You Could Almost See It Happening In Slow Motion

The call I received two days ago didn't sound very positive. If you've been following, I have been pursuing a new location for my next gym in the downtown central business district. I decided on a building in the beginning of January and have been in talks and negotiations to determine the best way forward to rent the space. I thought we had a pretty good deal hammered out, with the landlord paying the build-out costs, and me paying a fair amount for rent each month.

I had met the owner a few times so we could discuss my financials, my projections, how I run my business, and my current employment status. Of course there were concerns on his part, but I thought we had addressed them all to his satisfaction and came to terms when I agreed to quit my full-time job and focus on building the gym as opposed to hiring a trained manager to run it.

Train Wreck Alert

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The silence from the realtor and delay in the response time started indicating to me that maybe things weren't as ironed out as I had been led to believe. It's amazing how a deal that took nearly two and a half months to put together can come crumbling down in as little as 10 days. What is equally puzzling is the fact that many of their issues, they had considered strengths just a few days previously. Their contradictions were flying a-plenty, and it seemed like they were just looking for an excuse to kill the deal...or make me kill it.

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Today I get a call, near the end of the work day. They indicate how the prime space I was looking to rent, they suddenly had other visions for that space. What they would like to do is jam me into the basement of the building in the far rear corner, far away from a main thoroughfare. They seem to believe that any obstacle that might arise because of a somewhat hidden location can be overcome with ample signage. This is not the case for a gym facility.

Not Troglodytes

I tried to explain that a gym needs natural light, it needs the feel of openness. People will not be motivated if they feel like they are working out in a cave and it may even deter them from going most days. Furthermore, this is the kind of business that you need constant bombardment for. If you walk right by the gym everyday, you are more likely to feel the need to sign up and go. You'll be more motivated by it. But if you walk above the gym and never see inside it, it will be out of sight out of mind. You will not be motivated to go or even explore signing up there.

I guess all the big talk about having faith in me was all just lip service. This project has been a big disappointment and waste of time. Now I start from scratch while I try to find a new location in a very limited commercial real estate market. Very disappointing.

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