Contours Express vs 9Round Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Contours Express vs 9Round including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees
	Contours Express Franchise	9Round Franchise
Investment	$35,000 - $50,000	$106,175 - $150,275
Franchise Fee	$12,500	$30,000
Royalty Fee	$395/mo.	$600/mo.
Advertising Fee	-	2%
Year Founded	1998	2007
Year Franchised	1998	2009
Term Of Agreement	10 years	5 years
Term Of Agreement	10 years	5 years
Renewal Fee	-	-
Business Experience Requirements
	Contours Express Franchise	9Round Franchise
Experience	-	-
Financing Options
	Contours Express Franchise	9Round Franchise
	In-House/3rd Party	In-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees	No/No	-/Yes
Start-up Costs	No/No	-/Yes
Equipment	No/Yes	-/Yes
Inventory	No/No	-/Yes
Receivables	No/No	-/Yes
Payroll	No/No	-/Yes
Training & Support
	Contours Express Franchise	9Round Franchise
Training	-	You will visit the 9Round training facility in Greenville SC. You will go through a 5 day intensive training program that will teach you not only how to kick and punch, but how to operate the business. On-The-Job Training: 16 hours Classroom Training: 16 hours Additional Training: Online & regional training
Support	Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet # Protected Territory # 5 days of Training at Contours Express University # 3-Day Training at your gym # Adjustable Weight Stack Equipment # 16 Stations - 4 extra stations optional # Butt-n-Gut cd # Preferred Vendor Discounts # Unlimited Ongoing Training # Advertising and Marketing Advice # 24/7 Online Marketing Materials Library # Personal Gym Website # Prepared PowerPoint Marketing Presentations # Nutritional Counseling Program - C.O.R.E. # Site Selection Assistance	Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Site Selection Proprietary Software
Marketing	Ad slicks	Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social media SEO Website development Email marketing
Operations	50% of all franchisees own more than one unit Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 2 Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (50% of current franchisees are owner/operators)	Number of Employees Required to Run: 3 - 4
Expansion Plans
	Contours Express Franchise	9Round Franchise
US Expansion	-	Yes
Canada Expansion	No	-
International Expansion	Yes	Yes

Company Overviews

About Contours Express

After operating coed clubs, working as consultants and working in other areas of the fitness industry, Daren Carter, Mike Widener and Charlie Woodward joined forces to create a fitness center just for women. In 1998, the partners founded Contours Express, a women-only center catering to towns with populations too small to support a full-scale, coed gym.

Contours Express members follow a 29-minute cue tape that keeps them moving through aerobic stations and strength training machines. A fitness trainer (the franchisee or an employee) works with the members during their workouts, providing motivation and other services.

Clubs, which are usually located in strip centers, are about 1,200 square feet in size and can accommodate up to 20 members at a time.

About 9Round

9Round is a specialized fitness center dedicated to serving clients who want a unique, fun, and proven workout that guarantees results. 9Round offers traditional "old school" boxing and kickboxing fitness programs that incorporates functional, interval, cardiovascular, and circuit training regimens. The programs are developed around a proprietary system of 9 challenging workout stations developed by a professional fighter. 9Round delivers total body results in a quick and convenient 30 minute workout with no class times. If you enjoy staying fit and helping people, this is the Franchise for you. Successful 9Round owners come from all walks of life. Some have extensive business backgrounds, some have served in the military, some are personal trainers, and some have never operated a business. 9Round has 9 different ways you can make money.