By Mandy Miller
Published: January 6, 2025
Anyone that has ever thought about starting a new franchise concept has done so because they have at least one of these things: a strong financial business that’s easily replicatable, a novel concept that doesn’t exist yet in the franchise world, investors already trying to expand into new cities, or management with a history of franchise success. Starting Strength Gyms delivers on all these fronts, but also gives new franchisees a running start with two very unique traits not often found in franchisor structure: a worldwide devoted following waiting to engage, and a pre-existing operational framework that has been used for 10 years before the first franchise agreement was ever signed.
The Traditional Franchise Fundamentals
Like McDonald’s, The UPS Store, or any respected franchise system, Starting Strength Gyms provides franchisees with a validated roadmap for success. Before a franchise agreement is ever signed, the corporate team is supporting prospective new gym owners through SBA bank qualifications, brand due diligence, and eventually through a 100 point checklist from franchise agreement signing to Grand Opening parties. With the last 28 locations, the business model has been tested, refined, and proven across diverse markets and demographics. Franchisees receive comprehensive financial projections based on real operational data, eliminating much of the guesswork that plagues independent business ventures. And most importantly, we only agree to work with franchisees who not only love the Starting Strength brand, but will be strong brand ambassadors at a local level.
The Revolutionary Difference
Here’s where Starting Strength Gyms diverges dramatically from conventional franchise opportunities: it isn’t just another gym with a franchise agreement attached. The Starting Strength methodology represents a fundamentally different approach to fitness—one focused exclusively on barbell strength training using a proven linear progression model developed by Mark Rippetoe. While Planet Fitness, Anytime Fitness, and other gym franchises compete in an overcrowded market of treadmills, group classes, and general fitness equipment, Starting Strength Gyms occupies a category of one.
This isn’t a fitness concept created for franchising purposes. Starting Strength existed as a respected strength training system for over two decades before the franchise model was ever conceived. The Aasgaard Company built a substantial following through the bestselling book “Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training,” coaching certifications, and a proven track record of transforming countless individuals through proper barbell training. The brand came to franchising with an established reputation, a loyal community, and validated methodology—not the other way around.
Brand Equity Before Franchise Expansion
Most franchise opportunities begin with a successful single location or small chain, then scale through franchising to grow the brand. Starting Strength Gyms flipped this model. The brand was already nationally recognized, with thousands of coaches certified in the methodology and a devoted following of lifters who understood and trusted the Starting Strength approach. When the franchise model launched, it wasn’t building brand awareness from scratch—it was channeling existing brand equity into a structured franchise system, and localized gym success.
This pre-existing brand strength provides franchisees with an invaluable advantage: they’re investing in a name that already means something to their target market. Serious lifters and those seeking legitimate strength training already know Starting Strength. They’ve read the books, watched the videos, and understand the methodology’s value. This brand recognition dramatically reduces customer acquisition costs and accelerates the path to profitability. And even when we come across an unaware new client, which we do every single day, we have history to back up our claims! As the brand expands, we are exponentially increasing that awareness that heightens the excitement for new and existing markets. We are doing it in parallel with the Aasgaard Company, attacking the fitness market from all angles.
The Best of Both Worlds
Starting Strength Gyms offers franchisees a rare combination: the proven franchise fundamentals, that mitigate risk, alongside a genuinely differentiated fitness concept backed by decades of coaching success. It’s a business model built on traditional franchise strengths, delivering a revolutionary fitness approach that simply cannot be found elsewhere. For investors seeking both security and uniqueness, Starting Strength Gyms represents an exceptional opportunity where established franchise principles meet an unmatched strength training legacy.