#feels like it operates at 2% efficiency at All Times except for 2-4 a.m. where my brain chemicals then swap places like the worst

[keeps-ache]

unfortunately i enjoy these sad little tunes on the piano and my mother will simply have to Deal

[mercerislandbooks]

Independent Bookstore Day Is This Saturday!

“Consumers control the marketplace by deciding where to spend their money. If what a bookstore offers matters to you, then shop at a bookstore. If you feel that the experience of reading a book is valuable, then read the book. This is how we change the world: we grab hold of it. We change ourselves.”

―Ann Patchett, bestselling author and co-owner of Parnassus Books

Independent Bookstore Day is a one-day national party that takes place at indie bookstores across the country on the last Saturday in April. Every store is unique and independent, and every party is different. In addition to authors, live music, food, scavenger hunts, kids events, contests, and other fun stuff, there are exclusive books and literary items that you can only get on that day. Not before. Not after. Not online. Check out our Facebook photo album featuring just a few of the remarkably cool items that will be available exclusively on Independent Bookstore Day.

Great, you say, a nationwide celebration any bookworm can get behind. But let’s get local. Why should you make the effort to come by Island Books this Saturday? 

Especially if you live on Mercer Island, this is your chance to celebrate the only independent bookstore proudly serving our community for over 40 years. You probably already know that our store has a special atmosphere, where booksellers remember who you are and the kind of books you read. We may not be huge, but everything inside is hand-selected with care, including cards, gifts, games, toys, locally-made chocolates and most importantly, the titles we personally know and love. We wrap your presents with a bow and ship them for free anywhere in the United States.

Mercer Island is a great place for families and children, and Island Books reflects that with its magical children's section and playhouse. We host weekly morning storybook corners and monthly PJ story times. Every year we host book fairs for all the local schools and donate 20% of the proceeds. Countless children have grown up in our aisles and now bring their grandchildren.

We pride ourselves on being a community gathering place. Beside story times, our schedule is filled with monthly book clubs, author events, sip and shop nights, and more. 

A love for books, bookstores, and reading runs deep in our community, and anyone who claims these passions are dead hasn't spent enough time in our store. Independent Bookstore Day is a perfect chance to see friends and neighbors and show your Mercer Island spirit.

Some of our staff shared their thoughts on IBD below:

Laurie: My favorite memory from last year’s Independent Bookstore Day was opening the door at 9:00am and having people outside waiting to come in! It was amazing to see the stream of loyal customers and new faces socializing and shopping in our beloved store from morning ‘til night. It’s one of my favorite days of the year.

Cindy: We are already lucky that we have such an appreciative, book-loving community, a vocal community that constantly showers us with the love and attention we deserve--We have been called a Community Treasure, a gem, an Institution, a haven, a paradise, a treat, a retreat, an anachronistic anomaly--the list of hyperbolic metaphors is unending. As warm as that always feels, we long to be a Regional Treasure and doggedly aspire to be a National Treasure one day. National Independent Bookstore Day is a launching board to the larger pool of admiration we crave. In the coming years watch for National Independent Bookstore Week and one day, some day, National Independent Bookstore Month.

James: You have to be careful when you ask me about Independent Bookstore Day, because I may bend your ear a good bit longer than you expect. Honestly, with the possible exceptions of Christmas and my kids' birthdays, I consider this the most important holiday on the calendar. Obviously, after ten years at Island Books (and twenty as a bookseller of one kind or another) I'm a huge fan of the cause. Maybe it sounds self-congratulatory when I say so, but I think indie bookstores deserve a day of celebration for everything they do--they're meeting places, idea farms, and efficient economic engines for communities all across the country--and the best to way to celebrate is to throw a party and invite the customers who make it all possible. It's hard to choose a favorite activity from seasons past, but if I have to pick I'll say the Island Books scavenger hunt. I created a list of cryptic hints to some of the countless pieces of memorabilia we have on display in the nooks and crannies of the shop. After 44 years of operation, there's a lot of history on hand that's worth a look. No secret clues this year, but we have a full slate of other kinds of fun. I'm doubly lucky in that I get to help plan our event and go out on the road to see what all the other local shops are up to. I love that Bookstore Day has developed over the years in such a way that every participating store can highlight its own special qualities. This will be my third straight year of taking Bookstore Day passport in hand and getting it fully stamped. I think my friends and I made 16 stops the first year, and I know we reached 19 in 2016. We'll aim to break the record this time around, so wish us luck!

Lori R: One of the things I remember from last year was a couple that came in at the end of the day. We were their last stop. They weren't from Mercer Island, but said that Island Books was their home bookstore. They were so thrilled to have completed their passports and turn them in to us, it was sweet. And since then they come in from time to time, always proud to shop with us and use their discount cards, always up for an engaging chat about books. Whenever I see them I remember meeting them on Independent Bookstore Day.

Marni: I just remember last year’s wild enthusiasm from the people trying to hit all of the stores; it was really fun seeing the different store stamps on their passport/maps and feeling excited for them because so many were seeing many of the stores, including ours, for the first time. The energy feels bigger this year and I'm hoping that we get some Islanders excited to get teams together and race to get stamps and the "ultimate" prize! Oh, and the Neil Gaiman coloring book prize―absolutely everyone wanted it. I think we had 5...maybe?? We undershot on that for sure.

Nancy:  This will be my first year participating in IBD. It was invented while we were in Germany, so I have no fond memories yet but I like the idea of it. I am thinking of doing the 19 store tour but need to find a buddy...anyone? 

Lillian: I love the idea of IBD, but there’s a part of me that would rather experience it as a non-employee! I've spent the last few months hoarding the best cool stuff from the publishers to give away to people who shop in kids and teens. I can’t wait to see all the excited faces over the counter!

And here’s a quote from some customers/IBD champs: We are great fans of independent bookstores. We want to see them survive the competition with big box stores and Amazon.  When we heard about the Independent Bookstore Day we were excited to visit some stores we had never been to before. We planned our route days in advance.  We started on Bainbridge Island after breakfast in Winslow and worked our way to Poulsbo, Edmonds and then down to Seattle. We ended up at our favorite store, Island Books on Mercer Island. I think we were some of the older persons (we are in our 60s) who participated. It was fun running into some of the same people we met on the ferry earlier in the day. I am glad I like to parallel park, because it required that skill at some of the stores in Seattle. We had a great day and have enjoyed our 25% discount this past year. We are all in for the next Independent Bookstore Day later this month.

In case all this individual excitement over IBD hasn’t convinced you to drop by, here's a look at some of the activities happening all day:

Pick up an IBD2017 passport and get it stamped. If you visit us and at least two other participating stores (all listed on the back) you’ll be entered into a drawing for great prizes. If you visit all the participating stores in one day, you’ll earn the title of Grand Champion, our eternal thanks, and a year-long 25% discount at all stores on all purchases.

Free doughnuts and coffee in the morning (and the mimosas get poured at 9:00 a.m.).

Entertainer extraordinaire Nancy Stewart gets the morning started right with songs and fun at 9:30 a.m.

All-day coloring table for kids of all ages. Everyone can enter our bookmark design contest (which runs until May 12th). We’ll choose the finalists and you, our customers, will vote on the ultimate winner, announced on May 21st. We’ll print and distribute the winning design as our official bookmark of the summer!

The world-famous Island Books typewriters will be dusted off and ready for use. Who has the fastest wpm? Let's race to find out!

Mid-day features a visit from authors Jen Longo and Mark Holtzen, dispensing advice about books, life, and whatever ails you. The doctors are in from noon until 2:00 p.m.!

All-day giveaways: Purchases of $20 or more will be rewarded with a pick from our blind-date grab bag. Books in plain brown wrappers, emblazoned with a personal ad. Will you fall in love or just in like?

Where are you going and where have you been? Since IBD2017 is all about getting on the road, check out our world map and pin it with the most interesting place you've visited. All travelers will be entered in a drawing for a free copy of Lonely Planet's Wild World.

All-day free audiobook downloads available from our partners at Libro.fm! You can sign up at https://libro.fm/islandbooks in advance to get a jump on things.

Music from Grant Dermody and Forrest Gibson starting at 4:30 p.m.

Last-minute shoppers will enjoy pizza and beer while they last, starting at 5:45 p.m. 

We can’t wait to see you there!

―Miriam

[investmart007]

KIEV, Ukraine | The Latest: Real Madrid arrives at stadium for final

New Post has been published on https://is.gd/z2gxuh

KIEV, Ukraine | The Latest: Real Madrid arrives at stadium for final

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — The Latest on the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid (all times local): 8:20 p.m.

Real Madrid has arrived at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev as it seeks its third consecutive Champions League title on Saturday in the final against Liverpool.

Fans lined streets as the team bus approached the stadium, with some supporters waving flares. Cristiano Ronaldo smiled for the cameras as he exited the bus wearing headphones.

The last time a team won Europe’s premier cup competition three years in a row was Bayern Munich in 1976.

Despite Real Madrid’s run of success in Europe, coach Zinedine Zidane said Thursday his team “doesn’t feel like the favorites” for the final. ___ 8:15 p.m.

Mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, has been walking pitchside at the Olympic Stadium less than two hours before kickoff.

The former world heavyweight boxing champion stopped to pose for selfie photographs by several fans in white Real Madrid shirts.

Klitschko has spent much of the past two days trying to ensure Liverpool fans with tickets could get to his city. He was in talks with the mayor of Liverpool and airline authorities trying to find landing slots at Kiev’s two airports for flights from England which had been canceled.

Klitschko was first elected to office in 2014, two years after his last professional fight. ___ 7:50 p.m.

Goals, goals, goals. This season is the most prolific in the 26-year Champions League era.

A strike rate of 3.20 goals per game — 397 in 124 games so far at one goal every 28 minutes — has beaten the record of 3.04 set last season.

And the two highest-scoring teams are in the final. Liverpool has 40 goals and Real Madrid 30 — half of its total scored by Cristiano Ronaldo.

“Nobody expected us to be here but we are here, because we are Liverpool,” coach Juergen Klopp said. “It’s the most exceptional run to a final with the most goals ever. I can’t believe that its true, but it’s us.” Liverpool has also been the more efficient team, scoring 10 more than Madrid from 19 fewer attempts, according to UEFA match statistics.

The goal glut in the competition is not just due to more mismatches. Liverpool’s habit of conceding goals when leading games led to a 3-3 draw against group rival Sevilla, and thrilling semifinals against Roma — a 5-2 win and a 4-2 loss.

Madrid’s defense also struggled in the knockout rounds. A 3-1 home loss in the quarterfinals second leg against Juventus was followed by a 2-2 draw against a wasteful Bayern Munich side in the semifinals second leg. ___ 7:10 p.m.

Liverpool hopes European Cup history from May 1981 will repeat itself.

When Liverpool beat Real Madrid 1-0 in the final 37 years ago, it was the only time an English team beat a Spanish opponent to lift the iconic, large-handled trophy in the competition’s 63-year history.

Each England vs. Spain final since then went Spain’s way, though none involved Madrid.

Barcelona accounted for all three wins, beating Arsenal in the 2006 final, and Manchester United twice, in 2009 and two years later.

Madrid has lost all three of its European finals against British teams.

An Aberdeen team managed by Alex Ferguson beat Alfredo Di Stefano’s Madrid in the 1983 European Cup Winners’ Cup final. In the same competition, Madrid lost the 1971 final to Chelsea. ___ 6:35 p.m.

European fans may have struggled to make it to the Champions League final in Kiev, but Liverpool and Real Madrid supporters from elsewhere in the world are making their presence felt.

Ukraine has a simpler visa process than many European Union countries, and in the city center fans are bearing flags from countries as varied as South Africa, Ecuador and Bahrain. Liverpool appears to have brought more fans from Asia and Africa, while Real has supporters from South America.

Some had long journeys, like Liverpool supporter Eric Luk, who came from Hong Kong via Kazakhstan over almost a whole day and night.

It’s not been all plain sailing. Australian fans Lachlan Garrard and Ian Dennis complained of waiting four hours to be issued a visa on arrival at one of Kiev’s airports, and everyone must contend with astronomical hotel prices.

English clubs won the last two Champions League finals played outside the European Union. Manchester United won on penalties over Chelsea in Moscow in 2008 and Liverpool staged a spectacular comeback against AC Milan in Turkey in 2005 — the famous “Miracle of Istanbul.” ___ 5:45 p.m.

Four years ago, Kiev’s central square was a battleground. Now it’s packed with fans ahead of the Champions League final.

Popularly known as Maidan, in late 2013 and early 2014 the square was the scene of protests which eventually ousted then-President Viktor Yanukovych.

Crowds camped out on the square for weeks, battled police, and more than 100 people were shot dead on the square and in surrounding streets.

On Saturday, Real Madrid and Liverpool supporters mixed with locals on the square as musical fountains played Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.”

“I came here in 2014 and these buildings were all charred and there were tires everywhere after the demonstrations,” says Stefan Polotajko, a British Liverpool fan with relatives in Ukraine. “The way it’s been transformed is absolutely amazing.”

Also on the square was Lyudmyla Agafonova, who moved to Kiev with her family because of the conflict with Russia-backed separatists in her home city of Donetsk.

She says “the Real fans are more fun. Liverpool are a bit more restrained, like the English in general. We’re happy it’s all happening here.”

Her husband Serhiy adds “it’s great to have all these foreigners here,” and “Ukraine is slowly getting closer to Europe.” ___ 4:39 p.m.

Kiev police say they evacuated five stations on the city’s subway network after a hoax caller warned of bomb attacks.

Ahead of the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid, police checked the stations and “dangerous items were not found.”

Subway operations are now back to normal.

The police say they’re now hunting the hoax caller.

Besides the bomb scare, police have so far registered 26 crimes involving foreigners, whether as victims or perpetrators.

That includes 10 cases of theft, three of hooliganism and two of fraud. Other foreigners were fined for causing a road accident and drinking in public.

Police earlier detained two people after Liverpool fans were attacked at a restaurant on Thursday, leaving two injured. ___ 4:23 p.m.

Fans are thronging the center of Kiev after many experienced travel problems.

Flight cancellations meant more than 1,000 Liverpool supporters could not leave Britain, while soaring accommodation prices persuaded roughly the same number of Madrid fans to have their ticket money refunded rather than travel to Ukraine.

Organizer UEFA has said refunded tickets will be made available to locals but there is likely to be the unusual sight of empty seats at a Champions League final.

Those fans who did make it are largely positive about Kiev, where the beer is cheap and a festival atmosphere is apparent in the city center.

Madrid fans Fabino Mohino and Yago Saez said they spent about 750 euros ($875) apiece on flights and traveled for 20 hours through Barcelona.

“We were lucky to have a friend of a friend in the suburbs,” Mohino said, meaning they could dodge Kiev hotel prices which are as much as $2,000 a night.

“Loving it,” added Saez, who has attended six of the last seven Champions League finals. “So far, so good.”

Security is tight in Kiev, with police lining the center, which has been closed to traffic. That seems to have prevented repeats of Thursday night’s attack on Liverpool fans at a restaurant — apparently by Ukrainian hooligans — which left two injured. ___ 3:35 p.m.

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp will be supported at the Champions League final by a Premier League counterpart — Huddersfield’s David Wagner.

The two coaches have been friends for more than 25 years, starting in Germany and continuing in England.

Speaking in Kiev ahead of Saturday’s final against Real Madrid, Wagner said “we have texted a few times in the last week … and I am sure his team will be on fire tonight.”

Klopp is godfather to Wagner’s daughter. Wagner was Klopp’s best man. They played for the same Mainz team in the Bundesliga in the early 1990s. They were coach (Klopp) and assistant coach (Wagner) for Borussia Dortmund from 2011-15.

Klopp was hired by Liverpool in 2015 when Wagner was appointed Huddersfield manager.

Wagner says Klopp “is able to deliver an atmosphere where everyone is relaxed but focused enough and this is why I am pretty confident they have a chance.” ___ 12:45 p.m.

There is 4.5 million euros ($5.2 million) extra prize money at stake for the winner Saturday, on top of the tens of millions Liverpool and Real Madrid have earned already from organizer UEFA this season.

The champion will earn 15.5 million euros ($18.1 million) and the runner-up gets 11 million euros ($12.8 million). That money from UEFA includes each club’s share of ticket revenue.

UEFA will distribute more than 1.3 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in prize money among the 32 teams that qualified for the group stage.

All 32 clubs get almost 13 million euros ($15.2 million) for entering, bonuses for wins and draws in group-stage games, fees for reaching each knockout round, and a share of their national broadcasting deal (known as “market pool” money).

Madrid is on target to pocket at least 80 million euros ($93.3 million) from UEFA. Liverpool should get at least 75 million euros ($87.5 million), including a 2 million euros ($2.3 million) bonus for advancing from the playoff round last August.

Prize money is expected to rise by around 30 percent next season when a new, three-year cycle of broadcasting and sponsorship deals kick in. ___ 11:50 a.m.

Don’t be surprised if it takes until Sunday for the Champions League title to be decided.

Real Madrid and Liverpool kick off at 9:45 p.m. local time in Kiev, that’s 1845 GMT. The game will go beyond midnight if the score is level after 90 minutes and 30 minutes of extra time are needed.

Three of the past six finals also needed a penalty shootout after extra time, and that would push the action close to 12:30 a.m. in the Ukrainian capital.

Madrid and Liverpool have combined to win 17 titles since the competition began in the 1955-56 season.

While Madrid is chasing a record-extending 13th win, Liverpool would go third on the all-time list by winning its sixth. AC Milan ranks second with seven European titles.

Of all the teams with at least three titles, Madrid and Liverpool boast the best record in finals.

Two-time defending champion Madrid is chasing the first hat-trick of titles since Bayern Munich won each European Cup final from 1974-76. Ajax also won three in a row from 1971-73.

It would also give Madrid four titles in five years — the best streak since the Spanish club won the first five editions through 1960. ___ 11:45 a.m.

Liverpool and Real Madrid fans are gathering in Kiev for the first Champions League final to be played in Ukraine.

The final is a rare prestige moment for a country whose recent years have been dominated by the conflict with Russia-backed separatists and severe economic problems.

But it’s one of the most logistically-challenging locations chosen by UEFA for its showpiece club final, with a shortage of hotel rooms and a lack of flight landing slots.

Fueled by Cristiano Ronaldo’s goals, Madrid is chasing a 13th European Cup title.

Liverpool has reached the final for the first time in 11 years. The Premier League club won the last of its five European titles in 2005.

By Associated Press – published on STL.News by St. Louis Media, LLC(R.A)

[fitono]

Three Mistakes that Could Cost You $100,000 and Sink Your New Gym

Just imagine:

You roll out of bed without the need for an alarm clock, completely refreshed and excited to start the day. Before you head out the door, you have a long cup of coffee with your wife, talking and laughing without even a hint of feeling rushed.

You get to the gym around 9 a.m., spend a few minutes chatting at the front desk, and say hello to a few of your favorite members before retiring to your office for an hour.

At 11, you have four of your favorite training clients. The workout flies by.

After a sweaty high five, you’re off to have lunch with an old friend who’s in town for the afternoon. Again, you’re surrounded by laughter and friendly chatter.

You return to the gym just as your wife and kids arrive. For 20 minutes, your office becomes a playground as you catch up. They leave as the evening crowd rolls in. Some nights you train clients or teach a group class. Other nights you work the room, spotting someone here, sharing a story with someone there, but mostly enjoying the sights and sounds of a thriving, successful gym.

Your thriving, successful gym.

On nights like this, you’re oblivious to time, your life and work working so seamlessly you feel like the Mexican fisherman talking to the American businessman.

And the best part? You’re getting paid to spend your days like this.

That’s what you imagine owning a gym will be like. Maybe not the first year, but definitely sooner rather than later.

Of course you know the potential pitfalls of gym ownership. You can look online and see hundreds of gyms for sale, or read an article like this one at the PTDC, or hear horror stories from unhappy gym owners. You may even know some who’re barely hanging on, or who’re in the black but still feel strangled by too many obligations and too little time.

Even worse, you’ve read that eight out of 10 new businesses of any kind fail in their first year.

But let’s return to the fantasy. You know there are more than 36,000 fitness clubs in the U.S. Nearly one out of every five Americans has some kind of gym membership. Globally, it’s an $83 billion industry, with 200,000 clubs and 162 million members.

So someone’s making it. Right?

Absolutely. I’m one of them.

My small-town gym in southern Illinois has been open for 10 years, and has been profitable for 108 consecutive months. I also co-own a successful personal-training facility and a pay-per-class spin studio. That’s three different gyms, with three different business models. Each is doing well.

I guarantee it’s not because I have more intelligence, knowledge, or business savvy than my fellow gym owners. Nor do I have some kind of secret formula.

But I have seen patterns in failed fitness businesses. The biggest: the owner’s inability to control expenses.

Partly it comes from overestimating revenue and underestimating costs. Often, though, it’s because a new owner has listened to three really bad pieces of advice:

Work on your business, not in your business.

Start with the highest-quality equipment, because you get what you pay for.

Invest in continuing education. It always pays off.

While each of them makes sense for someone whose business is already up and running, they can be disastrous for someone who’s just starting out. By ignoring them, you can save more than $75,000 during your first two years, and set yourself up for the entrepreneurial life you’ve imagined.

FALLACY #1:

Work On Your Business, Not In Your Business

To be clear, I’m not saying this is bad advice for someone who’s running a successful gym, or even someone who’s not yet making much money but isn’t in the red. It’s all about context.

Here’s why I believe you must work in your business for the first 12 to 24 months:

1. You can’t master what you don’t know.

You need to know your business inside and out. You can’t train a new employee if you don’t know exactly what you need him to do. You can’t improve your gym’s efficiency if you don’t know how to sign up a new member.

Chances are, you’ve worked for a boss who sits in his office all day, and then blames his employees when the numbers don’t work. Or who goes to a seminar, hears about a great new system, and immediately orders his employees to put it in place, even though they warn him that it’ll make things worse.

You never want to be that boss.

Your first year or two should be spent learning: learning about your members, learning about your employees, and most of all, learning how your gym operates. That kind of education won’t come from sitting in your office and making plans for the future. It comes from you working in your gym now, all day every day.

Get your hands dirty. Do the small things along with the big ones. Action, not reflection, is what will put you among the 20 percent of businesses that make it beyond that first year.

Said another way: If you’ve read The 4-Hour Workweek, and imagine that opening a gym frees you from your 40-hour grind, well, you’re half right; you’re trading those 40 hours for 60.

Why? Because …

2. Payroll is the biggest expense you can control.

Imagine that you’re a business consultant to a gym owner who calls with bad news: His landlord just jacked up his rent. Now the only way to break even is to cut his payroll. But, he tells you, there’s no one to cut. He runs a lean operation.

So you visit the gym, and, indeed, all the employees look like they’re busy and productive … except for that one guy who pops in and out, trains a client here and there, and otherwise sits in his office most of the time.

Your first thought would be, “What if that guy actually worked?” What if he maintained the equipment, or gave tours to new members, or took a turn scrubbing the showers? How much money could he save if he stopped paying employees to do things he could do?

New-Owner Action Plan

First six months:

Do everything, even when you have an employee you can delegate it to. Work the front desk, make sales, train clients, run classes, form partnerships, and, yes, clean a few toilets.

Don’t hire anyone until you absolutely must, when you can’t possibly work another hour and have a line of potential customers waiting to hand you money.

You aren’t doing this just to keep your hands busy. You’re immersed in your gym so you can create a system, checklist, or process for everything you do, with the goal of making yourself replaceable. This is key for any gym business plan.

Next six months:

Test and tweak your systems and processes.

After 12 months:

Hire someone who will eventually replace you, even if you can only afford to hire that person part time. Shift your focus from systems and processes to employee training.

After 18 months:

By now your gym should have a strong enough financial foundation for you to begin working on your business while your employees work in your business.

Quick note about the turnover problem:

As hard as it is for a gym owner to make ends meet, imagine the challenge for your employees. Low pay, erratic schedules (busy in the morning and evening, dead in between), and few benefits mean your best people will be on the lookout for a better deal.

That’s another reason to spend your first 18 months minimizing expenses and maximizing efficiency. Do it right, and you should be able to pay good employees more than the industry standard. You should also be able to train new hires in a way that gives them a sense of ownership over their positions.

When someone does leave, you’ll have a training system in place, making it easier to get the replacement up to speed.

Your savings during the first 24 months:

Reduce your payroll by an average of 20 hours a week at $16 per hour, and you can save $33,280 your first two years.

  FALLACY #2:

Start with the Highest-Quality Equipment, Because You Get What You Pay For

This isn’t necessarily wrong. But it’s often misinterpreted.

Your equipment is typically the biggest purchase you’ll make, and also a big reason why you want to own a gym in the first place. It’s your playground, and who doesn’t want their playground to have the best equipment in the known universe?

But it’s when you decide to acquire that equipment that you run into two major problems:

1. In a battle of David vs. Goliath, Goliath usually wins.

You’ll never have more equipment than the Gold’s Gym or Planet Fitness down the street. You simply don’t have the budget. Borrowing to close the gap will only handcuff your growth. And in the end, the more established gyms will still have more stuff.

2. Even if you win on equipment, you can still lose on churn.

There’s a certain type of customer who joins just to rent your equipment. But appealing to that market creates a high churn rate. You enter a vicious cycle of gaining, losing, and then replacing your members. You run more ads and offer more incentives to join. But with each ad buy and special membership rate, you increase the cost of acquiring new members.

Instead of trying to outspend the chain gyms, focus on something they don’t do well: creating and nurturing a community. Find small ways to show your staff and your members how much you care. You’ll have less employee turnover and better client retention.

Develop those relationships, and your members won’t care if you have a dual-axis cable crossover machine or treadmills that let them watch Vanderpump Rules in HD.

New-Owner Action Plan

Start with used or refurbished equipment. You can find high-quality commercial equipment for 50 to 75 percent less than you’d pay for the newest model. The majority of your members won’t know or care if it’s used. They just want it to work and be clean.

That means you have to be vigilant about maintenance and hyper-vigilant about repairs. How quickly you fix your equipment is often more important to a member’s satisfaction than the quantity and variety.

If you hunt for bargains, you can outfit a small health club for $75,000 or less. For a one-on-one training studio, you can do it for less than $30,000.

Where to look:

Cast a wide net. You never know what you’ll find on eBay or Craigslist.

Probably your best bet will be companies that specialize in reselling equipment. For example, one of my resellers just offered Keiser M3 spin bikes with power consoles for $450. A new one retails for $1,794.

When you find something you want, always negotiate down from the asking price, especially if you’re ordering multiple pieces. Resellers often have limited warehouse space, and if you catch them at the right moment, when they have new equipment coming in, you can get great stuff at a steep discount. But you’ll never know if you don’t ask.

Quick note about how to keep members happy:

Start with simple courtesy—making eye contact, greeting them by name when they come in, making yourself accessible for questions, concerns, and complaints. All that will do far more for your gym than a new Woodway treadmill.

The more accessible you are, and the more opportunities you give them to make requests and offer suggestions, the more you’ll learn about what they really want. It’s often small things.

Recently, for example, we installed USB ports on all our windows, along with charging cords for iPhones and Androids, because we noticed our members complained a lot about forgetting their chargers at home. It cost us just $40 for two eight-port chargers and 10 cords, but it added real value for our customers.

Your savings during the first 24 months:

You can save $25,000 to $75,000 right from the jump, depending on the size of your gym and your business model.

FALLACY #3:

Invest in Continuing Education, Because It Always Pays Off

Successful entrepreneurs are lifelong learners with a voracious appetite for both knowledge and personal growth.

But if you equate “learning” with “attending fitness conferences and seminars,” you’re wasting both time and money, neither of which you can spare in your first year or two. A single conference in another city can cost $2,000 or more, with most of it going to travel and lodging.

Here’s why I don’t think they’re a good idea:

1. You don’t know what you don’t know … yet.

Let’s say you go to a high-quality fitness conference like Perform Better, one with two or three tracks and dozens of talks or demonstrations over three days.

If you don’t have a good grasp on your demographics and psychographics, how do you know which ones to attend? Without that knowledge, you’ll most likely do what you’ve done in the past, when you were a trainer: You’ll sit in on the lectures you’re most interested in, which may not offer much value for your members.

After a year and change, you’ll have survey data, member feedback, and a sense of which classes do or don’t work with your clientele. That information will steer you toward the lectures and demonstrations that offer the most value to your members—and, in turn, to your bottom line.

2. You don’t have enough to contribute.

Once you’ve attended conferences for a few years, you realize that the most valuable part is the networking that goes on between sessions or after hours.

Picture yourself hanging out with a half-dozen gym owners a month or two after opening your club. They’re talking numbers and marketing tactics, and maybe griping about a vendor or two.

Sure, you might learn something from them, but what do they get from you? What have you learned in your short time in business that would be valuable to them? Networking is a two-way street. Nobody does it to share information without getting anything in return.

And think of the questions you’d ask: It would be all surface-level stuff you can find in a book or online. In private they might be happy to answer those questions—in my experience, 99.9 percent of us are in the fitness industry to help people. In a group, though, you’re just wasting everyone’s time.

But with a year or two in business, it’s a different dynamic. You’ve seen some steady growth. You know your demographics, and you’ve tested a few things that may or may not have worked. Moreover, you now have the budget to pursue a new revenue stream.

Now imagine a conversation with a veteran owner who’s making six or even seven figures a year. Imagine the questions you could ask, and how deep you could go once he understands you’re a player. He respects you for asking a good question, and for seeking him out to answer it.

This is how you extract real value from a conference.

New-Owner Action Plan

You can learn a lot without leaving home. The following resources have had a huge influence on my gym’s success. It’s not the entire list, of course, but it’s a good start.

Keep in mind that the authors usually offer a lot more on their websites or in follow-up books. Some of them will also answer questions via email or direct messages.

Start with the EMyth online business course. It’s both free and in-depth, taking you through EMyth’s seven business pillars, which cover everything from management to marketing. It forces you to take a closer look at your business (or future business) and make the necessary adjustments to achieve your vision. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

A few business books I recommend:

Chet Holmes’ The Ultimate Sales Machine

Steve Lishanky’s The Ultimate Sales Revolution

Eric Ries’ The Lean Startup

Neil Rackham’s SPIN Selling

Greg Crabtree’s Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits

Mark Roberge’s The Sales Acceleration Formula

Mike Michalowicz’s Profit First

Al Ries and Jack Trout’s Positioning

Any of Dan and/or Chip Heath’s books

Any of Seth Godin’s books

Jon Goodman’s Ignite the Fire and Viralnomics

For information about training and nutrition, check out the recommendations in this article and on this page.

Your savings during the first 24 months:

I estimate you can save $2,000 to $3,000 on travel and conference fees while learning just as much, if not more.

Total savings: $60,280 to $111,280.

Final Thought

In case it isn’t clear, I don’t think any of these three fallacies are bad advice in general. And I don’t say this to criticize the people who offer them. My only goal is to help new gym owners survive long enough to be able to make them work.

Owning a gym can be a dream or a nightmare. Your first 24 months in business will determine which one.

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