Opening a gym looks simple from the outside, buy equipment, rent a space, sign up members. The reality is that fitness is one of the more unforgiving categories in small business, and most of the risk a first-time owner faces isn't about passion for fitness, it's about business fundamentals they've never had to manage before. If you're researching how to start a gym the right way, this is exactly where franchise support changes the equation. Done right, it doesn't just hand y