3 Things That Are Wrecking Your Goals as a Gym Owner

For a gym owner, social media can be both a blessing and a curse. Sometimes it makes you play the comparison game, which can be a fast track to burnout. But every once in a while, you find a helpful, motivating little gem like the post I saw the other day: “The magic you’re looking for is in the work you’re avoiding.”

My first thought was sharing it with my members. Especially the ones trying to get kipping pull-ups without mastering the strength for strict first. We all have at least a few of these members, right?

But then I realized that even though this also applies to accessory work, it’s bigger than that. It’s also very common with helpful advice to think, ‘who do I know that needs this’ instead of asking ourselves if it might be something we needed to see.

So I started thinking about my current goals as a gym owner, and the work that I might be avoiding to get that “magic.” If you’re anything like me, you might have a terrifyingly-large to-do list that just collects digital dust because there’s just never enough time.

But with no work comes no magic, and that almost always happens for three reasons.

The 3 Most Common Gym Owner Goal-Blockers

We’ll call this the “wrecking trifecta,” because they all have a way of demolishing the goals you’ve smartly set for yourself. The trifecta consists of these three blockers:

1. You Don’t Actually Want the Thing You Said You Want.

Have you ever set a goal and even gone so far as to make a clear-cut action plan, only to let it sit without ever springing into action?

A former business coach of mine would tell us that this is a form of self-sabatoge. In other words, there’s a reason we’re not diving into those tasks. Sure, for a gym owner, it could be a lack of time. But it could also be that deep down, maybe we don’t actually want to accomplish that goal.

Here’s an example: Let’s say you’re crushing it and your fitness business is growing. You’re having to add more classes and purchase more equipment. Eventually, you start looking at opening a second location. And with that comes a long list of action items. But you suddenly find yourself lacking the motivation to do any of them. Why?

Because deep down, your goal was always to build a gym that was simply your happy place. You wanted to coach classes but still have the freedom to take vacations and enjoy life. When the goals on your to-do list start to conflict with your deep-down desires, you don’t actually want that multi-location life.

So as you look at your ambitions, you may have to dig below the surface. You’re not trying to plant trees in shitty soil. If you have goals that you’re just not motivated to accomplish, there might be a valid reason.

2. You Have Unrealistic Expectations.

The next stop on our tour is the land of unrealistic expectations. And it’s a dangerous place because the wrong expectations can set you up for some serious disappointment.

As it relates to being a gym owner, I’ve always said that when people aim to open a fitness business, they imagine themselves on their very best day. Feet up on the desk, not a care in the world. Your full team of coaches and all of your members are lined up outside your door, waiting to tell you how much they love it here. You trip over piles of cash on the floor as you try to welcome everyone into your excessively-large office.

I have some bad news. I’ve been an entrepreneur since 2011 and not once has my workspace been cramped by my cash. However, my cash—or lack thereof—has sporadically cramped my ability to sleep.

Over the years, I’ve been asked for advice about starting a business and I always tell people to start by thinking about your absolute worst day on the job.

In my gym owner role, here’s what that looks like: I’m swamped with admin tasks like payroll and coach scheduling. I just got an email that one of my most consistent members is moving to another state. The stereo is only playing out of one speaker and someone just clogged the toilet.

The first time I considered opening a gym, did I picture this moment? No. I pictured the piles of cash and member gushing. I had goals with unrealistic outcomes. And as a result, I really set myself up for disappointment. (Luckily, the people at my gym are in fact, pretty rad we have a helluva good time.)

3. You Thought Being a Gym Owner Would Be Easier.

Finally, the third reason you might be avoiding the work is the one that’s hardest to talk about. Gym owner life isn’t easy.

Did you know that the chances of running a successful gym right now are about the same as a coin flip? Studies show that about 50% of fitness businesses close within five years. That means you and I have taken on a challenge that has the same odds of failing as it does of succeeding. YIKES.

Now, let me throw in another level on this concept.

I heard a story a while back about a guy who made it his life’s goal to climb Everest. Brutal training day after day for years. And he accomplished his goal. But he reached the summit, only to realize that it wasn’t worth it. All that time he had spent away from his family, skipping events with friends for years? He couldn’t get it back.

So we’ll consider this one a combination of understanding that it won’t be easy achieving certain goals, and making sure you truly want it before you go after it. There’s nothing wrong with pivoting on a goal, and you should as it evolves. But it will benefit you greatly if you first ensure your achievements align with your values, lifestyle, mental health, schedule, etc.

It’s Time: Which Goal Will You Start With?

Take a look at your goals as a gym owner and cross-reference them with the “wrecking trifecta.” Make sure that for each one:

1. You actually want to pursue this goal.
2. You’ve set realistic expectations for achieving it.
3. You’re rational about the difficulty and time it’s going to take.

Then there’s only one thing left: Go and do the thing. Once you’ve cleared these three blockers, avoiding the work is simply keeping you from the magic you deserve. So set your big goals, make a plan and get after it.