That Question... Ya Know, The One About Opening A Gym

[foxtrotjoe]

Hey guys, I'm a smart fella, probably like yourself, been certified for less than a year. And now I'm thinking about opening a gym. My hometown has a population of about 2,000; I haven't been back in years but the last time I checked, they were pretty fat. There are no fitness centers there as of now so I feel I could swoop in and get members quick, make Michelle Obama proud. But I'd like to hear some thoughts and opinions if you would be so kind as to share.

I figure my overhead and staff would be infantile in cost compared to a gym in a real city, and marketing would be ungodly easy as you would pass the only gym in town while driving down one of three major streets. And I could hand out fliers to every household in town in one weekend.

I'm not looking to get rich; I just want to do what I love and make a decent living, boss free.

Opinions? Mad rants? Gruff wisdom?

Please share your thoughts

[WoofieNugget]

Small towns are tough - only about 10% of the general population will get a gym membership depending on the area. So of your town of 2000 you have maybe 200 members. Sat $50 per month for a membership (if you can get that) and that's 10k a month. With overhead, taxes, insurance, equipment cost, staff wages, etc can you make enough of a profit to make it worth your while to work 60-80 hours a week for the first two years while you are getting everything set up. You would have to define a "decent living" and see after all the pros and cons if it would be worth it over time, especially financially.

[KyleAaron]

If your small town is a farming or mining town, the signups will be less than 10% of the general population, since the people feel (rightly or wrongly) they're active enough at work, and also many of them are doing 10-14hr days so are unlikely to want to work out afterwards.

[UTCFitness]

I havent read any posts on here that say anything positive about owning a gym.