New members are exciting, but you know what’s underrated? Using existing gym members to boost your revenue.
Your goal as a gym owner should be to build a loyal membership base that you can rely on as a consistent source of income. It’s a slower type of revenue growth, but it’s also more reliable in the long run.
Gym Revenue: Let’s Do the Math
“A little goes a long way.”
It may be a platitude, but it’s also true when it comes to adding multiple revenue streams to your gym.
Consider this:
If each one of your gym members spent an extra $30 per month, how much more revenue would you bring in each year?
- 50 gym members = $18,000 more each year
- 75 gym members = $27,00 more each year
- 100 gym members = $36,000 more each year
If you’re not looking to increase your revenue per member, you’re probably leaving a lot of money on the table. Let’s look at ways to capture that bonus revenue and grow your business.
6 Revenue-Generating Products & Services for Your Gym
Here are 6 types of products and services your gym can offer to increase revenue and provide more value to your members.
1. Retail Items
Retail has a ton of potential as a revenue stream for gym owners. With fitness industry markups as high as 100%, there’s plenty of money to be made.
Your members will especially love repping your gym with apparel options like:
- T-shirts
- Tank tops
- Sweatshirts
- Hats
- And more
The merchandise possibilities are truly endless. Consider sending out a poll via email or text to see what your members are most interested in buying. Then give the people what they want!
You could also sell bottled water, supplements, and snacks on-site. Your members will appreciate the convenience of buying these things directly from your gym.
The best part about retail is, once you stock the items and let your members know they’re there, they basically sell themselves! You’ll just need a system for managing retail purchases.
(Check out our sister solution, Zen Planner, for help with retail.)
Want other ideas for earning retail revenue? Check out these resources (there’s overlap between business types):
Alternative Workout Options
Workouts can get a little stale for all of us from time to time. Reinvigorate your gym members by offering more workout options besides regular classes, like personal training, fitness workshops, and boot camps.
Personal Training
Individualized attention during personal training is the extra support some gym members need to stay committed to their fitness.
Help from a personal trainer can put the power back in their hands and ensure they continue returning to your gym. It’s goal setting and personal accountability to a whole other level.
The extra cost can also serve as its own motivation. Personal training boosts your revenue and increases the member’s knowledge and skills, which helps with retention.
Fitness Workshops
Everyone needs to shake up their training routine sometimes. Workshops help you earn more revenue and boost your retention by keeping things fresh for your members.
The more tools a gym member has, the more successful they will be. And that success correlates with greater retention.
When it comes to choosing your fitness workshops, consider the questions you’re asked most often by your gym members, and let the answers guide you:
- Will I get bulky if I lift heavy?
- How much cardio should I do?
- How do I prep for a fitness competition?
Feel free to add to this list — this is a starting point.
If you don’t have the knowledge to lead a specific workshop, reach out to your network. Often, industry professionals will lead a workshop (for free) in exchange for access to your members.
For example, a massage therapist could host a workshop on foam and trigger point rollers for mobility, and a competition prep coach could give an overview of the fitness competition space.
Boot Camps
Boot camps are all about seizing the moment and meeting your members where they’re at.
Members are usually more motivated to work out during certain times of the year, and offering boot camps to capitalize on that momentum will help you earn more revenue.
For example, you could host any of the following seasonal boot camps:
- “New Year, New You” boot camp
- Summertime beach bod boot camp
- Winter sports prep boot camp
3. Nutrition Plans
Healthy diet is a big obstacle for a lot of gym goers, and your members might be willing to pay extra in exchange for expertise from a trusted nutritionist.
Nutritionists can join your gym on a freelance basis. Even if you offer nutritionist services by appointment only, your members will appreciate the convenience of getting this much-needed service right at your gym.
4. Body Composition Assessments
Body composition assessments are a great add-on service that you can charge a small fee for.
Bring in even more revenue by bundling body comp assessments with other services, like nutrition planning or personal training.
5. Massage Therapy
Do have extra space at your gym that you could lease out to a massage therapist? Bodywork goes hand-in-hand with fitness and wellness and would be a great service to offer, especially if you have some brutal workouts as part of your programming.
6. Childcare
We all know how expensive traditional childcare has gotten over the years. Childcare may be an appreciated option for parents who attend your gym, especially if you’re located in a town with a lot of families.
You can charge by the week, month, or day. If you don’t have space now, keep your eyes open for a way to expand or rent adjoining space in your building.
There are pros and cons to offering gym childcare, of course. But it’s something well worth looking into.
Key Takeaway: Utilize Your Existing Gym Members
It’s easy to look at marketing and member retention as the only focus points for revenue growth. But don’t overlook increasing your revenue per member as a valid way to grow your business.
Loyal members are usually willing to buy more products and services from a gym they trust, increasing your overall revenue.
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