When I opened the doors to my gym in Melbourne’s outer east, I was operating on a mix of adrenaline, exhilaration, and that special kind of panic that sets in when you’ve thrown your life savings into a business venture. I still remember the smell of the fresh rubber mats, the slightly crooked logo decal we stuck on the front window the night before, and the silence right before that first member walked in. That silence was thick with one question: Have I made the biggest mistake of my life?
If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve got the itch—the dream of running your own gym, building a tight-knit fitness community, and turning your passion into a business. That was me not too long ago. But here’s the thing: When it comes to opening a gym in Australia, it’s a lot more than simply buying a few barbells and sharing inspirational quotes on Instagram. It’s a minefield of council bylaws, hidden costs, unreliable contractors, early morning classes where no one turns up, and the very real stress of feeling like you have to be everything for everyone at once: owner, cleaner, marketer, coach, and sometimes therapist.
This is not an article filled with bland affirmational fluff. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at the stuff you can’t see but that makes the business tick — the day-to-day operations and systems that help my gym run itself and serve my clients the way I want them to be served. This is a real-world walk through I want to give you so that you can see the truth about what I’ve done and how I’ve done it the hard way — by making mistakes, fixing them, surviving, and ultimately building a gym that by the time you’re reading this is still standing and better than ever before.
If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “Could I really do this?” —the answer is yes. But only if you walk in with your eyes wide open.
Let me show you how I did it.
Finding Your “Why”
Before I ever set out a single rubber mat or set up a squat rack, I struggled in my head for months with one question: Why do I really want to open a gym?
My initial response was easy—I loved fitness, I loved helping people, and I had no desire to spend the next 30 years at a desk. But the more I dug, the more I learned that passion alone wasn’t going to get me through the 14-hour days, the 5 a.m. alarms, or the gut-wrenching moments when I didn’t know if we could afford rent that month.
It’s what motivates you to keep going when the novelty factor wears off. There has to be something concrete—something that connects you to the way you felt in the beginning.
For me, it began years ago. I was working in an office job that I didn’t love, dragging myself to the gym every evening to feel alive again. Before I knew it I was correcting peoples’ form, writing programs for my mates, and unofficially coaching classes. People were like, ‘You should do this for real.’ At first, I laughed it off. But the thought wouldn’t disappear.
Eventually, it clicked. I didn’t want to just be in a gym — I wanted to create a place that could be more than a gym, where people felt seen and supported and challenged. A place where regular humans, not just the shredded-influencer types, could show up and actually get fitter.
I’ve seen people open gyms for the wrong reasons — to capitalize on a fitness trend, maybe, or because they think it’ll be a form of passive income as they go about their daily business (newsflash: it won’t). Those gyms don’t last. You have to know what you stand for, because that will shape every decision you make—from the kind of gym you open to how you interact with your members.
So, before you go searching for space, or sketching your dream floor plan, ask yourself: Why this? Why now? And why you?
Answer that in truth, and you’re well on your way.
Market Research and Location Scouting
If you build it, they will come — unless you build it in the wrong place.
This was a lesson I learned the hard way.
As I began scouting locations for my gym, I was really focused on one thing: rent. I thought if I could keep costs low, everything else would work out. I discovered a nook behind a strip mall, and the rent was low, the space was O.K., and the landlord was laid-back. It seemed perfect—until I opened and realised that no one could find the gym..
There was no foot traffic, signage wasn’t visible from the main road, and parking was terrible. Even my mates got lost when they tried to find the place the first time.
So here’s what I wish I’d done from the get-go: market research.
That means going to other gyms in your area. Not just to “check out the competition,” but to see the community. Who trains there? What vibe do they give off? What’s their price point? I recall walking into three different gyms in one afternoon, sitting in the car after and taking notes on their class structure, their branding, even how clean the bathrooms were.
You also need to know who you specialize in. Are you starting a CrossFit box? A functional fitness space? A posh gym for business professionals? Your niche should echo the neighborhood. A high-end group studio may not fly in a blue-collar industrial suburb — but a no-frills strength gym might clean up.
Things took a turn once I moved to a nicer location, which was still affordable, but on a main road with lots of schools, stores, and coffee shops around me. Walk-ins increased. Word spread faster. Members started trickling in just because they could see people training when they drove by.
Also, check the council zoning rules.. Some retail spaces may not be zoned for gyms. Don’t assume anything. And trust me, it’s not fun to get halfway through a fit-out only to have to apply for a permit you didn’t even know existed.
Bottom line here – don’t just go for the cheapest lease. Chase the right location. It could be one of the biggest things that determines if you succeed or if you struggle.
Budgeting and Startup Costs
Let me be frank: opening a gym is expensive. I felt like I had a pretty good handle on my budget when I first got started — I was wrong by about $20,000. That’s no small gap when every dollar matters.
So here’s a breakdown of what I ended up spending (in AUD):
- Lease bond and first month’s rent: $8,000
- Equipment (racks, bars, plates, mats, cardio gear): $30,000
- Fit-out and signage: $12,000
- Council licenses and legal costs: $3,000
- Website and preliminary marketing: $2,500
- Insurance and business registrations: $2,000
- Unplanned “oops” costs: More than $5,000
- Total: Roughly $62,500
So, could I have done it more cheaply? Probably. But I also wrestled with some costly rookie mistakes.
For example, I overbought a lot of equipment initially. I thought I needed it ALL: five squat racks, piles of cardio machines, specialty bars, you name it. But in the first six months, half of it went virtually untouched. Had I begun with a leaner setup and gained along the way based on demand, I could have saved a lot.
One place where I could save was the fit-out. I kept it industrial and simple—no frills on the walls, polished concrete floors, and all the gear either homemade or cobbled together. It wasn’t pretty, but it was serviceable and on-brand for the kind of training we were doing. They weren’t interested in fancy lighting — they cared about results and atmosphere.
With regards to financing, I had a combination of personal savings and a small business loan from my local bank. I steered clear of recurring investors in the early days, because I didn’t want to give up control before I knew what I was doing. That meant some sleepless nights while I watched my bank balance dwindle down more than I’d hoped — but it also meant learning and pivoting on my own terms.
Pro tip: Plan for at least 3–6 months worth of operating expenses after your grand opening. You will not be profitable right away. Actually, I didn’t draw a real paycheck in the first five months. If I hadn’t allowed for that, I’d have keeled over before I even got a chance to stand up.
Legal and Compliance Requirements
Here’s something they really do not tell you in those “How to Start a Business” YouTube videos: the paperwork is serious.
To be honest, once upon a time I thought registering a business was filling out a form, paying a few bucks, and that was it. In the real world, getting a gym started in Australia is a mesh of council regulations, insurances, permits and licences — and if you miss one step, it can halt your launch to a stand-still.
Let me go through what I had to confront.
Business Structure: I decided to register as a Pty Ltd. It got me liability protection and made it easier to get business banking set up and a loan secured. A sole trader arrangement is cheaper and easier to get started with, but it’s a small cost in the overall scheme of things if you intend to grow or one day hire staff. They found out that the company took about two weeks to register through ASIC and set up with an ABN and GST registration.
Council Approval & Zoning: This was nearly my downfall.
The space I rented was zoned for “light industrial use.” Sounds fine, right? Nope. It looks like running a gym needs some planning permits and it depends on the suburb and the council. I have had to cross lease and apply for a change of use, send in floor plans, meet with a town planner and pay application fees to the council. It set my opening back six weeks.
Lesson: Before you sign a lease, find out from the council whether that property is zoned for fitness. Never take the landlord’s word for it.
Insurance: I ultimately took out three critical policies:
- Public Liability Insurance – (in case a member gets hurt).
- Professional Indemnity Insurance (if you are coaching or supplying programming)
- Workers Compensation Insurance (once I brought staff on)
This runs me about $2,000 a year combined, but it is non-negotiable. A few insurers will even ask you to implement particular safety measures or assessments before they let you on their policy.
Health and Safety: You also need to meet baseline Work Health and Safety (WHS) requirements – things like emergency exits, signage, first-aid kits, and staff training. The pandemic added another layer, with issues like contact tracing and capacity limits. Although those rules have relaxed, members have nonetheless grown accustomed to stringent levels of cleanliness and safety.
None of that is fun to get right, but it makes for a stable base. And believe me: Anything is better than getting smacked with a fine — or, worse, having to close up because you cut a corner.
Designing the Member Experience
You can have the best equipment, a slick website , and a killer workout routine —but if the experience inside your gym doesn’t feel good, people won’t stick around. I learned this lesson not in a business book but from a member who took me aside at one point and said: “I come here because it feels like someone actually gives a sh*t about me.” That resonated more than any spreadsheet.
Designing the member experience isn’t just about serving up protein bars and high-fives to everyone who walks in the door. It’s about how your gym feels from the moment someone walks in — about what they see, and hear, and smell, and whose presence they sense, and whether they get the idea that they might belong.
First Impressions Count
It’s all about that first impression. Enter your own gym like it’s your first time. What do you notice? Is the front desk disheveled? Does the music sound too loud or too dead? Can people tell where to go? Are the toilets clean?
In my early days, I was so focused on training programs that I forgot to look up – literally. There was a water stain on the ceiling for weeks. Dumbbells were strewn around like landmines. It’s the sort of thing that doesn’t bother your mates but bothers a new mum who’s been training at a gym once in the past 10 years. Or the alienated teenager whose already uneasy relationship to their body may return uneasy gazes?
Flow and Function
I began to carve out 10 minutes at the end of each day for a “walkthrough” the way an intrepid explorer would. It changed everything. Your design should follow how people move. Do they know where they can warm up? Is there room to move without someone’s barbell nearly falling on them? Are there dead spots in the gym, pockets of space where no one ever ventures?
Three times in the first year, I reconfigured my floor plan. It was initially a mess — rows of machines that didn’t work very well in the space. Then I watched how members naturally adapted to different zones: stretching mats near the front, lifting stations along one side, turf strip down the middle for sleds and dynamic work.
Even how people enter and leave the gym makes a difference. I installed a giant chalkboard near the front, and it has the challenge workout on it, plus a quote of the day and birthdays. Suddenly, people stopped and chatted. It fostered flow and community.
The Onboarding Experience
The first week at your gym is the most important. That’s when people decide whether this is “their place.” If they get lost, become invisible, or are overwhelmed, you’ve probably lost them. We developed an onboarding system divided into three parts:
- A quick phone call before the first session to welcome them.
- One complimentary guided visit with one of our trainers (even if they are just joining for open gym access).
- A handwritten note or follow-up call in the first 48 hours.
It may sound like overkill, but it established trust early, and that trust paid off in longer memberships.
It’s the Little Things That Count
New members will remember what they felt in your gym far more than what they lifted. A clean bathroom. Remembering their name. A music playlist that doesn’t suck: An actual foam roller that they can find when they need one.
I’d always believed the formula for growth was more: more equipment, more classes, more promotions. But the real magic came when I zeroed in on better — not bigger. Better conversations. Better systems. Better vibe.
Your equipment draws them in. They might be enchanted by your programming. But the experience? That’s what brings them back.
Hiring Staff and Building Culture
I’ll be honest: I waited way too long to hire my first trainer. I was doing everything — running classes, answering emails, cleaning toilets, chasing late payments, even refilling the toilet paper at 9 p.m. It wasn’t just tiring — it was impossible to sustain.
Eventually, I learned that if I wanted my gym to continue to exist beyond me, I had to create a staff. But it needed to be more than just a team — I wanted people who could help mold the culture of the gym, not just catch a failed squat or count reps.
Hire for Character First
The first person I hired was a mate of mine I trained with. He was competent, passionate and strong as an ox, but he didn’t quite “get” our members. He yapped at folks that they didn’t push hard enough, wisecracked about the culture of “man up” and just didn’t get our vibe in general. Great coach on paper. Poor fit in reality. That was a lesson from that experience, too: I can teach someone how to run a class. I cannot teach them how to give a damn. When I hire now, three other things are always my priority:
- Warmth — Do they make people feel seen?
- Adaptability – Do they read the room and change their approach?
- Belief – Do they believe in what we are building?
Your Team Reflects Your Gym
Your staff are your gym. They were the first faces people saw when I couldn’t be there, the ones leading warm-ups, the ones driving effort, and answering the awkward questions at the front desk. They could make a 6 a.m. class a highlight of someone’s day, or be part of the reason someone came once and never came back.
I began hosting team huddles every two weeks. Nothing fancy — just 30 minutes to work through what was working, what wasn’t, and what we could do next. We’d tell each other about member wins, trade coaching tips, and keep each other in the loop. It enabled alignment and accountability. I also made a “Culture Guide” for new employees. Not a dull guide, but a slim guide of what counts here. Here is some of what it contains:
- We greet everyone by name.
- We never make jokes about anyone’s body or their weight.
- We come early, and we stay a little late, and we clean up after ourselves.
- We make it safe to try, fail, and try again.
When your team knows the values, they can improvise with confidence. At first, I wanted to control everything. I’d micromanage classes, timetables, Instagram posts, you name it. It was well-intentioned (my gym was my baby), but it stifled initiative. People were waiting for me to sign off on every decision.
The turning point was when one of my trainers asked if she could run a women’s lifting intro course. I said yes, I gave her free reign. It sold out in a week. The members loved it. She felt valued. And I didn’t have to do anything. That’s when I switched from trying to control everything to enabling people to own something.
When It’s Time to Let Someone Go
Kicking a teammate to the curb sucks. I’ve had to do it twice. In one instance, someone didn’t respect boundaries, arriving late, joking inappropriately, and not taking feedback well. The other was less subtle: someone who had checked out emotionally but hung around for the paycheck.
On both accounts, the clinging on too long was a blight on the culture.
Here’s the thing I learned: It’s better for everyone to move on if it’s obviously not working and they’re not growing with the team. A single toxic or disengaged team member can unwind a year’s worth of building culture in a few weeks.
Hiring isn’t just about getting bodies onto the payroll. It’s about creating the kind of place you’d want to train in — even if you didn’t own it. That’s the filter I use now. If I can’t imagine being coached by this person, why should I assume my members would? Hire thoughtfully, not desperately. Your gym — and your sanity — will thank you later.
Sales, Marketing, and Pre-Opening Strategy
Here’s what nobody tells you when you’re opening a gym: You’re not just opening a gym — you’re launching a brand. And if you haven’t started marketing before opening the doors, you’re going to be paying rent on a very expensive empty room. I learned this the hard way.
At the start, I figured the equipment, the vibe, and the results would speak for themselves. I thought if I just built an incredible training environment, people would come to me.
They didn’t.
Or at least not fast enough to prevent me from sweating bullets by month two. The truth is, marketing is not a dirty word. It’s how you connect with the people you want to serve. But not just anyone—you want to attract the right members, the ones who will stay and help build your culture.
Begin Talking Before The Launch
Eight weeks out from launch, I started teasing the gym on Instagram: photos of the fit-out, snippets of our United We’re Stronger philosophy, short videos of me talking to the camera about what the space would represent. I also set up a landing page with just an email opt-in. No fluff—just:
“Be the first to know when our doors are opening. Early access, discounts, and a bonus 1-on-1 session for founding members.”
That email list of mine was my goldmine. When we opened, I had over 100 people on it. Around 30 converted to paying members in the first month. No paid ads. Nothing but regular posting and sincere updates.
If I had begun that process twelve weeks out rather than eight, I bet I could have doubled those numbers.
Crafting the Right Message
Don’t just rent time on equipment. That’s what every other gym is doing.” Instead, ask yourself: What do those who train there get?
What problem are you solving? What makes someone come to you instead of the 24-hour chain next door?
For me, the answer was: community and coaching. I wasn’t attempting to attract the elite athlete or bodybuilder. I was attempting to serve people who didn’t feel comfortable in a big box gym, but who were looking for structure, support, and results without the ego. So I led with that message:
“This is not a gym full of mirrors and meatheads. It’s a place for real people who want to train hard, feel better and be part of something.” That resonated. Because it was true.
Founding Member Offers
I offered a Founding Member special: the first 50 people to sign up would get a discounted rate for life. No joining fee. A free PT session. A branded shirt. Total cost to me? Maybe $25 per person. But the perceived value was massive — and the commitment was genuine. I gave them a deadline:
“Founding member slots close on [DATE]. From there, we jump up to regular price.” This gave people a reason to act now. I even had people DMing me on the last day, asking, “Can I still get in?”
Guerrilla Marketing Moves That Worked
- Flyers on local café noticeboards
- Partnerships with local physios and massage therapists (referral deals)
- Running a “pop-up workout” in a nearby park the week before opening
- Asking mates to share posts on their socials
- Getting listed on Google Maps early and asking early members to leave reviews
All of this was accomplished on a microscopic budget. It wasn’t that fancy, but it was real, and people felt it.
What Didn’t Work So Well
I spent a few hundred dollars on a print ad in a local paper. Crickets. Additionally, I tested boosting Facebook posts without targeting correctly. Money down the drain.
Lesson learned: Don’t waste money on marketing. Put in so much effort, consistency and clarity.
You have one shot at a first impression. Do not wait until you can open your doors to show people who you are and what you stand for. Develop the intrigue, develop the trust, develop (most important of all) the connection. That is what marketing is.
The First 90 Days
The initial three months were a blend of chaos and clarity, so many things unclear. I had a vision, some bare-bones equipment, a few founding members — and a to-do list that was piling up even faster than the number of people signing up to be members.
This is the part other people barely mention: the grind of those early months, when the honeymoon has ended, and reality sets in.I learned more about running a business in those 90 days than I did in the full 12 months of planning.
Expect a Slow Burn
Unless you’ve bought into a franchise and started with a six-figure advertising budget, your first 90 days likely won’t be filled to the brim with new members. I thought I’d open the doors and have dozens upon dozens of walk-ins. Instead, it was more like one every few days. This is normal.
Word of mouth takes time. Community takes time. People need to feel confident that your gym is not just a “pop-up” that will vanish in six months. I preserved my sanity with this one thing: I concentrated on over-delivering for the members I had.
Class by class, check-in by check-in, name remembered, Questions like “How’s your shoulder feeling?” mattered. These people became my most enthusiastic advocates. They brought friends. They left reviews. They created momentum.
Early Challenges
Here are a few unexpected things I encountered:
- Equipment breaking (a broken rower foot strap during a session)
- Canceling a double booking because I didn’t have my calendar synced correctly
- Members showing up early when I was still vacuuming the floor
- No-shows for free trial sessions
- Tech fails — Wi-Fi dropped out mid EFTPOS transaction
If you come to it with an attitude of “every problem is feedback,” you will get better and better. I built in some buffer time between classes. I posted clearer signage. I had spare equipment ready. I began to anticipate instead of react.
Key Wins
Little wins will keep you moving forward. My very first Google review felt like I had just won an Oscar. The first time someone messaged me and said, “I actually look forward to training now” I took a screen shot of it and I still have it.
Three members who didn’t know each other before they joined arranged a post-class coffee and invited others. That’s when I knew we were beginning to gain traction — not as a gym, but as a community.
Tracking and Tweaking
I maintained a basic spreadsheet with these weekly statistics:
- Total members
- Session attendance
- Revenue vs expenses
- New leads and the process of obtaining them
This yielded me data, but more to the point, it gave me a direction. I saw that Wednesdays were dead, so I tried a midweek challenge class. It filled up fast. I discovered that 80% of all new leads I gained would come from referrals, so I put in place a basic refer-a-friend bonus.
Systems That Saved My Sanity
Here’s something I didn’t realize when I first started: systems are the difference-maker between a thriving gym and a hot mess. For those first couple of weeks, I was pretty much flying blind.. Each booking, each payment, each cancellation, each towel restock was my weight to carry. I assumed that’s just how it went when you were “hustling.”
But the reality is that hustle without systems just grinds you down.
Why Systems Matter
When you’re a one-person show (or pretty close to it), systems are your silent employees. They keep things moving when you’re coaching a class, mopping the floors, or grabbing your first 10-minute lunch in 14 hours. A great system takes choice out of it. It gives you time
Here’s a handful of systems that got me through:
Membership & Booking Software: I went with Gymdesk after trialling a few different platforms. What sold me was how simple and intuitive it was—not just for me, but for members. Setup was quick, the dashboard is clean, and it integrates well with everything from payments to email marketing. Plus, it didn’t feel bloated with features I didn’t need, and the pricing was fair for a startup budget.
Gymdesk let me:
- Take recurring payments
- Let members book and cancel sessions online
- Track attendance trends
- Flag inactive members so I could reach out
Honestly, it felt like having a part-time admin assistant. I didn’t have to train or pay by the hour.
Payments and Invoicing: I implemented Stripe through my booking software.
I have used Xero in the past for stuff like invoicing (mostly for PT sessions and merchandise early on). Create regular invoices for your customers. Connected my business checking account. At the end of the year, I didn’t have to scroll through 12 months of paper receipts or screenshots.
Communication: I was early to create a private Facebook group for the community. Not a marketing page—a group. It was where I posted class updates, issued monthly challenges, and shared member shout-outs. It created a connection, fast. Members began calling out to one another, organizing meetups, swapping recipes. I realized that this was more than just software — this was a digital version of our community. These days, I also use email automation (through Mailchimp) to onboard new members. They receive a welcome email, one with tips and a check-in at 2 weeks and 4 weeks. All automated. It’s a big retention difference, and I don’t have to do anything once they first set it up.
Cleaning and Maintenance: I made a list where each day and week there were to do tasks with instructions and taped them to the staff room wall with expectations. It wasn’t sexy, but without it, things would fall through the cracks. The bathroom goes unstocked. The chalk dust piles up. The vibe starts to slip.
Letting Go of Control
Systems are only effective if you actually use them — and if you’re prepared to let them take over aspects of the business that you once micromanaged. That took time for me. I was used to doing it all. But when I saw the booking system open up and take class registrations and send emails without my needing to press send, I finally took a breath. It was as if my gym had ceased being a 24/7 weight strapped to my back — and started becoming something I could step back from.
Your systems will not be perfect on day one. Mine weren’t. But each time I made one — no matter how small — it offered me a little more sanity, a little more clarity , and a little more time to concentrate on what mattered most: the people. Right now, build your gym as though you’re not going to be there 24/7. Because someday, if you do this long enough, you won’t be.
Mistakes to Avoid
The simple truth is no matter how much planning you do, you’re going to make some mistakes when opening your gym. It’s part of the learning curve. Still, if I can help you dodge a few of the biggest ones, it might just save your sanity – and your bank balance.
It’s tempting to splash out on the flashiest equipment – top-of-the-line machines, custom rigs, fancy plate-loaded everything. But here’s the truth: your members won’t care if your hack squat costs $8K or $800 as long as it’s clean, functional, and safe. I blew $5K on a curved treadmill we now use to hang towels on.
Don’t be me.
We all chase sign-ups at the start – and I did too. But retention is what keeps your doors open long-term. I was so focused on getting people in that I forgot to keep them around. No member onboarding, no community building, no check-ins. If you’re not building relationships, you’re building churn.
Also, your gym build will live or die on the quality of your tradies. I trusted a “mate of a mate” to do our rubber flooring. He quoted cheap, then disappeared for three weeks mid-job. By the time he finally finished, it was uneven and bubbled in the corners. We had to rip half of it up and pay twice.
Your gym isn’t a hangout spot – it’s a business. I hired a mate to help manage the front desk. Lesson learned: he was fun, but totally unreliable. Hire for skill, not convenience..
One Big Mistake (and the Comeback)
I didn’t anticipate how long it would take for profits to accrue. I hadn’t built enough runway into my budget and almost ran out of cash in month number five. I bounced back by introducing a six-week challenge with pre-paid fees to get a big burst of cash and by starting monthly billing instead of casual passes. It saved us.
If I Had My Time Again: Top 3
- Begin modestly – You don’t have to have 500m² of shiny concrete on day one.
- Invest in systems sooner – from billing to programming, automate wherever possible.
- Seek help – from a mentor, another gym owner, etc. Don’t try to figure it all out alone.
Final Advice for Aspiring Gym Owners
A gym is a lifestyle, not a job. It’s hard, it’s rewarding , and it’s all-consuming. Before you jump in, know your why — whether that’s to help others, or create a dream space or community around fitness. If you are not sincerely motivated, the grind will devour you.
Think like an owner. Understand marketing, finance, and operations. You’re not going to be able to pay the bills on your passion for fitness alone.
Start lean. You don’t have to have everything — equipment and classes — from day one. Nail one or two core offerings, then grow based on demand. You’re working to build a community that will remain loyal to you, not just to fill a roster — people will stay when they know you know them and support them.
And be prepared to wear every hat: coach, cleaner, marketer and admin. That’s normal in year one. Just ensure you’re building systems to eventually step back and scale.
Some days will be hard. But when a member says to you that you have changed their life, you’ll realize that you made the right decision.