How Does a Health Club Business Owner Spend a Workday?

Managing the Business Plan

First and foremost, an owner of a health club has to spend each day thinking about how the club is doing as a business. This means keeping track of expenditures, dealing with maintenance contracts, and evaluating personnel and revenue. That can take up a large part of the owner's day-to-day time. A health-club owner in particular must keep track of the costs from each part of the club---the trainers, the staff, maintenance, utilities and property costs--and compare them to revenues. A health-club owner must also determine which aspects of the club are the most profitable, which may help him understand how to develop the club to generate the most revenue. A lot of this will involve reviewing the accounting, but some of it can be done by simply observing what is happening at the club and talking to workers and customers.

Working to Define a Niche

All business owners must work to define the niche of their business, and this is especially true for a health-club owner. Because there are usually many health clubs located in one town or city, a health-club owner must work to create reasons why potential customers should choose her club over someone else's. This may include looking for prime locations or thinking about what draws a customer in. It may include setting up a fancy juice bar or offering specialized classes. Sometimes, a health club can set itself apart by specializing in certain kinds of equipment. Each day, a health-club owner has to think about what can be done to improve the club, and weigh the costs and benefits of any changes.

Advertising and Increasing Membership

The other important duty a health club-owner performs each day is to manage the advertising for a health club. Because members are the bread and butter of a health club, it is important that as many potential members be aware of the club as possible. This may entail television and radio ads, or simple billboards and ads in newspapers and other local publications. In addition, a health-club owner may try to create a referral system in which members receive benefits for convincing other people to join. Implementation of advertising and referral programs has to be carefully tracked each day, and analyzed so that any necessary tweaks can be made to maximize effectiveness.