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Starting Your Sports Facility

Read our tips to learn how to successfully and easily start your sports facility, from experts with years of experience in the industry. Learn about what equipment you need to get as well as what software you will benefit from.

Sports Equipment with tennis racket and balls

Sports Facility Equipment: What and How to Buy

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What Equipment do I Need for my Sports Facility Start-Up?

How do you figure out what sports equipment you need for your new sports facility? And how should you pay for it? Here are some tips for selecting the best equipment for your start-up business.

Make a List of Equipment You’ll Need

Look at the activities you described in the “products and services” section of your mission section. What’s the minimum amount of equipment you need to offer those products and services? Make a list — and keep it simple. Upgrades and new features can always be added later. Stick to the essentials and save your cash for operating expenses and emergencies.

You’ll probably need some combination of this material and gear if you’re opening a baseball and athletic training facility:

  • Turf
  • Netting
  • Pitching machines
  • Baseballs
  • Staff computers and other technology
  • Desks and furniture
  • Weight room, weights, fitness equipment
  • Signage

Review your list. Each piece of major equipment should have a clear spot in your business plan and its own mini-business plan. Rethink whether you should invest in a piece of equipment if it can’t easily cover its own costs.

Find the Best Ways to Buy

You have your list of essential equipment. The next step is to find the best and most affordable way to get each piece. Here are some guidelines:

  • Are you good with home projects and construction? Consider buying new if you’re not a “do-it-yourselfer.” This is not the time to try to become a handyperson. The professional installation costs and warranties included in the price of new equipment can be well worth it. Don’t take risks with the important stuff.
  • Buying used is the best way to go if you are a “do-it-yourselfer.” eSoft Planner’s team of experts can advise you on great deals for used pitching machines and fitness equipment.
  • Can’t afford new? Consider financing. Remember, cash is king. Look for a financing deal if you can’t afford the full cost of new equipment. Rates will depend on the current market, your credit score, and the type of equipment you want to finance. For example, it’s easier to get a good rate on equipment that a bank could sell if you defaulted — such as a pitching machine.
  • Be careful and get referrals. Many sports facility owners delay their openings because of problems with their suppliers. Don’t base your choice on price alone. Get referrals from people you trust!

Save as Much as You Can

Here are some ways to save on equipment when starting out:

  • This is a gold mine for deals on used weights and strength training equipment.
  • Turf fragments. You may be able to use leftover fragments instead of paying full price if your turf area is small enough.
  • Comparing offers. Quote as many manufacturers as you can for the big items. Don’t forget to consider the cost of shipping, installation, and maintenance when you get the quotes!
  • Negotiation and patience. Find a space that was previously a sports center but has closed down. The owners are likely anxious to get rid of the responsibility of the building and get back some of their investment. Be willing to negotiate. You can offer to get their lease — and all their equipment for pennies on the dollar. They’ll likely agree rather than pay another month’s rent and utilities. Patience pays off!

For More Information

Contact us if you need advice or have any questions on buying sports facility equipment. We pride ourselves on the personal feel of our customer service and consultation.

Most of our staff has experience picking the best equipment for sports facilities while working as athletic coaches or staff instructors. Request a free demo to learn how eSoft Planner helps clients succeed by sharing our knowledge, experience, and industry best practices

Planning a Sports Business

Starting a Sports Business with eSoft Planner

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Compound Sports: How One of Our Clients Started His Sports Business from Scratch with eSoft Planner

Back in 2015, Jeff Stamler had some big ambitions. He wanted to open his own baseball, softball and fitness training sports business and facility, but he wanted it to have more. A Compound Sports implementation team member recommended a Parisi Speed School that would develop the whole athlete, from strength training to core metrics. All the moving parts in a sports business require a superhuman level of organization. Jeff tasked Team Compound member Alan Stamler to find and recommend a top notch online scheduling and planning software provider. Alan realized early on that he needed to learn how other sports facilities balanced multiple instruction paths and clientele.

That’s when he began his research. He started Googling, and his search led him to the website of another sports facility with a great scheduler and planner. Alan liked the look and feel of the website, so he scrolled to the bottom of the page to find more detail about who created it.

It turned out that the team at eSoft Planner created the site.

Alan had been working with a different provider for his facility management needs, but he wasn’t satisfied with the software. Everything felt disjointed — especially the customer service experience.

“I requested a demo from eSoft Planner. To me, the interface was more comprehensive and easier to work with than the other software I had been testing up until that point,” Alan said. “Everything I needed — from scheduling to communication tools — was all in one place.”

During his initial conversations with eSoft Planner, it became apparent to Alan that Mike Meszaros, the Sports Facility Expert and president of eSoft Planner, and his team were experts in more than just the software solution. They had the know-how to manage a sports facility.

More Than Just Software

From beginning to end, the process of opening Compound Sports in Tampa, Fla. took a little over a year. But the process didn’t come without its challenges. Early on, Alan and his team experienced some delays due to zoning changes and architectural issues, but Team Compound overcame those hurdles. With the help and guidance of Mike and the eSoft Planner team, Alan and Team Compound developed a first class eSoft Planner scheduling and online booking/payment process which should result in many satisfied customers.

“Within the next few days, we’ll complete our final inspection, so hopefully we’ll have our grand opening in the next few weeks,” Alan said.

Compound Sports has divided their facility into a baseball/softball area with four oversized tunnels, a pair of long cages with ALL STAR ACE 5000 video pitcher simulators and available HitTrax Technology training and gaming options and a fitness training area.

For Alan, one of eSoft Planner’s most beneficial features is the ability to track everything. When Compound Sports opens its doors in a few weeks, every athlete and/or parent, instructor and staff member that walks into the facility will have their own login. eSoft Planner will allow staff and trainers to monitor the number of people using the facility at any time, so they’re using the space as efficiently as possible. Without the software, Alan’s team couldn’t manage the connections between availability of the space and the instructor for each segment of the building.

“We basically have two businesses within one — a Parisi Speed School (our fitness training side), and our baseball or softball side,” Alan said. “Without eSoft Planner’s scheduling capabilities, our business would require much more additional staff and added expense to manage.”

Managing Compound Sports’ Diverse Demographics

Whether a client is signed up for a fitness class, taking a lesson, or renting a cage with the ALLSTAR ACE 5000 and HitTrax Technology metrics tracking system, Alan and his team know where all his clients are in real-time. This consistency of data also benefits his clients. They each have their own login so they can easily access their class rosters, schedules and space availability.

Compound Sports also benefits from eSoft Planner’s ability to manage online booking/scheduling and payment in advance. And everyone on Team Compound loves the communication features, enabling easily triggered reminder and update emails and texts to staff, instructors and parents.

“We’ll have many parents who will sign-up their children to use our facility. Most of them will value eSoft’s ability to accept online payment,” Alan said. “The software also acts as a CRM, allowing us to send emails to parents. On any given day, if the electricity goes out, we can send out one mass communication — we don’t have to get on the phone and call individuals to inform them that a class or lesson has been canceled.”

Conclusion

eSoft Planner and Mike Meszaros gave Alan and his team at Compound Sports not only the facility management tools necessary to ensure smooth operation, but also a wealth of knowledge in the intricacies of facility ownership.

“The peace of mind that Mike and his team provided throughout the process of opening our facility was invaluable,” Alan said. “I would recommend eSoft Planner to anyone that offers services to a broad clientele base within a sports or recreation environment.”

If you want to discuss how eSoft Planner can help you start your own sports business or recreation facility, contact us for a demo today!