Maybe you love fitness and want to help others transform their lives through exercise and create something special. You might even want to open a gym to finally get away from the bad management and give terrible advice trainers. Either way, we commend you for having the courage to pursue your goal. We must be frank, however; there is a big difference between a passion for fitness and owning a successful gym.
A great coach never misses a chest day. A great gym owner also never misses a day at the office. If you think you are ready to substitute your lifting belt for a business belt, here is a list of a few things to help you prioritize the right things before you open your gym.
1. Your Money Hits Different
Almost all new gym owners are surprised when they see how expensive starting a gym actually is. Commercial gym equipment pricing is the least of your worries. High-quality rubber flooring is extremely expensive; so is air conditioning. Do not consider starting a gym if you cannot afford the proper coverage for liability insurance.
These hidden costs accrue before your first hire. Draft a real, pessimistic budget and honor it, without letting it immobilize you. Consider small business loans, and grants for fitness equipment. This funding is out there and waiting for those willing to seek it.
2. Location Is Everything (No, Really)
Even the most incredible gym will fail if it sits behind a warehouse with no signage. People want convenient. No one will follow through on a hard early morning workout if it requires a 15 minute hunt for a parking spot.
You need a location that is visible, has a parking lot, and that people feel safe coming to. Walk the neighborhood, and introduce yourself to local business owners. You don’t need to market your business if you have a convenient and visible location.
3. Get Clear on Who You’re For
Being every potential gym goer creates a non-gym. If you combine an extreme powerlifting zone, a private yoga studio, and a walking area on treadmills, you create a chaotic and counter intuitive space. From the start, know exactly who your target market is. Designing a strength gym? A high-energy boutique gym? Or, a targeted, multi-sports setup like cult.fit? That decision targets the gym’s equipment, the gym’s music, and the gym’s pricing. Pick a niche, and let the rest of the market go.
4. Do Not Skip the Legal Stuff
Permits and liability waivers are legal requirements, as is defining the structure of your business. This is the least exciting part of building a gym, and is the equivalent of building a gym on a structure of loose sand.
You should before you open, consult a local attorney and a good accountant. You should understand your tax obligations, including your GST filings, before you open. A member of the gym rolling an ankle or dropping a 45 lb plate on their foot should not be a concern. This is not interesting work, but neither is a lawsuit.
5. Staff Matters Most
A member of your staff may be more important than your expensive squat racks. A gym with decent equipment and a warm, welcoming, staff will be more successful than a luxury facility and rude staff.
Staff with high energy, and a desire to learn members’ names, should be your target. Skills, such as a booking system, can be taught, but caring cannot.
6. Market Before You Open
Many new gym owners think marketing starts when they open. It’s actually a bit earlier. If marketing starts when the paint dries, launch day is filled with crickets—and that silence is not enjoyable.
Marketing needs to start at least a couple months early. Marketing means creating excitement with social media. It could mean marketing partnerships with your new neighboring coffee shop. You could do a dusty shoe tour for those willing to buy a pre-opening membership. This even builds your community and brings in operating dollars.
7. The Business is Retention
It’s easy to get someone to sign the paper. The trouble comes after that. Many gyms suffer from not having enough revenue from retention.
This is where the small acts of kindness really pays off: personally texting members when they miss the gym; celebrating member’s special days; or simply remembering and saying hello to members as they walk in. These members will not disappear on you.
8. You’re a Business Owner Now, Act Like It
You now are all functions of the business after your gym opens. Marketing, operations, management, and customer service all are now under your department.
You will feel the need to do everything yourself but you must resist. Develop systems early. Write the steps for opening the gym, cleaning the bathrooms, signing up new members, etc. Accept that you cannot unclog toilets, train clients, and run payroll forever without burning out. You have to stop working just in the business and start working on the business.
9. Stay Curious and Keep Adapting
The fitness world is always changing. Do you remember when standing on a vibrating plate was the next big thing? New trends combined with developing technology and evolving member expectations will always be at your doorstep, whether you are prepared or not.
The gym owners that last the longest are the ones that are curious. They are always learning and listening to their members and adjusting when needed. Being stubborn is not a strategy for success, it is an ego problem.
10. Year One Will Humble You
This is what you can expect: something that you thought would cost one amount will cost significantly more. A contractor will fail to finish their end of the deal and the equipment that you need in order to continue your work will fail on you.
When this happens just take a deep breath. None of this is a failure. This is just what year one is like.
The businesses who find success aren’t the ones who shun challenges; they’re the ones who confront everything that comes their way. They maintain an intense focus on their people and view every catastrophe as a challenge to conquer instead of a beast to avoid. Here, you have an authentic opportunity to create something incredible. Just know, when you build it, it will be because you worked hard for it.
