I needed about 46 members to break even in the early days of my gym.
But I didn’t know that in 2012, and I didn’t have a solid plan to get any number of members.
In 2025, Swedish gym owners Oskar Johed and Karl Solberg know exactly how many members they need to break even in their new facility, Aspire.
It’s just 17.
And they already have 25.
When I spoke to Oskar on the “Run a Profitable Gym” podcast, he told me that he and Karl want to help more people get fit, but real estate in Stockholm is hard to find—especially if you’re looking for a larger space.
They can’t just rent a giant warehouse and replicate their existing profitable gyms, CrossFit Medis and CrossFit Sickla.
At those gyms, the owners run group classes but also sell a lot of personal-training sessions. When I say “a lot,” I mean they cranked through 919 30-minute PT sessions in May 2023.
That was financially wonderful, but here’s the problem:
PT sessions require a lot of labor, and Oskar could see the strain on staff.
To prevent trainer burnout, they started grouping three to six PT clients together with one coach and delivering individualized programming. This is generally called “semi-private training,” and rates are less than those for one-on-one coaching but higher those for group classes.
At Aspire, a 1,200-square-foot facility that opened March 1, semi-private clients now pay about US$35 per session and train, on average, twice a week, for a monthly total of about $300 per client.
The cost on the Aspire real estate: about $3,000 a month.
So Oskar and Karl are covering their largest fixed expense with just 10 clients.
The cost to cover everything except running the sessions: $5,000, which is covered by about 17 clients.
Remember, they already have 25.
“And if we can go to 80, maybe 100, you know, it’s a hockey stick,” Oskar said, referring to the profitability graph for Aspire.
He added: “And obviously we can then pay our coaches far more here.”
Their marketing plan?
Some paid advertising but mostly referrals, which is completely reasonable considering they aren’t trying to find 300 clients.
Skip to the Good Part
This is all a far cry from the if-you-build-it-days of trying to pack group classes.
It’s also a long way from Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper’s 13-hour PT day, a grueling grind that still didn’t produce the income he needed to feed his family.
Oskar and Karl—both Two-Brain mentors, by the way—are skipping the hard parts in their new facility because they’ve got access to the best data, tactics and strategies in the fitness industry.
They don’t have to fumble around, make massive errors and grind their way to a few bucks.
The two can go right to breakeven, with a small jump needed for exceptional profitability.
That’s what happens when you run a business based on numbers, calculations and best practices.
I wish I’d done that back in 2011.
Don’t make the same mistake I did and waste years trying to “figure it out.”
If you’re currently struggling to get to profitability, consider working with a mentor—maybe even Oskar or Karl—to create an airtight business model that will allow you to live the life you want.
To talk about that, book a call here.
