Stuart Goldman of Club Industry’s Fitness Business Pro, a leading health club industry trade publication, has written an extensive and well-researched article on the struggling 30-minute fitness franchise chains and some of the powerful names that were instrumental in putting the match to this “hot new franchise” phenomenon.
I plan to look at particular points of this article in upcoming posts. Please share your initial comments below.
Here’s an excerpt. Click a link to read the entire article:
Source: Lights Out by Stuart Goldman, Managing Editor, Fitness Business Pro
The troubles that continue to plague circuit club companies also extend to …read more

(FranchisePick.Com)  Literally hundreds of franchise websites, franchise books and entrepreneurial magazines cite bogus franchise survival statistics, which they allege are from the SBA or the US Department of Commerce,  that show that buying a franchise is almost a fail-proof method for starting a new business.  The truth is, wherever there is reward, there’s risk.  Buying a franchise is a great way to go into business for yourself, but no one’s success is assured.  You need to do your homework so that you’re joining the right franchise organization with the right business concept at the right time. 
The failures of troubled “hot new franchise concepts” like 30 minute …read more

(FranchisePick.Com)  Its marketing materials call the ShapeXpress chain “America’s Upscale Women’s Fitness Clubs.”  Is ShapeXpress America’s next great fitness franchise? 
The answer depends on who you ask.
ShapeXpress boasts ”almost unprecedented growth and success within the franchise industry.”
According to the ShapeXpress franchise website:
ShapeXpress is one of the most dynamic business models and franchise opportunities in franchising today.
ShapeXpress, founded in September 2002, has had almost unprecedented growth and success within the franchise industry. In just 3 years ShapeXpress has become one of the fastest growing franchises in America. We have sold over 300 franchise licenses, opened over 70 fitness clubs in 27 states and were recently …read more