Curves International is an international women's fitness franchise founded in 1995. Today there are more than 10,000 locations world wide and it is estimated that it has over 4 million members.
Curves is a very well known brand in the franchise business, as it has been recognized many times over the years (Reuters declared it the fastest growing franchise in history). There are a few steps which should be followed if one desires to buy and run a Curves franchise.
The first step is the necessity for both the buyer of the franchise and the seller, the franchisor, to be both represented when the deal will be closed. It is advisable for the buyer to come with an advocate, as a third party can say things or ask certain question that the buyer itself would not say.
The next thing when negotiating buying a franchise is to be very well informed in regard to what one is buying. Sometimes one can neglect asking some important question relating the business simply because he does not know certain aspects of the business. Here is where a business broker can intervene. One must know that taking a Curves franchise; it is the cash flow that it is bought, and not subscribers. The number of members is constantly changing and one should look to achieve certain stability in this respect.
Running a Curves franchise is very demanding for the owner also, in the beginning the owner should expect 10 or even 12 working hours, all week long, and only after about half an year this schedule should ease up, as the business begins to enter maintenance mode.
One must also consider the location of the new Curves gym when buying their franchise. Compared to retail franchises, it is not as critical for the location to be in a prime area. Many of the existing Curves locations are opened inside malls.
There is a generalized policy in the Curves chain for owners to be involved in the development of the local community. This way, the health of the community is improves, and the gym gets advertisements as well.
One of the most important elements in running such a women's fitness chain is the staff. They should be well-trained and must be well educated in weight loss programs. The staff's job is both to train and motivate. The better results their clients get, the more likely the members will stick with your gym.