The Easy Hack to Start a Garage Gym Business

So you want to start a garage gym business? Well you’re in luck, because you’ve come to the right place.

I’ve discovered an easy hack to start a garage gym business and it only requires one thing- the guts to take a risk.

Let’s assume you have everything else already in line: a couple of bucks, the proper gear and the training expertise. But you’re just missing that one intangible to make your idea and passion take off.

The best part is, you don’t even have to leave your house. Say what?

Don’t Let The Man Keep You Down

Here’s the hack.

Start a garage gym business in your home garage, invite as many friends, neighbors and potential clients as possible and don’t look back.

If you don’t fear pushing your body to the limits, then there’s no reason to fear testing the elasticity of the law. Why?

Because one man already had the temerity to do so and may have trailblazed the path to a garage gym business by incubating it at home.

Fight for Your Right to Lift

Thanks to Nate Griffin of Ypsilanti Township, Michigan, the precedent exists now. Griffin, the tenacious entrepreneur gave 0 you know whats, choosing to open up shop right in his own garage.

The aptly named Hungry Hustla Fitness Gym opened with good intentions. Griffin notes, "I knew what we were doing was positive. I knew we were selling something that people needed and we had a good following in the community."

The first day Griffin launched the community-based gym out of his own garage, 40 people showed up. He charged 5 bucks a head to drop in and workout, often getting around 30 people. He eventually gave up his day job and fully committed to Hungry Hustla. He made the right move.

He operated out of his house for a year, until he received a cease and desist order from the township citing neighbor complaints about the noisy music, trainees working out on streets and sidewalks, and a lack of street parking.

Those complaints all seem legitimate and reasonable. Fortunately for Griffin, they didn’t matter.

His success had already been sown.

Movin’ On Up

Griffin’s scrappiness paid off. He moved Hungry Hustla out of his garage, and into a storefront. His success climbed and he eventually took up 2 storefronts. Now he has 45 active members and charges $10 a day with no contracts.

The resilience to fight the legal battle paid dividends, resonating with his clients and creating a bond. Much like the adversity of the boot camp style workouts he provides, the uphill battle Griffin and his trainees faced for the very existence of Hungry Hustla powered up their camaraderie.

Let’s not ignore the fact that any publicity is good publicity. Between the neighborhood activity creating lovers and haters alike, the media coverage probably did him a whole ton of good too. Stirring some controversy often does more good than harm. 

Not an Isolated Occurrence

This isn’t a single instance or anomaly either. Similar things have taken place in other parts of the U.S. and across the world.

Now, this isn’t the type of garage gym that we have in mind, but a woman in Harrisburg, Illinois opened up her own garage to her friends, welcoming them in the same spirit of helping each other out and improving their community. Nita Schutt is now being called an “unsung hero.” People around the globe feel compelled to move their friends and neighbors to action, to move, to train, to lift.

Business partners in Dundee, Scotland who decided to start a garage gym business faced a similar legal battle with their local council over the same contention- parking.  Shona Wales and Ewan Gordon eventually won their battle after a national appeal body ruled in their favor.

Open the Garage Door and They Will Come

The message is clear.

Open your garage door, start classes and worry about the rest later.

If these stories are any indication, the odds are in your favor, whether the legal system is or not.

So what are you waiting for?

This is no time for games.

Start a garage gym business now.

If you’re looking for pro tips on building a garage gym in a standard size garage, we got you covered.

Got that taken care of already and need to outfit it? Take a look at these suggestions.

Finally, if you’re beyond all that and close to opening an affiliate, here’s an excellent resource to help you do your planning.

Good luck on all your garage gym endeavors and we wish you the best impacting your community. If you have any stories, pro tips or insights about your own garage gym business please share them with us in the comments below.

Thanks for reading Fringe Nation, stay awesome!