My Unfair Advantage

Class Instructor Avatar:  I have several friends, family, and acquaintances that are very much knowledgeable about fitness and how to help people reach their goals.  Most of them are not high strung and hyper like most fitness class instructors.  I will only staff my fitness center with instructors that possess strong leadership qualities with the ability to motivate our patrons while maintaining a peaceful and composed demeanor that most people strive to attain and admire.  I want motivating instructors but not over energetic instructors that people don’t take serious.  This will set us apart from all other gyms because I am looking for specific qualities outside of their physical stature that will attract customers.

Loan Assistance:  My sister in-law is the Loan Department supervisor at Regions Bank and can give me some great advice and assistance in obtaining the best possible business loan.  This will be extremely valuable in my developing my investment plan for the business and her assistance will help me obtain a low interest rate that will help me direct the savings from the low interest rate loan towards other important investments needed for the business.  Most entrepreneurs don’t have human capital this valuable and easily accessible.

Current Job Experience:  My current job as a Contracting Specialist in the Air Force will play an extremely important role in negotiating for the best possible prices and contracts for gym equipment, food supplies, construction of the facility.  This is rare and valuable because most business owners either hire a lawyer to review contracts or rely upon someone else to negotiate contracts and pricing for business assets.  In this case, I will be handling all of the contract and negotiation tasks.

Indoor Aquatic Classes:  I will have an indoor pool to conduct aquatic classes in the center of the fitness center.  If at any point someone wants to jump in the pool during class, then they are welcomed to do so.  My best friend owns a pool cleaning business and I will be able to attain these services at a very low price because of our relationship.

Licensed Clinical Social Worker:  My wife is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker that works with the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Agency.  I will utilize her skills and expertise to work with underdeveloped and inner city neighborhoods to conduct free fitness classes on the weekend in different housing projects throughout Tallahassee to promote fitness and health education to both adults and youth.  This is valuable and rare to these communities because currently there are no services such as this being provided to these type of communities in Tallahassee or anywhere else for that matter.

Caring and Family Environment:  I will create a caring environment that is unique and much different than other businesses by ensuring our customers are family first and customers second.  This is a risky approach to the business model but I want this caring and family environment at the forefront of my business and ensure this is the main characteristic that people think of when talking about the fitness center.

Military Oriented Classes:  Many of my classes will be inspired by workouts actually used by special operations career fields such as Navy SEALS, Pararescuemen, Combat Rescuemen, Army Rangers, etc.  I am in no way associated with these types of military career fields but I have studied and immersed myself in these fitness regimens.  Also, I have a good friend that is a Pararescueman and happens to be a “poster boy” for PJs because of his knowledge and level of experience as a special forces member.  He has been training new PJ recruits for 6 years and I could gain even more knowledge of these rigorous fitness routines.  I could also use him as a marketing tool by asking him to be a guest instructor at least once a year to come in and conduct a week long “boot camp” class.  His profession as a special forces member alone attracts so many people because they at least understand the difficulty in becoming a part of an elite group and look to these special ops members as the “cream of the crop” when it comes to being in the best physical shape possible.  I haven’t heard of a gym that focuses on military fitness regimens and it will not be easy for just anyone to have enough contacts to incorporate these type of classes into their gym.

Pharmacist:  My sister is a Pharmacist in Tallahassee and I will use her to come in once a month to educate gym members on the benefits and dangers of supplements.  She will also be an excellent resource in selecting healthy and effective supplements to sell in the gym.  Most supplement shops and gyms do not care what supplements they are selling to their customers as long as it has been approved by the FDA.  This takes me back to the model of caring and treating people as I would my own family.  Using my sister to educate customers on what they are putting into their bodies is a rare and non-substitutable asset because only Pharmacist understand how drugs or supplements enter and react within the body.

Kids Fitness Classes:  I will leverage my experience in coaching youth basketball and mentoring to conduct after school kids’ fitness classes.  I have not ever heard of or seen a gym that offered kids fitness classes.  My experience of working with kids is not rare but the way in which I will leverage my experience will be rare and will be valuable in making kids feel a sense of inclusion in being healthy and teaching them about health and fitness at an early age.

Tallahassee Resident:  I was raised in Tallahassee and really understand the culture, environment, and people of the city.  I have an extensive network of friends, classmates, and family that will be of great assistance to me in making my fitness center successful.  Unfortunately, most businesses in Tallahassee are owned by people that happened to settle down in Tallahassee after college at FSU or FAMU or either they are from places such as Tampa, Orlando, or Miami and looking to move away from the big city atmosphere.  I think I will stand out amongst most local businesses in Tallahassee by having an enormous amount of support from my fellow Tallahasseans that either know me or just know that I am one of them.

My top resource is utilizing my compassionate attitude to make sure people feel like family before a customer.  This is my most important resource because the foundation of most businesses is providing excellent customer service but if I show people the difference between great customer service versus a family atmosphere then it will set me apart from any business out there.  If I can make people feel like I care for their well being as if they were my own family then I will have, not only a unique approach to business, but also “staying power” that can’t be imitated.  No one can be genuinely invested into the well being of people better than me and I will make that the foundation of my business.