WIN/WIN/WIN

WIN/WIN/WIN

Karen & Co. at The Magic Castle

The Indoor Cycling Studio Supplier Trifecta

As an Indoor Cycling studio owner or manager, you want your supplier relationships to be a WIN/WIN/WIN where your supplier wins…your customer wins…and you win.
Find the right retail supplier and you add value to the overall customer experience and to your bottom line.

On the flip side, choosing a supplier in haste can cost your studio time and money.
Poor decisions risk creating a false brand illusion, detract from your customer’s overall experience, are expensive lessons to learn.

A new Indoor Cycling studio owner or manager lacking in retail experience is left to rely on trial and error and the test of time to determine what retail products work or don’t work. Social media advice and google searches may help you determine what works in other studios … but there is no guarantee that what works for one will work for the next.

So, once you have narrowed down your chooses of suppliers, think about choosing a partner instead of a supplier. Stay focused on WHY you offer a specific retail product and consider the following…

1. CHOOSE A BRAND NOT A PRODUCT
The way you treat a product is different than how you treat a brand
A product is something. A brand stands for something
How you feel about a brand trickles down to your customer
Products come and go. A brand is here to stay
…very similar to how one feels about a job vs. a career

2. KNOW THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE BRAND
Passion drives success
You're passionate about your small business so choose partners with passion
…FUN Fact:smart business people surround themselves with like-minded people

3. CONSULT YOUR MISSION STATEMENT
Your mission statement is the foundation of every decision you make
…if you don't have a mission statement GET ONE

4. CAN YOU WRITE A TESTIMONIAL?
A brand that parallels and magnifies your own brand is easy to write about
A brand for which words are hard to find…may need to be reconsidered and
…go back to questions 1, 2, & 3

Think of your suppliers as partners and watch the WIN/WIN/WIN MAGIC unfold.

Here’s WHY…
A supplier who is also a partner amplifies brand awareness for both brands.
A supplier who is also a partner adds value to the overall customer experience.
A supplier who is also a partner makes you and your partner $$$.
A supplier who is also a partner … well … that’s KEEPING IT FUN for everyone!!!

YOUR CUSTOMER WINS. YOUR SUPPLIER WINS. YOU WIN.

EVERYONE WINS.


Additional FUN Fact:

The article … WIN/WIN/WIN, was inspired by a testimonial I wrote for Violet Love Headbands.  While writing the testimonial, it dawned on me that the reason Violet Love Headbands are so successful at our studio is because of the partnership that I share with the founder/owner, Rebecca Michaels.   It's not the product that's amazing, it's the people behind the product.                KC

2PeasBlack

Rebecca and Karen share a business philosophy of #keepingitfun

Email info@totalstockroom.com to inquire about wholesale pricing on Violet Love Headbands and product.                   Violet Love by Rebecca Michaels

WIN/WIN/WIN

Should you open your own independent Indoor Cycling or Spinning® studio?

Facebook Group for Spinning Indoor Cycling studio owners

Click image to join our Facebook Group – everyone encouraged to join!

Part 1:  Are you an entrepreneur?

If it’s done right, a cycling studio can be a profitable and enormously rewarding way to spend your time.  After all, what could be better than treating friends and neighbors to a workout that is helping them live a happier and healthier life?

Free Registration Required to continue — Click Here. Opens in a new tab.

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Let’s assume (since you are reading this), that you are a great instructor, or at least a great class participant who can recognize and perhaps even create an amazing SPIN® or indoor cycling class.  OK, that’s part one.   Do you also have world class people skills?  Do you like working weekends and holidays?   Can you learn to read and create a basic spreadsheet?  Can you be nice and smile to people…..even if they are well, jerks?   Are you willing to use a pedal wrench and (god forbid) a mop?   Are you a never-say-die optimist?

If you are a great instructor, but said no to any of the above, you may want to stick with teaching that amazing class at local health club.  If doing all that and building a community of riders sounds like a dream come true —– you may have what it takes!

Where do you start?  You gotta have a business plan.  I know the business sounds simple, but if you plan on investing a big chunk of your own, or someone else’s money, you should have something in place that outlines financial, operating, marketing and other factors…..in detail.   Just the plan development itself will help you assess the fit with your own skills and personality.

In helping dozens of studio-starters create plans, we have noticed a few common themes:  First there is a tendency to over-estimate how rapidly you can expect the customer base to grow.  You will not open on day 1 with 30 classes / 30 bikes and 70% occupancy.  Won’t happen.   Second, there is a tendency to under-estimate expenses.  Most business plans we produce have over 35 expense lines.   Many are small, but they add up.  Best to plan for that and understand how you'll collect class payments online.

That being said, with smart, realistic planning, and with crisp execution — wow, you build something amazing……while making the world a healthier place, one rider at  time.

Bill Pryor owns his own 6 year old indoor cycling studio in Wellesley, MA and also provides consulting, business and marketing services to cycling studio entrepreneurs. www.spynergyconsulting.com Podcast #88 goes into an expanded discussion about starting your own a Spinning® Indoor Cycling Studio. You can schedule a free initial consultation with Bill to discuss your fitness business ideas – Email him billpryor@comcast.net

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