Is Anybody Here a Curves Franchisee?

[dandjdad]

Originally Posted by cursor

Here is a list of constructive considerations: Are You Suited to Be a Franchisee?

Thanks cursor.

[Lady C]

You might not find the Curves establishment as offensive as I do. I don't think any man or woman should be dumped into a category. I find that offensive. It is like saying any divorced father is a deadbeat.

Just keep in mind, when the client outgrows a Curves and leaves, your profit decreases. Now you have to search harder to keep your revenue up. There was a study I read once that said if the gym was not within a 15 mile radius of the work or home location it WILL NOT be used. Make sure you have enough clients within 15 miles to have growth past year 2.

The problem or root cause is not being addressed by a Curves franchise. The problem is eating habits not lack of motivation or exercise. Not one Curves I visited gives nutritional advice. Nor do any of the other fitness establisments I visited. That is where I pointed out Weight Watchers is a better program. Long term success of a Weight Watchers program is much higher than Curves clients.

I see lots of motivation when their doctor warns them with real life diseases like diabetes. For any program to work the individual has to want to do it themselves.

[cursor]

If backbone support is important to you, you might want to consider a 1-2-3 Fit franchise. The two hotdogs who put that together are Rick Schaden (originator of Quiznos) and Ray Wilson (inventor of the Lifecycle).

Alternatively, you might consider a franchise that has already figured out how to effectively sell women on using real weights for strength training:

Contours Express
The Better Idea In Women's Gyms
Real Weights. Real Results

Comparison to Curves®

[LiftGirl]

Originally Posted by dandjdad

Would I ever open a Gold's or a Bally's? Probably not. Why? Well, for one, the costs are astronomical. But even more importantly, I don't want to return to that "meat head" culture. It's likely that none of those who are members there would want to listen to me anyway, since I'm not all 'roided up.

As a 3-year member of Gold's, I am pretty offended by your statement. There are many types of people at Gold's, and they're not all meatheads and 'roiders. I'm am not a meat-head, nor have I ever taken steroids, yet I am a member of Golds, so obviously you're statement is simply false.

Are there meat-heads there? Sure, there are at most every gym. Are there people who use steroids? I'd be naive if I said there weren't. However it's not all Gold's members or even a majority, and the same is probably true at Bally's.

You say we have disdain for Curves, but I think you have disdain for Gold's or Bally's.

[dandjdad]

Originally Posted by LiftGirl

As a 3-year member of Gold's, I am pretty offended by your statement. There are many types of people at Gold's, and they're not all meatheads and 'roiders. I'm am not a meat-head, nor have I ever taken steroids, yet I am a member of Golds, so obviously you're statement is simply false.

Are there meat-heads there? Sure, there are at most every gym. Are there people who use steroids? I'd be naive if I said there weren't. However it's not all Gold's members or even a majority, and the same is probably true at Bally's.

You say we have disdain for Curves, but I think you have disdain for Gold's or Bally's.

I most certainly do not have disdain for Gold's or Bally's. I worked at a World Gym for two years. I belonged to the World, Gold's and various other meat head gyms for much of my twenty years in the sport. I met a lot of good people there, and made a lot of friends. As far as gyms go, they are what they are. They're just not the right environment for me anymore. They are however the right enviornment for many, yourself included.

There's an old saying that one bad apple can spoil a whole bunch. Well, if a gym has a steroid presence, it's gonna get labeled as such. Is it unfair? Probably, but that's the way it goes. Does that mean I think every Gold's or World or whatever is a steroid gym. No way! Does that mean I think everyone that works out in a meat head Gym is on the juice? Of course not! So if I have disdain for anything Liftgirl, it's simply for the long-time roiders who've trashed the reputation of the once reputable hard core gym.

The point I was trying to get across is that in a gym that caters more towards hard-core lifters, the person who's going to be sought out the quickest for advice is the muscle head roider, not somebody like me--even though I probably know ten times as much about training and nutrition that the aforementioned muscle head roider. I know it's true, because I've had it happen to myself and to others I've worked with, and I know for a fact that people have posted on that topic on this very board.

So now I have to wonder, why is everybody so easily offended? Good grief Liftgirl...I mean, I certainly wasn't referring to you when talking about a steroid presence. Again, it was simply a blanket statement. If you' don't fall under that blanket, I see absolutely no reason for you to be offended.

In any event, back to the original topic; the jury is really still out on Curves at the moment. You guys have really swayed my opinion so that I'm starting to second guess a lot. That's what all this preliminary reseach is about, I guess. Cursor, I've started to do some preliminary research into Contours Express, but haven't pursued it too much. I may have to look at them a little more closely.

Thanks again guys...cursor and perini, thanks for some good advice. Lady C, thank you as well. Apologies if we started out on the wrong foot.

[CF-OC_gal]

This is a fascinating discussion.

First of all I did visit a local "Curves" and a "cheap knockoff" called Bodyshaping for Women or something of that nature. I was unimpressed by both but that was because of my fitness background. I like a more intense or upscale environment. There was virtually no lease hold improvements done at either locations once you got past the entrance baffles.

The cost of Curves here is more than the local recreation sportsplex which has a more diversified facility. On the otherhand if you like to workout in this kind of low key environment then cool, fill your boots!

The biggest problem I see, and that would come out of your organizational research, is that it has now plateaued in the life cylce as a business concept. Those franchisees that have made the most money were the early adoptors with clients of the same mindset. The market around here is quite saturated because it is easy and cheap to imitate Curves. Most of the copy cat ones are gone now though. I have no idea whether Curves is investing in growth and change of their service offering but they would need to in order to keep up with fitness trends. (Gold's gym here lasted through 2 franchises in less than 2 years. You'd be stupid to buy a membership after the bad feelings they left)

I must say though that these 2 facilities were well attended (3 years ago) and the women who were there really enjoyed what they got from it.

Would I train there? No, it does not offer the type of training program that I respond to, but hey if some people like it and are making positive changes to their health, as a result then good on them!

Do your analysis and trust your gut. Where I live my gut says the market is saturated. (crossfit is too specialised to be a booming franchise)

I still think that a good clean Subway restaurant is the way to go these days.

[dandjdad]

Originally Posted by Brat

The biggest problem I see, and that would come out of your organizational research, is that it has now plateaued in the life cylce as a business concept. Those franchisees that have made the most money were the early adoptors with clients of the same mindset. The market around here is quite saturated because it is easy and cheap to imitate Curves. Most of the copy cat ones are gone now though. I have no idea whether Curves is investing in growth and change of their service offering but they would need to in order to keep up with fitness trends. (Gold's gym here lasted through 2 franchises in less than 2 years. You'd be stupid to buy a membership after the bad feelings they left)

I must say though that these 2 facilities were well attended (3 years ago) and the women who were there really enjoyed what they got from it.

Do your analysis and trust your gut. Where I live my gut says the market is saturated. (crossfit is too specialised to be a booming franchise)

I still think that a good clean Subway restaurant is the way to go these days.

Brat, your analysis is pretty much spot on. You'd be amazed at how much addional info I learned in the last 24 hours. In addition to the input from this board, I actually spoke with four different Curves owners that had their establishments up for sale. Each one sounded more suicidal than the next! They were surprisingly forthright with me, to the point that I think it's going to take a minor miracle for any of them to sell their business. So to say the market is saturated or that the Curves boom might be over is probably the understatement of the year! It's like somebody said...nobody wants to sell when business is booming! As far as trusting my gut goes...at the moment, my gut says hold off...possibly for a long, long time.

By the way, it's funny you mention Subway. I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but Subway and Curves are supposedly the #1 and #2 rated low fee franchises to get into. Interesting. I don't think I'd want to go into the restaurant biz, though.