CycleBar

CycleBar Franchise

Want to run a business focused on low-impact physical fitness and full-body cardio cycling experiences? You can do just that by starting a CycleBar franchise. 

It’s much easier, cheaper and more likely to succeed than trying to bootstrap an indoor gym franchise from scratch.

Of course, there’s a lot you need to know about CycleBar before starting one of these franchises. Starting a franchise requires a lot of startup capital and dedication. Let’s take a closer look at what it takes to start a CycleBar franchise of your very own.

Why should you start a CycleBar franchise?

CycleBar is a franchise company based around multi-unit indoor cycling studios. At the time of this writing, there are over 200 locations scattered throughout the US and many international studios. 

But each franchise location has the same focus: providing multisensory fitness experiences using personalized and expert instruction from certified staff members.

CycleBar was initially founded in 2014 by Bill Pryor and Alex Klemmer. Each CycleBar franchise location uses music playlists (called “CycleBeats”), video graphics and individual member performance data to motivate riders and help them understand their fitness journeys over time.

The company combines fitness and fun in equal measure, making it an excellent choice for future franchise owners who want to get into the fitness industry. 

Some other great reasons to start a CycleBar franchise include:

• You get to join the world's largest network of indoor cycling studios. As a result, there is a lot of territorial availability across big markets, so odds are you’ll be able to open a studio at a great location.
• The franchise is growing quickly overall. More importantly, CycleBar’s customer base is growing, too — if you open a location soon, you can take advantage of this built-in market.
• CycleBar runs on an executive model for revenue. This franchise opportunity provides workoutreal estate to a growing audience, giving a franchise business many chances to take advantage of its unique business model.
• CycleBar franchise locations are very scalable. You can leverage developing costs and vendor relationships to launch a studio of your very own, even if you don’t have all of the franchise fees personally just yet.

While these benefits are essential, absentee ownership is not allowed. In other words, you must be a full-time CycleBar studio manager to succeed with this partnership. 

The franchisor does not allow you to run your studio location from home or as a mobile unit. As a result, you’ll also need to consider commute times and the location of your primary residence when building your CycleBar studio.

Each premium indoor cycling studio needs about 15 employees and can’t be run part-time, according to Xponential Fitness, the parent company. On the plus side, CycleBar does provide new franchisees with exclusive territories. 

As a result, you will need to worry about competing with other CycleBar franchisees for the same limited customer base.

Still, this business opportunity allows you to boost your fitness levels and wellness while also acting as a business owner. As a CycleBar franchise owner, you’ll be physically and financially healthy.

Related: Fitness Franchises Muscle Up

What support resources does CycleBar offer franchisees? 

This franchisor offers a variety of support resources to support new franchisees. These start with comprehensive training: a three-day course at corporate headquarters in California, to be specific. 

Once you complete the training program, you'll be well-equipped and ready to launch a CycleBar franchise location and thrive almost immediately.

That’s not all CycleBar brings to the table in terms of support resources. All franchisees get access to an annual franchise convention, plus ongoing weekly support from corporate staff members and advisors. Each of your staff members will have sales training to help you drive success.

Regarding staff members, CycleBar assists you in hiring qualified instructors, sales team members and general managers. This is a significant component of CycleBar’s fitness-and-fun-focused approach and an excellent support resource.

If you don’t have a lot of sales experience, don’t worry. CycleBar provides ongoing sales training, including monthly calls and expert guidance that starts before your grand opening and well into the future. 

That way, you’ll know how to start selling to customers initially and how to keep indoor fitness fans coming back over time.

That’s crucial, as CycleBar relies on repeat subscriptions and recurring customers for each studio to thrive. With this support, you’ll get the hang of the business model quickly, even if you have not previously managed a subscription business or any business.

Choosing your location

CycleBar goes above and beyond when it comes to supporting franchisees like you. First and foremost, CycleBar’s corporate team will help you choose the right location for your new indoor cycling studio. This extends to site selection and lease negotiation, allowing you to pick the perfect studio spot to minimize competition.

After you sign the lease agreement, CycleBar will assist with marketing right from the get-go. CycleBar provides personalized support to all new franchisees so you can generate website traffic and memberships from the beginning. 

CycleBar even assists with the build-out process, from approving your studio layout to helping with general construction, interior design and technology integration.

Online assistance

As you grow your CycleBar franchise location, CycleBar will provide additional online assistance resources. 

This includes SEO marketing assistance, email marketing assistance and regional advertising assistance. The regional advertising assistance will help you draw people from your local area to your studio.

Your CycleBar location will need to have a website. CycleBar provides developers and web development resources to build a good website from scratch. 

Then, once your website is up and running, you’ll get access to the proprietary loyalty program and app. With the loyalty program, you’ll increase visitor retention and brand loyalty in no time.

Related: The Top 15 Fitness Franchises You Can Buy in 2023

How much does starting a CycleBar franchise cost?

Of course, building an indoor cycling franchise will cost some money upfront. To start a CycleBar franchise, you must pay an initial franchise fee of $60,000. 

You’ll require an initial investment of between $350,000 and $490,000, plus a net worth of between $500,000 and $5 million.

Regarding cash, be prepared to front a minimum $100,000 total investment. That's cheaper than many other franchises' start-up cost requirements, but still it is worth thinking about. As will be laid out in the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), royalty fees clock in at about 7% and ad royalty fees are another 2% on top of that.

Fortunately, each term of agreement is 10 years, and your franchise terms are renewable if you enjoy working with CycleBar.

Does CycleBar provide financial assistance?

Yes, though it is through indirect third-party sources. CycleBar’s vendor and financing resources will help you cover franchise fees, startup costs and equipment. 

This way, starting a CycleBar franchise may be affordable even if you don’t have the above numbers in your bank account.

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What training is required to start a CycleBar franchise?

CycleBar sets a high bar for training to ensure you run your studio location successfully and ensure that your certified staff members can provide good fitness education to your future patrons.

It starts with 22.5 hours of pre-sale classroom training, which you’ll attend at the CycleBar corporate location. The classroom training extends to on-site training up to your grand opening. 

This will show you the ropes of business ownership and how to use the CycleBar corporate software and platforms.

CycleBar provides all the training resources you need to ensure your staff members are up to speed regarding rules, regulations and training methods for patrons. 

CycleBar uses proprietary software for all its training purposes, so it’s straightforward to point new hires to training modules they must complete before hitting the fitness floor.

Related: 5 of the Best Fitness Franchises You Can Buy

Start a CycleBar franchise today

Starting a CycleBar franchise could be a great decision, especially if you’re interested in the indoor gym industry. Keep the above information in mind before applying, and you’ll be on your way to success.

Check out Entrepreneur’s other articles for more information about CycleBar and other franchise opportunities.