Franchising

The Gravity Vault has been bringing the exciting sport of rock climbing to communities since 2005.  We operate under the idea that everyone in the world can be a rock climber, whether they are 5 or 75 years old, a first timer or an accomplished traditional climber.  We operate facilities that offer a welcoming environment for everyone to experience rock climbing.

Headquartered in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey our first location opened its doors for climbers in 2005.  Just four years later, we opened our second corporate location in Chatham, New Jersey.  Over the years operating these facilities our business model has been refined and our program structure diversified to share our love of climbing with everyone.  In 2013 we were ready to share our successful business model with like-minded entrepreneurs through franchising. In February 2014, The Gravity Vault’s first franchisee owned and operated location opened in Middletown, New Jersey.

We are excited to introduce the sport of climbing to thousands of new people and bring our well rounded programming structure to new communities everywhere. The Gravity Vault team can’t wait to share our passion one gym at a time.

Since opening our first facility in 2005 we have honed our programing and facility operations into a business model we are excited to share with other like-minded entrepreneurs through franchising. Some of the most common questions we are asked and their answers are below.

Keep in mind this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what owning a Gravity Vault Indoor Rock Gym will entail.

What sort of space do you look for to build these gyms?

We open facilities in buildings with a minimum of 12,000 sq. ft., with 35 ft. ceilings covering a portion of the space. As finding the right location is a monumental part of operating a successful climbing gym, our team will be beside you for every step of the location search.

What does it cost to build out one of these gyms?

The initial startup costs range from $1,510,600 to $2,558,462 which includes the initial franchise fee of $54,500 for a ten year term. This fee covers the initial training and guidance from our team through the entire process of building and opening your facility.

What about ongoing fees?

The ongoing Royalty Fee is 6.5% and there is a Brand Development Fund Contribution of 1%.  Both fees are calculated from gross sales and are paid weekly.

How much money can I make?

Making money is a key factor in your decision to join our team. How profitable a business is will depend a lot on the owners and operators backgrounds, and the decisions they make when it comes to implementing The Gravity Vault’s system. We do offer a financial performance representation in Item 19 of our Franchise Disclosure Document which we share with qualified candidates!

How much money do I need to be considered a qualified candidate?

We look for candidates who have at least $250,000 in liquid capital available for investing and a net worth of at least $750,000.  Most of our franchisees will finance the initial investment to build a facility.  We do not offer financing directly to our franchisees, but we do work with 3^rd party lenders.

Do I have to be a rock climber?

No! The Gravity Vault does not limit our business opportunity solely to experienced climbers.  If you are open to it, we’d like you to come and try climbing with us at least once.  It’s important to us that we offer a welcoming environment where we invite anyone who wants to climb to try it; we don’t push anyone to climb when they are not comfortable, not our franchisees and not our customers.

Bringing together over 17 years of experience the Rock Climbing Franchising team has put together a training program which prepares our franchisees for success.  The program is designed to teach our operators the ins and outs of owning and operating a Gravity Vault Indoor Rock Gym.  Through both classroom time and hands on learning we cover topics including: business strategy, personnel, rock climbing, computers, customer satisfaction, safety, operations, finance, marketing, and more.

Throughout the build out process and opening of your facility, you will have the guidance and support of our experienced team with you every step of the way.  Utilizing site visits, weekly progress reports, and our Franchise Operations Manual our team will join you in finding the answer to any question that comes up.

After you open your facility, we have a system in place to support you by providing marketing materials, programming support tools, and more.  We work hard to provide the personalized support you need as you build and operate your business.

Building a Gravity Vault Indoor Rock Gym has a lot of moving parts to it, once you join the team as a franchisee there will be a lot of steps to building your business and your facility.  From site selection to securing funding, from choosing a wall builder to designing the facility, from ordering your opening inventory to preparing to train your staff, our team will be there supporting you every step of the way.

What are the next few steps?

1. Contact us by filling out the web form.
2. Speak with us directly so we can learn more about each other.
3. Complete our financial application.
4. Qualified candidates will be disclosed to provide the opportunity for due diligence with all of the information in our FDD and then invited to our facilities for a Discovery Day to meet us in person and see firsthand what The Gravity Vault is all about.

Once you have decided that this is the right business opportunity for you, we welcome you to join The Gravity Vault team.