Contours Express vs Tutu School Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Contours Express Franchise
Tutu School Franchise
Investment $35,000 - $50,000$73,700 - $135,200
Franchise Fee $12,500$36,000
Royalty Fee $395/mo.5%
Advertising Fee -1%
Year Founded 19982008
Year Franchised 19982012
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements
 
Contours Express Franchise
Tutu School Franchise
Experience --

Financing Options
 
Contours Express Franchise
Tutu School Franchise
  In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees No/No-/-
Start-up Costs No/No-/-
Equipment No/Yes-/-
Inventory No/No-/-
Receivables No/No-/-
Payroll No/No-/-

Training & Support
 
Contours Express Franchise
Tutu School Franchise
Training - On-The-Job Training: 74 hours Classroom Training: 17 hours
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

Newsletter Meetings Conventions Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software
Marketing Ad slicksAd Templates Regional Advertising Social media 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: 2

Expansion Plans
 
Contours Express Franchise
Tutu School Franchise
US Expansion -Yes
Canada Expansion No-
International Expansion 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 Tutu School

Why buy a franchise?

Let’s see if we can guess… You have an entrepreneurial spirit, but feel no desire to re-invent the wheel and start building a business model from scratch, right? Perfect! Purchasing a franchise business is ideal for individuals who want to be in business for themselves, but not by themselves. Becoming a franchisee balances independence with support, and compliments the freedom of ownership with the security of proven success.

Why open a tutu school?

Owning your own Tutu School gives you the unique opportunity to pair a thoughtful mission with an exciting brand, all wrapped up in the sweetest of packages.
 
Tutu School is a collection of boutique-style ballet schools that cater specifically to children 18 months to 8 years-old. Our mission is simple: We believe that exposing children at the earliest possible age to creativity, movement, and classical music will only serve them well in whatever they choose to do with their lives, that dancing like swans and Sugar Plum Fairies not only exercises little bodies but also nurtures big imaginations, and that twirling should be a fundamental part of any childhood.