How to Open a Fitness Club Without Learning the Hard Way: 3 Decisions You Need to Make

Many of our partners admit that owning a fitness club or gym had been a dream of theirs for years. Some put the plan off for a long time, because going into the fitness industry independently felt too complicated or too risky. That is hardly surprising — opening a fitness club requires not only commitment, but also business knowledge, a good location, a team, a marketing strategy, and a solid understanding of how the market works. 

Are you thinking about what to focus on when planning to open your own gym? Which mistakes to avoid from the outset? And how a franchise can make the journey from idea to a profitable club that much smoother? You'll find the answers in this article.

Is a Fitness Club or Gym a Viable Business?

The fitness industry has significant potential, but no business runs itself. The success of a club depends not only on the growing popularity of healthy lifestyles and increasing interest in physical activity, but above all on location, the financing model, management, marketing, and the ability to build lasting relationships with members.

In 2024, the European market surpassed 71.6 million fitness club members, with revenues reaching a record high of approximately 36 billion euros. [1] This was not a one-off spike, but rather an indication of a long-term growth trend and the room that still exists for further development. The market's potential is equally evident in Poland. According to an analysis by dataplace.ai, as many as 1,855 municipalities — home to around 7 million people — lack access to modern training infrastructure. This means that in many locations, there is still space to create a club (you can read here about how to choose the right location for a fitness club).

The fact that the market is not fully saturated yet is also reflected in the fitness market penetration rate in Europe, which currently stands at around 8.9%. By comparison, the figure in the United States exceeds 20%, illustrating the growth potential that remains in this segment.

Market potential alone is not enough, however. Thinking about how to open a fitness club? Start by making three decisions: what model you want to operate under, what budget you are prepared to commit to the investment, and how to plan the entire process.

How to Open a Fitness Club — Independently or as a Franchise?

Before opening your own fitness club, you need to think carefully not only about location, budget, and equipment, but above all about how you want to operate. You can build a business from scratch — under your own brand, on your own terms, and with full decision-making freedom. However, this path also comes with a great deal of responsibility. You make all the decisions yourself: location, target audience, offering, equipment, marketing, recruitment, and club management. If you have no experience running a business or no background in the fitness industry, you will likely end up figuring things out through trial and error.

One of our franchise partners, Paula Zielińska, knows both models from personal experience. She watched her parents build and run a fitness club from the ground up. Over time, she joined the family business herself — starting out on reception and later working as club manager. When the opportunity arose to grow within a network, she and her parents decided to join the Xtreme Fitness Gyms franchise.

„Running your own gym and keeping up with the market and competition is not easy. Being part of a franchise means we grow faster, scale the business faster, and can do things that simply would not have been possible running the business on our own” – says Paula.

That said, franchising is not the right solution for everyone (you can read here about how it works). The model you choose should reflect your experience, budget, availability, willingness to commit to the project, and how much independence matters to you. It is also worth keeping your long-term goals in mind — if you are thinking about scaling the business, you are likely to reach that stage faster by working within a proven business model.

Do you have experience running a club, managing a team, an operational background, and a vision for your own brand? Building a business from scratch may well be the right path for you. If, on the other hand, you want to enter the fitness industry with a proven business model and support at every stage, a franchise is worth considering.

What Budget and Financing Model Are Right for Your Project?

The budget you need to launch your own fitness club depends on its floor area, location, standard of equipment, and the model it will operate under. In the case of an Xtreme Fitness Gyms club, a franchise partner needs a minimum equity contribution of 450,000 PLN net. At the same time, they do not finance the fit-out of the premises, which would typically cost around one million zloty. The franchisee receives a turnkey club — fully equipped and ready to open (read more about how much it costs to open a fitness club).

Before signing the agreement, they receive a profit and loss forecast for the specific location, covering both revenue streams and operating costs. All projections are based on data from existing Xtreme Fitness Gyms clubs. For entrepreneurs, it is usually the numbers that are the decisive factor. They mean you are not starting from an idea and hoping for the best — you are working within a proven system that is already operating successfully across other locations.

How to Structure the Process from Idea to Opening

Having the idea for your own fitness club is one thing. Navigating all the stages that lead to opening is another: choosing a location, refurbishing the premises, fitting it out, recruiting and training a team, running pre-sales, and planning the offering. When you are running the business on your own, every one of these elements needs to be planned from scratch. You are the one sourcing suppliers, negotiating lease and equipment terms, drawing up procedures late into the night, meeting job candidates during the day, and then testing your ideas in practice once the doors open.

If you have no experience in the fitness industry, many of these decisions will be ones you are making for the first time — which makes you more vulnerable to mistakes, delays, and ultimately additional costs. In a franchise model, opening a fitness club looks quite different. You do not start with a blank page — you enter a process. You work within a system that has already been tested, refined, and successfully implemented across more than 180 locations.

Lack of business experience is not an obstacle either. After signing the agreement, franchisees complete a series of business, operational, and marketing training programmes (you can read here about how to plan a pre-sale campaign), and can continue to count on support from the franchisor after opening. This does not mean the franchisor takes responsibility for the business away from the partner — but it does mean they provide the tools and support needed to run it effectively at every stage.

If you want to open your own fitness club, don't start by choosing equipment or deciding on a legal structure. Start with the business decisions — the operating model, the business plan, and the process — because these will shape everything that follows. You can build your own fitness club independently, or with support. Both are valid paths, but each comes with its own distinct set of challenges.

If you would like to find out more about the franchise model, sign up for a free webinar.

[1] Deloitte, European Health & Fitness Market. Report 2025