Weight Loss Seminars Business Plan

Market Analysis Summary

The dieting "Body Wars" are great for the economy, as the majority of discontented dieters repeatedly invest their resources in shedding pounds.  Figures from the late 1990s showed that Americans spent $50 billion annually on diet products.  This exceeds the projections for the entire Federal education, training, employment and social services budgets by five to ten billion dollars.  In fact, this figure is the equivalent of the gross  national product of Ireland.  An estimated 50 million Americans will go on diets this year.  And while some will succeed in taking the weight off, very few--perhaps five percent--will manage to keep all of it off in the long run. 

Approximately eight million Americans a year enroll in some kind of structured weight-loss program involving liquid diets, special diet regimens, or medical or other supervision.  Approximately 70% are women.  In 1991, about 8,500 commercial diet centers were in operation across the country, many of them owned by well-known national companies. 

Against this backdrop, Brushy Mountain Retreat is a uniquely effective experience for professional women who are fed up with the false promises of commercial diet centers.  In addition, those women facing adult-onset or Type II diabetes find few effective programs that can make the diet and lifestyle changes that truly impact the quality of their lives.

4.1 Market Segmentation

Brushy Mountain Retreat is focused on two target customer groups:

• Professional women who chronically overweight: A general characteristic of this group is their history with numerous diet programs that have left them no better off than when they started.  They are knowledgeable of most of the popular diet plans and are seeking a program that will have a long-range impact on their weight gain.  As a group they are highly motivated to find a solution but have experienced a sense of isolation.  They are craving a community approach to their weight problem.  They want a system that will sustain them after they leave the treatment facility.


• Professional women who are facing adult-onset or Type II diabetes: This group is highly motivated to make the lifestyle changes that will improve the quality of their lives.  They are looking for a program that will tailor the fitness regimen around their health concerns but won't sacrifice results.  The program's medical model is pivotal to their decision to attend one program over another.  They want qualified health professionals on staff and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Both groups have incomes that exceed $70,000 a year and are college educated.