Gymnastics Jump-Start will serve children in the Detroit Metropolitan area. We will help them to become more disciplined and focused, and improve their overall health. Gymnastics Jump-Start is a private gym whose main focus is on gymnastics; however, various types of dance and total body conditioning are also taught. This gym will have Olympic gymnastic equipment for both boys and girls.
We start each student with the core elements of gymnastics, followed by total body conditioning and more difficult tricks. Creativity in teaching methods will set us apart from our competitors, using both repetition and variation. We believe that a child must have fun and truly enjoy what he or she is doing to learn successfully. Our teachers will be trained in more unique methods of teaching that produce the same, if not better, physical effect on the children, but provide a better mental effect. The gymnasium will be open for parent observation, but they will be asked to stay in a confined area as a safety precaution.
Gymnastics Jump-Start will be making a profit within the first year of business. After the completion of the first year we expect to have a fairly regular clientele base. As the number of children in our classes increases, we will add extra teachers. If growing classes mean hiring and training new teachers, then that's what we will do. As current gymnastics teachers at other gyms, we have a very strong relationship with our customers and will do whatever we can to keep them coming back to us. Our class prices will be lower than our competitors but our business will still make an excellent profit.
Owners Wanda Bounce and Bea Flip have both been competitive gymnasts. We understand the way that private and public gyms are run since we have worked in both of them. With combined gymnastics coaching experience of over 25 years, we understand what our customers want and need. We understand how children learn best from the mistakes our teachers made when we competed in gymnastics. We understand that sometimes you have to throw the book out the window and do what works best to accomplish your set goal while teaching. We have found that there is definitely a market for private gyms in Oakland County. We know this simply by the fact that we both grew up in this county and were inconvenienced by driving long distances to get to a private gym to take lessons. We believe our gym will be successful due to the experience we have gained working at various gymnastics facilities in and around the Detroit Metropolitan area.
To fund the start-up costs for Gymnastics Jump-Start, the owners will each invest $25,000. In addition, we are seeking a seven year loan of $36,600 to help cover the initial equipment purchases necessary to open a high-caliber private gymnasium. Details of the repayment can be found in the financial plan.
1.1 Keys to Success
Our main keys to success include:
- Maintaining a reputable and untarnished reputation in the community
- Competitive pricing
- Flexible hours
- Ample and secure parking
- Easy access
- Target high traffic areas for maximum public exposure
- Design facilities to curb overcrowding
- Seasoned management team
- Personalized relationships with customers
We can minimize certain risk factors by:
- Initial capitalization of the company to sustain operations through year one
- Low overhead through the use of multi-skilled employees and continual training
- Strong customer base through aggressive marketing
- Strong community ties and involvement
- Eliminate collection costs by establishing cash/credit/debit-card-only facilities
1.2 Mission
Gymnastics Jump-Start offers a place where people can learn gymnastics, meet new people, have fun and feel comfortable. We offer a varied gymnastics and conditioning program with price options for all levels of interest, but with greater emphasis on group classes. Our instructors have access to continual training with some of the area's top professional coaches. This provides our students with up-to-date tricks and technique. Gymnastics Jump-Start welcomes a diversity of people and maintains a non-smoking and alcohol/drug free environment.
1.3 Objectives
The objectives of Gymnastics Jump-Start are the following:
- Exceed 60% class capacity by the end of the first year of operation.
- Acquire 300+ participants by the end of the first year of operation.
- Increase membership by 20% by the end of the second year of operation.
- Provide gymnastics training for students at all levels, from beginner to advanced.
- Provide continual training, benefits and incentives for staff to encourage a long-term commitment of employees.
