On a recent Instagram Q&A, I received the following question:

“What’s your advice for someone who wants to open their own training facility?”

While there are undoubtedly many more directions I could go with this, here’s what came to mind:

1. Establish systems that will continue to work as it grows. In other words, don’t just fly by the seat of your pants to get through today.

2. Remember that the glamour of autonomy can sometimes overshadow the hard work it takes to run a gym.

3. Be meticulous with scrutinizing your lease negotiation. That expense can make or break a business no matter how good your training and business models are.

4. Get out and observe as many successful gyms as possible.

5. Find good mentors and/or business partners, even if they are just people you can vent to when you’re frustrated. Entrepreneurship can be lonely.

6. Purchase equipment clients will actually use, not just what you like for your own training.

7. Know your numbers. Shockingly few gym owners do.

8. Understand the difference between loss leaders and stupid initiatives that simply devalue your offerings.

9. Communicate with your significant other what entrepreneurship will look like.

10. Follow my business partner, Pete Dupuis, and read everything he’s written at www.PeteDupuis.com. We’ve made a lot of mistakes over the years, and he’s recapped them in his writing so that you can learn from them instead of making them yourself.