Gym business plan template: sections and a fill-in outline

A gym business plan is a short document that answers six questions: who your members are, where you will be, what you will charge, what it costs to start, what it costs to run, and how many members you need to break even. Below are the sections, then an outline you can copy and fill in.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Every figure in the worked example is an example, not a market average. Use your own quotes.

The sections of a gym business plan

1. Summary. Three or four lines: the gym, the place, the money needed.
2. Target members. Age, job, budget and what they want from a gym.
3. Location. Address, floor area, rent, lease terms, nearby competitors.
4. Services and plans. Weights, cardio, classes, personal training, and your plan lengths.
5. Pricing. Fee for each plan, and why. See the pricing guide.
6. Startup cost. One-time spending: deposit, fit-out, equipment, licences, launch marketing, cash cushion. The startup cost calculator does the sum.
7. Monthly running cost. Rent, salaries, power, maintenance, software, marketing, loan instalments.
8. Income forecast. Members by month and average fee.
9. Break-even. Monthly running cost divided by average monthly fee per member.
10. Staff. Who you hire, what they do, who handles money.
11. Licences. What applies to your city. See the licence guide.
12. Marketing and launch. How the first 50 members will hear about you.
13. Risks. Slow months, equipment breakdowns, a new gym opening nearby, and what you will do.

Fill-in outline you can copy

GYM BUSINESS PLAN

1. SUMMARY
Gym name:
City and area:
Type (weights / mixed / women only / functional):
Total money needed:
Own money:    Loan:

2. TARGET MEMBERS
Main group (age, job):
What they want:
What they can pay per month:

3. LOCATION
Address:
Floor area (sq ft):
Rent per month:
Deposit:
Lease length and lock-in:
Nearby gyms and their fees (write what you saw):

4. SERVICES AND PLANS
Equipment areas:
Classes or batches:
Personal training (yes / no, fee):
Plans: 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months

5. PRICING
1 month:
3 months:
6 months:
12 months:
Joining fee (if any):
Reason for these fees:

6. STARTUP COST (one time)
Deposit:
Fit-out:
Equipment:
Licences:
Launch marketing:
Cash cushion (3 months of running cost):
TOTAL:

7. MONTHLY RUNNING COST
Rent:
Salaries:
Power and water:
Maintenance and cleaning:
Software and marketing:
Loan instalment:
TOTAL:

8. INCOME FORECAST
Members in month 1:
Members in month 3:
Members in month 6:
Members in month 12:
Average fee paid per member per month:

9. BREAK-EVEN
Monthly running cost divided by average monthly fee = ____ members

10. STAFF
Owner:
Trainers (number, pay):
Front desk:
Who collects and records fees:

11. LICENCES AND REGISTRATIONS
Applied / received / date / fee:

12. MARKETING AND LAUNCH
Before opening:
First month offer:
How I will keep members (reminders, renewals):

13. RISKS AND WHAT I WILL DO
Slow months:
Equipment breaks:
New competitor:

Worked example: example assumptions

These are made-up numbers to show the working. Replace every one.

• Gym size: 1,200 sq ft, one city, weights and cardio
• Startup cost: ₹18,00,000 (example)
• Monthly running cost: ₹1,00,000 (example)
• Average fee paid per member per month: ₹1,000 (example)
• Break-even: 1,00,000 divided by 1,000 is 100 members
• Forecast: 40 members in month 1, 70 in month 3, 100 in month 6, 130 in month 12 (example)

At 130 members the example gym earns ₹1,30,000 and covers its ₹1,00,000 running cost with ₹30,000 left. If it had 80 members, it would run at a ₹20,000 monthly loss, so the cash cushion matters. The gym profit guide covers the same idea in more detail, and the profit calculator lets you test it.

Tips for a plan people believe

• Write down where each number came from: a quote, a lease, a neighbour's price board.
• Show a low, a middle and a high case for members.
• Put the cash cushion in. Without a cushion, the plan only holds up for month one.
• Keep the plan to what you can check. Leave out market claims you cannot source.

Use the plan after launch

A plan only helps if you compare it with reality every month. Track members joined, members renewed and fees collected against your forecast. Varzish Mate's Money tab shows collected, pending and expenses, and the members list shows who is due, so you can compare to the plan without rebuilding a sheet. See the start-a-gym guide for the full path from plan to opening day.