Over the past couple of decades, there has been an increase in interest in combat sports. Americans have even become more obsessed with looking their best. And some just want to be able to get their Jason Borne on if they should run into some trouble. All of those things have been great for the once-fringe style of physical training known as CrossFit.
If you’re considering opening your own CrossFit gym or “box,” then you have a lot of work ahead of you. You may have all it takes to be a great CrossFit coach, but you’ll also have a lot of business to handle. You have to find the right location, get the proper licenses, and market your box. Continue reading to get some tips to help you open the best CrossFit box in your area.
Pick Your Location
When it comes to picking a location, you need to approach it like a real-estate mogul. A CrossFit box isn’t like a regular gym, so you can’t look for traditional spaces.
Instead of a large storefront in a strip mall, you should look for a warehouse for rent near an industrial property. The best thing about warehouses is that they’re built to take a beating, so you can get down to the intense grind that defines CrossFit. Some industrial parks are near shopping centers, so you can still get the benefit of being in a high-traffic area.
Brand and Market Your Gym
One of the most crucial factors in your early success is how you choose to brand and market your gym. If you’re in a large city like Los Angeles that has great weather all year, you could face some serious competition. You’ll have a larger market to work with, but you’ll have to go the extra mile to make your business stand out.
If you’re in a smaller market area, you won’t have as much competition, but you won’t have nearly as large of a market to work with either. In areas like these, you should focus more on making your box affordable for the people in the area.
Regardless of the size of your market, social media is the most effective marketing tool at the disposal of a small business owner. People love to see results — they will flock to your gym if you post videos of workouts and before and after pictures of your box’s members on your social media page.
Price Your Services Accordingly
One of the key things to remember is that as a CrossFit coach, you’re helping people to reach their peak athletic performance. That’s how you have to market your box. You can’t treat it like it’s a regular gym because it isn’t one — that means you can’t price your services like it’s one either.
As a CrossFit affiliate, you have fees and specialized equipment to pay for as well as commercial property to rent and maintain. You also have to hire expert staff and get them CrossFit certified. All of those steps are necessary to make sure that you can provide your members with optimal training. The amount you charge for memberships should reflect this. People are willing to pay more for CrossFit training because of the maximal results they’ll get.
Sell Products Your Members Will Need
Many people get into CrossFit unaware of the lifestyle and dietary changes they’ll need to make. You can help them to make the necessary adjustments by having the products they’ll need for those changes on hand.
As a CrossFit coach, you know what people will need to get through their training from their apparel to the proper supplements. Sports supplement manufacturers will be glad to have their products for sale in a CrossFit box. Likewise, you can sell athletic apparel. The key is to get beyond thinking like a CrossFit coach and think like an entrepreneur.
