Have you ever tossed around business ideas to break into the fitness world, but had no idea where to begin?
If you’re on the fence about building a fitness business or starting your own gym, we’re here to say: go for it!
Why not? When you’re passionate about health and fitness, and eager to make an impact on other people’s lives, it only makes sense to earn a living while doing it.
Living in a post-pandemic world, people are starting to prioritize their fitness like never before. This is combined with the fact there are always going to be people who want to eat better, look better, feel better, and be better. So, in no time at all, your small business could result in a ton of profit. In this post, you will find several gym business ideas to get you started.
1. Become a Personal Trainer
Personal training can be a very flexible career. This means you have options of where you want to work also. The possibilities are endless. You could work at a gym, make house calls, set up pop-up events someplace, and eventually take clients with you when you open your own space. Having a virtual option also allows for ultimate flexibility as a personal trainer.
Because let’s face it, it’s tough to go at weight loss alone. Most individuals who want to kick start their fitness journey often seek out a personal trainer to get started on the right track. It’s nice to have someone who can assist and encourage you in achieving your personal goals and help you stay the course. So, from a client perspective, once you’ve found a personal trainer you’re comfortable with, you’re willing to follow them to the ends of the earth. Whatever it takes. That’s why personal training will always be a market with high potential.
2. Open a Specialty Gym
When opening a gym, you could make it a free for all, where anyone is welcome to come to do their thing on the equipment. That’s always fun! But, if you are particularly skilled or knowledgeable in a certain fitness area you enjoy, focus on it and transform it into your small business. Some examples may include CrossFit, Powerlifting, boxing, yoga, or dance. Sport-specific gyms are also a great option, as more athletes are beginning to focus on training that will directly help them within their sport.
CrossFit
Assuming you haven’t heard of the popular branded workout style, CrossFit has taken the world by storm since 2000. There are around 15,000 CrossFit gyms that span across 120 different countries. This popular style of fitness includes high-intensity interval training, also known as (HIIT). This style of training focuses on both strength and conditioning while most often in a group setting.
Before choosing it as your gym business idea, you may want to consider the costs of opening a Crossfit gym. First, you’ll have to get certified through a weekend workshop. This workshop costs $1,000 and helps participants to learn the safe, correct techniques to perform workouts. After you are certified, fees to Crossfit will tally a total of $3,000 a year. Though this may seem like a lot, Crossfit is a well-known workout brand, which can help your gym gain traction when first starting out. If you want to start a gym with high-energy workouts and a tight-knit community feel, starting a CrossFit gym might be the right fitness idea for you!
Yoga Studio
People head to their yoga mats daily for many reasons. Not only does it improve overall flexibility and physical fitness, but it’s also a way to de-stress and clear the mind. And the better news is, this health trend isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Having a virtual option will be very beneficial in this sector as well.
So, if you love yoga and want to help others work toward finding their spiritual grounding, take steps toward getting your yoga license and becoming a certified yoga fitness instructor. Most basic yoga teacher training programs start at 200 hours of yoga instruction, while the more intense certifications require 500 hours of training.
A great way to start researching this gym business idea is to visit local yoga studios and introduce yourself to the owners and instructors. You can find out about local training programs where you can earn your certification, business advice, and what fellow fitness professionals have done to make their yoga studios successful.
Dance Studio
If you are passionate about dance, you could open a dance studio. The best part is, that dancing can be a great workout for anyone! Dancing can be an exceptional avenue to staying physically fit and healthy in a fun, engaging way. Zumba is one example of how dance can be used for fitness purposes. While there are studios for more technical dance training, Zumba is great for anyone!
Boxing Gym
Although it makes for an entertaining sport, the benefits of boxing are expansive. According to Forbes, trends showed that boxing has grown more than any other sport from 2010 to 2020. In addition to increasing hand-eye coordination, boxing is great for cardiovascular health. In a world where heart health is more important now than ever, boxing is a good way to promote a healthy heart. Boxing is also at the center of amazing gym communities. Whether you want to have a place for boxers to train, fitness goers to enjoy great workouts, or both, opening a boxing gym is another fantastic business idea to circulate!
Sports-Specific Gym
Maybe you have a specific sport in mind that is dear to your heart. If the answer is yes, there is good news for you! More and more athletes have begun to seek out sport-specific training. As competition becomes tougher, this is a great way for athletes to get ahead and excel at their sport. Across the country, more and more sports facilities have been setting up shops, including those that focus on training for baseball/softball, football, basketball, ice hockey, and track and field—to name a few.
Sports performance training can be quite lucrative because of how niche and desirable this expertise is. Athletes who are serious about improving in their sport are willing to travel, invest more time, and pay extra to receive proper training. If you have advanced knowledge in how to optimize sports performance for athletes, this business idea can give you a competitive advantage over average gyms.
3. Virtual Fitness
It is without question the pandemic changed the way we live in some shape or form. While this came with some hard changes, it also developed unique opportunities. Virtual fitness is an opportunity that many people are interested in, especially when the crunch for time doesn’t allow making the drive to the gym and back. Why not just pop open a smart device and get your workout in from home? This is a great option for individuals with busy schedules, and an equally great option for trainers who want to offer their fitness business from anywhere!
Having a virtual fitness option also allows you to record classes in advance. This can be a great time saver for both you and your clients. This way, you only have to run through the session once while your clients have the ability to access workouts whenever they are free!
Virtual classes can be paid offerings, which introduce a good revenue stream for your business. But it is also important to consider how free virtual classes can be utilized to bring in new customers. Something that plagues most prospective gym goers is an unwillingness to commit to a training program, which is often driven by the client not knowing whether a specific gym or fitness service will be the right fit for their goals. Hosting free virtual fitness classes can be a good vehicle to break the ice for these individuals.
Having a live virtual class option can also be a great way to have the community feel of a workout class, but from wherever your feet are! The possibilities are truly endless for virtual fitness, making it a great gym business idea to try.
4. Group Fitness Instruction
When it comes to physical fitness, it may be harder for some individuals to stay consistently motivated or held accountable. This is where a group fitness option can shine. If you offer group fitness classes, this can boost motivation and accountability amongst your clients. In return, your clients can stay consistent with their fitness goals while creating a unique team environment. This environment can be appealing to those who are just beginning their fitness journey as well.
Offering group fitness is another great way you can offer more to a larger client base. One-on-one sessions with personal trainers can hinder your availability and be more expensive than some clients are willing to invest. Group fitness can help you be more efficient with your time as a trainer while simultaneously providing a more affordable option for clients. Not only are you able to motivate a group fitness class, but your clients will also begin to build relationships amongst the group, furthering their motivation and loyalty.
5. Outdoor Fitness
While some like to keep fitness and enjoying the outdoors separate, some people love to combine the two! Outdoor fitness has become popular recently, as it boasts not only physical fitness but fresh air and Vitamin D. Outdoor fitness classes can also be a part of your group fitness or bootcamp sessions. Mix it up one day and enjoy an outdoor space for your fitness business! In addition to bootcamps, outdoor fitness can include many creative fitness business ideas such as hiking, yoga, cycling, and even watersports if the landscape is right.
6. Bootcamp Fitness
Running a bootcamp program can also be a fun way to run your fitness business. Bootcamp fitness programs are usually high-intensity interval training (HIIT) based workouts. Hosting a bootcamp for a specified amount of time, or as a special weeklong program can also be a great gym business idea to get you started. Bootcamp fitness is a fun way to engage all different gym-goers. Weather permitting, bootcamp fitness in an outdoor space can be another appealing layer to add!
7. Workplace Fitness Instruction
Believe it or not, another area where fitness is being promoted further is in the workplace. Promoting workplace fitness and healthy living is a win-win for both employers and employees. If you want to start a fitness business that works exclusively or partly with corporate offices, there is a space for it. Workplace fitness instruction is also a great area to work in fitness challenges among staff. Healthy competition can be motivating and promote consistency within fitness habits.
8. Become a Physical Therapist
Do you have to go to school before you open a fitness business? Not necessarily. If you’re ready to get started right now, you will be happy to know there are plenty of fitness careers that only require certifications.
However, if you are good at hitting the books, it’s never a bad idea to earn a bachelor’s degree or doctoral degree, in any health-related field. These credentials can open the doors to many more fitness career possibilities like physical therapy.
With a physical therapy business, you can coach patients on how to manage or prevent injuries, like athletes. Becoming a physical therapist also comes with some great benefits. Physical therapy is a field that will continue to have above-average growth through 2029, so there is plenty of demand for the occupation. Physical therapy also has a high national average pay, as well as many different areas to break into. A few of these areas include sports, orthopedics, geriatrics, and women’s health. This option also boasts great flexibility to better your work-life balance. If you want to research more benefits and possible cons of becoming a physical therapist, you can give this article from Indeed.com a read.
9. Nutrition
If you’re more interested in what goes into the body, perhaps your gym business will include becoming a nutritionist to help with meal plans, weight loss, and healthy eating. After all, only a small percentage of results comes from the actual working out. The rest of a client’s results depends on what type of fuel they are loading up on and if they are eating healthy or not.
What’s especially great about the nutrition profession is that you can find work anywhere. If you want to be a nutritionist in someone else’s gym, cool. If you want to be a nutritionist in your gym, equally cool. You could start anywhere and branch out to your own place of business as your experience grows. Being a nutritionist is also an amazing way to make a huge impact on an individual’s overall health.
10. Meditation/Mindfulness Coach
As our world evolves and life becomes more and more demanding, people seek out ways to help them stay grounded. Becoming a meditation or mindfulness coach is a great path toward helping individuals maintain mental health, which is critical to one’s overall health and physical well-being. If you are interested in becoming a meditation/mindfulness coach, there are plenty of certification courses to help you get your gym business started!
11. Branded Fitness Apparel
Maybe you love fitness, but becoming a personal trainer and/or opening your own gym doesn’t quite fit your style. How can you still impact the fitness community that you’re passionate about? One option is to start your own branded fitness apparel! There is a huge sector of individuals that take pride in their style while reaching their fitness goals. You can take part in each of their fitness journeys by offering apparel that will allow them to express themselves while reaching their various goals. Whether your apparel is geared towards function, fashion, or both, branded fitness apparel is a fitness business idea to consider.
Putting Your Gym Business Ideas Into Action
Whether you’re ready to get started on your gym business idea today or want to give it some more thought, we hope this post sparked some creativity! Though knowing the direction of your gym business idea is the first step, you may think about what comes next. You are going to want someone to help you with things like billing clients, organizing class schedules, keeping track of revenue, and much more. This is where a gym management software solution like EZFacility is ready to guide you with all your gym business management needs! To speak with a software expert, you can schedule your free demo today.