7 Gym Success Stories [2024]

Updated: November 19th, 2023
Start A Gym

Over the last decade, more people across the globe have become self-aware of the importance associated with living a healthy lifestyle.

As a result, the gym has become a trend for millions of people, leading to a rapid increase in the size and popularity of the global fitness industry. According to statistics, the global fitness club industry is worth over $96 billion.

Therefore, starting a gym could be a great business opportunity.

Here are some real life success stories of starting a gym:

1. Live Fit ($720K/year)

Chris, the founder of Live Fit, started the company in 2011 to address the misses in the personal training industry and create a more comfortable experience for clients. He focused on building trusting relationships, offering a variety of services like strength training, yoga, and massage sessions. Over the years, Live Fit has grown steadily, expanding to two locations and generating over $760,000 in revenue in 2019.

How much they make: $720K/year
How much did it cost to start: $50K
Current team size: 1

article

How I Started A $60K/Month Personal Training Company

Live Fit, a personal training company founded in 2011, grew from earning $80,000 in their first year with two trainers to earning over $760,000 in 2019 with 12 trainers and two locations, thanks to a focus on building trusting relationships and providing a variety of services to clients.

About
Chris started Live Fit about 13 years ago
Revenue
Chris grew the business to $60K/month
Costs
It cost Chris $50000 to start the business
Read by 8,000 founders

2. Bells of Steel ($14.4M/year)

Bells of Steel founder, Kaevon Khoozani, came up with the idea for his fitness equipment business after realizing the lack of availability of equipment for his own strength training. He started by ordering equipment from China and selling it directly to his network, eventually growing the business to achieve $15 million in sales in 2021. His focus on creating high-value products and leveraging word-of-mouth marketing has contributed to the company's success.

How much they make: $14.4M/year
How much did it cost to start: $3.5K
Current team size: 38

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My Gym Passion Led Me To Start A $15M/Year Fitness Equipment E-Commerce

Bells of Steel, an e-commerce fitness equipment company, generated $15 million in sales by creating a high-value product line and focusing on word-of-mouth marketing, email marketing, and social media ads.

About
Kaevon started Bells of Steel over 13 years ago
Revenue
Kaevon grew the business to $1.2M/month
Costs
It cost Kaevon $3500 to start the business
Read by 5,917 founders

So... can you actually make money with a gym?

Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.

But how?

  1. Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
  2. Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
  3. Take action, because now you have the roadmap.

Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:

Start Now

3. The LOOK Fitness ($480K/year)

Bryan Greene, founder of The LOOK Fitness, came up with the idea for his boutique fitness facility after a successful career in fitness training. Frustrated with the lack of upscale and personalized options for clients, he decided to create a facility that catered to executives, business owners, and everyday gym-goers who wanted a more exclusive workout experience. Despite facing challenges such as a difficult location search and dishonest realtors, The LOOK Fitness now generates $53,000 per month and continues to grow.

How much they make: $480K/year
How much did it cost to start: $150K
Current team size: 3

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How I Grew My Fitness Studio To $480K/Year Despite The Pandemic
About
Bryan started The LOOK Fitness about 8 years ago
Revenue
Bryan grew the business to $40K/month
Costs
It cost Bryan $150000 to start the business
Read by 2,920 founders

4. BioFit ($240K/year)

John Zarbock, the CEO and Founder of BioFit, came up with the idea for his business after seeing a Facebook ad for an exercise machine that claimed to provide effective workouts in just 20 minutes a week. Initially skeptical, he decided to investigate further and ended up purchasing two of the machines. After experiencing a highly efficient full-body workout and recognizing the potential of these machines, Zarbock decided to start his own business centered around them.

How much they make: $240K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100K
Current team size: 3

article

I Built A $240K/Year Business While Deployed In Kuwait

BioFit is a fitness studio that offers safe and effective exercise through high-intensity training (HIT) methodology, using adaptive resistance exercise (ARX) machines that can achieve results in as little as 20 minutes a week, with an 80% closing ratio, over 70% client retention, 125 clients, and an average monthly revenue of $20k.

About
John started BioFit over 5 years ago
Revenue
John grew the business to $20K/month
Costs
It cost John $100000 to start the business
Read by 2,842 founders

So... can you actually make money with a gym?

Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.

But how?

  1. Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
  2. Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
  3. Take action, because now you have the roadmap.

Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:

Start Now