Updated with the most current and comprehensive information/data reflecting the current state of the industry. This edition addresses what is happening in the industry and what operators will need to know.Fitness industry specialists Stephen Tharrett and James Peterson present an updated edition to the most comprehensive blueprint ever created for developing. leading. managing, and operating a successful health/fitness business. The book is separated into ten distinct sections representing the primary skill sets needed to succeed as a leader and manager in the health/fitness club industry.Each section contains these and other key topics: Introduction to the Health/Fitness Industry (history, beliefs and behaviors, and consumer attitudes); Membership in the Health/Fitness Club Industry (value of membership and membership retention, variables known to influence attrition and retention, creating and defining positive club-based expediences, defining and creating a service culture, and programming for health/fitness clubs); The Health/Fitness Club Business (legal business structure, business operating models, getting started, financial models and tools, budgeting, forecasting, driving profitability, buying, leasing, selling, and raising capital); Staffing Issues in the Health/Fitness Club Industry (employees versus independent contractors, compensations, benefits, education and skill competency, organizational alignment and structure, and team building and recruitment); Facilities and Equipment in the Health/Fitness Club Industry (types of facilities, design and construction process and associated costs, cardiovascular, selectorized/variable resistance, free-weight, and purchase or lease equipment); Operational Practices in the Health/Fitness Club Industry (risk management, AEDs, operating practice, front-desk, child-care, fitness, aquatics, tennis, locker rooms, laundry, housecleaning, accounting, types of spas, spa facilities and spa staff, sports-conditioning and sports-performance industry, sport participation, injury, and conditioning for youth, and the essential components of a sports-performance center); Overview of the International Health/Fitness Club Market (Asia, Europe, and Latin America); Also includes sections on the future of the health/fitness club industry and case studies. Marketing Membership retention Business issues Staffing issues Facilities and equipment Other health/fitness facility models (sports-performance centers, boutique fitness facilities, spas) Operational practices International market (Asia, Europe, and Latina America) The future of the industry Case studies