Small Club Start-up : A Personal Trainer's Guide [Paperback]

Ron Fay (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 22, 2000

About 60% of the U.S. population is overweight and only 10% exercise. Large corporate gyms and home-use equipment are not meeting the needs of this country.

Enter the small health club - the third alternative.

The time has never been better to start a small health club. This book explains how the small clubs can be successful even among larger clubs by offering better service and getting results.

Small Club Start-up is a "how-to" book designed to give personal trainers interested in owning and operating a small health club guidance. It outlines what it takes to start and operate a club successfully. The book examines the author's experiences of owning a club thus giving the reader the advantage of his experience. The book is concise and to the point and covers the tax advantages and promotion of the small club. It also covers selection of weight training equipment and market feasibility.

Anyone interested in starting a club should read this book before embarking on the endeavor as it covers many aspects of the business that may not be considered. The author has gone through many trials and tribulations in owning a club and he shares these to help others not make the same mistakes.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ron Fay is a mechanical design engineer who has successfully owned and operated a small health club with his wife Barbara in the Southern Tier of New York for the past 14 years. He served in the US Air Force and graduated with a BS in mechanical engineering from University of California, Davis. Ron and Barbara renovated an old farmhouse in the town of Candor in which they live and converted the barn on the property to an exclusive exercise facility for women. Barbara is a registered nurse who works with Headstart. They have two children, Dale and Rebekah.

Product Details

• Paperback: 156 pages
• Publisher: Fay's Fitness Company; 2nd edition (December 22, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970692005
• ISBN-13: 978-0970692009
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,325,949 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you'reconsidering opening your own gym, GET THIS BOOK!!!, March 17, 2002

By 

Matt Shepley (South Riding, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Small Club Start-up : A Personal Trainer's Guide (Paperback)

Whether you're thinking of opening a small private club, or a huge mega fitness center, you will find valuable information in this book. Learn about resources for saving on equipment costs, maximizing your advertising dollars, performing market analyses, methods for how to gain more memberships, and just about any other aspect you can think of in relation to opening your own gym. This book is a must have for any potential gym owner interested in success. It's not only extremely informative, but inspiring as well. This is the absolute best book about owning a gym that I have ever read.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SUPERB...GET THE BOOK...STOP WORKING FOR GYMS LOSING $$$, December 23, 2001

By 

D. Dodd (FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Small Club Start-up : A Personal Trainer's Guide (Paperback)

This book is superb and an excellent resource for the trainer with a desire to open a studio. Tired of working for gyms where the gym keeps a lion's share of the fees...OPEN A STUDIO...provide superior service..and be successful...couldn't have done it without this guide...THANKS RON

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anna Smith, April 21, 2004

By 

Anna Smith (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Small Club Start-up : A Personal Trainer's Guide (Paperback)

In researching my new idea to open a small gym, I was overwhelmed with information on the web and after perusing the SBA website and printing a full 3-ring binder's worth of research articles off the internet until I LUCKILY found this book. I was stunned to come across a book especially designed to guide me in my new idea to open a small gym. Then I was surprised at how completely applicable it was and how informative and practical the information was-these guys really share their secrets to success! Its a step by step easy to read well thought out book that guides your thoughts and decisions by helping you build a business plan based on your personal principles and desires for your gym. Its nothing short of amazing, and easily the most important bit of research I have done. I read the book and treated it like a text book, taking notes and when answering every question and carefully thinking about each point they recommend considering sot hat I read a little bit each day and wrote a lot and hammered out my own ideas in the process. I had all the ideas, but had not articulated them, organized them and nd built on them until I read this book. I am now 6 to 8 months from opening my gym but after reading this book, I have now articulated my true reasons for opening my own gym, and kept those reasons firmly in mind as I have analyzed my target market, competition and developed the marketing plan. I feel I am head and shoulders above most small business owners when they start out. I look forward to reporting back with the huge success of my new small gym!! Thanks to Ron and Barb Fay for not only sharing their experiences and lessons learned from them but for presenting these lessons clearly and in a concise book that gets the job done.