Good morning. Welcome to Fitness Entrepreneur, the newsletter more hard than The Rock on Viagra.

In today's email:

🧠 Strategy: How We’re Launching Our Gym
🎁 Gift: “Profit & Loss” Google Sheet Template
🖼 Template: Public Service Announcement

🧠 STRATEGY

How We’re Launching Our Gym

On Monday, we picked up the keys to our new studio 🔑

As we looked around, marking out where equipment will live… the huge task we have ahead suddenly became more real.

This project will cost in the region of £40k but it’s our plan to recoup as much of that as possible before we open our doors in October.

Here’s our entire launch strategy mapped out:

1. Start a Waiting List

From the beginning, we wanted to be in control of our distribution as much as possible.

Social media reach is limited and we wanted EVERYONE to know about our gym.

That’s why we set up an opt-in page where we grab someone’s name, email and phone number.

We drive traffic mainly from local noticeboards and this triggers an auto-responder with some hidden goodies.

Our waiting list already has 540 people signed up to receive weekly updates following the build progress.

We’ll then reward these guys when it comes to launching our offer.

2. Weekly Announcements

Having a 3 month promotional window before we open means we can build up a lot of anticipation.

We have 14 weeks of announcements scheduled, each encouraging feedback from our local community.

Giving locals ownership over the product from day 1 will help when we eventually open up member spaces.

Our announcements include:

• Location

• Studio Name

• Logo Design

• Equipment Breakdown

• Announce Coaches

• We Have The Keys

• Reveal Uniform

• Announce Launch Party

• Giveaway + Instagram

• Launch 6-Week Offer

• Member T-Shirts

• Coach’s Transformation Stories

• Open Sales Appointments

• Launch Party Reminder

• Test Window Update

• Recap On Our Journey

• We’re Open Today!

3. Front-End Offer

In the next few weeks, we’ll reveal our first offer.

Unlike huge commercial gyms, our studio will be capped at 100 members and we’ll specialise in small-group personal training only.

So in order to finance our advertising, we need to get creative. We’ll build in a fixed duration offer to collect cash upfront, deliver an awesome experience and generate enough trust so people want to become ongoing members.

People want a transformation, not a gym membership.

4. Pre-Sell

When it comes to selling this offer, we’ll have two sales phases.

Phase 1 will be rewarding our waiting list where we’ll open up a week of appointments exclusively for them.

Phase 2 is when we’ll open it to the public. This will help create genuine urgency amongst our list.

In between, we’ll do flyer drops locally and partner with local businesses to build a buzz.

We’ll keep a separate thread on the noticeboards/email list, congratulating new members upon signing up—this will create social proof instantly and help contribute sales.

5. Test Window

We’d be pretty stupid to jump straight in with potentially 50+ members experiencing our product without testing it first.

So we’ve designated a testing window where we’ll programme and deliver sessions to 8 participants.

These lucky people will be local influencers and press representatives encouraged to share their experiences in return for their free classes.

We’ll of course use our email list again to show behind-the-scenes.

6. Launch Party

We only ever get one opportunity to launch our business. So we’re not wasting it.

The week before we open our doors, we’ll throw a launch party and invite everyone who’s interested in having a look around.

We’ll partner with local food/drink suppliers and document the whole process.

When it comes to launching a new product, we’ve always been a bit lazy.

But with this, it’s felt like a military operation. We have everything planned to the hour and have set deadlines to keep ourselves accountable and on track.

If you have a studio or are thinking about launching one, we’d be happy to give your our entire playbook. Feel free to reply “PLAYBOOK” and we’ll get that over to you.

🎁 FREE GIFT

“Profit & Loss” Google Sheet Template

When you start any business, you should create a P&L statement. I know that sounds more boring than a ham & cheese sandwich… but it will reveal any blind spots you have (trust me). Use this Google sheet template to help you.

📲 QUICK HITS

Fitness Business News

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• Y7 Studio Adds Funding for Brick-and-Mortar Expansion

• Viome Launches Oral Health Test and Supplements

• Scoop: Nike’s Launching Group Fitness Studios

• Consumers Are Concentrating on Brain Health

🖼 TEMPLATE

Public Service Announcement

Sometimes you just need to tell people straight. No fluff, no images… just a simple text graphic to get your point across. Use this Canva template to notify people of any changes or announcements within your coaching business.

That's a wrap for today. Stay sweaty & see ya next week! If you want more, be sure to follow our Instagram (@themediabros)