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Organization and Administration Career Guide:

Fitness Club Ownership
Chelsea Cecil
California Baptist University

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Table of Contents
Opening Statement3-4
Leading Organizations..5-8
Ethics & Bible Principles..9-11
Planning12-14
Organizing (Programming)..15-17
Legal Liability (Controlling)18-20
Fiscal Management (Controlling).21-23
Summary...24
References.25

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Introduction
Fitness Club owners are responsible for overseeing all aspects of daily operations within
a fitness facility. A Fitness Club provides equipment and various machines that are used to help
members stay active and healthy through exercise. The owner will purchase or lease a facility of
the appropriate size to meet the needs of the prospected cliental. They will work with
management and play a key role in the hiring of personal trainers, sales and front desk personnel,
and any other required staff. Fitness Club owners will also ensure that daily operations are
performed at high standards within the industry through the means of hiring, training,
scheduling, organizing, leading, maintaining the facility, and ensuring safety for all employees
and cliental. Financial oversight and marketing will also be a role for the Fitness Club Owner, as
determining a budget and managing all money will play a part in the over all success of the club.
The purpose of this guide is to provide a set of standards and guidelines one should follow when
seeking a career as a Fitness Club Owner. It is my hope that this guide will demonstrate the
functions of management a Fitness Club Owner must follow in order to effectively run and
operate a Fitness Club. For further information and insight please see my professional webpage
at http://chelseacecil.weebly.com.
Two qualities that are extremely important for Fitness Club Owners to possess are
excellent leadership skills and efficient management skills. Both leadership and management,
are part of the five functions of management, which also include planning, organizing, staffing
and controlling/monitoring. The five functions of management will go hand-in-hand when
establishing a successful company. Excellent leadership will produce change and movement and
efficient management will produce order and consistency. Fitness Club Owners will be expected
to provide support and guidance to employees enabling each employee to be successful in their

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specific role. One example of this will be that the owner is responsible for hiring highly trained
and qualified personal trainers that are going to best represent the company and its cliental. A
great leader will support, encourage and inspire their personal trainers to become leaders
themselves. A great manager will ensure that daily operations are carried out in the safest and
most efficient way. For example, a Fitness Club Owner will be responsible for the maintenance
of equipment in order to ensure the safety of their clients. One way to do this is through
planning and organizing maintenance schedules on all equipment in the facility. In both
leadership and management, it is important to remember that our primary role and focus should
be to serve others. There is no better example of great leadership than what we see from Jesus
Christ. In the Bible Jesus declares, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his
life for his sheep, (John 10:11).

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Leading Organizations

The role of a Fitness Club Owner will include many tasks and require certain
characteristics in order to fulfill and complete those tasks. A brief list of things the Fitness Club
Owner must accomplish in order to be successful in their position include the following:
oversight of day-today operations of the establishment, management and training of all staff
members, maintenance on all equipment and ensuring the facility is clean and in excellent
working condition, and running all marketing efforts and implementing strategies and techniques
that will best promote the company. These skills will often be required in other Kinesiology
careers other then Fitness Club ownership and a combination of these skills among others will be
beneficial for anyone to have in order to progress in their desired field. The easiest and best way
for the Fitness Club Owner to effectively run their establishment will be to follow the five
functions of management. The functions of management include planning, organizing, staffing,
directing/leading and controlling/monitoring.
The first step in the functions of management is the process of planning. Through
planning, a Fitness Club Owner will determine their mission and objectives for the company and
then determine how they can best accomplish their objectives. According to the textbook, The
Management of Fitness, Physical Activity, Recreation and Sport, planning is an ongoing process
and is concerned with the future impact of todays decisions, (Sawyer & Judge, p.19). The next
step in the functions of management is the process of organizing. During the organizing process,
a Fitness Club Owner will have the opportunity to divide responsibility and authority of tasks to
specific individuals in a way that will create the best flow of information and structure for their
company. This will allow individual roles to be established and set forth responsibilities each

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role must fulfill during daily operations. The next function of management is the process of
staffing. Staffing will include finding the appropriate and qualified individuals that will be most
qualified for each designated position. This will be important for Fitness Club Owners because
they will be in charge of staffing their establishment with highly trained and certified personal
trainers and a management staff that is accomplished and experienced with sales. The staffing
process can be time consuming, but extremely important because it will be valuable to hire a
staff that shares the mission and values of the establishment.
Directing and Leading is also an important function of management for a Fitness Club
Owner. Through directing and leading the Owner will be responsible for having a positive
influence over their staff. Having a positive influence will be accomplished through great
communication with the staff. It will also be accomplished by motivating and encouraging staff
based on their performance and creating a sense of strong group dynamics. Lastly, there will
need to be some order of discipline established so the staff understands boundaries. A
philosophy with good ethical values will be most helpful for the Fitness Club Owner when
establishing their role in leadership. The next function of management is Controlling and
Monitoring. With the Controlling and Monitoring aspect of management a Fitness Club Owner
will establish a set of standards, measure performance of employees and the establishment, and
lastly generate reports on the findings. Through this process the Owner will be able to determine
performance that is successful or they will determine that performance falls below the standards
and take preventative measures and actions to ensure those things do not happen in the future.
Every career field has specific state standards and national standards they must follow. On the
following page you will see an example of the American College of Sports Medicine standards
that all fitness professionals need to be aware of and comply with to ensure that staff is providing

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appropriate care that meets the standards of the industry. Here is an example of some of the
ACSM standards I have posted to my website:

The functions of management should be guidelines to help establish an individual in their

role as a leader or manager. There are many styles when it comes to leadership and every
individual will find which style fits them adequately. It is important to understand and accept the
role as a leader when we are placed in that role and according to Sawyer & Judge, Leadership
boils down to a willingness to accept responsibility and the ability to develop three skills that can
be acquired through practice: elicit the cooperation of others, listen well, and place the needs of
others above your own needs, (p. 48). Two traits I personally value as being important to a
leader are reliability and being supportive. My style of leadership would fall under the
normative theory. In the normative theory sole decision making is not by the manager alone it
often will be a combined effort where managers and other staff members will be involved in the
decision making process. This theory also describes that every situation is not identical and

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therefore might not follow typical protocol and sometimes a resolution will need to be found in a
different way. I find this style of leadership is very effective in building a strong group dynamic
amongst employees. The management theory that best describes my style of management is the
contingency theory. The contingency theory is similar to the normative theory in that actions
will be based on the situation at hand. This style of management would be best described as a
decision will come once all aspects have been looked at and will depend on the situation. This
style of management will make my job as a Fitness Club Owner more efficient. This career guide
will provide all the necessary information to help an individual entering into the role of Fitness
Club Owner, but there are some additional resources I would like to share, as they provide
valuable information and further education and support to anyone in the Kinesiology career field.
The first resource is the American College of Sports Medicine ( https://www.acsm.org ), the
second resource is the National Strength and Conditioning Association (https://www.nsca.com ),
and the third resource is the Christian Society of Kinesiology and Leisure Studies
( http://cskls.org ).

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Ethics & Bible Principles

One thing I would like to establish is that I am a Christian. I believe that incorporating
my Christian faith into my business and role as a Fitness Club Owner allows me to serve God in
every aspect of my life. It is through His will that I am able to fulfill the role in leadership and
serve God while helping others. My beliefs, values and morals all stem from my Christian faith
and it is of highest importance to me that my establishment follows these principals in every
way. Often Fitness Club Owners may face circumstances or issues that require them to make
decisions that go against their beliefs, values or morals. I have made it my mission to stand by
my faith first in every situation and am committed to having a positive impact on my staff and
the members of my Fitness Club. My goal and passion is to encourage people to be active
through exercise in order to live a healthier life. For this reason, it is important for me to hire a
staff that shares my values and upholds high ethical standards.
Ethics is a philosophy, in which, we determine what is right versus what is wrong. Being
the Fitness Club Owner, I am responsible for providing a safe and healthy work environment for
my staff and all of our members and it is up to me to make the right decisions for my company.
All Fitness Club Owners will face the challenges of being in this role and having to determine
what is right and what is wrong. The real challenge will stem because every individual staff
member will have their own personal beliefs and values. An example of when values might
cause an issue would be if a particular manager values the quality of work versus the quantity of
work. His company owner may hold a different set of values and place a higher priority for
promotions or monetary raises based on length of time an employee is with his company rather
than the quality work, thus creating a conflict with the employee whose values are the complete
opposite. Other issues may arise and create conflict in a work environment because employees

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have different religious beliefs and therefor do not share the same values. For example, the
Biblical principles of Christian leadership can be explained
through the example of the shepherd and his sheep. The
shepherd has specific roles he must fulfill in order for his
sheep to live. The shepherd must feed, nurture, comfort,
correct, protect and lead his sheep or else they will die. I can
compare this analogy to my staff in the sense that I believe that
my role as Fitness Club Owner makes me entirely responsible
for my staff and in order for them to be successful and thrive
in the business I must provide the same tools as a shepherd
would provide his sheep. Some people might disagree with
this style of leadership and act out or rebel against policy. If this is the case a conflict now exists
and must be resolved.
To help in resolving conflicts I will go over various strategies when it comes to ethical
decision making. Making an ethical decision is not always clear and can be extremely difficult
for the Fitness Club Owner to navigate through before coming to a decision. Some people argue
that what is best is not always right and what is right is not always best. According to Sawyer &
Judge, The manager should remember that ethical decision making is less about finding the one
and only right thing to do than it is about finding the better thing to do, (p. 63). A few
strategies for ethical decision making include the Three Principles, the Stakeholder approach, the
Result approach and the FILOP. In the Three Principles approach there are three types of
thinking: ends-based, rules-based and case-based. Ends-based thinking will make a decision
based on the option that will allow for the greatest number of people to benefit from. Rules-

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based thinking depends on laws, regulations and policies as a standard for behavior and actions.
Case-based thinking revolves around the principle of doing to others as you wish to be done to
you. The Stakeholder approach intends to benefit everyone involved to some degree. An
example of this might be whether or not the Fitness Club will be open on Sundays. The Fitness
Club Owner would have to determine who will benefit and who will burden if the club is open or
is closed on Sundays before making a decision.
Another strategy for ethical decision making is the Result approach. A Result approach
decision will follow a series of different assessments. Aspects of this decision approach will
include end-result ethics, rules ethics, organizational values ethics, and personal conviction
ethics. The last strategy in ethical decision making is the FILOP method. According to Sawyer
& Judge, FILOP is short for: What are the Facts shaping the dilemma? How can the ethical
Issue be framed? What Laws are relevant in the situation? What are the potential Options for
consideration? How do Principles shape behavior? (p. 64). These strategies can all be very
helpful in making ethical decisions, but it is important to establish some type of structure that
builds a strong ethical culture within the workplace. A couple of ways to build a strong ethical
culture will first be to establish and communicate the companies core mission or value statement
to all employees and the second thing would be to establish a code of conduct that each
employee must follow and abide by. The most important thing a Fitness Club Owner can do to
build a strong ethical culture is to lead by example and practice what they preach. In conclusion
of the ethics portion I wanted to share this verse from the Bible, as I hope that my leadership
mirrors that of Christ: follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ, (1 Corinthians
11:1).

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Planning
Planning is an important function of management because this is when the organization
will establish the main goals and objectives and set a plan of action on how these goals and
objectives will be met. A Fitness Club Owner would benefit from performing a SWOT Analysis
Chart for the company. A SWOT Analysis will highlight a companys strengths, point out the
weaknesses, discuss external opportunities, and go over any threats there may be to the company.
By performing a SWOT Analysis, the Fitness Club Owner will essentially improve the future for
their company and be more competitive within the industry. Below is an example of a general
SWOT Analysis I performed for my company. Typically, the SWOT Analysis will discuss a
more specific problem, but my SWOT includes general topics that fitness clubs may endear.

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Once the SWOT has been performed and analyzed the Fitness Club Owner can then utilize the
information to show off their strengths, take advantage of various opportunities, improve any
areas of weakness, and proactively plan against any threats. The SWOT is a very helpful tool
when getting started in the planning process.

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According to Sawyer & Judge there are six steps to the planning process: identifying
internal and external connections and relationships, establishing objectives, developing premises,
decision making, implementing a course of action, and evaluating the results (p. 76). These are
all steps that need to be taken and in addition to these steps there are national standards and
professional expectations within a given profession that also need to be met. In order for a
Fitness Club Owner to establish and develop the objectives and goals while planning, they must
first have a clear understanding of what is expected from them. National standards and code of
ethics are set in place to ensure that all professionals maintain and establish a conduct that is both
professional and ethical and they will be career specific. Below are two examples of the national
standards that a Physical Education Program will have. Once the national standards and
objectives have been
reviewed and
understood, the planning
process can continue and
an assessment will be
developed and
administered. From the
assessment a plan will be established and strategies will be determined. Then once the strategies
are determined the resources will be evaluated and decided upon. This planning type falls under
the standards-based principle. The most effective way for a Fitness Club Owner to plan for their
organization is through a combination of planning types. As long as they follow the national
standards and objectives expected from all professionals in the field and if their goals have been
clearly established and defined, the planning process will be organized and easily carried out.

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Organizing (Programming)
After the planning process has been finalized it is time to begin program development.
Program development is how experiences and actions will be executed to achieve the initial

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goals and objectives set during the planning process. According to Sawyer & Judge, in America,
society will place an emphasis on programs based with these considerations, the abilities, needs,
and wants of the customer, the needs of society in general, the practical usefulness of the various
knowledge bases and physical skills, the social psychological aspects of society that influence
learning, and the marketability of the products or services developed to meet the needs and wants
of the customer, (p. 85). Fitness Club Owners will play an important role in executing program
development and they will be responsible for setting the plan into motion and they will facilitate
who will be responsible for what tasks. This is where effective leadership will be most helpful.
One Bible verse that seems fitting during the programming aspect of management is this, But
select capable men from all the people-men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest
gain-and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens, (Exodus 18:21). It
is important to select the appropriate people to embrace their different roles and ensure that the
plan of action is being followed.
There are many elements and components that come into play when developing a
program. Some elements that will directly or indirectly have an influence over program
development include: economic and social forces, the community, federal, state and local
legislation and regulations, attitudes of management and consumers, competitive organizations,
and facilities and equipment (Sawyer & Judge, p. 86). Once the elements have been established
and objectives have been determined, the components and objectives will be analyzed and a
program can be developed. There are five different approaches that Kinesiology professionals
can follow when developing their program. The first program will be objective based, the
second is a program built off the desire of participants, the third is a program developed by the
perceived needs of the participants, the fourth program is cafeteria style and the fifth program is

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developed by external requirements. An example of one program approach would be for the
Fitness Club Owner, by use of the cafeteria style approach. When setting up a fitness club the
members will have the options to purchase a membership at different price level brackets, they
can choose to add on additional perks like tanning, group classes or personal training. This
provides the members with opportunities to add on to their existing membership. Another
example of program development would be within the Physical Education realm. Any program
designed for a school would have to be designed to fulfill and follow the national standards that
are set in place for Physical Education programs. A physical education program would need to
be developed to follow the national standards in way that will allow the students to perform
various activities in a safe and appropriate environment. Something to remember with any
program development the goal will be to establish a plan of action to meet objectives in the
safest way possible. I am including an example of a program I developed for a high school
Physical Education program on the following page. This program allows for a rotating schedule
of various activities and utilizes the appropriate venues and available spaces for each activity.
When developing the program, I took into consideration each activity and the space required to
safely perform the activity, the amount of participants I would have actively participating, the
environment best suited for the designated activity and the national standards and safety issues
with performing the activities. These considerations would be important components that should
be analyzed and assessed before physically setting the program into action.

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Legal Liability (Controlling)

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Legal liability is an extremely important subject for all Fitness Club Owners to be well
educated and have full knowledge of. There are certain risks that go along with being in a
profession that involves any kind of physical activity. In the United States there has been a huge
health movement and everyday more people seek out physical exercise in order follow this
movement. With more people participating in physical
activity, like in a fitness club for instance, the risk of
accidents and injuries will inevitably occur. According

to

Sawyer and Judge, the legal system will become

involved to resolve the problems that arise out of the
exercise programs, (p. 127). It is the Fitness Club
Owners responsibility to ensure that they have taken

all

precautionary measures in order to prevent any

malpractice suits that could potentially occur. There
are several ways for the Fitness Club Owner to prevent
any legal issues as it is their duty and legal obligation and a few examples of prevention would
be first to ensure all employees are in compliance with the ACSM national standards, second
would be to warn clients of any inherent risks involved with participating and have clients sign
forms stating that they understand, and third would be to provide a completely safe environment
for clients to work out in the most safe and efficient manner.
In order to prevent legal liability issues a risk management program would be most
beneficial. A risk management program is designed so issues and problems can be analyzed, and
it can be easily determined why the issues occur, where they occur, how they occur and what can
be done to fix and prevent them from occurring in the future. It is important for a Fitness Club

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Owner to designate a special team of reliable and responsible individuals to be a part of the risk
management program. My personal recommendation for anyone entering the career is to
complete and establish a needs assessment for the company. This will first allow for any and all
weaknesses and strength that lie within the company. From there I recommend developing a set
of SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely) goal objectives. SMART goal
objectives allow the company to stick to their philosophy while providing a safe and efficient

environment for the clients.

It is important to note that failure to take these measures in ensuring the safety of your
employees and clients is illegal. According to Sawyer and Judge the law of torts is a body of
legal principles that govern wrongs done by one individual to another, (p. 128). A court of law
would determine if the wrong doings were intentional or unintentional and will determine if there
was in fact negligence by the company. Negligent behavior would be any conduct that is not
followed by the employee that has been established by the national or state standards. Fitness

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Club Owners must make sure that every single employee is following the established standards
of care accordingly to avoid negligent behavior.

Fiscal Management (Controlling)

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Fiscal management is another key aspect for the Fitness Club owner to oversee. It is
through fiscal management that the organizing, planning and controlling of all financial activities
occurs. According to Sawyer and Judge, finance generally refers to two primary activities of an
organization: how an organization generates the funds that flow into an organization and how an
organization allocates and spends these funds once they are within the organization, (p. 341).
In order for the Fitness Club Owner to handle the finances for the company they must determine
a budget. A budget is created to organize the finances throughout the year and is an extremely
important aspect to financial planning and fiscal management (p. 349). It is through the budget
that employees get their salary from, monthly bills are paid, maintenance of equipment is paid
for and all other expenses are determined and covered. Sometimes in an organization there may
not be enough income that covers the budget each
month. If the budget cannot be covered the Fitness Club
Owner would then be responsible to figure out what can
be done to resolve the issue and if they need to get
outside help. When I refer to outside help I am talking
about a business loan or grant that would help in
covering some of the expenses. The Fitness Club Owner
may also need to reevaluate how the money is being
spent and make necessary adjustments if possible.
A budget is essential for anyone in a Kinesiology
profession and there are specific things that need to be
done in order to establish an appropriate budget.
Planning will be the first priority to designing a budget.

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Every aspect to running a fitness club will need to be addressed and coordinating and
interpreting what financial needs every aspect will then require can be determined. The next step
in the process would be to gather bids from companies that will be providing necessary services
to the company. For example, a fitness club owner would need to determine what company they
want to use for cleaning, equipment maintenance, and equipment purchases. During the bidding
process the Fitness Club Owner can determine which quotes are reasonable and will best fit in
the company budget. The budget process can take time and after a budget is completed it will
then need to be approved and implemented. Below is an example fiscal management and will
give you a better idea of some of the details that go into ordering new equipment for a fitness
club.

Some

additional

financial aspects that go into owning a fitness club that I want to bring up because these would
be common include the addition of revenue generated from all membership fees, any sponsorship

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or licensing deals, merchandising and tax revenue (p. 351). The budget is really a tool for the
Fitness Club Owner to utilize when monitoring and controlling finances.

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Summary
The content of this career guide is essential for anyone interested in becoming a Fitness
Club Owner. As an owner the responsibilities are endless and will always require a great passion
for the health industry itself and on top of a desire to help and serve others. A Fitness Club
Owner must be not only a great manager, but a great leader in order for the company to truly
succeed. The five functions of management are one of the best sources and tools that should be
used when taking a leadership or management position and a Fitness Club Owner will benefit
greatly if they choose to utilized this source. The role of Fitness Club Owner requires a lot of
time management, patience, planning and organization, as well as, an amazing staff that support
them through everything they do. A shepherd is nothing without his sheep. Like the shepherd, a
Fitness Club Owner is nothing without their staff. It is my hope that if you are reading this
guide, I have given you some helpful tips, insight and necessary tools to lead your team to
victory and success not only in the fitness industry, but in life.

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References

American College of Sports Medicine. (n.d.). Retrieved February 14, 2016, from
https://www.acsm.org/

Bringing Together Top Strength and Fitness Professionals. (n.d.). Retrieved February 22, 2016,
from https://www.nsca.com/

Cecil, C. A. (n.d.). My Site. Retrieved February 20, 2016, from http://chelseacecil.weebly.com/

ESV study Bible: English Standard Version. (2011). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.

Sawyer, T., & Judge, L. (2012). The Management of Fitness, physical activity, recreation and
Sport. Urbana, IL: Sagamore Publishing.