Starting a gym
How to start a gym.
Opening a gym: what the lease and buildout cost, the format that fits your budget, the permits you need, and the path from concept to your first paying member.
What you need before day one
You like training. Great. That has almost nothing to do with running a gym. A gym is a real estate business that happens to sell fitness, and the moment you sign a lease you are on the hook for rent whether the floor is full or empty. That's the math you need to internalize before you spend a dollar on a squat rack.
The good news is the format dictates the budget. A lean 24/7 strength box needs about $70k–$150k in cash to open, plus $40k–$70k of runway, and usually breaks even somewhere between 130 and 200 members. A full commercial club is a $300k–$1M project. Pick the model your bank account and your patience can survive, not the one your Instagram feed sells you.
Most gym owners fail in the same way. They sign the biggest space they can afford, kit it out beautifully, and then run out of marketing money before the floor fills. Lock the format, the location, and the lease before anything else. Then build the brand, the website, and the founding-member presale that funds opening day. The guides below walk that sequence.
Michal Mujgoš, mujgos.com More about Michal → - $70k–$1M Startup cost Lease deposit, build-out, and equipment, with runway on top
- 3–6 months Time to first $ Lease, permits, buildout, then doors open
- Light Licensing Business license, occupancy permit, liability + waivers
- The lease Hardest part Wrong location or wrong rent and you're sunk on day one
Honest check: is starting a gym for you?
Yes, keep reading if
- You know the work, or you can hire someone who does
- You're ready to register, license, and insure properly. No shortcuts.
- You can put $70k–$1M into the business (lease deposit, build-out, and equipment, with runway on top), or finance it
- You'll answer the phone yourself for the first 6–12 months
- You're done waiting for someone else to give you a raise
Skip this and read something else if
- You're chasing a "passive income" pitch
- You want a six-figure salary in month one
- You want to skip the license and "see how it goes"
- You expect leads to roll in without picking up the phone
- You want everything outsourced from day one
Your path from $0 to your first call
The order to actually do this in. Each step links a deep-dive guide.
- Plan the business Pick the format, model the membership math, and price the buildout before you tour spaces. We build your plan with you. Create your business plan →
- Register & permit Form the entity, get the business license and occupancy permit, and lock liability insurance and waivers. Read the guide →
- Find the location Visibility, parking, and the right lease terms. Most gym failures start with a bad lease. Read the guide →
- Equip the floor Racks, weights, cardio, and the build-out. Budget $70k–$150k in cash for a lean box, plus runway. Read the guide →
- Brand & website Lock the name, design the logo, and launch a site that runs your founding-member presale. Get your website →
- Open the doors Founding-member offers, the first tours, and your first paying members. Then move to grow. Read the guide →
How working with us actually goes
No 12-month contracts, no jargon, no lock-in. You pick what you need, we do the work, and you keep the keys.
- 01
Diagnose
Free 30-minute call. We figure out where you really are and what the next dollar of effort should go to. Honest read on whether we can help. If we can't, we'll point you at someone who can.
- 02
Plan
We build your full business plan with you. Numbers, target market, launch sequence, what to spend and what to skip. The thing you don't write yourself because you're busy.
- 03
Build
We build your website. Fast, clear, conversion-focused. The one thing you should not DIY when you're trying to take your first call this month.
- 04
Grow
Ongoing playbooks and articles you can read in five minutes, plus a Slack thread or call when you're stuck. You run the business. We're the brain you call when something's off.
Starting a gym: guides
Written by Michal Mujgoš -
How to start a gym: step by step
The step-by-step sequence to open a gym: 9 stages in the order that actually unblocks each other, from LLC to presale to launch day. Budget $70k-$150k to open plus runway, 4-6 months.
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How much do you need to start a gym
How much it costs to start a gym, line by line: a lean box needs about $70k to $150k in cash to open, but the number that kills owners is the 6-month runway they skip.
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Identifying the ideal location for a gym
A gym's location is a 12-minute drive-time math problem. Learn the rooftop counts, rent-per-member ceiling, and lease clauses that decide if a box fills.
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Best way to start and get into the gym business
How to start a gym the lean way: presell memberships before build-out, pick the model, price the MRR, and hit break-even faster. Opens for $50k to $120k.
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Buying equipment and supplies for a gym: buy strength used, buy cardio new
How to buy gym equipment without overspending: new vs used, cost-per-station math, which brands last, and the financing trap that sinks first-year cash flow.
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How do I set up and register a gym
How to set up and register a gym: LLC, EIN, licenses, zoning, waivers, and the insurance stack, sequenced so each step unlocks the next. Paper runs $3k to $10k.
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How much profit can a gym make
How much profit a gym makes, from a real P&L: net margins run 10% to 25%, so a $500k gym nets $50k to $125k, and PT plus low churn, not more members, drive it.
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How to make a logo for a gym
How to make a gym logo that survives a 32px app icon and an embroidered polo: one mark, two colors, three sizes tested before you pay for signage.
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How to make a website for a gym
How to make a gym website that books trials, not one that just looks nice: schedule, pricing, click-to-call, and a lead form that fills your calendar.
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How to start a gym: a subscription business that owns barbells
Starting a gym is a subscription business, not a room of weights. The churn math, the revenue mix, the break-even count, and why lean beats big at $10k-$50k.
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How to start a gym with no money
You don't start a gym with no money; you presell it so members fund the build-out. Train clients first, buy used iron, and collect founding dues before you sign.
Don't reinvent the wheel.
Copy what works.
We build your website for you in 7 days. You own all of it, and most changes go live within 24 hours.
Get Your Website →Common questions about gyms
The questions people ask us most before they start.
How much does it cost to open a gym?
Format decides the number. A lean 24/7 strength gym needs about $70k–$150k in cash to open, plus $40k–$70k of runway; a full commercial club runs $300k–$1M once build-out and financed equipment are in. The budget guide breaks it down.
Read the full guide →Can I open a gym with no money?
Not really, but you can start lean. Run a personal-training business out of a rented bay or a borrowed studio first, build a member base, then take that proof of demand to a bank for the buildout loan.
Read the full guide →What permits and insurance do I need?
A business license, occupancy and building permits, and serious liability insurance with signed member waivers. Some states require trainer certifications above a threshold. The setup guide walks through it.
Read the full guide →Where should I put the gym?
Visibility, parking, and drive-by traffic on a road locals already use. The location guide covers demographics, competitor density, and the lease red flags that sink new gyms.
Read the full guide →What equipment do I actually need on day one?
Enough racks, free weights, and cardio to serve your founding members without the floor feeling empty. Phase in specialty kit as membership justifies it. The equipment guide covers the priority list.
Read the full guide →Do I need a website before I open?
Yes, before the buildout is finished. Founding-member presale lives there, tour bookings live there, and Google indexes you well before the doors open.
Read the full guide →