Gym Owners, You're the Real MVPs

At one point or another, you’ve probably been in a gym. Maybe it was a yoga studio with your cousin, or a Gold’s Gym with your friend, or even a CrossFit gym with a coworker. There’s a common element to all of these places that you probably have never thought about: the gym owner.

If you’re a gym owner, then we’re here to let you know that you’re the real MVP. If you’re anyone else, keep reading to find out why we dub these humans as the ultimate MVP’s!

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Gym owners have taken the world on their shoulders as they’ve taken their dream, turned it into a vision, and executed the vision into a tangible reality. This process, like owning any other business, is far from easy. But unlike other businesses, there are unique aspects of owning a gym that make it far more difficult than you’d ever expect.

Let’s learn about what these awesome people go through!

What the MVP does

The Actual Business

Build a business appealing and enough to gather the community to their gym. This isn’t easy. There are likely at least a dozen gyms in a single area, so trying to convince a city that your gym is the best gym is tough. The marketing can be more difficult with a gym than with other businesses because of the high competition.

The Team

Build an optimal team. Sure, this is important for every business, but it is especially crucial at a gym. Coaches at a gym need to be helpful, likable, strong, and personable. If the team has at least one employee that doesn’t quite know how to help people, especially if they’re already frustrated with the movements, then people won’t bother to wave goodbye when they leave. This means interviewing many people to find the right fit and then ensuring that your hires can work together to create an encouraging, healthy environment for all who step through the door.

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Equipment

Buying equipment is expensive and difficult to maintain. Have you ever actually looked up how much exercise equipment is? Not just machines, but barbells, plates, bands, squat racks, etc. It’s pricey. Gym owners have to make sure they are buying quality equipment while also making sure it’s being taken care of so it lasts.

Coaching

Coaching looks different for gyms that specify in different types of exercise, but a lot of specialized gyms rely on programming that will benefit the mass amounts of members that come to their gym. If you’ve never tried to program for yourself, let alone another person, then you’re probably unaware of how challenging the task is. Our awesome gym owners want to make sure the workouts aren’t monotonous, that they’re interesting and fun while allowing their members to get a fantastic workout without feeling like it’s not too difficult and impossible to complete. It’s a tough balance.

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Trends

The fitness world adopts and kicks out trends daily, and it can be challenging for a gym owner to know what’s legit and what isn’t. If you’re interested in this too, check out our blog that outlines some of our favorite fitness blogs, podcasts, and youtube channels here. Gym owners have to filter through tons and tons of information to figure out what is going to be the most helpful for their gym members. This information ranges from new exercise techniques, nutrition, daily habits, sleep, etc. While it can definitely be discombobulating, your gym owner works hard to learn what is going to be the best trends and information to pass on!

Memberships and Finances

For the average MVP gym owner that loves their job, this is often one of their least favorite aspects. Growing and maintaining memberships is challenging when you have at least dozens of people (at least) coming through the gym because, as many of us know, making a mass amount of people satisfied and even happy is a task that oftentimes feels unattainable. Gym owners manage to do it. Sure, they don’t make everyone happy, but great gym owners work relentlessly to make sure their members are satisfied without placing stress on the financial need of those memberships, even though staying financially afloat with the waves of membership can be stressful. Making the gym about the people and not the business is a successful tactic great gym owners use!

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Before you go

This long list of tasks with unique aspects of the gym owner life will hopefully give you an appreciation for what your gym owner goes through daily to make sure you’re living your healthiest, happiest life.

From finding good, reliable shared spaces to handling logistics along the way, SpaceTogether is here to help you.. If you have any questions or are looking to start space sharing, check out our site or click the little blue button in the bottom right corner!