Ascend Strength & Conditioning Business Plan — Operations and the Capacity Build
The build from two studios to three and 409 members to 613, coach establishment, class scheduling and the equipment behind it.
Operations and the Capacity Build
Jump to section
- Overview & contents
- i. Important Notice and Basis of Preparation
- 1. Executive Summary
- 2. Market and Positioning
- 3. How a Studio Actually Makes Money
- 4. Churn and the Retention Engine
- 5. SWOT and Competitive Position
- 6. Operations and the Capacity Build
- 7. Compliance and Consumer Protection
- 8. Management and Team
- 9. Financial Plan
- 10. Break-Even and Debt Service
- 11. Investment Analysis
- 12. Sensitivity and Scenario Analysis
- 13. Risk Analysis
- 14. Implementation Roadmap
- 15. Key Performance Indicators
- 16. Key Assumptions
- 17. Conclusion and Recommendation
- A. Appendix A: Consolidated Financial Summary
- B. Appendix B: Capacity and Unit Economics Schedules
- C. Appendix C: Funding, Debt and Working Capital Schedules
- D. Appendix D: Risk Register
- E. Appendix E: Glossary
- 6.1 The capacity build
- 6.2 Fit-out, equipment and the trading environment
- 6.3 The member journey
6.1 The capacity build
|
Year 1 |
Year 2 |
Year 3 |
Year 4 |
Year 5 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Studio spaces |
2 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
|
Coaches |
5 |
6 |
9 |
9 |
9 |
|
Weekly places offered |
1 344 |
1 344 |
2 016 |
2 016 |
2 016 |
|
Timetable capacity, members |
409 |
409 |
613 |
613 |
613 |
|
Closing members |
339 |
409 |
587 |
613 |
613 |
|
Capacity utilisation |
82.9% |
100.0% |
95.8% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
|
Members per coach |
68 |
68 |
65 |
68 |
68 |
|
Revenue per member a year, R |
11 029 |
17 491 |
16 860 |
19 920 |
21 013 |
6.2 Fit-out, equipment and the trading environment
|
Item |
R |
Depreciation life |
Note |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Premises fit-out — studios, change rooms, reception |
2 450 000 |
8 years |
Flooring, rigging, mirrors, sound, ventilation, ablutions and showers |
|
Strength and conditioning equipment |
1 780 000 |
7 years |
Racks, barbells, plates, rowers, bikes, kettlebells; phased with studio openings |
|
Third studio build-out |
1 320 000 |
8 years |
Year 3 expansion including equipment |
|
Solar and backup power |
480 000 |
10 years |
Lighting, sound, ventilation, water heating and access control |
|
Branding, signage and pre-opening marketing |
390 000 |
3 years |
Including founding member recruitment before opening |
|
Member management and access systems |
210 000 |
4 years |
Bookings, debit order collections, attendance tracking and reporting |
|
Total fit-out, equipment and launch |
6 630 000 |
The first two studios, change rooms, reception, member systems, solar and the launch programme are front-loaded, because a studio must be complete before it can trade. Equipment phases with studio openings, and the third studio build-out of R1 320 000 falls in Year 3 — deliberately gated on demonstrated churn below 7 per cent rather than on member numbers.
6.3 The member journey
|
Stage |
What happens |
Where the retention risk sits |
|---|---|---|
|
Enquiry and trial |
Free community session or trial class, movement screen, goal conversation |
Conversion depends on the trial being coached rather than observed. A trial member left alone does not return |
|
Sign-up and baseline |
Medical screening, informed consent, movement baseline recorded, membership mandate |
POPIA consent is taken here, and the baseline is what makes progress visible later |
|
Weeks one to six |
Structured onboarding with defined progression and coach check-ins |
The highest-risk period. Most cancellations originate here and the programme exists to address it |
|
Weeks seven onward |
Regular class attendance across rotating coaches |
Attendance frequency is monitored weekly. A drop from three visits to one triggers outreach |
|
Progression review |
Movement standards and baseline re-measured, goals reset |
Results are the product. A member who cannot see progress renews on habit alone, which does not last |
|
Ancillary attachment |
Personal training, corporate programme, retail |
Raises revenue per member without consuming a class place, and deepens the relationship |
The first six weeks carry most of the risk and most of the opportunity. A member who completes onboarding, has a recorded baseline and knows two coaches by name has a materially longer expected tenure than one who joined, attended twice and was not contacted. That is why the studio manager — not the head coach — is the appointment that determines churn.