Open a gym - Get fit in the world of self-employment!

By Jérémy Hasenfratz

Published: 4 May 2025

Do you have sport in your blood and want to make a living from your passion by opening a gym?

The fitness industry is booming: demand is massive and supply is increasing. This sector offers many opportunities for entrepreneurs and has a promising future. Anyone can enter the market. There are several ways to get started: You can start your own gym, take over an existing gym or be a member of a franchise.

Find out how to successfully open a gym with this practical guide!

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What are the requirements for opening a gym?

Specialist qualifications

There are no specific legal requirements or specialised knowledge needed to open a fitness studio. However, it is highly advisable to have a certain amount of commercial and technical expertise in order to operate as an entrepreneur in the fitness market.

Because yes, in this environment you need to know how to plan courses, organise enrolments, buy equipment, manage staff, etc. As a qualified sports teacher, fitness economist or fitness trainer with the character of a manager, you have the right profile.

Such experience or diplomas strengthen the confidence of potential customers and also create more professionalism with banks and investors, because if you can prove your qualifications, they are much more willing to grant you start-up capital.

Administrative requirements

Opening your own fitness studio does not require a great deal of administrative work. All you have to do is submit an application to your local trade office. Data is automatically forwarded to the tax office and you will then receive a tax number and the documents for tax registration.

The most common legal forms of a fitness studio are the Unternehmergesellschaft (UG), the Gesellschaft bürgerlichen Rechts (GbR) or the Einzelunternehmen, and do not have to be entered in the commercial register due to their legal simplicity.

What do you need to open a fitness studio?

Financing

In addition to administrative and professional requirements, you must not forget the financing stage, because opening your own fitness studio is relatively expensive, especially in the furnishing and design of the studio itself and then later in the equipment.

Several hundred thousand euros are needed to open a gym, and under good conditions.

💡 It is therefore advisable to calculate all expenses in advance by drawing up a financial plan for your planned expenditure. An own contribution of around 30% is recommended in order to have a good starting point and to be more credible with investors. Government funding programmes are also a great help to support you with your project.

Personnel

The choice of staff should not be left to chance. Competent staff will give your fitness centre a good reputation. That's why professional experience of the staff with certificates and state diplomas is required to teach private or group classes correctly and to learn how to use machines properly. For example, Zumba must be taught by coaches who are certified by the relevant association.

💡 Don't forget to include staff for reception and administration in your financial planning! These people will take care of subscriptions or organise individual meetings with coaches if required.

Value proposition

The fitness industry is booming: new fitness centres are opening every day. It is therefore important to stand out from the competition by offering a unique concept, a so-called Unique Selling Proposition (value proposition).

💡 If you don't have any concept ideas for your USP, have you thought about these points?

Setting up an intuitive booking system for booking and managing courses like SimplyBook.me. Such a solution enables the omnichannel presence of your gym: be present through different channels (social networks, personalisable booking website, etc.) and drastically improve the customer experience of your members!
Brand new equipment can attract customers and differentiate you from the competition.
Focus on different types of fitness such as cardio or certain collective workouts .
A wellness area is often in demand and can differentiate your gym.
A drink or snack vending machine with your snacking brand can also provide a unique value proposition.
A cheap subscription without sacrificing quality.
An innovative or creative gym interior.

Target group

Don't forget to define your target group. Each specific target group has different preferences: A value proposition perfectly tailored to your target group can only contribute to the success of your gym.

The target group varies depending on:

Customer profile (gender, age, professional activity),
expectations,
consumption habits (where they usually exercise, frequency of exercise, etc.),
level of satisfaction.

Location and premises

The location of your gym is very important. This is an important parameter because your success will depend on the choice of location. Try to find an area where a gym would be suitable, for example:

in the city centre,
near main roads,
universities, or
business parks.

This will again depend on the definition of your target group.

The gym should be large enough to accommodate the various pieces of equipment. In addition, at least two changing rooms, showers and toilets (one for women and one for men), and a reception area at the entrance of the building are required.

As you have understood, good sports facilities will be necessary, which will require considerable investment.

Communication

Communication is an essential element that will contribute to the success of your business. Therefore, a website is almost indispensable for attracting new visitors, especially for presenting your offers and your gym.

The use of social networks is also recommended to communicate about your launch offers and to book places or courses via reservation platforms.

Finally, it can be interesting to communicate with companies and other organisations in your area. Think about voucher campaigns!

The business plan: Your player in the start-up

Summarise all of the above information in a business plan. The business plan is an essential element in convincing banks or investors to grant you a loan to set up your gym and buy your premises. This document presents your entire project to your banker.

It also contains financial data such as:

The cash flow budget,
The projected profit and loss account,
The projected balance sheet,
The financial plan.

💡 Although the business plan is a key argument for the bank, it also provides the self-employed person with a list of the running costs and planned acquisition costs for their project.

Alternative: The franchise

The franchise is an interesting alternative for founders who need strong marketing support. Franchisors require certain specifications (clothing, logo, interior design, equipment, etc.) and licence fees, sometimes also a minimum capital. The best-known franchisors include Mrs Sporty and Clever Fit.

Discover the advantages and disadvantages of this form of distribution for your fitness business:

Advantages

With a franchise, you benefit from brand awareness;
It is much easier to find investors as the parent company provides a guarantee or, in some cases, can even finance part of the capital;
The parent company can provide organisational and financial support for the establishment of your gym;
Ultimately, most of the marketing activities are taken over by the parent company.

Disadvantages

Part of the turnover is transferred to the parent company;
The licence fee can be expensive;
There is less entrepreneurial freedom because the specifications of the fitness chain must be adhered to;
There is also a risk of the parent company being discredited and damaging the reputation of your fitness club.