how EZFacility’s cloud-based management system can improve your facility’s operations and membership management.

What is gym management software?

Gym management software—also sometimes referred to as membership management software, a facility management system, or a gym software solution—is a platform of tools that will centralize and streamline your facility’s operations. The software makes it easy for gym owners to assign tasks to employees, manage inventory, improve the payments process, and more—all from one secure location.

In a nutshell, gym management software serves as a central hub for gym owners to better manage and oversee their facility, staff, and memberships. 

Benefits of choosing EZFacility as your software solution

If you’ve decided a membership management software is right for you, the next step is to choose your service provider. We’re sure you’ll do your research, but to make things just a little bit easier for you, we’ve outlined some of EZFacility’s key features and how they can benefit your business.

1. Automate & Simplify Administrative Tasks

When it comes to business, time equals money—and our software solution can help you save a lot of time. Here are a few ways EZFacility can save you money by streamlining administrative tasks:

• Facility scheduling & management: Centralize the scheduling of physical resources and consolidate all classes, clinics, and rentals into a color-coded schedule. At-a-glance locate available resources and master resource utilization reports to ensure your facility is working to capacity.
  
• Membership management: Create custom membership plans, manage relationships, sell services online, assign plastic or RFID member cards, track payments, and automate text and email reminders to reduce client delinquencies.
  
• POS & inventory management: Need to sell point of sale products from a desktop or mobile device? Or keep an eye on product levels, automate reorder alerts, manage online or in-house coupon codes, and report on product profitability? We have the tools you need.

2. Empower & Engage Clients

We’ve previously talked about the importance of the member experience. Here’s how EZFacility can help you consistently deliver exceptional experiences to keep current members engaged and prospective members interested:  

• Self-service client portal: Allow clients to update payment information, pay outstanding balances, view your calendar, schedule sessions, purchase packages or memberships, register their kids for summer camp or soccer clinics, and more–all online and all on their own.
  
• Marketing tools: Customize and send advanced email marketing campaigns to develop new customer relationships or nurture leads throughout the buying process. With automated email and text message functionality–ensure clients receive the right information at the most opportune time.
  
• Online registrations & rentals: Enjoy online multi-enrollments, guest check-outs, and discount codes—all while providing business owners with real-time feedback of event and rental success. In fact, with our Smartwaiver integration, you’ll ditch the paper trail with digitally signed, tracked and organized custom liability waivers and event forms.
  
• Text message automation: With our EZMessaging feature– schedule single or multiple future campaigns or assist in delinquent billing collections by sending automated reminders. With a 97% read rate within 3-5 minutes and custom shortcode keywords, it has never been easier to connect and start conversations with members.
  
• Branded mobile app: With a branded mobile app clients have access to facility information, business social media accounts, schedules, trainer profiles, push-notifications, promotions, and can even ditch their physical member card by adding it to their mobile wallet. Available in both the Apple and Android app stores.

3. Gauge Success

When you utilize one centralized software solution to manage your gym’s operations, you gain insight into a lot of critical data. Here’s how EZFacility’s membership management software can help gym owners more effectively assess performance and gauge success:

• Extensive report suite: Get an in-depth look under the hood of your business–including financial, point of sale, marketing, payroll, membership and training–just to name a few. Export reports in a variety of file types available, including .csv, .pdf, .xlsx, etc.
  
• QuickBooks Online integration: Easily connect with tools that you already use—like QuickBooks Online. By partnering with an industry leader in the accounting software space—you can save time and stay organized by syncing EZFacility financials directly into the QuickBooks Online platform.
  
• Multi-location support: As you continue to grow and open additional locations –rest assured that EZFacility is by your side. Enjoy the flexibility to share clients and bookings across locations, report on vital business data from a central hub, engage clients with a multi-location branded app, and more. 
  
• Google Analytics integration: Have you ever wondered where in the online buying and registration process clients are dropping off? With our Google Analytics connector– find out just that and more.

Conclusion

For a gym owner to be successful in today’s business climate, it’s imperative to get onboard with the shift to digitization and to invest in a gym management system that can accommodate changing business needs, in addition to the needs of employees and consumers.

To learn more about how EZFacility’s gym management software can optimize your gym’s operations, click here to schedule a free personalized product tour today.

As with any business, before opening a gym you’ll need to do ample research and planning to set yourself up for long-term success. By investing the time to gain a thorough understanding of the fitness industry and the inherent challenges that come with starting a gym and being a new business owner, you’ll be able to put strategic plans in place to help you navigate foreseeable obstacles, mitigate risk, increase profitability, and keep things running smoothly.

Before opening a gym, start by asking yourself the following questions:

• What is my mission?
  
  Your mission will drive everything you do—in fact, it’s why you do what you do. Spend ample time developing your mission statement as you want to make sure it reflects your goals as a business owner and resonates with your target audience.
  
• Who is my target audience?
  
  Defining your target market is crucial as it will drive your marketing strategy and marketing materials. While you may be tempted to try to reach everyone, your gym won’t be a perfect match for them all. Instead, try to narrow things down by using demographic data.
  
• What products and services will I offer?
  
  Will your fitness center offer nutrition coaching and personal training services? Will you sell your own supplements or branded apparel? Is there a medical or rehabilitative aspect to your gym? Consider the entire spectrum of products and services you’re able to offer as this is a great way to generate additional revenue streams beyond memberships alone. 
  
• What is the personality of my fitness center?
  
  The personality of your fitness center will shape how you communicate across all boards—from how you communicate with staff, members and potential clients to the tone that’s used on your social media pages and in your marketing materials.
  
  You must decide how you want others to feel about your fitness center. Do you want to be thought of as modern and upbeat, or would you prefer to be considered more traditional?

Next steps

Once you’ve answered the questions above, you’re ready to start working on your business plan and thinking about marketing materials.

• Decide on a name
  
  First impressions matter, so the name you pick for your fitness center is of the utmost importance. You’ll want to consider what potential customers may think when they hear your business name as that can ultimately be the deciding factor between whether or not they visit your gym.
  
  You’ll want to pick a name that’s unique, yet easy to remember. You’ll also want to make sure the domain name for the business is still available online.
  
• Design your logo
  
  A good logo should be clear, recognisable, unique and memorable. Pick colours that complement your mission and philosophy, and a graphic that matches your fitness center’s personality. Ideally your logo should also include your business name so it becomes top-of-mind as soon as others see it.
  
• Create a website
  
  A website is the center of your online presence, and one of the best tools to establish your fitness brand. A website is the home base that connects everything—it’s where you can display your mission, promote your fitness center, provide information about your products and services, link your social media accounts, and build credibility.
  
  When you build your website, it’s important to keep your target audience in mind. Consider what tone, imagery and layout will be most appealing to them. You’ll also want to ensure it’s well-designed, easy to navigate, mobile-responsive, and SEO friendly.
  
• Create your business plan
  
  A business plan is a written document that describes how a company defines objectives, as well as how the business owner plans to achieve those goals in order to build a successful gym. An effective business plan will guide you through the phases of starting, managing and growing your fitness center. Think of your business plan as a blueprint for decision-making based on company goals and objectives and a way to keep your team on the same page and moving in the right direction.
  
  Having a strong business plan will help you better understand the fitness industry and the inherent challenges you can anticipate as a new business owner, learn more about your competitors and how to differentiate yourself, serve as a guide to grow your fitness center, help you reach company goals and milestones, assist in securing funding, and more.

Set your fitness center up for success

Opening a gym and being a new business owner will require you to wear many hats and juggle various responsibilities, many of which can be laborious and time consuming. One of the best ways to build a successful gym is to start with a solid framework and management software system in place to help streamline administrative tasks, improve communication and collaboration, simplify membership management, and more.

To learn if EZFacility is the right software solution for your fitness center, click here to schedule a free personalised product tour today.

High intensity interval training—commonly referred to as HIIT—continues to rise in popularity largely due to its effectiveness, flexibility, accessibility, and short time requirements.

Because time is one of the most valuable and irreplaceable resources we have, and people want to get results in the fastest way possible, HIIT is a great workout solution that allows people to achieve maximal health benefits in minimal time. 

What is High Intensity Interval Training?

HIIT is a broad term to describe a form of exercise that’s defined by its workout format—a short burst of high intensity exercise alternated with a recovery period of rest or low intensity exercise.

The fundamental concept of HIIT is pretty basic—you can do anything for 30 seconds, or even a few minutes, right? And, after having a chance to catch your breath, you can do it again.

HIIT sessions typically last between 10-30 minutes. The specific exercises vary, but can include cycling, sprinting, jumping rope or doing jumping jacks.

Examples of a high intensity interval training:

• Run as fast as you can for one 1 minute, and then walk for two 2 minutes. Repeat the 3-minute cycle five times, for a total of 15 minutes.
• Cycle as quickly as possible against high resistance for 30 seconds, followed by 1- 2 minutes of cycling at a slow pace with low resistance. Complete as many repetitions as you can in 30 minutes.
• Do burpees for 40 seconds, followed by 20 seconds of rest. Do squats for 40 seconds, followed by 20 seconds of rest. Run for 40 seconds, followed by 20 seconds of rest. Do jumping jacks for 40 seconds, followed by 20 seconds of rest. Do lunges for 40 seconds, followed by 20 seconds of rest. Repeat this cycle three more times.

What are the health benefits of High Intensity Interval Training?

The beauty of HIIT is that it’s meant to be quick and time efficient. And despite the short duration, HIIT workouts can actually be a more effective way to burn calories and lose body fat (and in less time) than traditional steady-state exercise.

In addition to promoting weight loss, HIIT offers a number of other health benefits, including:

• Improve heart health
  HIIT can improve health by reducing your heart rate, blood pressure and blood sugar levels. One study found that a group who did HIIT sessions three times a week for 20 minutes a day saw the same benefits to their blood pressure as a group who completed endurance training for four days a week and 30 minutes a day—despite spending half as much time exercising than the endurance training group.
• Increase VO2 max
  Your VO2 max—also referred to as maximal aerobic capacity, maximal oxygen uptake or maximal oxygen consumption—is a metric to describe your personal cardiorespiratory and aerobic fitness levels. Your VO2 max is the amount of oxygen your body is able to use during exercise. The greater your VO2 max, the better your body is able to use oxygen to generate energy and power—and the better you’ll be at working out and exercising.
• Boost your metabolism
  A healthy metabolism can help your body rid toxins more effectively, and help you burn calories even after your workout is finished.Some studies have shown that HIIT sessions force your body to use energy from fat as opposed to carbs,promoting more efficient weight loss.
• Improve mental health
  Countless studies have documented the correlation between exercise and improved mental health, and HIIT is no different. In addition to releasing endorphins, improving sleep, and reducing tension, the authors of a 2019 review suggest that HIIT can provide a range of benefits for people with mental illnesses, including reducing the severity of depression.

Conclusion

HIIT workouts are a time efficient way to burn calories, lose body fat, and improve endurance and stamina—but be prepared, they are intense. One of the best things about HIIT is you can do it anywhere, at any time, and without any equipment.

And because it’s such a broad concept, you can modify your HIIT sessions based on your personal time and space constraints. Just follow the format—short bursts of high intensity exercise, followed by a brief recovery period. Repeat the repetitions until you reach your desired length of workout.

For more fitness, sports and facility management insights, click here to check out our other blogs.