Contours Express vs Extreme Gym Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Contours Express Franchise
Extreme Gym Franchise
Investment $35,000 - $50,000$75,453 - $96,998
Franchise Fee $12,500$10,000
Royalty Fee $395/mo.-
Advertising Fee --
Year Founded 19982002
Year Franchised 19980
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
Contours Express Franchise
Extreme Gym Franchise
Experience -You need a desire to own your own business and to be financially free. You also need to be people oriented with excellent customer service skills. If you are going to be leasing your equipment, we can set you up with a top notch leasing company who we highly recommend. You also have the option of paying in full if that is your desire. You can have your own gym for the price of a nice luxury car.

Financing Options

 
Contours Express Franchise
Extreme Gym 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
Extreme Gym Franchise
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

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Marketing Ad slicks-
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)

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Expansion Plans

 
Contours Express Franchise
Extreme Gym Franchise
US Expansion --
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 Extreme Gym

There are a number of reasons why the Extreme Gym franchise is a far smarter choice than other fitness franchising programs or trying to obtain a club on your own. Primarily the lower initial cost and lower ongoing monthly fee. However, there are also virtually no controls or restrictions, no reporting requirements, no non-competition agreements, and no performance criteria with us as compared to other gym franchises. In regards to some of the world's most expensive fitness franchises, franchisees often find themselves sinking their entire life savings into the business or taking out huge loans only to wait many years for profitability. The Extreme Gym program is 1/6 to 1/4 the cost so you start profiting in months.