[Williell]

Originally Posted by jasaunders

Do you have experience with grant writing? Do you have specific grants you are interested in applying for? I imagine receiving grants, especially three of them, is not as easy as you think.

I have no experience with any business. I am hoping that I can do a good business and marketing plan, presentation, and show a great team. I think if I do that then they might like me.

[Williell]

Is there any reason why I can't read, learn, and make 3 different proprietorships and get a grant for each? It is possible right? I know I could make a business plan and marketing plan for all three within a month. When it is done I will post it to all of the members here. I will read everything I can about business planning, market analysis, and marketing. I am starting to read "Every Canadians Guide to Common Contracts" by Marc Duguay. I think my plan now is to buy property and then get a grant to start a business which needs money for a building. And then another grant for another business and another grant for another business. Is there a name for this? LOL I bet some smart ass here is gonna call it fraud, which I hope it isn't.

To cut costs I am also going to weld most of the power racks, glute-ham, and lat pull down machines with friends. The lat pull down machine would not have the usual 200lb limit of course. I am thinking of a machine that can take 1000+pounds. Unless your really strong I would recommend you ignore every machine but the glute-ham and do weighted pull-ups or chin-ups instead of an exercise on a lat pull down machine holding 1000+ pounds. This machine would be more for the elite bodybuilders and powerlifters. I have many friends who will help me with this, and I hope that this forum will be a great way to network and meet more people to help me. My dad is also a carpenter and he will help me put in the artificial turf and build the assault course. My best friends dad also makes mirrors for a living . I will slowly add equipment to the weight room, I can boot strap and buy so much more after I have so many members. I will constantly inform members about what I plan on adding to the gym.

I intend to grow the business to have 10,000 members with a referral system, corporate, collegiate, athletic, and youth discounts. When we open we will run for one to three months for free, we want to really get as many people we can into this. I am starting a website and blog in a few days (which is being built by my brother.. haha I love family) . I will also post my own lessons on youtube. I hope that this business might become a franchise one day. I am promising myself to finish the business plan and marketing plan within 30 days.

Does anyone here need consulting in bodybuilding, personal training, or diet? My advice is free. I spend many hours of time advising others in forums about bodybuilding and athleticism. Im sure that being more healthy will help you in your quest for fame and fortunes.

[jasaunders]

I didn't read everything you wrote, I doubt anyone will, but obtaining governments grants is very difficult. You need to read and follow to a T 200 page RFP's, there is a lot of competition, and people spend years learning to become professional grant writers. You are drastically overestimating your ability to receive free money to start your company, especially if you don't have any specific grants in mind. I highly suggest you come up with another way to fund your business, because you're not going to just be handed hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants.

[akula]

Originally Posted by Williell

I have no experience with any business. I am hoping that I can do a good business and marketing plan, presentation, and show a great team. I think if I do that then they might like me.

Williell, i think you're pretty impressive and I want to see you succeed.
For you to succeed in the most effective and timely manner, I urge you to follow the 5 steps that I have outlined for you. The reason for this is that I have watched lots of other people implement the advice I'm giving you and achieve the sorts of results that you're aiming for.

Look, entrepreneurship is not for everybody. It's much like the military. If you wanna survive in this game, sometimes you just need to follow what drill instructor is telling you rather than question things and improvise with your own answers. Follow the steps and you'll do fine. Try to get creative and you're gonna end up confused, broke and burnt out.

[Williell]

Originally Posted by akula

Williell, i think you're pretty impressive and I want to see you succeed.
For you to succeed in the most effective and timely manner, I urge you to follow the 5 steps that I have outlined for you. The reason for this is that I have watched lots of other people implement the advice I'm giving you and achieve the sorts of results that you're aiming for.

Look, entrepreneurship is not for everybody. It's much like the military. If you wanna survive in this game, sometimes you just need to follow what drill instructor is telling you rather than question things and improvise with your own answers. Follow the steps and you'll do fine. Try to get creative and you're gonna end up confused, broke and burnt out.

I'll fallow your advice, but I really do think I know this industry better then the majority involved in it, and I know that I will want to do certain things differently then others. I agree though, I do need advice about business, contracts and financing and all of the legal matters.

I do think I could be an entrepreneur though. A section is a small infantry unit in the British Military. Before I began working with the SBS I had a section of seven or eight soldiers. And I was only 20. I had to lead guys younger and older then me into combat throughout Iraq. It was hard work guys coming in for the first time for the first week are dead serious, accept if you give them a break or if they get an easy week they loosen up and act silly. I get guys who want to burst out in song and dance through the streets while trying to condor a neighborhood. You always have to tell them every little thing, and remind people about every little detail (not because there stupid, just because theres so much going on). You can't just tell them to take a room. You have to remind them that there's a window to that basement your throwing a grenade into and everyone better stay away. You have to be intelligent and maneuver your section around the battlefield properly at just the right pace or everyone could die. I had to except responsibility for peoples family and friends who knew us all. I definitely sent other guys younger and older to their death, or put them in situations where they were horribly injured, and knew that that would happen. I understood theres risks and losses to be expected. I have to call on them to do something knowing that theres a good chance that one of them will die doing it. Its hard to ask your best friends to do stuff like that for you, and decide who should do it. To their credit though, sections I commanded did continue fighting after casualties or brutal disgusting injurys, and I have to ensure this. Its even hard for me to put on a pretend face and psyche them up before battle and keep them going during it. But I did it. I think I have many of the management skills to run a company. I've already taken on a ton of responsibilities that are far more valuable then any money.

I know the industry, I look like I practice what I preach, and I have the skills to keep a team in order and productive. Of course I am also still willing to take advice, especially financially, and I will consult professionals like you said. I guess I just need to finish the business plan first and then take it from their.

[akula]

Originally Posted by Williell

I guess I just need to finish the business plan first and then take it from their.

Well...that's not the best way to go forward.
The better way is to start with steps 1-5.
When you're getting a venture off the ground, the completion of a business plan is one important (but not a critical) milestone.
What you're suggesting is getting to this milestone independently by writing the plan on your own.
What I'm telling you to do is to follow the 5 steps and write the plan collaboratively with your advisory board.
Your venture will enjoy greater chances of success if you get appropriate people to lend their input to the creation of the bplan, rather than you writing the thing your self and then having to defend it to every person who you're gonna be pitching it to.
It's a simple, practical step that you can take to minimise your risk of failure. Put a group of other industry people together and write the plan together - allow them to feel like they are in control of the process, give them the credit and apply this strategy further to access resources that you're gonna need in the long term.

The point: If you wanna recruit somebody to help you with your venture, it's much better to approach them with a "Hey, I think you're awesome, I'm thinking of writing a bplan, would you like to join in?", rather than "Hey look at this thing I wrote, isn't it great?".

[SendBlast]

preach on..

everything akula said is perfect. really read and understand it before moving forward.

[Warranties-For-Less]

Interesting,

Good concept, no doubt, but with dozens of gyms in almost every area, this is where you have to start your search. You cannot hope to compete with the big boys unless you are in an area that is not already served by gym. A good friend started the same way, no frills, catered to the serious set, and did well until he was surrounded by the big franchises which attracted the most people. After all, the serious body builders want to be seen, right?

It is always about money, and grants are mostly BS, so I would not waste my time with this avenue. You are obviously a product of your concept, so you believe in it, so go to those you work out with at other facilities and see who would be interested in investing. You need a business plan, but I wouldn't waste any money unless your niche is open in the area you are starting.

Good luck,

[JLeezer]

Originally Posted by Williell

...The terms are that each of them are paid $150,000 per year and they will also be living on the property...

$150,000 for doing what? I'm not trying to minimize what you're into with the weightlifting and all, but seriously...you're going to need a TON of members (i mean, thousands) to get anywhere near being able to pay even one person that kind of money. You might want to tone down your expenses a little bit, starting with salaries. Let them know that if the place becomes wildly successful, $150k each may be appropriate, but starting out they should expect $30-60k (tops!)...especially considering a grant geared toward making people gigantic masses of muscle are pretty hard to come by.