how to start a gym business in kenya

This article is about how to start a gym business in Kenya. Starting a gym in Kenya requires proper planning, dedication and commitment to providing a high quality gym experience. Ensure that you comply with all legal requirements, maintain high standards of hygiene and equipment, and provide excellent customer service to succeed in the competitive healthcare industry.

why start a gym business in kenya

Growing demand: Over the past decade, an increasing number of people live in rural areas and have limited opportunities to exercise. The global trend towards urbanization means there is a strong demand for fitness in Kenya. As more Kenyans migrate from rural areas to urban areas, they will need more opportunities for physical activity.

Kenya has one of the fastest growing middle classes in the world. The people who exercise in all the Kenyan cities are middle class people, who are interested in health and fitness. Naturally, this group has money to throw away, making them the best target for fitness businesses.

Positive effects on health: Gyms are growing in popularity because of the positive effects of exercise on health. The benefits of exercise are well documented. Regular exercise reduces the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, depression, anxiety and helps with death. And people want to maintain good health and improve their image by exercising.

Gym memberships are a great way to improve health. They promote good health by providing essential health facilities and opportunities for exercise. Some gyms have in-house trainers who can help clients start a customized exercise routine that will work for them. In addition, gyms also offer many social activities that allow customers to meet new people with similar interests, such as working out.

Easy to manage remotely: After setting up the gym and establishing the necessary equipment, personnel and management systems, the business should be easy to manage remotely. This will allow you to focus on other areas of your life. Daily activities are carried out by administrative staff and on-site trainers.

Success Story: Colosseum Fitness Center located in Adam’s Arcade, Nairobi, is one of the gym business success stories in Kenya. Founded by Andre Leenher almost two decades ago, the gym has stood the test of time as one of the best gyms serving the middle class residents of the Ngong’ Road area of ​​Nairobi. Annual gym memberships range from $500 to $650.

Start the workout

Camp, brand and marketing: choose a camp that is easy to access. Since the class often goes to gyms, find your gym in the city where the class lives. You can also find near the big company. This will help you fit into the corporate world, as some want to exercise after work. Finding fitness in such areas should make your marketing efforts easier as your target customers will be in the store. Places that fit these specifications are found in Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisumu, Mombasa and Eldoret.

License

To operate a gym anywhere in Kenya, you will need a license from the relevant local government where you want to set up the gym. Since gyms play music to assist trainers during air exercises, permission is required from the Music Copyright Society of Kenya and other stakeholders. The cost of both licenses range from $280 to $350 per year depending on the size of the gym.

Brick and Mortar: This is the most convenient setting in any gym. The gym allows gym members to come to the gym and work out. All the gym equipment is kept in the room. Therefore, security measures must be put in place to protect this resource.

How to run the gym

Important activities: The main activities in the gym are cleaning, trainers guiding customers during the workout, and marketing to attract new customers. Other general activities and specific duties required include membership surveys, member satisfaction rates, and providing customer service to members.

Employees: Choose employees with experience and passion for health. That means you need people who can do everything from answering questions about teams and classes to teaching new customers how to use the equipment. You need healthcare professionals who understand your customers’ needs so you can provide quality customer service and motivate them.
It is important to have good customer service. Good customer service is the key to ensuring that customers keep their membership monthly. You will continue to train your staff to keep up with the latest trends and customer needs in the fitness industry.

Supply Chain: Procurement Tools: With so many different brands and types of equipment, it can be time-consuming to find the ones that best suit your customers’ needs. Decide what type of exercise or program you want the gym to offer. You should also consider the amount of space and the amount of space available in your equipment. Compare the prices of different sellers before buying. Once you purchase the required training equipment, the monthly delivery fee will be minimal. These will include soap, disinfectants and toiletries.

Marketing and sales for fitness

Typical Customers: Your marketing campaign doesn’t have to be one-size-fits-all. It must be adapted to address different types of customers and their different needs. The most common customers for your gym will be those looking to get fit, lose weight, or gain weight. Regardless of the type of client, make sure your gym is well-equipped to meet the needs of all your clients.

Your gym should accommodate the following clients:

(1) Muscle gainers

Clients in this category are men under the age of 35. Since gaining muscle mass is largely dependent on lifting weights, you need to make sure that your gym has all the strength training equipment. . Equipment should properly match the number of clients training in the gym. Clients don’t have to wait long between sets as other clients are still using the required weights and equipment.

(2) Reduce weight

Many gym clients in Kenya are there to lose weight and get a slim body. With changing diets and increasing junk food, obesity rates are rising in Kenya, leading to health advice to join gyms and work out. Each client who participates in your weight loss journey and workout needs to be treated individually. This type of treatment tailored to your clients will allow them to achieve their goals faster and build confidence in your gym. Encourage them in their journey and let them know that reaching their weight goals is possible.

(3) Stay positive

This is the easiest customer to deal with in the gym. They already have the body of their dreams and all they want from you is to help them maintain their health. Find out their exercise history and try to stick to their exercise routine as much as possible. This customer segment often engages in fun group exercise programs.

Go big/scale: After setting up your first gym and learning all the tricks of the trade, you can consider expanding your business by opening another branch of the gym in a different location. This expansion must be explained by market research, supporting the good work of your first expansion.

what to avoid in gym business

Unreliable Power: Unreliable power is a problem you will face in your business. This can prevent workouts that rely on electrical equipment or require a lot of light, such as early morning or evening workouts. To solve this problem, you can get a backup generator or install a solar backup system.

Inaccurate branding: Your gym or “gym” is often visited by people who want to lose weight and are looking for muscle. Your customers can relate to the image that others have of your gym, even if that image doesn’t match your original intent. Although this is not a bad thing in a highly competitive market, in an environment where you are still developing a market and need to attract customers from all corners to achieve financial success, this can to cause trouble. An image that is strongly associated with one customer group can alienate other customers.

How much money will you get from the gym

Who is the business for? This business is ideal for entrepreneurs who are interested in health and related fields. These people will have experience and interest in running this type of business. However, it is still possible for inexperienced entrepreneurs to learn about this industry and create successful gyms.

A step-by-step guide to starting a fitness business

Step 1: Business plan

It is important to understand that people start businesses for many reasons:

(1) to be their own boss;

(2) following passion;

(3) financial independence;

(4) Retirement plan;

(5) have a social impact;

Take some time to think about why you want to start a business. Fight the temptation to make a long list of reasons. As clear and personal as possible; and you may be surprised how this process can help you choose the type of business to invest in.

Step 2: market analysis

Basic market research; Don’t be fooled into thinking that Africa is “green” and like anything you build anywhere will be successful. There are many companies that are paid on the continent; The opportunity must be adapted to the reality of the country. Analyze customer behavior and economic trends to help improve your business strategy. Use competitive analysis to find out what’s missing in the market and how you can differentiate your business from your competitors. You can gather competitive information by looking at sales transactions, through surveys, focus groups, and interviews of potential customers. With careful market research, you will be able to zoom in on your target customers and identify marketing strategies that will be successful.

Step 3: Business plan

Writing a business plan should be part of your plan. Not only do financial partners like banks need a business plan, but many studies have shown that a business plan helps increase the chances of starting a successful business. A well-crafted business plan will build your confidence in your business idea by answering key questions about risks and opportunities; and provide ways to achieve your business goals. But the business doesn’t have to be long or complete before you start your business. However, it tries to answer who, what and how you plan to make money.

Step 4: Business Identity

Business Name and Domain: Spend time and care in choosing a business name and domain name (if applicable). These will be key to how customers find and remember you.

Business structure: Decide the best legal structure for your business: sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company (LLC), or corporation. This is an important point because it affects your taxes, personal debt, earning power, etc. Consider consulting an attorney and accountant to help you make your decision.

Business location: Location, location… depending on your business, this can really make or break your business. You can think of issues such as foot traffic, parking, distance to vendors and customers, law, industry, crime, quality and nearby competition.

Step 5: hiring and training

Build the right team. This will be important for the success of your business. Don’t be too quick in relationships and/or in hiring. Make sure you have a well-defined plan and stick to it.
Consider how you can motivate and reward your team members rather than giving them a good salary. Build strong relationships; in general, relations are more progressive in Africa than legal agreements.

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