This week, inside the Gym Owners Network, we had a great question: why do gym owners work so many hours?
The Journey to Gym Ownership
From my experience meeting hundreds of gym owners across Australia and New Zealand, it’s clear that we don’t just wake up one day as gym owners. Most of us started by working in someone else’s gym. We gained experience, taught classes, or worked as trainers. This journey built our confidence and passion, leading us to open our own gyms.
While this apprenticeship is a stable way to learn the trade, it can disadvantage us in gym ownership. We tend to mirror the behaviours and practices of our former employers. If the gym owner we trained under was frugal with marketing spend and avoided digital marketing, we might do the same. If they didn’t hold regular team meetings or foster a great team culture, we might skip these practices as well. Likewise, if our mentor worked 60-hour weeks, we might think that’s the norm and adopt the same work habits.
Misconceptions and Delegation
In the fitness industry, nothing we do is brain surgery. Unlike other industries with high-level skill sets that are hard to replicate, fitness tasks can be taught to enthusiastic trainees. For example, a Saturday Boxing class you’ve been teaching for years can be handed over to a well-trained trainer. The key is to document your processes, train your staff thoroughly, and support their development.
By mastering the skill of delegation, your hours will decrease. The belief that “if you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself” is dated and incorrect. It could be a limiting belief stemming from past experiences or learned behaviours from mentors.
Improving Leadership Skills
A bad experience with delegation might make us hesitant to try again. But delegation is a senior leadership skill, much like running effective Facebook ads. If you gave up on ads after a poor result, you’d never improve. The same goes for delegation; you get better with practice. Enhancing your leadership skills directly impacts the quality of your team.
Tips for Reducing Hours
If you’re facing long weeks, consider these tips:
- Delegate or Eliminate Low-Value Activities: Activities like cleaning the gym floor or talking to members for hours are $10-an-hour tasks. Delegate these to your team.
- Focus on High-Value Tasks: Avoid the easy, comfort-zone tasks. Instead, spend time on activities that drive growth, like calling unconverted enquiries or optimising your Facebook ads.
- Have Tough Conversations: It’s easier to clean mirrors than to address punctuality issues with staff. Prioritise these difficult but necessary conversations.
Conclusion
In summary, gym owners work long hours due to several factors:
- False Narrative: Believing no one else can do the job as well as us.
- Copying Mentors: Emulating the work habits of our trainers without seeking new role models.
- Past Delegation Failures: Letting one bad experience stop us from delegating again.
Improving our delegation and leadership skills can significantly reduce our working hours. Just like learning to ride a bike, persistence and practice are key. Don’t let a few falls stop you from achieving balance and efficiency in your work life.
