Fitness franchises are a fantastic option to start your own business and ultimately a passive income stream. There are options from independent personal training setups to large, full service gym & classes franchises. The key in selecting franchise opportunities that are right for you is to consider your own skills set and finance situation. 

Personal Training Franchise. Not everyone has the time or inclination to go to a gym regularly. Yet, most people realise they need some motivation and support. This is one reason why personal trainers have grown so popular in recent years. Clients love the convenience of having a mobile personal trainer come out to them to help keep them on track with their fitness and weight loss goals. It helps to keep them accountable and provides them with the extra push they need to keep going. The one-on-one, personalised touch of being a personal trainer is truly rewarding in many ways. You can stay operating as sole traders or even explore the option of a larger personal training outlet, designed to service more members. The setup costs of personal training franchises are far lower than a full gym and can provide you with an excellent entry point into the fitness industry. 

24/7 Gyms. Staring the US, the 24/7 gym model has become very popular over the last decade in Australia. The flexibility of a low cost gym that never closes appeals to millions of us who have busy schedules, and don’t want to be tied down the standard opening hours, public holidays, weekends etc. These gyms run with little to no staff at all, which make it easy to keep the costs down. Members simply swipe a magnetic card to enter the gym, and are provided with access to the machines only. Specialised classes and personal advice are optional extras, which makes total sense for many of customers who don’t use them on regular basis. With lower staff requirements & automatic payment systems, the franchise owner can concentrate on getting new business, and very little admin work. 

Full Service Gyms. For those who prefer a wide variety of activities, classes, group training sessions, competitions etc. – the full service gym caters for all these. Many modern full service gyms come even with a cafeteria, solarium, a mini fashion outlet for gym clothes and more. The motivation you get the larger gym does appeal to many customers, and they are prepared to pay a premium for them. Larger fitness centres do attract higher capital investments and ongoing staff costs. The additional services do require good management skills and a more time intensive commitment on behalf of the management staff. The benefits of this of course are the regular customers who tend to be much more loyal to larger gyms once they get to know the reception staff & the trainers. Regular customers do carry a lot of weight when determining the resale value of the business. 

Whichever of these franchise opportunities you decide to go with – there are many operators & chains to choose from, and the skills set you get provides distinct advantages. A few franchise opportunities in the fitness industry are listed below: 

• Fitness Matters: Costs $55K to set up. Due to its boutique style approach it is more like a club for fitness fanatics and offers them enough choices to get fit to compete with larger, well-known chains.
• The Natural Way: Setup cost is $40K. TNW is a natural weight loss program franchise. It offers buyers plenty of choices and dedicated one-on-one support.
• Anytime Fitness: Setup cost for this franchise is somewhat higher than the previous two. You’re looking at around $250K+. It is the world’s first and largest 24-hour fitness franchise.
• Snap Fitness: the perfect alternative to traditional “big box” gyms. Our compact, 24/7 clubs offer our members what they want, when they want it and at a price they can afford. It’s no wonder we’re the world’s fastest growing fitness franchise. Setup Costs: $250,000 to $300,000 + Equipment

Members can benefit from reciprocal membership options around the world. This gives them a convenient way to get fit, regardless where they live.