Today’s world is one in which physical appearance is very important, and this phenomenon has been significantly boosted by the media, which incessantly promotes images of celebrities in perfect shape. While this insistence is often considered excessive—and the cause of problems related to nutrition or low self-esteem— physical exercise has become an indispensable requirement for many people.
It’s not just your appearance that benefits from practicing sports or going to the gym, but also, and above all, your health . For all these reasons, despite the economic crisis of recent years, the gym business doesn’t seem to have been significantly affected by the contraction in household spending.
One of the golden rules in setting up a commercial gym is undoubtedly the pursuit of simplicity and “natural” physical activity. Beyond these practices, the gym can certainly offer more complex equipment and classes, but a simple and easy-to-learn foundation is essential.
Often, those who open a gym are driven by passion , perhaps because they already work there or are passionate about sports. Without a doubt, skill and sports experience are essential requirements for launching this new business. However, it’s important to emphasize that passion alone isn’t always enough.
To succeed in a commercial venture, you need organizational and management skills , particularly the ability to handle the many bureaucratic, fiscal, and financial aspects of running a gym. Therefore, it’s best to entrust these tasks to competent individuals, such as managers, accountants, and other professionals with experience in these fields.
The advantages of opening a gym
Opening and running a gym is a business that, compared to other commercial ventures, requires less time and resources and is therefore considered among the simplest. Besides the initial costs , which can be quite expensive, especially if you purchase complex equipment, the operating costs over the years are generally quite low. This allows you to recover the initial investment in a relatively short time (usually a few years) and generate significant profits from there.
Once a gym is well established, it will require periodic maintenance , repair , or replacement of its machines and equipment, but these are essentially one-time interventions that don’t significantly impact the budget. Many gym owners and managers even manage to take long vacations , since they can temporarily entrust management to trusted people.
However, daily working hours are long, as a gym opens early in the morning and closes late at night to allow working people to attend. Furthermore, a successful gym should be open to clients on weekends as well, if not all day, at least during certain hours.
Permissions for opening
Before opening a gym, the owner must have a VAT number and the business must be registered with the local Chamber of Commerce.
The opening of a gym or fitness center can only occur after obtaining a specific permit from the municipality where the facility is located. To obtain this permit, the gym owner must demonstrate that the facility meets the health, hygiene , and safety requirements required by law.
In addition to the standard building permit , fire prevention requirements must also be met. All these documents regarding the business must be attached to the Notice of Commencement of Activity (DIA), which must be filed with the relevant municipal offices.
Furthermore, there must be a responsible technical director who acts as the facility’s point of contact, while the staff must hold qualifications or training certificates that qualify them to teach gym classes. These certificates may include, for example, a degree in Sports and Exercise Sciences or an ISEF diploma, although many other types of equivalent professional qualifications exist. Gym operators may also be employed, such as:
- Technicians of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI)
- Technicians of the national sports federations affiliated with CONI
- Technicians of sports promotion bodies
- Professionals with a personal trainer diploma or equivalent
The gym owner must also take out insurance that guarantees both gym patrons and the staff adequate coverage in the event of an accident.
Structure to be used as a gym
Even before the features of the facility, which are undoubtedly important for the gym’s commercial success , the first aspect to consider is its location . Since most people use cars for their daily commute, there must be ample parking outside the gym , or at least the availability of free street parking. The ideal location, for example, is on the outskirts of the city, along a major road, or near shopping centers, where parking is plentiful.
A gym requires adequate space to house fitness equipment and machines, with some rooms designated for free-body activities or classes (e.g., yoga, Pilates, dance, etc.). Given these factors, and the available budget, it’s essential to choose a building large enough to accommodate all the planned activities.
Ideally, you’d find a building that’s ready for use, or at most requires only minimal renovations or adaptations. It’s best if the gym spans a single floor ; if this isn’t possible, the heaviest equipment and any weightlifting platforms should be located on the ground floor.
The dimensions of the spaces intended to house the machines must be carefully considered, so that an adequate number of devices can be accommodated without them being crowded together. All rooms must be adequately lit , preferably with natural light, which, in addition to reducing energy consumption, is also more pleasant than artificial lighting.
Large, bright windows are especially recommended in rooms where prolonged indoor activities are performed, such as on a stationary bike, treadmill, or elliptical trainer, as they allow exercisers to distract themselves by looking outside. Ventilation is also very important: proper air exchange allows for oxygenation of interior spaces, the dispersion of humidity, and the elimination of unpleasant odors that inevitably arise when engaging in physical activity.
The facility’s design must include spacious, bright changing rooms , containing wall-mounted lockers, benches, mirrors, and other furnishings and accessories. The number of showers and restrooms must be adequate for the expected influx of customers, allowing people to wash quickly even when the gym is busy. If budget allows, the gym can also be equipped with a sauna , Turkish bath , or a full-fledged wellness center offering massages and beauty treatments.
Necessary equipment for the gym
In the various rooms of the gym it is advisable to place easy-to-use and frequently used equipment, such as:
- Cardio machines (exercise bikes, spinning bikes, recumbent bikes, treadmills, elliptical trainers, steppers, rowing machines, etc.)
- Abdominal Crunch: for abs
- Leg press, leg curl, abductor machine: for legs
- Arm curl, dip machine, lat machine, low row, shoulder press, arm extension: for arms
- Chest press, pectoral machine: for pectorals
The gym must also have an area where you can practice with weights , equipped with:
- Shock-absorbing footboard
- Balancers
- Weights and discs
- Horizontal and inclined benches
- Multipower (“castle”)
The gym’s equipment also includes accessories such as:
- Rehabilitation and proprioception boards
- Inflatable balls
- Stretching mats
- Elastic bands of different thicknesses
- Step
- Wristbands and anklets
Some final tips
Many people who regularly go to the gym do so to release the tension accumulated during the day and thus relax their body and mind. Given this, an aspect to consider is the personal relationship these clients seek with the gym staff. Clients should feel welcomed, rewarded, and treated with kindness, and finding helpful and friendly staff will certainly encourage them to return.
Conversely, a fitness facility might be equipped with the best machines, but if interpersonal relationships are lacking, it will be difficult to achieve customer loyalty . To ensure customers are treated with courtesy, competence, and kindness, the gym staff must be absolutely passionate about their work, and this applies to both receptionists and fitness instructors.
Especially in the initial stages, it’s essential to focus on marketing to attract new prospects and, hopefully, turn them into repeat customers. This is why it’s advisable to contact specialized communications agencies that can develop promotional campaigns that include public billboards, flyer distribution, or advertising on local television and newspapers.
A great way to encourage customers to join the gym is to offer free or discounted trial periods ; membership discounts for bringing a friend or relative to the gym are also very popular.
Useful links for opening a gym
- Ilcommerciale.com – Opening a Gym
- Giovaneimpresa – Gyms and sports centers
- Chamber of Commerce – Gym
