Need advice on developing my own dance fitness program
Daniel is right that there are tons of new things in the mix at any time. There is big profit in having a trademarked program so lots of people shoot for it.
That does not mean one should give up, but it does mean that you will need not just a good program, but to be able to interest someone in that program. It is kind of like applying to college. You could have near perfect SATs, an A average, and lots of extracurriculars, but, well, if you want to get into the top school you will be going up against a whole lot of people in the same state.
To whom you pitch will depend on a number of factors. Given that you will want to keep some of the information of what your program entails private it is hard to make specific recommendations. Generally, if your style is geared to an age group you would look for companies who market to that age range. If there is an association with a particular sport you could look for companies that would have a possibility for co branding. Who stands to make money from an association with you, and enough money to make it worth their venture capitol.
You also want to ask yourself how much control you want to give to someone else, if you do want to try for help. You could also try kickstarter.
Before planning strategies of to whom you will pitch I would suggest making sure your pitch is really honed. Make sure all of your correspondence is grammatically correct, professionally worded, and sent to the correct person on staff. Have a power outfit for any interviews, and all of your materials organized for meetings. Practice your pitch with friends so you will be ready for any questions.
Hard data on the popularity of your class in a smaller market will mean a lot. So you might want to start teaching in a few local places and collect data on your numbers to show how hot you are.
Good luck
I would also encourage you to start teaching your style and method to local gyms. This way you will start being noticed and increase your followers. If what you have to offer is something that gyms and clients will want to fight for, then that will make it a lot easier for you to find someone to sponsor you and help you push your concept into the top. At some point you could open your own space and only teach your style there and become very popular and in demand. Make sure you trademark your method before start teaching it to various locations, because we live in an era where people love to copy others and take credit for it.
The above are correct. I have done such many times. I would suggest you have a very good attorney. All of the property including your logo can be utilized by others. There is a clear separation of this entry into the 27 billion dollar fitness industry. I would suggest you have A good attorney design you an iron clad contract before you try marketing your idea. Remember each time you talk to a financial backer, you will tell much about your idea. Since the backer has the money, they can take your idea and utilize it for their own personal gain. If they sign a contract before talking with you, this can not be done. The confiscating of others ideas is not new. It has hAppened to me several times and, many others I know. At this current time, I have trademarked program I use myself. I do this for the above reasons. I have had steady income for 32 years. I do offer the program to other trainers via a percentage basis but, it is much easier than dealing with the financial backers of the industry. And, the attorney expense is much less. If you have any other
Questions please ask. Good luck, Brian Rozzi.
This question popped up as a similar topic to another thread I just responded on, and I love the thorough responses.
Since there is a glut of branded formats in the market, you will want to make sure that you have a quick blurb about your format and what makes it unique, or more fun, or gets more results, or is safer. Whatever your distinguishing characteristics are, practice a 30 second explanation that hits the highlights about why your format is the next big thing.
Don’t expect to be famous over night. That’s a rare thing. Build a name in your area, so you can get some great video clips of the format and how popular it is. Build from there.