SBA-funded gym open, member retention engine, multi-location exit.
Every chapter builds on the last. From day one in the trade to the day you own the company. No filler. No inspiration. Just the actual steps.
The five gym models that actually pencil: small-box strength (Westside, F45-size 2,000-3,500 sqft), CrossFit/functional fitness affiliate, big-box hybrid (15,000+ sqft), boutique studio (Orangetheory, barre, indoor cycling), and 24-hour access (Anytime, Snap). The unit economics, target member count, and average revenue per member for each.
Daytime population, drive-time radius, parking ratio, ceiling height, ventilation, ADA, and competitive density. NNN vs gross lease, TI allowance ($25 to $60 per sqft), free rent, and personal guarantee negotiation. The lease clauses that protect a gym from a landlord change.
SBA 7(a) loan structure (10% down, 10 to 25-year term, Prime+2.25 to 4.75%), the 10-section lender package, the 24-month founder cash-flow proof, equipment financing (Direct Capital, Crest, Balboa), and the rollover-as-business-startup (ROBS) play that funds a $400K open from a 401(k).
Floor plan (open functional area, racks, cardio row, group floor, locker rooms), Rogue vs Sorinex vs Eleiko sourcing, flooring (rubber rolls vs tiles vs turf), HVAC sizing, sound, lighting, and the punch list that gets a Certificate of Occupancy on schedule.
The 120-day pre-sale that opens the gym with 200 to 400 paid members on Day 1. Founding rate structure, presale waiver, deposit and refund policy, and the conversion sequence that turns Instagram followers and online coaching clients into in-person memberships.
Meta and Google Local Services ads, Google Business optimization, the 7-day free pass funnel, corporate wellness partnerships, partnerships with PT clinics and chiropractors, referral program design, and the lead-to-member conversion math that holds CAC under $75.
Mindbody, Mariana Tek, ClubReady, Glofox software setup, the member onboarding sequence that drops 12-month churn under 35%, group programming, personal training revenue (30 to 45% of gross at well-run gyms), supplement and apparel retail, and the daily operating rhythm that keeps the doors open.
Second-location economics, the GM-and-systems handoff that lets the owner stop trading hours for dollars, franchise vs corporate-owned expansion, the sale-leaseback play, and the multiple a gym sells for at $500K, $1M, and $3M in annual EBITDA.
The play that funded a generation of gyms: build a $10K to $20K a month online coaching roster on Future, Caliber, Ladder, and your own audience first, then walk into the SBA office with 24 months of bank statements and 200 founding members already pre-paid. The 10-section lender package, the founding-member conversion sequence, and the year-by-year sequence that opens a real gym with $20K to $35K in MRR on Day 1.
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The gym business is built on retention. The members who walk in on Day 1 are the same members who write the checks for the next ten years. The owner who keeps them is the owner who builds a real company.
This guidebook covers the concept selection, the site and lease, the SBA loan package, the build-out, the pre-sale that opens with 200 founding members, the retention engine, and the multi-location path that takes a single gym past $1M and into a sellable business.
Concept, funding, open, multi-location. The path from idea to owner of a real, fundable, scalable gym.
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