Public Forums of Discussion
share franchise news, to prosper and amuse
I have always wanted to own my own business and I have a fitness background and have been considering Anytime Fitness and Snap Fitness. Neither one are in my area so I can compare them by visiting them in person, only what I gather from my research. Does anyone know anything about either that would help me in the decision making process? Thanks!
Bump
For potential franchisees: Consider carefully your available resources in terms of time and money.
Don't believe the sales pitch that you can run a successful snap while also working full time somewhere else. This would only work if you are able to pay a full time, sales oriented manager.
Also, you most likely will NOT breakeven within the first 6 months. It could take 12-18 months or more. Make sure you have the financial resources to subsidize your business for the long haul.
These were my two biggest mistakes. I didn't have the time, energy or finances to keep my business going. I don't know if I failed or not because I was never able to give it my full, undivided attention. I was torn between my commitments to my family, full time employer and my snap, never fully engaged in any of the three. We took out a home equity line of credit to subsidize our business each month. After 18 months I saw the writing on the wall and decided to sell. The new owners are making a go of it as far as I can tell so I'm glad about that for our members.
I don't have a huge problem with corporate. I signed the FDD so don't really have any right to complain about any of the terms. They are in business to make money so let them to the extent that the law, the market and their conscience will allow. My biggest complaint is the way the business was pitched to me. The time and money required were vastly understated in my opinion.
Bottom line is that for some, this is a good business opportunity, for others (like me) it is not right
In my opinion:
-You cannot run a successful Snap franchise while working full time at another job
-Your breakeven will be substantially higher than 250 members
-Do not plan on turning a profit in your first 12-18 months.
-Make sure you have enough in personal savings or liquid capital to subsidize your business until you turn a profit (if you ever do)
-Franchising is extremely risky at best. You must be 100% committed in terms of all of your time, energy, and financial resources
-Take EVERYTHING the corporate sales team tells you with a grain of salt. If it sounds too good to be true IT IS!!
Here is my story
It was a couple years ago and I've tried to forget most of my experience but as best I can remember, based on an average membership of $40 (might be a little high), our break even was probably around 320 memberships (475-500 members).
We also never got personal training off the ground. #1 I couldn't find a good trainer in our area and #2 our members just weren't interested it seems. Of course if I could have found a good trainer, maybe my members WOULD have been more interested. However, it seems like the area I live in (Midwest) just doesn't see the demand for personal trainers. After all, they are joining snap for the low fees and convenience, why should they pay more and have someone hound them with training sales pitches while they are working out?
I tried the best I could to provide a clean club and friendly competent staff since I couldn't be there myself due to my regular job. When I opened I had a gung ho, energetic manager hired, who was also a personal trainer (newly certified). He was paid $10 per hour, plus incentives for signing up new members. He worked about 20-25 hours per week (all of our staffed hours except for about 5 which I covered myself, one night per week and some weekends). After a few months I bumped his pay to $11 per hour then $11.50. He was not able to get the PT going and quickly became disenchanted with the marketing, sales, and cleaning duties he was required to do. He quit after about 6 months and then it became an endless string of part time staff, usually 2 or 3 at a time who each worked 5-10 hours per week. No one stayed more than a few months so I was always recruiting, interviewing and training new staff.
I would stop in at the store in the morning on my way to work 2-3 times each week to check on the club. After a heavy thunderstorm, the satellite and TVs would go out so I was on the phone with DishNetwork. I had to meet the Pepsi guy to restock the vending machine, or the water guy for the water delivery, or the equipment repair guy. It was never ending. I could monitor the club via the cameras from my work computer (I cheated my boss out of many hours by working on Snap stuff). When my employees didn't show up I was leaving work early, using up my vacation to staff the club. I was maintaining our club website and monitoring our club email account and responding to inquiries about memberships. I was on the phone with members regarding club questions, issues, dues payments etc. On the phone with Corporate over Checkfree, door access, membership issues. all on company time. I spent my lunch hours and company time on the mostly useless to me marketing and sales webinars. All the programs sounded great, but I didn't have the time or the money to implement them.
At night I would try to keep up with the accounting, pay the bills and do the payroll. Luckily my good friend is a CPA and helped me out a lot. There were quarterly payroll taxes, quarterly income taxes etc. One of my staff had a child support order against him so that was more work for me.
Meanwhile my wife and kids suffered because I was always gone or busy.
You can either do all this yourself, or pay someone to do it for you. I couldn't afford to pay someone so I was doing it all myself.
Make sure you can afford either the time or the money necessary.
Eventually I couldn't (refused to) keep up. My wife suggested we seek a buyer and I agreed, two months later my club was sold. We lost about 65K in the deal but I was glad to only lose that much. The weight of the world was off my shoulders and I felt FANTASTIC!
I'm sure this sounds like whining and it probably is. I'm just mad at myself for falling for the sales pitch, overestimating my capabilities and putting my family finances at risk.
.
fitness
I own my own studio. Tough business vs the big box clubs. Good to hear your point of view. Very honest. He speaks the truth.
No More Comments
Is there a reason why no one is posting here anymore?
wondering also
I've been wondering the same thing? This was always good for a laugh or two.
Woman attacked
Yikes, obviously this could happen at many businesses, but still it happened at an unstaffed 24/7 gym at 5:30 AM. Did it happen in the gym? If so, how did he get in? This is a liability of this model. Just Sayin'
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/52917830-78/woman-police-arrested-gym.html.csp
site fix
How come you cannot add a new comment to this discussion? There is no option at the bottom of the screen to add a new comment. You are only able to reply to a comment.
As a former Snap owner, this
As a former Snap owner, this was one of my biggest fears. Aside from insurance and liability issues, I would have felt terribly guilty if anyone was victimized at my facility. Even if no one gets hurt, the bad publicity from such an incident could destroy business.
snap
Do you have some pros and cons about your experience as a Snap owner? Do you recommended?
Thanks,
JC
One Owner's Story
For potential franchisees: Consider carefully your available resources in terms of time and money.
Don't believe the sales pitch that you can run a successful snap while also working full time somewhere else. This would only work if you are able to pay a full time, sales oriented manager.
Also, you most likely will NOT breakeven within the first 6 months. It could take 12-18 months or more. Make sure you have the financial resources to subsidize your business for the long haul.
These were my two biggest mistakes. I didn't have the time, energy or finances to keep my business going. I don't know if I failed or not because I was never able to give it my full, undivided attention. I was torn between my commitments to my family, full time employer and my snap, never fully engaged in any of the three. We took out a home equity line of credit to subsidize our business each month. After 18 months I saw the writing on the wall and decided to sell. The new owners are making a go of it as far as I can tell so I'm glad about that for our members.
I don't have a huge problem with corporate. I signed the FDD so don't really have any right to complain about any of the terms. They are in business to make money so let them to the extent that the law, the market and their conscience will allow. My biggest complaint is the way the business was pitched to me. The time and money required were vastly understated in my opinion.
Bottom line is that for some, this is a good business opportunity, for others (like me) it is not right
In my opinion:
-You cannot run a successful Snap franchise while working full time at another job
-Your breakeven will be substantially higher than 250 members
-Do not plan on turning a profit in your first 12-18 months.
-Make sure you have enough in personal savings or liquid capital to subsidize your business until you turn a profit (if you ever do)
-Franchising is extremely risky at best. You must be 100% committed in terms of all of your time, energy, and financial resources
-Take EVERYTHING the corporate sales team tells you with a grain of salt. If it sounds too good to be true IT IS!!
Here is my story
It was a couple years ago and I've tried to forget most of my experience but as best I can remember, based on an average membership of $40 (might be a little high), our break even was probably around 320 memberships (475-500 members).
We also never got personal training off the ground. #1 I couldn't find a good trainer in our area and #2 our members just weren't interested it seems. Of course if I could have found a good trainer, maybe my members WOULD have been more interested. However, it seems like the area I live in (Midwest) just doesn't see the demand for personal trainers. After all, they are joining snap for the low fees and convenience, why should they pay more and have someone hound them with training sales pitches while they are working out?
I tried the best I could to provide a clean club and friendly competent staff since I couldn't be there myself due to my regular job. When I opened I had a gung ho, energetic manager hired, who was also a personal trainer (newly certified). He was paid $10 per hour, plus incentives for signing up new members. He worked about 20-25 hours per week (all of our staffed hours except for about 5 which I covered myself, one night per week and some weekends). After a few months I bumped his pay to $11 per hour then $11.50. He was not able to get the PT going and quickly became disenchanted with the marketing, sales, and cleaning duties he was required to do. He quit after about 6 months and then it became an endless string of part time staff, usually 2 or 3 at a time who each worked 5-10 hours per week. No one stayed more than a few months so I was always recruiting, interviewing and training new staff.
I would stop in at the store in the morning on my way to work 2-3 times each week to check on the club. After a heavy thunderstorm, the satellite and TVs would go out so I was on the phone with DishNetwork. I had to meet the Pepsi guy to restock the vending machine, or the water guy for the water delivery, or the equipment repair guy. It was never ending. I could monitor the club via the cameras from my work computer (I cheated my boss out of many hours by working on Snap stuff). When my employees didn't show up I was leaving work early, using up my vacation to staff the club. I was maintaining our club website and monitoring our club email account and responding to inquiries about memberships. I was on the phone with members regarding club questions, issues, dues payments etc. On the phone with Corporate over Checkfree, door access, membership issues. all on company time. I spent my lunch hours and company time on the mostly useless to me marketing and sales webinars. All the programs sounded great, but I didn't have the time or the money to implement them.
At night I would try to keep up with the accounting, pay the bills and do the payroll. Luckily my good friend is a CPA and helped me out a lot. There were quarterly payroll taxes, quarterly income taxes etc. One of my staff had a child support order against him so that was more work for me.
Meanwhile my wife and kids suffered because I was always gone or busy.
You can either do all this yourself, or pay someone to do it for you. I couldn't afford to pay someone so I was doing it all myself.
Make sure you can afford either the time or the money necessary.
Eventually I couldn't (refused to) keep up. My wife suggested we seek a buyer and I agreed, two months later my club was sold. We lost about 65K in the deal but I was glad to only lose that much. The weight of the world was off my shoulders and I felt FANTASTIC!
I'm sure this sounds like whining and it probably is. I'm just mad at myself for falling for the sales pitch, overestimating my capabilities and putting my family finances at risk.
if someone gets mugged at an atm machine
Insurance is there to cover these types of risks. It is unfortunate that anyone become the victim of crime. If I do not want to risk being alone at the a t m machine I always have the option to go to the bank during staffed hours. What's great it is my choice whether or not I want to go get my cash from an atm or from the bank in person.
Insurance covers tyese liabilities as well as
Members acknowledging the staffed and unstaffer times. That is what insurance is for. People are FREE to workout at their own times and decide if they want to use the facility staffed (medical conditions) or unstaffed. Last I checked this is a free country, even though socialists want to take it over. Just Sayin'
Snap owners
Convert your club to an independent. Just remove Snap from your sign and voila. Keep your equipment, color schemes everything.
http://www.knightanddayfitness.net/
Worked at both!
After managing an Anytime Fitness frachise for the past 3 years, and have just started working at Snap, i can say there is a HUGE difference in the two.
Anytime Fitness:
Has contracts, this is to ensure you a rough estimated income per month.
You can focus on member retention and really assist in the freaking out of thrashing your sales staff.
You have the choice of active CRM, a great tool to assist in member retention, and to help with member referrerals leading to new sales. Also keeps in contact with your members even when you can't.
Bigger sized clubs.
Great help and support from Head Office.
Fantastic Life Fitness & Hammer Strength Equipment with ongoing support from the supplier.
Members Online help including health and nutrition advice as well as workout ideas and tracking.
Fantastic Club Membership software and software ongoing support.
A great 9 step sales process and needs analysis training.
Dumbbells up to 50kg's and bench presses.
Snap Fitness:
No contracts...They don't care if you achieve results or not, or if you stay.
The sales team only know how to sell the gym and the equipment and the cheap price rather than the benefits. People buying on price will not stay!!
No focus on member retention. Birth dates are not even recorded, I asked why not? She said who cares? I said do you not do birthday calls or SMS's or letters, even emails? Nope, no time to do that stuff!! What tha???
No member follow up calls, service calls, or any kind of active CRM to keep in touch.
Extremely small sized club.
Maximum 35kg dumbbells.
Cheaper looking equipment.
No sales processes or training.
No needs analysis done on the tour.
The worst Club software that I have ever seen.............with no lead tracking recordings or tools to follow up on calls, emails, etc....
I wish I never left Anytime Fitness. This is byfar the best franchise i have ever worked for. It's like its own little family or community. The staff enjoy it, so the members LOVE it!
As soon as I get the funds, I will be running and owning my very own Anytime Fitness Club very soon in the distant future!
Do not go to Snap, or purchase a frachise, you will be highly dissapointed, and will never rest and enjoy the luxury of running your own business.
You will never stop working....unlike Anytime Fitness. The best advice to give is - focus on the members you do have and keep them happy....... and hopefully one day (in my perfect world anyway) you can get to the point where you may never have to sell another membership again, because the ones you do have will never want to leave...... Just imagine that??? Aaah lovely isn't it! Unfortunately, this is something you will never have at Snap!
Best of luck to everyone :) I hope you take this advice... even though I'm only a club manager, I have learnt the in's and out's of these business's.... trust me, Anytime is great and you will love every minute of it....But of course, at the end of the day you must know what your doing...no business can be successful if the owner does not know what they are doing.
Again, best of luck!
both are practically the same.
Both control billing
Both get their fees off the top.
Both have language in their contracts which does not gve you protected territory with boundaries. (You must negotiate this)
Both allow you freedom to determing how big you build (aerobics / no aerobics, tanning / no tanning, 24/7 or no 24/7)
Both franchises have Very Little local marketing, prospecting, and management training support. Industry experience for management is a MUST!
Hire an experienced franchuse attorneyto negotiate terms before signing.
(Fitness is hands on. If you don't have industry experience in a management / ownership role forget it) You will not learn how to hit it out of the park by most any franchise)
I am also considering
I am also considering purchasing a Anytime Fitness (I would be buying an existing gym, not starting fresh). I am just curious to know what type of income to gain from this investment. Do you have any idea what kind of money the owner made at the Anytime you worked for? I am wanting to get a rough idea of what to expect, and how much I am willing to pay for the business.
I manage 2 Anytime fitnesses
I manage 2 Anytime fitnesses in MN. One of my facilities has almost 1000 members and the other has about 750 members. They each bring in approximately 75K to 100k annually after expenses are paid. the biggest difference between the 2 clubs is the amount of overhead. the facility with less members actually has less overhead making it just as profitable as the facility with more members. Your lease is going to make the biggest factor. don't spend to much on the lease, but location is still key. Hope this helps!
lease
I see a ton of potential in Anytime fitness and am interested in opening my own once I secure the capital. I think the company is well branded and strives for a multi-channel (more profitable) customer via their nice website and use of social media. This is the one big difference I notice between Anytime and their competition without even stepping in the clubs. My question to you is, how much do you pay per square foot per year? What market are you in? In the midwest, I have seen locations as low as $14 and as high as $33. What do you think is the max amount a club can afford to turn a profit in a reasonable amount of time (first 12-18 months)? How long did it take your clubs to turn a profit? Thanks for the help.
RE: I am also considering
Are you a fool?
I ask you this with all due respect since an existing Anytime franchise purchase would have P&Ls for you to review to see how much money they have made.
The above poster has no business buying any business!
What a fool! Do yourself a favor and get a job working for someone else. You seem clueless (like most failures around here). Stick to what you know (definately not business).
To say that you will never stop working
In a Snap as opposed to being able to relax owning an Anytime is complete hogwash. Both require work. Both Snap and anytime can offer contracts and both can sell month to month memberships. It is up to the owner to decide what the local competition and economy dictate. Many consumers are averse to signing contracts in times of uncertainty. A month to month enrollment doesn't require a great salesperson. It allows many to try a fitness membership who otherwise would not. Neither franchise restricts their franchisees. You really don't have your facts together. You seem to be making determinations franchise wide based on your owners protocol. You mentioned he owned 10 Snaps. Sounds like someone experiencing success to have so many. BTW, why did you stop managing an Anytime to just become an employee? Sounds like a step in the wrong direction.
Why did you stop managing an
Why did you stop managing an anytime fitness? Each location is independantly owned and operated. Some owners will do a better job of implementing the franchises procedures than others. Both Snap and Anytime have sales training, sales procedures and scripts. Some owners do a better job of running their businesses than others. You sound like a Shill for Anytime. Things you mention are either not accurate or opinions.
...says the shill from Snap
..you see, whenever the Snap shills are faced with real life, honest experiences illustrating the problems with their brand they fire back accusing you of being a shill for their competion. That is how they roll..Don't worry about them, just keep speaking the truth.
It's my opinion due to my experience...
This is purely my opinion from my experience. I am not one to get people to take sides or try and force my opinion down other people's throats, i am just voicing my opinion and responding to the question that was asked at the beginning of this discussion. Since I have been there I have yet to receive any Snap sales training, procedures or scripts. But from seeing the owner and the club manager attempt a sale or phone call, or attempt to close a sale, I can say, there is no consistency, and the sales process is telling prospects the price straight away by handing them a price card and then telling them to go and look at the gym themselves, and if they don't join, they just let them leave without trying to overcome any objections or overcoming them in the beginning during the tour, then presenting the membership options...also selling the price and the equipment, rather than selling the benefits, then the price isn't a problem....Again, my experience...
And I think that you are correct in saying that some owners will do a better job of implementing the procedures, this may the case and the situation that I am in, but again, this is my opinion of the franchise I am currently working for. The reason I am only saying this is because the owner of this franchise also owns another 10 or so franchises, so I know that these procedures are being used across those clubs also. It's not necessarily the new Club Owner's of a Snap Franchise that I feel sorry for, nor the staff that have to work in these (his) franchises... It's the members I feel sorry for. These members get no looking after, no follow up's, no tracking, and no one gives them the time or day unless they have money in their hand. For instance - Yesterday I asked the Owner and the Club Manager "What happened to actually caring about people?" They responded by saying to me... "We do care about people, just when they are giving me money to do it", and then laughed.... So ignorant and rude.
Again, this may not be all Snap Franchises, but what hope do you think I have for Snap members or possible new franchisee owners when this has been my only experience.
And realistically, doesn't everyone's comments on here come from their own personal experiences....
My opinion
This is purely my opinion. I am not one to get people to take sides or try and force my opinion down other people's throats, i am just voicing my opinion and responding to the question that was asked at the beginning of this discussion. And I think that you are correct in saying that some owners will do a better job of implementing the procedures, this may the case and the situation that I am in, but again, this is my opinion of the franchise I am currently working for. The reason I am only saying this is because the owner of this franchise also owns another 10 or so franchises, so I know that these procedures are being used across those clubs also. It's not necessarily the new Club Owner's of a Snap Franchise that I feel sorry for, nor the staff that have to work in these (his) franchises... It's the members I feel sorry for. These members get no looking after, no follow up's, no tracking, and no one gives them the time or day unless they have money in their hand. For instance What happened to actually caring about people?
Enlightening indeed!
Interesting perspective from a club manager not a current or former owner, something not seen on this site before. Thanks for sharing. Your credibility was proven to me with this statement about Snap Fitness: "The sales team only know how to sell the gym and the equipment and the cheap price rather than the benefits" That is exactly how corporate trains their franchise owners pre-opening.
Also agree with the "no time" comment regarding birthday calls etc. Sounds like an overworked, in over their head owner. If I were you I'd keep my eyes open for your next opportunity and for clues that your owner is going under. Good Luck to You!
Thankyou! I think you may be
Thankyou! I think you may be right, I'll be sure to keep you posted :)
So he's a club manager becasue he says so?
Look, I am one for reliable info, but this could come from a disgruntled employee perhaps fired from a Snap location. Where are the names and real people? Guest have no credibility isn't that right? This whole thread could be staffed with anytime or Snap shills. I am just pointing out the obvious; not to mention the "franchise haters" here on BMM.
I am a she :)
I know you can believe what you want and I understand alot of people may be on here simply for the fact that they got fired or have bad feelings towards a specific franchise, but not me. As you can see I didn't mention anything personal between the franchise and myself, as I have no bad feelings towards them in that way, this is purely for the interest of others. I would never wish anything bad upon anyone, so if there is some advice that I can give "only from my own point of view" from getting first hand experience within the two franchises, I am just putting my opinion out there in the hope that someone doesn't make themselves a big mistake. I am truly genuine :)
Believe what you want
Like anything else on the Internet, believe what you want and take with a grain of salt however, I do believe this is a former manager for the reason I stated above. Also the fact that they mention the dumbell weight discrepancies..only a manager or employee would really care to point that out. Most likely because that is comment that members have made to them, either that the members appreciate the heavier dumbells at Anytime or that the members complained at Snap about not having the heavier dumbells.
Great Observation
This is true. Comments from members at Anytime appreciating the fact that we have dumbbell's up to 50kg's. Most 24hr clubs can only allow dumbbell's up to 35kg's, and have no Power Rack's (Olympic Benches) due to safety and insurance policies, which I can understand. But I do not know how Anytime is allowed to have all of these and have the same kind of setup....but I do not understand all of the legal bits & pieces.....after-all, I am only a Club Manager :)
this forum
What is going on with this forum?? Where are all the recent posts? This is nothing but Jorgenson's rantings from back in August??
Guest have no credibility!
Same old same old. Guest says Snap sucks. Area reps rebutt. People listen to the guest who warns people. That guest has no agenda. Fleeced zees post because if you sign on the dotted line it means years of existing. There are still many people out there that don't know what really happens in the world of franchising. I have heard comments from many people this week. I do refer them to BMM. l. You get a head start in franchising. Holy toledo are they educated? Unfortunately many people don't read a whole lot. While in WA. I read alot. I commented on Snap and Anytime because I do understand how most zors make their money. It is not your success that they are interested in. It is YOUR $$$ they are after. Use any of the attorneys on BMM. I believe they are good people.
Not correct.
Barbara, I understand you blew your life savings on a 123Fit. You bought a startup franchise and started it just prior to the worst recession in U.S. History. You picked a terrible location (by your own admission) . I debate here because I am successful in this industry. I disagree with your philosophy. In my opinion you are as as careless as they come. I have experience in this industry and run a successful health club. I understand the metrics of the fitness industry. You are just some homemaker who thought She could put her financial independance on the line in a huge gamble of based on an emotional decision. Most people are not this careless or stupid. Mortgaging your home is stupid and wreckless, especially on an all women's franchise in an industry where you had no experience. I call that stupid.
We got fleeced!
Misrepresented, gouged and screwed.
no you did not
your inability to vet 123fit as a knockoff of curves; started by a restaurant group, and your lack of industry experience is what resulted in you losing your life savings. The lesson here is not to gamble everything you own in your 50s in an industry you have no experience.
Yes we did.
Misrepresentation, gouging and puffery. This goes on throughout your relationship with a bad zor. No one should have the right to lie, steal and cheat. This goes on and on. They want you to go bankrupt. Faster money. If you don't believe this you are part of it. I am happy the internet is around so other's can warn others. You do not know me. I know how to create a sense of community. I know alot about marketing. When you get fleeced on everthing, and everything cost alot more than it should of, no one will make it. I guess you do not know the history of our rogue zor. If you did you would know they misrepresented about leadership. I won't even bother with you. Your just a guest.
You just did bother.
you failed at vetting a bad franchiser. You failed in your due diligence.
They failed to tell the truth.
Misrepresentation before a contract is signed if proven, (and they misrepresented about every,) deems the contract unenforceable. That is contract law. They fleece you to the max and want to take your business for pennies on the dollar. The wording in the contract is tricky. Giving them the freedom to lie, steal and cheat. Even most lawyers do not know how to tear apart the documents in franchising. Why should zors have the freedom to lie, steal and cheat the hard working people of our country?
I took a few weeks to think about if I should write on this
thread. The factor that most on this thread is guest makes it difficult. I am writing to ghost. Those ghost could be Tom, Fuwa, area reps, and the zors themselves. I have decided to continue writing on this thread because I know and have talked to many who have been fleeced in the fitness industry. I will make an exception to this rule because I think it is important. We got fleeced in the fitness industry. The fleecing after the experience was done and evident in our fitness franchise. Not only our family, but 99% of the franchise. I am hoping what I say will make people seek counsel and take their time before signing. Franchising can destroy your family. Not only financially. You will not be able to have the life you had before. It takes years to establish yourself financially. Think, move slow. Moving slow is the key. Do not trust your zor until they prove themselves worthy of trusting. The guest who continually put me down are bad people. They want your money. The fitness industry is fun. Fun does not pay the bills.
Because of bad business practices, which includes misrepresentation to the max, before you sign, I will take the stance that this is not about due diligence. This is about bad business practices. Thanks to sites like BMM, people can really know that franchising can be the worst decision you made. Please listen to those who have experienced unethical business practices in franchising.
If BMM was around before we signed, I would of asked lots of questions. Always ask alot of questions. Remember how, what, where, when and why are key words to get to the truth.
You probably took more time considering that..
than you did to perform due diligence on your franchise. You are a prime example of a housewife with no business experience who blew her life savings on a bad concept. You failed at vetting 123Fit. You relied on a salesman's word to make your decisions and not your own due diligence. Furthermore, you had no experience in the industry you chose. This is not smart. Yet you blame everyone else (like a child) rather than take qn ounce of responsibility for your own bad decisions. You are pathetic.
Tricky wording
Is not for a 50 somethung housewife to decipher. What made you gamble your life savings in an industry you had no experience with a company whose majority leadership had no experience in the fitness industry? No one put q gun to your head and made you mortgage your house and retirement.
If you had a case against 123Fit sue them. Problem is you cannot prove what you claim. You gambled and you lost.
Forum
What is going on with this forum? Why are there only posts from Barbara Jorgenson with the most recent from Aug 2011? There were many more recent posts.
Tanning Ban in CA
As of January 1st 2012, tanning will be banned in CA for anyone under the age of 18. How does Snap plan on addressing this issue with members having access to the tanning bed all hours and no real way to police this access?
Good question
Many snap locations have or will struggle with this dilemma. I think many have limited tanning to staffed hours only in order to comply with tanning laws. This is how it should be. As a former owner, if I were opening a snap I would not even offer tanning, too many hassles with the access, monitoring, liability, expense of beds and bulbs, cleaning etc.
It is a non issue if you have no tanning
Tanning is not a money maker. It is unhealthy and being taxed out of business by government. Very few Snap or Anytime offer tanning.
non issue
But it is an issue if you do. Clubs in NY that were sold a few years ago with tannig are now having issues with change in laws. Suggestions of turning power off seem to be corp response.
That's government regulation for you
What is one to do? When you open a tanning salon, gym with tanning, or hair salon with tanning you must check local and state laws. If you do that and the laws change well, you have to abide by them. Tanning is a loser anyway. It is not a big money maker. it used to be used as a loss leader to attract traffic and gain enrollments. Now people are turning to healthier alternatives like spray tans, or going au natural. What is your point? Who is to blame in your mind? Corp? Governemnt? Anyone?
loss leader
Yeah that's how it was sold
Tanning Loss Leader
Tanning it fitness centers has always been about attracting traffic for memberships as well as an up sell to the base membership. Tanning in fitness centers or hair salons for that matter are not generally profit centers. With increasing regulation and taxes on these services they are becoming less and less attractive as loss leaders. Furthermore, the consumer mindset is changing.
Loss Leader
A $10,000 - $15,000 investment for a loss leader. It's just a loser.
Post new comment