Can I bounce a problem off people here please?

thehamo

So I have a sports therapy clinic set up in North Dublin. At the moment I run the clinic from a gym in Santry. The gym is in a business park off a very busy (traffic wise) main road with no clear presence thus very little people are aware of my presence. I currently pay 100 a month as a retainer in the gym as well as a fee for any clients I bring in. Problem is Im not getting any client at present. The gym its self is more of a personal training/private class gym and I dont get any business from the clients.

My predicament is, a property has come up in an area with large window road frontage an a lot of passing foot and vehicular traffic (as well as being beside a personal training gym too). Now, the rent is 3 times if not more than where I am paying for at the moment. I dont have a sufficient client base to meet the rent monthly at present, so I would be out of pocket a good bit if I was to go down this route.

Can anyone give me their opinion/advice as to what they think I should do??

Thanks in advance.

Mark.

goz83

Could you share the rent of the new office with someone, perhaps in a similar industry? How do you advertise? I would imagine that you need to be leaving leaflets around targeted locations (local shops and doctor surgeries). A website wouldn't hurt either and can add an element of professionalism to your service offering. I've had a couple of clients that were out of the way and having an online presence made a lot of sense.

thecommander

thehamo wrote: »

My predicament is, a property has come up in an area with large window road frontage an a lot of passing foot and vehicular traffic (as well as being beside a personal training gym too). Now, the rent is 3 times if not more than where I am paying for at the moment. I dont have a sufficient client base to meet the rent monthly at present, so I would be out of pocket a good bit if I was to go down this route.

Personally, I would never pick a sport therapy clinic, or a personal trainer based on them having a huge ad. Being next to a main road wouldn't be a draw either.

Get involved with local sports clubs, gyms, clubs and offer advice. Also, why are the people in the gym you're attached to not aware of you. This is the first issue you should tackle. If you can't get clients from a market that's literally your next door neighbour then there's bigger problem then office location.

thehamo

Thanks guys.

Just in response to a few points;

I do have a web site and web presence already which I promote quite extensively

I understand that having a.roadside presence won't lure people in but it will create an awareness that I am there which I dont have

The gym in working from doesnt really attract the type of clientele that would use physio that often. I have a big presence in the gym wiith banners and.signs as well as regular postings on their private facebook page.

Im well aware of the importance of working with sports teams which is something im trying to work towards currently but finding it quite difficult.

Thanks.

Stheno

Are you located near the sports surgery clinic in santry?

thehamo

Im not in Northwood, but i wouldnt be a million miles away from it. Closer to the airport

Stheno

thehamo wrote: »

Im not in Northwood, but i wouldnt be a million miles away from it. Closer to the airport

I'd wonder if that's affecting you tbh, it's a big established practice that a lot of people go to.

thehamo

It could have an impact, but I think the Scc deals more with people that have been referred, or physio work after surgery etc.

My big question is, would I be mad to rent a premises that at the moment wouldnt be covering the costs of? I know business is about taking risks, but its still a jump im reluctant to make if im going to be majorly out of pocket.

Stheno

thehamo wrote: »

It could have an impact, but I think the Scc deals more with people that have been referred, or physio work after surgery etc.

My big question is, would I be mad to rent a premises that at the moment wouldnt be covering the costs of? I know business is about taking risks, but its still a jump im reluctant to make if im going to be majorly out of pocket.

Unless you have a long term business plan with a timeframe by which you will break even I'd say yes it's a bit mad

28064212

What's the purpose of such a move? You seem to be saying it's in order to get more passing foot-traffic. Do you actually expect that to be the case? From an outsider's perspective, I would have though passing foot-traffic will always make up a tiny, tiny percentage of your business. So what's the advantage of such a move?

gargargar

How long of a lease would you need to sign? Can you afford to carry the loss for a while? That would probably be the main factor for me.

Graham

gargargar wrote: »

How long of a lease would you need to sign? Can you afford to carry the loss for a while? That would probably be the main factor for me.

Surely the main factor should be 'is this going to increase my profitability enough to make such a move worthwhile'.

gargargar

Graham wrote: »

Surely the main factor should be 'is this going to increase my profitability enough to make such a move worthwhile'.

I would see it as not a profitability issue as much as it is a revenue issue. I have used physios, 55 per 1/2 hour is what I paid. Good margin on that. I would think that if you can go somewhere and get more business then it would make sense. I was coming from the idea of short term test lease to see if more business comes through the door.

Hanley

Couple of random unrelated thoughts...

1) could you take the 200 quid or whatever you'd spend extra and put it into marketing instead?

2) what about going to gyms, doing seminars (aim for 1x per week) and do foam rolling workshops etc - don't charge the gyms, let them offer it as extra value for their members. 60 minute workshop or whatever.

Leverage that into a chance to tell people about what you can do, and how you can help them.

3) Offer gyms a finders fee / referral amount for anyone they send your way. Write the emails and info pieces for them, so they can send them directly to members.

I think physical therapy is one of those things wher eonce you get a tipping point things'll be sweet, but until then it's graft.

The stuff you've been putting out online recently is awesome tho, so sometimes it's just a case of hanging around until you hit that tipping point. Sarah's gone thru much the same with The Better Life Project - after a year of complete graft it's starting to click together now.

antoinolachtnai

You really need to build up your reputation. A convenient location (with parking) is important, but frontage or street presence isn't really going to bring you more business in the short term. Having 'presence' on the street will eventually bring you business, but it could take years.

I think you're going to have invest time in relationships with local sports clubs and organisations, especially stuff with older clientele, like golf clubs. I think that this would be a better use of your time and money than paying a higher rent.

I disagree with the views expressed by another poster about margins. That kind of work is very intensive, and you can only do so many hours per week of it and still be helpful and effective. Your appointments are long too, compared to what the other poster described. Think carefully about ensuring that your business is really viable.