Constructing His Personal Fitness center: How Chris Spealler Went from Tenant to Landowner
Chris Spealler shares an unusually candid take a look at the practically 10-year journey to constructing his personal gymnasium in Park Metropolis, Utah. On this BTWB Speaker Collection session, he walks via why rising lease pressured a crossroads, how he navigated zoning and permits, and what it actually price to purchase land and construct a facility (together with the hidden charges and the stress of carrying lease whereas paying curiosity throughout development). He’s clear that the gymnasium alone didn’t fund the dream—years of saving exterior earnings made the down cost and SBA financing potential.
Chris additionally explains how possession modified the enterprise: the constructing turned a part of his long-term retirement plan, and the gymnasium’s programming, pricing, and companies developed to raised serve an older, longevity-focused group. He closes with sensible classes for gymnasium house owners weighing lease vs. construct, what he’d do in another way within the design, and why—when it comes time to retire—the land and constructing might matter greater than the enterprise itself.
Key Takeaways
Constructing a gymnasium isn’t funded by the gymnasium alone. Chris is obvious: the flexibility to construct got here from years of outdoor earnings not from a thriving affiliate margin.
Rising lease forces onerous selections.The selection turned: downsize and alter the enterprise, shut down, or take the danger to construct. Persevering with to lease long-term merely wasn’t viable.
Count on an extended, irritating timeline.Almost 10 years from thought → actuality, together with zoning battles, city conferences, 18 months for permits, and one other 10 months to construct.
Hidden prices add up quick.Past land and development, charges like water distribution, hearth code, transportation influence charges, and curiosity throughout development might be large—and are sometimes missed.
SBA loans could make possession potential.Utilizing an SBA mortgage lowered the down cost requirement to ~10%, which was crucial to getting the undertaking off the bottom.
Proudly owning flipped the month-to-month math.A ~$12k mortgage changed what would’ve been ~$21k in lease for a smaller house—making the enterprise way more sustainable.
Construct out, not up—and plan for the longer term.Maximize your footprint early, design for growth, and take into consideration resale or leasing flexibility from day one.
The constructing turned the retirement plan.Chris is blunt: the gymnasium’s income alone isn’t sufficient to retire on. The land and constructing are the actual long-term asset.
Programming should evolve along with your members.Serving a 40–60+ demographic required shifting away from fixed excessive depth towards longevity-focused, movement-demand-based programming.
Dropping the CrossFit affiliation was intentional.Not a rejection of CrossFit—however an alignment problem. Expectations didn’t match what the gymnasium really delivered anymore.
Larger costs solely work with increased worth.Memberships elevated, however so did teaching touchpoints, restoration entry, and personalization—creating an all-inclusive mannequin.
Possession brings management—and stress.You acquire autonomy, flexibility, and fairness, however the mortgage by no means goes away. You’re all in.
Ask your self one onerous query earlier than constructing:Are you actually on this for the lengthy haul—or are you okay changing into a landlord if the gymnasium stops being the fervour?
The Premier All-In-One Platform
Whether or not it’s planning exercises, managing membership choices, class schedules or your billing, we’ve got it coated. We’re saving gymnasium house owners cash each month by combining their exercise monitoring and gymnasium administration into one easy to make use of platform. Join a customized walkthrough.
Why did we construct the BTWB All-In-One gymnasium administration platform after sticking to exercise monitoring for ten years? The reply is straightforward: in contrast to different administration platforms, we put health first.
In fact, we deal with all of the “again of home” necessities like billing, check-ins, and memberships as a result of you possibly can’t run a gymnasium with out them. However we see these as a needed evil, not the explanation folks keep.
Wholesome, rising gyms don’t battle with retention. When members see outcomes, they stick round. That’s why our platform is constructed round teaching, programming, and the category expertise, as a result of outcomes resolve the actual issues.
It’s like a restaurant. Flashy indicators and menus would possibly get folks within the door, however the meals brings them again. In your gymnasium, the “meals” is member outcomes. That’s what retains folks coming month after month.
We constructed BTWB that will help you ship these outcomes, with instruments designed for coaches and athletes, not simply check-ins and billing. Join a customized walkthrough.
Thanks for being a part of this journey!
