💰 How to Earn Without Burning Out as a Gym Owner

October 1st, 2025

In partnership with

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • 💾 Gym ownership is a grind—hands-off revenue can ease the load.

  • đŸ„— Eat like an athlete—performance starts on your plate.

  • đŸŽ—ïž 31 days, 1,000 gyms: Compete for a Cure’s boldest push yet.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
❝

You just need to start. Progress over perfection.”

Ben Beck, Forging Elite Finance, on gym owners finding ways to make passive revenue.
INDUSTRY

How Gym Owners Can Build “Hands Off” Revenue Streams

Credit: @welcome_to_the_mill / Instagram

Running a gym is a hands-on business: coaching, programming, sales, marketing, accounting, handyman work, and everything in between. Needless to say, it’s a grind.

This raises the question of passive revenue streams: Can gym owners generate passive income to lessen the need for constant effort?

Two-Brain Business owner and business mentor Chris Cooper doesn’t really think so.

  • “There really is no such thing [as passive revenue]
Subleasing your space is about as close as it gets,” he said.

While subleasing some of the gym’s space might be a good option for certain gym owners, it can be difficult because finding the right sublessee is hard, and you need to have enough space to rent out initially.

With all that said, while truly passive revenue might not be possible for a small gym owner, there are definitely some strategies to create essentially “hands-off revenue” – income that doesn’t significantly increase your workload.

  • Continue reading for three proven ways gyms are creating “hands-off revenue.”

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SPEED READS

â˜•đŸ’„ Starbucks Doubles Down on Protein: The coffee giant has just launched lattes and cold foams that pack 15–36 grams of whey protein per grande, part of a broader push to capture the fitness and wellness crowd.

🇾đŸ‡ȘđŸŽŸïž WFP Finals Dive In: The World Fitness Project Finals week kicks off Thursday, Dec. 18, with a swimming workout in Helsingborg, Sweden — just an hour outside Copenhagen. Fans will need to snag a separate ticket (sold via Eventbrite as an add-on to Finals passes).

đŸŒŽđŸ’„ Beyond the Podium: Go behind the scenes at The Progrm’s elite CrossFit camp — raw stories, savage workouts, and the mindset work that shapes champions. Check it out.

đŸ‹ïžâ€â™‚ïžđŸ“š Coaching Heavy Days, Simplified: CrossFit coaches Eric O’Connor and Stephane Rochet break down how to run strength sessions that hit harder — from explosive warmups to handling “avoiders” and “chronic failers.” Watch here.

đŸ€đŸ’Ą Raising the Standard: AffiliateCon, coming to Dallas, TX, October 24-26, brings together 600+ affiliate owners, coaches, and athletes for three days of in-depth sessions on coaching, business systems, and movement. Speakers include Kelly Starrett, Jason Khalipa, Max Isaak, and more. Tickets and rooms are available now.

ICYMI: đŸ’„ Brooke and Sydney Wells nearly win Pro Doubles in their HYROX debut.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Eat Like an Athlete – Why Performance Starts on Your Plate

Credit: Shutterstock

For athletes, whether elite competitors or dedicated weekend warriors, nutrition isn’t just about eating “clean” or counting macros. 

It’s about strategy, timing, and quality, all layered into real, sustainable habits. 

  • Because when training intensity increases or game day approaches, it’s not your supplements or pre-workout mix that fuel you; it’s what’s on your plate.

The truth is, food is more than just fuel. It acts as information. Every meal sends signals to your muscles, hormones, immune system, and even your brain. For athletes, this communication must be clear, consistent, and performance-focused.

  • But here’s the catch: Many athletes still eat like regular people. Skipping meals. Under-fueling. Overemphasizing protein and neglecting carbs. Or worse, relying on ultra-processed, “macro-perfect” packaged foods instead of whole meals.

Let’s change that.

COMMUNITY

31 Days, One Mission: Compete for a Cure Rallies Gyms to Support Breast Cancer Survivors

Credit: @competeforacure / Instagram

One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.

This statistic is part of what led Lindsey Marcelli to found Compete for a Cure, a nonprofit dedicated to helping breast cancer survivors thrive through fitness, education, mental health support, and resources. 

  • And this is also what motivated her to start their annual 31for31 campaign, a campaign with ambitious goals this October.

The goal: Marcelli aims to register at least 1,000 gyms to host either a workout or a larger event during the 31 days of October, and she hopes each participating gym member will donate or raise $31.

  • If the average gym has 31 members participating, the campaign could raise nearly a million dollars this October. 

This would significantly help clear their current waitlist of breast cancer survivors, “and also ensure every new applicant gets the care and resources they need immediately,” Marcelli said.

  • After the jump — how fitness, nutrition, and mental health all come together in this mission.

HIGHLIGHTS

Celebrating a PR, hosting a fundraiser, this, that, or otherwise? Send us a tip.

  • 💕Happy anniversary to Tim and Caitlin Paulson.

  • Happy birthday to Adam Arriola.

  • đŸ’ȘWell done to Victor Hoffer on this 150-kilo/330-pound bench press.

  • Watch this clip of Physical: Asia, debuting on Netflix at the end of the month, featuring Seungyeon Choi. We can’t wait!

  • đŸ”„Check out this workout from Jacob Heppner. How many sandbag box get-overs can you complete each round?