The Gym Owner's Podcast | Listen. Learn. Grow your gym.

How Justin Green Built a Serious Gym That Survived Planet Fitness

When Planet Fitness moved into his small town, Justin Green had a choice: panic, compete on price, or double down on what made his gym different. Justin Green, owner of The Source Fitness Center, joins The Gym Owner’s Podcast to share how he went from college athlete to gym owner, built a serious training facility in a small town, survived Planet Fitness moving into his market, restructured during COVID, and created a gym experience built on layout, equipment, community, ownership, and word-of-mouth. Justin talks gym ownership started after his college football career ended. After years of training and competing, he needed a new outlet and eventually started with a small 900-square-foot basement gym where friends could train with keypad access. That early setup eventually grew into The Source Fitness Center. Anthony, Natalia, and Justin discuss what separates The Source Fitness Center from big-box competitors. Justin explains that his gym is built for people who are serious about training — members who want to work out, be around other focused people, and train in a facility designed for progress instead of social hour. This episode focuses on what happened when Planet Fitness moved into Justin’s small-town market. Justin talks about the emotional impact, how his gym dug in, why COVID unexpectedly gave him the chance to rethink the business, and how he redesigned the entire facility around better flow, better equipment, and a clearer identity. Justin also shares how word-of-mouth became one of his strongest marketing channels after COVID. Instead of trying to compete on price, he leaned into what made his gym different: serious equipment, an intentional layout, a cleaner member experience, and a stronger sense of community. The convo also covers small-town gym ownership, member relationships, building trust, keeping the gym clean and updated, adding family-focused services, learning from mistakes, and understanding what actually sells a gym membership. Later in the episode, Justin talks through the member experience, from the entrance and locker rooms to turf space, cardio, machines, free weights, squat racks, specialty equipment, and photo-friendly branding opportunities inside the gym. Anthony and Justin also discuss customer service, finding reliable employees, the value of owning your building, simplifying membership options, whether new gym owners should buy used equipment, and the challenges of managing personal trainers inside a gym. For independent gym owners, small-town operators, and anyone trying to compete against low-cost chains, this episode is packed with practical lessons from an owner who has been through it, adjusted, and kept building. Chapters: 00:00:00 - From Basement Gym to Serious Fitness Center Justin Green shares how college football led him into fitness, how he started with a small basement gym, what makes The Source Fitness Center different, and how he survived Planet Fitness moving into his market. 00:13:01 - Small-Town Growth, Layout + Member Experience Justin breaks down what it takes to succeed in a small town, how he built a strong community, why gym flow and equipment matter, and gives Anthony and Natalia a walkthrough of The Source Fitness Center. 00:30:53 - Ownership Lessons, Staff, Building + Trainers Anthony, Natalia, and Justin discuss customer service, finding good employees, owning vs. leasing, simplifying memberships, buying used equipment, personal training challenges, trainer rent, and future expansion. Connect with Gym Insight: If you own a gym, studio, or fitness facility and want help managing memberships, billing, access, reporting, and daily operations, visit GymInsight.com [http://GymInsight.com] or call 855-367-4967. The Gym Owner’s Podcast is powered by Gym Insight.

Meet Natalia: From Pilates Beginner to Fitness Pro and Gym Owner Advocate

Natalia started with Pilates at 19. Now she’s helping gym owners build stronger businesses with Gym Insight. In this episode of The Gym Owner’s Podcast, Anthony introduces Natalia Schulte, a new member of the Gym Insight team and a fresh voice on the podcast. Natalia shares how she got started in the fitness industry through Pilates at age 19 and how that early experience shaped both her body and her career. From working in Pilates studios to earning her NASM personal training certification, Natalia explains why fitness became more than just a job — it became a foundation for helping others take care of their bodies. Anthony and Natalia discuss the importance of core strength, how Pilates helped Natalia recover through pregnancies, surgeries, and car accidents, and why she believes in teaching from personal experience before coaching others. Natalia also talks about working in different fitness environments, including Lifetime, CrossFit, Pilates studios, and a brief role connected to bariatric care. She explains how her experience inside gyms and studios gave her a deeper understanding of what fitness business owners deal with every day. The episode then shifts into Natalia’s move to the other side of the industry: helping gym owners through Gym Insight. She shares how working with gym owners allows her to support the people who are supporting their communities, and why simple, helpful software matters so much when owners are trying to run their business without unnecessary frustration. Anthony and Natalia also talk about grand openings, helping new gym owners, customer success moments, and why having both East Coast and West Coast perspectives will bring more value to future episodes of The Gym Owner’s Podcast. For gym owners, studio owners, personal trainers, and fitness professionals, this episode is a quick introduction to Natalia’s background, her passion for the fitness industry, and the perspective she brings to the Gym Insight team. In This Episode * Natalia’s introduction to The Gym Owner’s Podcast * How she got started with Pilates at 19 * Why Pilates became her first love in fitness * How core strength helped her through pregnancies and recovery * Why she pursued NASM personal training certification * Her experience working at Lifetime, CrossFit, Pilates studios, and more * Why believing in fitness makes selling training easier * What moved Natalia from direct member support to helping gym owners * Why complicated fitness software creates unnecessary stress * How Gym Insight helps simplify gym operations * Why partnering with gym owners helps support entire communities * What Natalia enjoys most about joining the Gym Insight team * Why grand openings are exciting for Gym Insight customers * Natalia’s first “moment of magic” helping a Gym Insight customer * How Natalia will bring a new perspective to future TGOP episodes

From Stay-at-Home Mom to Multi-Gym Owner: Tracy Starkel’s 19-Year Fitness Business Story

She started with a newspaper ad, a few pieces of equipment, and a small-town need. Nineteen years later, Tracy Starkel is still running Go Figure Fitness. In this episode of The Gym Owner’s Podcast, Anthony sits down with Tracy Starkel, owner of Go Figure Fitness, for an honest and practical conversation about building a gym business from the ground up. Tracy started as a stay-at-home mom in a small farming community. After hearing local women talk about driving 20 miles to get to a women’s-only fitness facility, she noticed an empty building across the street, bought a few pieces of equipment, ran an ad in the local newspaper, and took a chance. The response was overwhelming, and that first step eventually grew into a long-running fitness business with multiple locations. Tracy shares what it was like running a gym before modern software: paper files, manual payment tracking, stacks of membership paperwork, and monthly bank runs just to process dues. She also explains how Gym Insight helped her work from home, manage tasks, run payments, and stay connected to her business without physically being at the gym every day. A major theme in this episode is the importance of member experience. Tracy explains why she trains her staff personally, why she never wants price discussed before a tour, and why women-only gyms require a special focus on cleanliness, friendliness, comfort, privacy, and trust. She also shares the story of a member who joined 19 years ago because she finally felt comfortable starting somewhere. Anthony and Tracy also discuss competition, including what happened when a large chain opened near one of her locations, how distance and staffing impacted that club, and what gym owners can learn from making the hard decision to close a location instead of bleeding out indefinitely. The episode wraps with one of the strongest Gym Insight success moments: Tracy explains how moving to 24/7 access cut her payroll in half, made the gym more convenient for members, and helped her modernize a business that had once been run completely by hand. For independent gym owners, women’s-only fitness operators, small-town gym owners, and anyone wondering whether they can really open and grow a fitness business, Tracy’s story is a powerful reminder that you do not need to start huge — you need to start with a need, a story, and the willingness to keep showing up. In This Episode * How Tracy started Go Figure Fitness as a stay-at-home mom * Why she opened a women’s-only gym in a town of 1,600 people * How a newspaper ad helped validate the business idea * Why word of mouth became her strongest marketing tool * How she grew from one gym into multiple locations * What it was like running a gym with paper files and manual payments * How Gym Insight helped her manage the business remotely * Why owners need to train staff on the story behind the gym * Why tours should happen before discussing price * How cleanliness and friendliness help sell women’s-only fitness * What Tracy learned from closing a location after chain competition * Why great managers are hard to find and worth protecting * How 24/7 access cut payroll in half * Why automated access became a major convenience for members * Why Tracy says she cannot imagine running everything manually again Visit GymInsight.com [http://GymInsight.com] or call 855-367-4967 to learn how Gym Insight helps independent gym owners manage memberships, billing, access, reporting, and 24/7 operations.

Why 90% of Gym Owners Fail: Real Estate Mistakes with Ken Jorgenson of CARR

“Before you sign a lease, the negotiation has already started.” “Whoever has the most options wins.” Ken Jorgenson, National Director of CARR, explains why commercial real estate can make or break a gym business. Anthony, Natalia, and Ken break down lease mistakes, buildout timelines, tenant improvements, free rent, CPI increases, renewals, lease vs. buy decisions, and why gym owners should not negotiate commercial space alone. In this episode of The Gym Owner’s Podcast, Anthony Pasquale and Natalia Schulte sit down with Ken Jorgenson, National Director of CARR, for one of the most important conversations any current or future gym owner can hear before signing a commercial lease. Opening a gym is exciting, but the real estate decision behind that gym can quietly become one of the most expensive parts of the entire business. Ken explains why gym owners need to understand lease terms, landlord representation, tenant improvement allowances, free rent periods, buildout timelines, annual escalations, CPI clauses, assignment language, parking, signage, renewal options, and the hidden costs that can turn a promising gym location into a financial nightmare. This episode is especially valuable for first-time gym owners, expanding fitness businesses, studio owners, personal training facilities, and anyone trying to decide whether to lease, buy, renew, relocate, or open an additional location. Ken also explains why simply browsing LoopNet, calling the number on a building, or negotiating directly with a landlord’s agent can put gym owners at a disadvantage before the real negotiation even begins. The conversation covers how professional tenant and buyer representation can help gym owners create leverage, compare multiple properties, understand market data, and negotiate from a stronger position. CARR specializes in commercial real estate services for healthcare and fitness tenants and buyers, with services that include start-ups, lease renewals, expansions, relocations, purchases, due diligence, and more. CARR’s website also includes articles, FAQs, glossaries, videos, and other resources for business owners trying to better understand commercial real estate. In this episode * Why gym owners should not treat commercial real estate like residential real estate * Why calling the number on a building can weaken your negotiating position * How landlord agents use early conversations as leverage * Why LoopNet is not enough when searching for gym space * What gym owners should negotiate beyond monthly rent * The difference between buildout time and free rent after opening * Why tenant improvement allowance can save gym owners serious money * How permitting delays can wreck an opening timeline * Why assignment language matters if you ever want to sell your gym * How CPI increases and annual escalations can quietly raise your rent * Why lease renewals should start about a year before the lease expires * When buying real estate makes sense — and when it can hurt the business * Why location, parking, signage, visibility, and traffic patterns matter * How data-driven decisions can help gym owners choose smarter locations * Why CARR focuses on educating tenants and buyers before they sign Visit CARR.us [http://CARR.us] to connect with CARR and learn more about commercial real estate services for fitness tenants and buyers. Visit GymInsight.com [http://GymInsight.com] or call 855-367-4967 to learn how Gym Insight helps independent gym owners manage and grow their business.

Member Retention: How Gym Owners Can Stop Cancellations and Keep Members Longer with Chris from Rosamond Health & Fitness

If your gym signs up 100 members but loses 80, you are not growing — you are leaking. Chris from Rosamond Health & Fitness joins The Gym Owner’s Podcast to break down real-world member retention strategies for gym owners, including seasonal promotions, social media, rate increases, cleanliness, onboarding, cancellation saves, and lower-usage membership options. Visit GymInsight.com [http://GymInsight.com] to learn more about gym management software built for independent gym owners. Connect with Chris and Rosamond Health & Fitness: Visit RosamondHealthandFitness.com [http://RosamondHealthandFitness.com] to learn more about Chris Giumarra and Rosamond Health & Fitness in Rosamond, California. You can also follow Rosamond Health & Fitness on Instagram at @rosamondhealthandfitness and on Facebook at Rosamond Health and Fitness. For Chris’ personal coaching content, follow @chris_g_coaching or visit ChrisGCoaching.com [http://ChrisGCoaching.com]. Connect with Gym Insight: If you own a gym, studio, or fitness facility and want to learn how Gym Insight can help you manage memberships, billing, access, reporting, and member retention, visit GymInsight.com [http://GymInsight.com] or call 855-367-4967. The Gym Owner’s Podcast is powered by Gym Insight.