Fitness industry specialists Stephen Tharrett and James Peterson present an updated edition to the most comprehensive blueprint ever created for developing, leading, managing, and operating a successful health/fitness business. The book is separated into ten distinct sections representing the primary skill sets needed to succeed as a leader and manager in the health/fitness club industry.
Each section contains these and other key topics:
- Introduction to the Health/Fitness Industry (history, beliefs and behaviors, and consumer attitudes)
- Membership in the Health/Fitness Club Industry (defining the differences between a member and a customer, pricing strategies, branding, marketing, and sales management)
- Membership Retention in the Health/Fitness Club Industry (value of membership and membership retention, variables known to influence attrition and retention, creating and defining positive club-based experiences, defining and creating a service culture, and programming for health/fitness clubs)
- The Health/Fitness Club Business (legal business structure, business operating models, getting started, financial models and tools, budgeting, forecasting, driving profitability, buying, leasing, selling, and raising capital)
- Staffing Issues in the Health/Fitness Club Industry (employees versus independent contractors, compensation, benefits, education and skill competency, organizational alignment and structure, and team building and recruitment)
- Facilities and Equipment in the Health/Fitness Club Industry (types of facilities, design and construction process and associated costs, cardiovascular, selectorized/variable resistance, free-weight, and purchase or lease equipment)
- Operational Practices in the Health/Fitness Club Industry (risk management, AEDs, operating practice, front-desk, child-care, fitness, aquatics, tennis, locker rooms, laundry, housecleaning, accounting, types of spas, spa facilities and features, space requirements, equipment, service offerings, financial parameters, spa staff, sports-conditioning and sports-performance industry, sport participation, injury, and conditioning for youth, and the essential components of a sports-performance center)
- Overview of the International Health/Fitness Club Market (Asia, Europe, and Latin America)
- Also includes sections on the future of the health/fitness club industry and case studies
Biography
Stephen Tharrett, MS, is currently the president of Club Industry Consulting, a company that provides health/fitness club owners with an extensive array of services that include strategic planning, business planning, employee development programs, marketing, and facility design and development. Stephen has been involved in the fitness and sport industry for over 26 years. He has also served as a member of the editorial advisory board for ACSM’s Health and Fitness Journal.
James A. Peterson, Ph.D., FACSM, is a sports medicine consultant and freelance writer who has authored or co-authored over 80 books and more than 200 published articles on a variety of coaching- and health-related subjects. Since 1997, he has been a contributing editor to ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal (“Take 10” column). He has appeared on several national television shows, including ABC’s Good Morning America, the CBS Evening News, and ABC’s Nightline. Since 1992, he has served as a fundraiser for the Make-A-Wish Foundation®. Jim and his wife, Sue, reside in Monterey, California.