Owning and operating your own gym is one of the most rewarding and lucrative jobs out there.

It does require some start up capital, but if you are serious about opening a successful gym, the amount of money you can make is astounding, and you can quickly make up your investment.  Not only that, once you set yourself up initially, your entire income is totally passive!  As long as you have a competent staff and the appropriate systems set up, you could take long vacations while your bank account keeps growing.

It doesn’t take long to establish a hands-free system to running the gym (a few months at the most), and once you set that up, you can just sit back and watch your business grow automatically.

But the financial outcome is not the only rewarding part of starting your own gym.  Not only will you be watching your profits grow each month, you will be a valued and important part of the community!  Because a gym falls into the physical fitness and health industry, as the owner you will be seen as someone who is contributing something very positive to the community.  It is a great feeling knowing that your business is changing the lives of all your customers.  After all, what is more important than health?

Another great thing about the gym is it is one of the few businesses that is very recession-resilient.  The reason?  People will cut back their spending on luxury items, but they won’t cut back on their health.  The service you are providing has a lot more value than any luxury items.

But like all great businesses, opening a successful business is not as easy as it seems.  Sure, RUNNING a successful gym is easy, but OPENING a successful gym isn’t.  That is why there is the How to Start a Gym Manual.  Here you will learn all you will need to know to open and run a successful gym.

What are some of the things you can learn in this manual?

1.  How to Pick a Location and Other Real Estate Considerations

The location of your gym is easily one of the most important factors in whether it will be successful or not.  The population of your community, as well as competing gyms in the area, are other important factors to consider.  This manual will go over in detail all the things to consider before picking your final location.

2.  What Kind of Gym You Should Open

There are many different types of gyms you can open, but which one you pick is really up to you.  However, the more variety you can provide, the more people you can bring in.  All gyms have weight machines and aerobic machines (at least we hope!), but expanding from there really isn’t that difficult once you have a gym set up.  Crossfit gyms, fitness gyms, MMA gyms, boxing gyms, and other types of gyms require a lot of the same equipment, and with just a little bit more effort, you can make a gym that can cater to all these groups.  Also, don’t forget the popularity of gyms that offer classes and group workouts!

3.  Business Plan

Real estate, equipment, staffing, and marketing are all important factors when it comes to opening your gym.  You need to figure out how much all of this is going to cost, and how much money will need before you start to see positive monthly income.  This manual will provide you with several different business plan templates for your gym, so that you can best figure out how much money you will need.  Setting up a firm budget will help you see clearly when you set out on your venture.

4.  Financing

Unless you already have the capital to start this venture off, you will need financing.  There are numerous ways to do this: finding investors, applying for business loans, partnerships, etc.  If you have a good credit rating, you may be able to qualify for a small business loan based on the strength of your business plan.  Depending on how much money you need, you will have to weigh your different options before you decide which path to take.  A partnership may seem tempting at first, but could end up costing you way more money down the road.  This manual goes over in great detail the pros and cons of your different financing options.

5.  Incorporating

You want to make sure you pick the right kind of legal entity when opening your gym.  There are many advantages and disadvantages to each type of legal entity, so you want to make sure you understand them all before you make your decision. Whether you choose sole proprietorship, partnership, LLC, or corporation, your decision will have a big impact on your business.  This manual will provide you with the information you need so you can make the best decision.

6.  Furnishing Your Gym

If you are interested in opening your own gym, I would imagine you already a gym-goer and already have a good idea of what areas and equipment every good gym should have.  But just in case, in this manual you will find how to structure and layout a good gym.  You will need a reception area, a sales desks area, as well as your weight machines and aerobic machines areas.  Other things you may want to consider are swimming pools, saunas, areas for classes, areas for mats, as well as specialty areas for those interested in boxing, MMA, yoga, etc.

7.  Gym Contract, Payment Plans, and Legal Documentation

You need to make sure you have a payment plan that makes your customers happy and keeps your profits growing!  There are many options here for different types of gym goers, and we will go over each one.  You also want to make sure you have legal disclaimers in your contract to make sure you don’t get sued if something happens, and this manual goes over those in detail.

8.  Staffing – Management, Sales, Trainers, and More!

A great gym needs to have a great staff, plain and simple.  This manual will show you how to hire and how to pay your staff.  The great thing about owning a gym is that you can make it so that your staff doesn’t get paid unless you get paid too!  This goes for trainers and sales people alike.  Except for a few managers, your staff will pay for itself, and this manual will show you how!

9.  Membership Plans

Anyone who has ever worked out at a gym knows that there usually several different payment plans to choose from.  Which payment plan will work best for your gym?  Should payment be yearly, month-to-month, contractual, or what?  There are obviously several things to consider here, but in this manual, we go over the pros and cons of each one to help you make the best decision, giving you the most profits and the least headaches.

10.  How to Establish a Hands-Free System for Running Your Gym

Why would anyone want to open a business that takes up all their free time?  While you may personally want to be involved with your business (and many gym owners do), you also want to make sure your gym can function without you in case you want to go on vacation, etc.  And don’t worry, with our hands-free system, your profits will grow, even if you are not personally overseeing the process!  This manual will show you everything you need to know so that your business will grow constantly and automatically.

I’m not going to lie to you; the beginning is pretty tough!  But trust me, once you have all your systems in place and set up, from there on out its smooth sailing.  If you are truly interested in starting your own gym, then you want to have a solid game plan, and this manual will provide you with everything you need to know.

For a very complete and comprehensive guide on how to open your own gym, please click here!