A fitness business can take many shapes: a solo personal trainer, a boutique studio, an online coaching platform, or a direct-to-consumer activewear brand. What each has in common is a growing market behind it.
According to the Health & Fitness Association’s 2025 Global Report, global fitness memberships climbed 6% year over year in 2024, revenue increased an average of 8%, and the number of fitness facilities expanded nearly 4%. In the US alone, these businesses served 77 million members and nearly 96 million total customers that same year.
Online fitness is growing faster still. Mordor Intelligence valued the online fitness market at $28.89 billion in 2025 and projects it will reach $120.13 billion by 2031, with subscriptions accounting for the majority of that revenue. This guide covers how to start a fitness business in 10 steps.
Table of contents
Types of fitness businesses
Fitness businesses fall into two broad categories: service businesses, which help clients reach fitness goals; and product businesses, which sell equipment, apparel, or other physical goods.
Here’s how the two models compare:
| Service businesses | Product businesses | |
|---|---|---|
| Examples | Personal training, gyms, yoga studios, online coaching, group fitness classes | Activewear, equipment, supplements, fitness tech |
| Revenue model | Session fees, memberships, class packages, subscriptions | Direct-to-consumer product sales, wholesale, subscriptions |
| Location | In-person (studio/gym) or remote (online platform) | Online store, retail, or both |
Fitness service businesses
These businesses operate in brick-and-mortar locations or remotely, focusing on helping clients achieve their fitness goals:
- Gyms and fitness studios. Facilities range from general membership gyms to specialized studios, like yoga centers or CrossFit gyms, where clients pay for classes. Even retail brands can incorporate this model. For example, activewear brand Gym+Coffee’s physical retail locations (which they call Clubhouses) double as community hubs for meetups and events.
- Personal training business and coaching. This model centers on selling expertise through one-on-one training, semi-private group coaching, and personalized workout plans. Services could be available in-person or online, with revenue generated from session fees or subscriptions.
- Group classes and fitness events. You can run fitness challenges, boot camps, or sports clubs where clients pay per class or via memberships. Performance-driven running apparel brand Bandit Running, for example, grew out of hosting group runs in New York City, opting for a word-of-mouth marketing strategy rather than placing ads for the first year to help build its loyal following.
- Online fitness apps and subscription platforms. Subscription-based fitness apps, streaming classes, or online coaching communities bring the gym directly to clients at home. This modality is also more popular than ever: Mordor Intelligence found subscriptions represented 77.95% of the online fitness market in 2025.
- Franchise and licensed concepts. Established fitness franchise brands give founders an opportunity to open fitness studios and gyms under a proven model, trading autonomy for built-in brand recognition and systems.
Fitness product businesses
Product businesses build scalable revenue through physical goods:
- Activewear and athleisure. Brands like SET Active, Gym+Coffee, and Gymshark serve communities of active consumers through quality clothing that fits their lifestyle. “Activewear is part of my every single day routine,” says Lindsey Carter, founder and CEO of SET Active. “I think that’s always going to be [the case].”
- Sports equipment and gear. Thistype of businessdesigns and sells gear that people use to stay fit or play sports, such as pickleball paddles, cycling gear, or snowboards.
- Fitness tech and wearables. The ACSM’s 2026 fitness trends survey ranked wearable technology as the top fitness trend for the year, a position it has held for the majority of the past decade. Smart watches and other wearable devices can now monitor things like blood pressure, skin temperature, and fall detection, which can be useful for runners, fitness beginners, seniors, and athletes looking to monitor their performance.
- Supplements and nutrition. A natural extension for fitness brands with an existing health-conscious audience, nutritional supplements can include products like protein powders, electrolytes, pre-workout blends, vitamins, and recovery drinks. However, this category comes with strict regulatory considerations around labeling, ingredients, manufacturing standards, and health claims.
How to start your own fitness business
- Identify your fitness niche
- Outline your product, pricing, and revenue streams
- Make a business plan
- Get certification, licenses, and insurance
- Register your fitness business
- Find a location or choose an online setup
- Set up a financial plan
- Create a website and booking workflow
- Find your clients
- Scale your fitness business
Starting a fitness business involves picking a niche, mapping out revenue streams and pricing, choosing a location or online setup, building a web presence, finding early clients, and more. The 10 steps below walk through the details of each stage. For a broader look at the process, see the starting a business checklist.
1. Identify your fitness niche
A clear niche makes every other decision easier: who to market to, what to charge, which certifications to pursue, and where to locate. Start with a market analysis that maps where there’s demand, then identify your own interests and expertise.
Look for gaps that larger gyms and generic brands in the fitness industry don’t serve well. For instance, the Health & Fitness Association’s (HFA’s) 2025 Consumer Report found yoga participation rose from 20.2% to 21.8% year over year among gym members in 2024, while Pilates reached 8.1%, pointing to continued appetite for mind-body formats. Strength training is still popular, with 32.1% of members using free weights.
Meanwhile, ACSM’s top fitness trends for 2026 point to growing demand for functional fitness, older adult programming, and personalized training.
If you can, pinpoint a specific problem. During the 2020 lockdowns, Will Torrez of Zeno Gym noticed that people lacked access to gym equipment at home. So, he pivoted from making hotel furniture to designing an all-in-one workout bench, propelling his company to more than $20 million in sales in two years.
2. Outline your products, pricing, and revenue streams
Before you build anything, figure out where the money will come from. The right mix depends on your model.
For example, gyms and studios might layer membership dues with drop-in fees, personal training upsells, and retail product sales. Online personal training businesses could combine subscription programs with one-on-one packages. Product-led fitness brands might monetize through direct-to-consumer sales, wholesale, and, increasingly, subscriptions.
If you’re selling gear, apparel, or coaching programs, Shopify Subscriptions can turn one-time buyers into recurring revenue.
The market supports strategic pricing. The HFA’s 2025 Global Fitness Industry Report found global fitness revenue rose an average of 8% in 2024, and 91% of operators expected further gains in 2025. Price to cover your costs and reflect what you actually deliver, not just to match whoever’s down the street.
3. Make a business plan
A business plan should document your business model, revenue model, and unique value proposition (UVP), detailing how your startup will serve its niche.
You don’t have to create a formal investor document. Most founders don’t need one. A Shopify survey of store owners found that only 34% wrote a business plan before starting, while 66% did not. Writing a business plan can help you estimate the amount of time, money, and resources you need to build and grow your company. It can help you evaluate your business idea so you’re focused on building a business with the most potential for success.
Start by covering the essentials:
- Niche and target audience. Who you serve, what problem you solve, and why your offer is different.
- Revenue model. How you’ll make money: session pricing, membership tiers, product margins, or a mix.
- Startup and operating costs. What you need to launch, and what it costs monthly to keep running.
- Marketing plan. How both offline and online clients or customers will hear about you.
- Break-even target. The minimum revenue you need to cover costs each month.
If you are raising outside capital, you’ll likely need a more detailed plan covering projections, competitive analysis, and organizational structure.
4. Get certification, licenses, and insurance
Proper certification proves you have the expertise to safely and effectively train clients, protecting both their well-being and your professional reputation.
If you’ll be working as a personal trainer or instructor, certifications from accredited organizations (like NASM, ACE, ACSM, or ISSA) are typically required by your state or local area for insurance and liability purposes. Requirements vary by role, location, insurer, landlord, and partner agreements.
Specialized fitness businesses often need specialized credentials. For example, many yoga studios in the US require instructors to have 200-hour or 500-hour certifications from Yoga Alliance–registered schools. Similarly, anyone opening a CrossFit affiliate must complete the Level 1 Certificate Course.
In addition to professional certifications, secure any licenses or permits required to legally operate your business. A brick-and-mortar gym or studio often needs a general business license from the city or county. You may also need health permits to comply with safety regulations, especially if you offer services like massage, serve drinks in a smoothie bar, or handle childcare on-site.
While not officially considered a license, liability insurance is essential for fitness businesses. It protects against potential risks and is often required by landlords or in partnership agreements.
5. Register your fitness business
Decide if you’ll operate as a sole proprietorship, form a limited liability company (LLC), or incorporate. An LLC separates personal and business assets, makes opening a business bank account straightforward, and simplifies insurance and contracts. A sole proprietorship is simpler to set up, but doesn’t offer that separation.
As part of this process, settle on a name that embodies your brand and isn’t already in use. You’ll register that name with your state or local authorities. If you haven’t already, check if the domain name for a website is available.
Once you’ve chosen a structure, follow the steps to register your business: choose and register your business name, apply for an employer identification number (EIN) through the IRS, open a dedicated business bank account, and apply for any local licenses or permits.
6. Find a location or choose an online setup
If your fitness business needs a physical space—like a gym, fitness studio, or office—start by considering your target audience and which locations are most convenient for them.
Evaluate the following before signing a lease:
- Whether the ceiling height and floor plan work for your class or equipment format
- How close it is to your target market
- Flexibility of the lease
- Whether you’ll need to add flooring, mirrors, sound systems, or locker rooms
- Parking, public transport, and how easy it is to spot from the street
Niall Horgan, CEO and cofounder at Gym+Coffee, says his brand’s first physical location came from an opportunity that popped up two years into the business. Niall decided it would be a good opportunity to test if the brand could move from a solely online business to something with an offline element. The team called in every favor and opened in two weeks. The early events validated the format before a longer commitment of a full retail space.
Once established, Gym+Coffee started using its retail stores (called Clubhouses) as event hubs for fitness and yoga classes, journaling workshops, podcast recordings, and more. Niall says this creative use of stores proved that physical space can generate revenue beyond product sales.
When establishing an online fitness business, consider:
- Video platform for live or recorded classes (Zoom, dedicated apps, or your own site)
- Scheduling and booking software to manage sessions
- Payment processing and subscription management
- Equipment for recording, like lighting, cameras, and microphones
7. Set up a financial plan
A financial plan maps what it costs to launch, monthly operational costs, and how many clients or sales you need to break even. Begin by adding up your startup costs. These may include:
- Facility costs, including lease deposits or down payments if you bought property
- Renovation or decorating costs
- Equipment purchases, from treadmills to yoga mats, depending on your business type
- Technology costs like computers, booking software, or a sound system
Next, estimate your ongoing operating expenses and ensure you have a plan to sustain your business after the opening excitement. Typical monthly expenses include: rent payments or mortgage installments; utilities; staff payroll; and software subscriptions for personal trainers, scheduling, or billing. Estimate how many clients or sales you need per month to cover those expenses and turn a profit. Consider putting aside a cash reserve or securing a business line of credit for unplanned expenditures or slower seasons.
Funding options depend on your business structure. For example, an online coach or solo trainer might be able to launch just from savings. Boutique studios might use personal loans, SBA loans, or small-business grants. Full gym build-outs might need a mix of equity investment and commercial financing.
8. Create a website and booking workflow
Beyond branding, your website needs to handle booking, payment, subscriptions (if relevant), and easy navigation between service or product types.
Getting this right early on matters. Chris Anastasi, co-founder of fitness apparel brand Muscle Nation, learned this the hard way. “Our website crashed with only 80 visitors,” he says. “We paid a developer to solve the problem, and were initially so excited when our website could host 200 visitors. Unfortunately, the website crashed again soon after a product launch.”
Begin with infrastructure that can handle traffic from day one, and build from there. For service businesses, apps like Tipo Appointment Booking and My Timetable integrate directly with Shopify to manage class schedules, session bookings, and payments without a separate system.
Key things to get right from the start:
- Make sure your website looks good and works on mobile devices.
- Have clear service or product pages with pricing.
- Keep your booking or purchase flow to as few steps as possible.
- Maintain consistent branding, including logo, colors, and voice across your site and social media platforms.
- Create a reliable system for recurring memberships, program subscriptions, or subscription box products (Shopify Subscriptions handles all of this).
9. Find your clients
A Shopify survey of store owners* (Q4 2025) found that word of mouth is the most common Year 1 growth strategy, while building a social media presence is second. This means your first clients come from people who already know and trust you.
For service businesses, start with direct outreach:
- Offer a free introductory session or trial class to people in your existing network.
- Partner with complementary local businesses, such as physical therapy clinics, nutritionists, and sports clubs.
- Host or join local fitness events to demonstrate your training style.
- Build a social media presence showing your methodology, including behind-the-scenes training, client results, and educational content (follow the FTC’s advertising and marketing guidelines when publishing testimonials or claims about outcomes).
For product businesses, early customer acquisition has a slightly different approach:
- Seed product with athletes or personal trainers in your target niche for authentic social promotion.
- Launch with a specific community event, run club, or gym partnership that puts your product in use.
- Run targeted ads to people who have shown interest in your specific category.
- Use email marketing to build a list before launch.
Rabbit, a performance apparel brand founded by two competitive runners, has cultivated a strong community that actively shapes the brand’s direction.
“We always talk about how we make performance running products, but at the end of the day, we’re supporting the dreams of our community,” says co-founder and CEO Monica DeVreese on an episode of the Shopify Masters podcast. “That’s where, for us, we’re getting all of our insights.”
For paid acquisition, look at trending products data to identify which fitness categories are doing well in search and on social before you invest in ads.
10. Scale your fitness business
Scaling too early is a common mistake. In a Shopify survey of store owners* (Q4 2025), 20% said one of their top regrets was scaling the business before they had consistent cash flow.
Before making a growth move, be sure to track and review these key metrics:
- Membership or client retention rate (Are people staying?)
- Class or session numbers (Are you regularly at or near capacity?)
- Monthly recurring revenue and month-over-month growth
- Profit margin after all operating costs
- Waitlists where there is demand that exceeds capacity
For gyms and studios, scaling might mean expanding the current facility, opening a second location, or licensing the concept. For an online gym business or product business, it means building a team, expanding SKUs or programs, or entering new markets.
Ben Francis, founder and CEO of Gymshark, describes how the brand outpaced its own infrastructure. “It took six to eight months just to build the site. By the time the site was finished we had doubled in size and had already outgrown the site,” he says.
The lesson: Plan infrastructure for where the business will be in 12 months, not where it is today.
When hiring to support growth, use certified fitness professionals where the role requires it. Misclassifying employees as independent contractors creates legal and tax exposure, so check your state’s employment rules before making any offers.
Finally, pay attention to client feedback. For example, if members consistently ask for fitness services you don’t offer, like nutrition coaching or more class times—they could be growth opportunities.
*Based on a 2025 survey of 500 Shopify merchants conducted in English across Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United States. Respondents were established merchants with two or more years on the platform. Results reflect the experiences of this specific sample and may not be representative of all merchants.
How to start a fitness business FAQ
How much does it cost to start a fitness business?
Startup costs range widely depending on your fitness business model. An online coaching operation might launch for as little as a few hundred dollars, whereas opening a physical gym could require tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Are fitness businesses profitable?
Yes, the fitness industry can be highly profitable and there are plenty of successful businesses, especially well-run gyms, online training services, or specialized offerings. Profitability comes from multiple revenue streams (e.g. gym memberships, personal training, and retail products), as well as keeping overhead costs under control.
How do I start my own fitness company?
To start your own fitness company, choose your niche, establish a business model, develop a solid business plan, and take care of essentials like registering your business and obtaining required permits. Next, create a website and garner an in-person or online community. If you plan to operate a physical studio or gym, find the right building and outfit it with equipment.
How can I start a fitness business with no money?
Starting a successful fitness business with little to no money is possible if you leverage free resources and adopt a lean approach. Focus on offering your services through free or low-cost online platforms, like social media livestreams or YouTube, to build a client base without upfront costs. Consider creative tactics like partnering with local businesses, using shared or outdoor spaces, or pre-selling memberships to cover expenses without needing capital upfront.
What do you need to open a gym?
To open a gym you’ll need a suitable space with the right layout and ceiling height for your equipment, the relevant business licenses and permits for your location, liability insurance, and the fitness certifications required by your state or insurer. On the financial side, budget for lease deposits, equipment, fit-out costs, and enough working capital to cover operating expenses while you build your membership base.
