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dreamgym
Jan 16, 2007, 9:12 PM
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I've been climbing for about years now, and i have been on and off this site and know that everyone here has something to offer.
I have a dream to open a climbing gym when i get out of school. what i was wanting is some tips on getting a business plan started, and what kind of things do i need to keep in mind and prepare for.
i am going to a 4 year university (osu) next year to study business. any tips?
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themadmilkman
Jan 17, 2007, 8:56 PM
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dreamgym wrote: I've been climbing for about years now, and i have been on and off this site and know that everyone here has something to offer. I have a dream to open a climbing gym when i get out of school. what i was wanting is some tips on getting a business plan started, and what kind of things do i need to keep in mind and prepare for. i am going to a 4 year university (osu) next year to study business. any tips?
Yeah, get through 3 years of school, take whatever classes you can in small business ownership and entrepreneurship, and start writing a business plan. Unless you, a VERY close friend, or a relative has the capital to cover the start up costs, you're going to need to convince somebody else to front those costs. And doing that can be the most difficult part of opening a gym.
Other than that, travel and hit up other gyms. See if you can meet the owners and learn what has been successful for them and what has failed. Make sure they understand that you're not planning on doing any business in their area, so that they'll stand a better chance of being honest and open with you. Learn. Learn. Learn. And then apply.
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dpinto15
Jan 17, 2007, 10:21 PM
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How much do you guys think that it costs to start up a good gym? I know that it is vauge but does anyone have a clue?
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coastal_climber
Jan 17, 2007, 10:34 PM
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The owner of the gym that I work at put about 1.5mil into a custom building, textured walls, coffee bar, and the whole set-up.
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gavroche
Jan 17, 2007, 11:20 PM
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I have no idea what a gym would cost to build but make sure you consider liability insurance, that is likely to be your biggest cost after the initial start up costs.
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csgambill
Jan 17, 2007, 11:33 PM
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The best resources for finding out how much opening a gym will cost are the companies that build the walls. I'd check out their websites. I know Nicross has a fairly detailed section dedicated to pricing walls. I'd also suggest you contact companies and ask them. I guarantee they have sales people who will talk to you. You will need to have an estimate of the square footage of the climbing wall you intend to build. Good luck with the business! If you need an accountant shoot me a PM. :-)
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dreamgym
Jan 18, 2007, 6:02 PM
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thanks guys,
what type of buildings do gyms around your town use, besides custom built ones. around here there is a gym built out of a old grain silo, and one built from a scuba diving training building. what kinds of buildings have you seen created into a gym?
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redpoint73
Jan 18, 2007, 6:24 PM
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Most gyms I have been to use existing warehouse or industrial space. There is often plenty of that around any fairly dense city or suburb. But the trick is finding one that has enough height, and also has a central location to your intended customer base, proximity to highways, major roads, and public transportation. A good warehouse space will have a roof that is at least 35 to 40 feet in order to make it leadable.
I've also seen an old soybean silo facility converted into a gym, and some custom spaces. A good amount of space should be dedicated to bouldering.
As mentioned, construction of the wall is the main cost, followed by cost of the space, and liability insurance. My local gym owner got his friends and acquaintances to invest in his gym in exchange for lifetime climbing privileges. Purchase of the building should be considered, or at least explore the option to do so in the future. Otherwise, you can be stuck with the cost of the wall construction becoming sunk funds if your landlord ever decides to not renew your lease.
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marc801
Jan 18, 2007, 7:22 PM
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dpinto15 wrote: How much do you guys think that it costs to start up a good gym? I know that it is vauge but does anyone have a clue?
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csgambill
Jan 18, 2007, 7:36 PM
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Hmm... If I lived in Utah, I don't think I'd climb at the gym very often. The state aside, it sounds like it's got a good location, right next door to an REI.
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marc801
Jan 18, 2007, 7:41 PM
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csgambill wrote: Hmm... If I lived in Utah, I don't think I'd climb at the gym very often.
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marc801
Jan 18, 2007, 7:46 PM
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dreamgym wrote: ...what i was wanting is some tips on getting a business plan started, and what kind of things do i need to keep in mind and prepare for.
From that same site, here's some general info on business plans: http://www.bplans.com/dp/
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roym
Jan 18, 2007, 8:17 PM
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Go to the eldo walls website they have a service that will help write a business plan for a fee  and come out and evaluate possible sites. Good Luck
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djlachelt
Jan 20, 2007, 3:15 AM
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Hey dreamer,
I'm from Stillwater myself. They have a nice little wall at the rec center at OSU. I visit it each time I go home for a few days.
Lots of people have your same question. This and many other question that you'll come up with have been hashed out various times in this forum. I recommend you browse the past posts in this forum. Look for anything posted by lambone. He did a great job of sharing his experience in opening a gym.
You might also want to visit http://www.eldowalls.com, http://rockwerxclimbing.com/ and http://www.leadwall.com/.
Then finally: http://www.climbingwallindustry.org/. Not much info that you are looking for at this time, but still good to know that there is such an association.
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dreamgym
Jan 21, 2007, 4:38 AM
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wow, you guys have been an awesome help. This is just a dream of mine, after having a few different jobs, i have realized i dont want to be a cubicle worker, I want a job i enjoy. im not out to make a million, just to have a job i enjoy. I know that in this dream its going to take a lot of planning, and a lot of work, thats why im reasearching it now. i really dont want this dream to fall through. thanks, keep the info coming.
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matterunomama
Jan 21, 2007, 5:47 PM
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gavroche wrote: I have no idea what a gym would cost to build but make sure you consider liability insurance, that is likely to be your biggest cost after the initial start up costs.
-Dave
http://www.climbrockclub.com
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nunatak
Jan 21, 2007, 6:46 PM
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I agree. Liability insurance is no where near our largest cost. My property tax is ten times my liability insurance. You just need to find an insurance company that understands climbing walls.
Also, when I applied for loans, the banks were not happy that I had never managed a gym (despite my years of guiding). They also were not impressed that I had never taken any other loans out. My very clean credit record was not viewed as an asset. Having never carried a load (thus paid off a loan), because I never needed one was a mark on my credit record.
So, Take business classes. Work in other gyms or climbing walls. Get and pay off a small loan (buy a crappy little car and pay it off). Or marry rich.
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dief
Jan 22, 2007, 1:20 AM
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Learn to weld so you can build your own walls. This will save you a ton of money. Visit as many other gyms as you can. If you are ever in the Phoenix area stop on by and I'll show you what I got started for $20k 15 years ago. Happy to help you out as you go forward with your dream.
Dief -Phoenix Rock Gym
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zuegma
Jan 22, 2007, 1:33 AM
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I dont know much about entrepeneurship, although maybe you could contact a larger gym company and start a franchise. Then they would probably help you pay the up front costs, they probably already have contacts in the climbing industry who build walls, and would be able to help you get started management wise too. who knows they would probably even help you out with t he insurance and all too. In the long run it is all profits for them.
As to a location i always thought that a gym in a large college town would be neat. You have over 20000+ kids to market to (depending on size of school) along with the local community.
just some thoughts...
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lambone
Jan 22, 2007, 2:11 AM
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matterunomama wrote: gavroche wrote: I have no idea what a gym would cost to build but make sure you consider liability insurance, that is likely to be your biggest cost after the initial start up costs. This keeps coming up again and again and it's utterly false. Join CWA, credibly demonstrate that you can safely operate your facility according to their practices and get insurance through Stratus. Our ranked expenses are payroll (by far the biggest) followed by rent. Insurance is down there with utilities. -Dave http://www.climbrockclub.com
ditto
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gavroche
Jan 22, 2007, 3:23 AM
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Thanks for correcting me, bad assumption on my part it seems.
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colemanizzle
Jan 29, 2007, 3:44 AM
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I understand that your intention in opening a climbing gym is so that you can do what you love and so on and so forth. However, keeping you head above water is also important. The gym that I climb at (Vertical Endeavors in Warrenville) is making the fatty cash off of all the birthday paries and groups that they host. So while that is annoying to dedicated members (i.e. me) I do know that that is how they make the cash moneys.
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amikros
Feb 8, 2007, 9:51 PM
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doing well in school and attending class is a good place to start 
im an undergrad in a pretty awesome business school, so I actually have good advice (in a bus. standpoint, not a climbing one)...
Read books to help you get the idea of what you'll need for a business. Not just your school books. Nobody reads those, anway. There's business/finance sections in Borders and stuff.
First, though, you need to see if there is a demand or a need for a climbing gym wherever you want to open one...otherwise, nobody is going to go. I mean, I hate to be a downer, but business-wise, it isn't smart to be like...oh...nobody here climbs...ill open a climbing gym and try to get a whole city/town into the sport...
Then you need people that will help you fund the gym. You can't really take out 300k loans as a student, so you'll need a partner/sponsor/something...
this is going to turn into a super long reply, so just pm me if you need more help.
Oh, yea...seriously...go to class. I'm speaking with plenty of experince. Skipping really fucks you over in the long run.
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