Gyms and fitness studios in DeLand, Florida can send funding requests through Sableport Capital Group to its funding partners. Fitness and recreational sports centers counted 67 employer establishments in Volusia County, FL in 2023. This page covers gym loans, equipment financing and leases, build-outs and working capital.
At a glance
- Fitness centers with employees, Volusia County, FL
67 (County Business Patterns 2023)
- Fitness center employees
1,045 (County Business Patterns 2023)
- Share under five employees
40.3% (County Business Patterns 2023)
Loan for a Gym Business: What the Money Covers
Gym business loans cover equipment, space and the ramp-up. Fitness and recreational sports centers counted 67 employer establishments in Volusia County, FL in 2023, with 1,045 employees and $13.1 million in payroll, about $12,526 per employee (our arithmetic; County Business Patterns 2023). 40.3% had fewer than five employees.
That payroll per employee sits far below the $97,542 of the county's physician offices (our arithmetic), so for a gym the large fixed costs are equipment and rent. Equipment financing and the lease are the two items a partner reads first.
Gym Loans for Strength and Yoga Studios
A strength gym needs racks, platforms, bars and plates, which last for years and hold resale value. A yoga or cycling studio needs less equipment but more build-out: flooring, sound, lighting, showers. The first suits equipment financing; the second suits a term loan for the build-out.
Either way, the membership base is what repays it, so a partner reads draft history, cancellations and how many members joined in the first months.
How to Get a Loan for a Gym: Drafts, Lease and Quotes
- Twelve months of membership drafts and the cancellation rate.
- The studio lease, with the years left on it.
- Equipment quotes with model numbers.
- A build-out budget with contractor quotes.
- The latest business and personal returns.
A Loan for Gym Setup Around DeLand, FL
Illustration only, invented figures: a studio's $95,000 build-out, financed over 72 months at an invented 11% annual rate, comes to about $1,808 a month (our arithmetic). Set that beside the membership revenue it supports: 420 members at $49 a month bring in $20,580 a month (our arithmetic, invented figures), before rent, payroll and equipment.
A build-out that outlasts the lease is a risk; match the term to the lease term.
A Gym Business Loan Calculator Worked by Hand
Illustration only, invented figures: $72,000 of treadmills, bikes and ellipticals over 60 months at an invented 10% annual rate cost about $1,530 a month and $19,787 in interest over the term (our arithmetic). The formula is the standard installment formula; any loan calculator gives the same result for the same inputs.
Gym Equipment Finance: Loan or Lease
Cardio machines are replaced on a cycle, which can suit a lease. Illustration only, invented figures: a lease at $1,380 a month for 48 months totals $66,240 (our arithmetic) before any buyout. Racks and plates last far longer, which can suit a loan.
The equipment financing page explains fair-market-value and one-dollar buyout leases.
Working Capital for DeLand, FL Gyms and Fitness Studios
A studio that is still filling its roster pays rent, staff and equipment payments before its membership is full. A working capital loan covers a defined ramp-up gap; a line covers recurring dips such as a month with heavy cancellations. A merchant cash advance against card drafts is not a loan; its page explains how it is collected.
Buying an Existing Gym or Fitness Studio
Buying a running gym brings equipment, a lease, a member base and sometimes trainers on contract. The price is read against membership drafts over the last year, cancellations, the age of the equipment and the remaining lease term. A term loan secured by what is bought fits the purchase, with any replacement equipment financed separately.
- Twelve months of drafts and the cancellation report.
- The equipment list with ages and any leases on it.
- The gym lease and whether it can be handed to the buyer.
- Trainer and instructor agreements.
Gym Equipment Finance Calculator: Lease and Loan on One Page
Illustration only, invented figures: the same $72,000 of cardio equipment on a loan costs $91,787 over 60 months (our arithmetic) and the business owns it at the end. On the invented lease above, $66,240 over 48 months returns the machines at the end, or adds a buyout to keep them. The cheaper path depends on whether the machines would be replaced anyway.
Run both against the studio's own replacement plan before signing either.
By Sableport Capital Group · Updated