Owning a gym was very profitable before the pandemic started. Nowadays, public spaces like gyms are under suspicion because of the potential for contamination, especially with sweaty people all over the place. Many fitness chains have closed shop and filed for bankruptcy as the pandemic made exercise a lot more difficult. But it seems that the end of the pandemic is on the horizon. If you managed to hold on to your gym, you need to bounce back. Here are some things you can do to help with your financial recovery potentially.
Implement Hygiene Protocols
One of the obvious things you need to do is to implement more hygiene protocols. When you open again, a lot of people will still be very concerned about their hygiene. Until the all-clear sounds on the pandemic, you likely have to be strict about a few things. For one, you will want your staff to wear face masks at all times. You will also want to limit the number of clients in the gym at all times. No more crowded weight station or treadmills. You also might want to change the layout, so people are always six feet away from each other.
Additionally, while research shows that the virus cannot be passed through sweat, contact with exercise equipment can potentially spread it. It would be best if you were a lot more diligent when it comes to disinfecting used equipment. Have employees regularly clean and disinfect any equipment the moment a customer stops using it. Hand sanitizers should also be within easy reach for all of your clients.
Convert Some Areas
With fewer people coming in, you can use all that space that gyms usually have for something else. The usual option is to allow for other fitness options that exercise. Several sports are perfect for the post-pandemic era. One of these is tennis. It is a very active sport that has minimum contact between only two players. It is also pretty easy to set up. All you need is some wide space. An indoor tennis court only needs some sports court surfacing and a net, and you should be ready to welcome people into playing on your court. You can also try setting up similar sports like squash. While rental of the space can mean thin profits, it does draw people into your gym, which means revenue.
Go Online
Changes also have to be made in your business model. If you offer memberships, you likely had a lot of people canceling these because they can’t go to the gym. However, you should offer something in place of their usual use of your facilities. This is where offering virtual fitness classes come in. A lot of members signed up to get fit, and this is what you can still offer them. It can also be simple to set-up thanks to Zoom. Minimal equipment is necessary. Just a camera and a good microphone so that the trainer’s instructions are heard by everyone. You can provide this service to your members and share it via e-mail. This can potentially convince them to keep the membership for the near-future.
Focus On One-to-one Lessons
Another interesting option is to transition into one-on-one classes. A lot of fitness training pre-pandemic was group classes. The main reason was that they were a lot more profitable. But individual instruction seems to be the key nowadays. With personalized classes, participants will experience training that is specific to them. While this approach limits the number of people you can accommodate, it does allow you to keep thriving despite the restrictions. It can also potentially allow for new members to come in. While you may not get your old numbers, it can potentially keep you in the black.
Make Them Feel Safe
The important thing is to assure your gym members that they are safe to go to your facilities. Being strict in implementing hygiene rules are a good first step. They will feel that they can trust you to put their health first. A lot of people are eager to get back into the gym. But these individuals are also focused on keeping themselves healthy. Proving that your gym can contribute to this will help draw them back in.
People will always be looking to get fit, but the pandemic changed things. If you want your gym to get back into business, you need to make some changes and take some risks. There is still a good chance that you might fail, but with the advice above, your chances are a lot better.