In this episode of The Gym Owner’s Podcast, we sit down with Gonz, owner of The Kage Gym, to break down his incredible journey from inheriting a gym with only 10 members to building a thriving business generating $15,000/month in dues.

Gonz shares the real story behind the turnaround — from the early struggles of keeping the doors open to the strategic decisions that fueled explosive growth, including expanding his space, upgrading equipment, and creating an experience that keeps members coming back.

In this episode: ▶ The reality of taking over a gym with almost no members ▶ Key moves that drove growth from $7K to $15K/month ▶ Why expansion changed everything ▶ Lessons for gym owners who want to scale

“Before you sign a lease, the negotiation has already started.”

“Whoever has the most options wins.”

Ken Jorgenson, National Director of CARR, explains why commercial real estate can make or break a gym business. Anthony, Natalia, and Ken break down lease mistakes, buildout timelines, tenant improvements, free rent, CPI increases, renewals, lease vs. buy decisions, and why gym owners should not negotiate commercial space alone.

In this episode of The Gym Owner’s Podcast, Anthony Pasquale and Natalia Schulte sit down with Ken Jorgenson, National Director of CARR, for one of the most important conversations any current or future gym owner can hear before signing a commercial lease.

Opening a gym is exciting, but the real estate decision behind that gym can quietly become one of the most expensive parts of the entire business. Ken explains why gym owners need to understand lease terms, landlord representation, tenant improvement allowances, free rent periods, buildout timelines, annual escalations, CPI clauses, assignment language, parking, signage, renewal options, and the hidden costs that can turn a promising gym location into a financial nightmare.

This episode is especially valuable for first-time gym owners, expanding fitness businesses, studio owners, personal training facilities, and anyone trying to decide whether to lease, buy, renew, relocate, or open an additional location.

Ken also explains why simply browsing LoopNet, calling the number on a building, or negotiating directly with a landlord’s agent can put gym owners at a disadvantage before the real negotiation even begins. The conversation covers how professional tenant and buyer representation can help gym owners create leverage, compare multiple properties, understand market data, and negotiate from a stronger position.

CARR specializes in commercial real estate services for healthcare and fitness tenants and buyers, with services that include start-ups, lease renewals, expansions, relocations, purchases, due diligence, and more. CARR’s website also includes articles, FAQs, glossaries, videos, and other resources for business owners trying to better understand commercial real estate.

In this episode

• Why gym owners should not treat commercial real estate like residential real estate
• Why calling the number on a building can weaken your negotiating position
• How landlord agents use early conversations as leverage
• Why LoopNet is not enough when searching for gym space
• What gym owners should negotiate beyond monthly rent
• The difference between buildout time and free rent after opening
• Why tenant improvement allowance can save gym owners serious money
• How permitting delays can wreck an opening timeline
• Why assignment language matters if you ever want to sell your gym
• How CPI increases and annual escalations can quietly raise your rent
• Why lease renewals should start about a year before the lease expires
• When buying real estate makes sense — and when it can hurt the business
• Why location, parking, signage, visibility, and traffic patterns matter
• How data-driven decisions can help gym owners choose smarter locations
• Why CARR focuses on educating tenants and buyers before they sign

Visit CARR.us to connect with CARR and learn more about commercial real estate services for fitness tenants and buyers.

Visit GymInsight.com or call 855-367-4967 to learn how Gym Insight helps independent gym owners manage and grow their business.

Natalia started with Pilates at 19. Now she’s helping gym owners build stronger businesses with Gym Insight.

In this episode of The Gym Owner’s Podcast, Anthony introduces Natalia Schulte, a new member of the Gym Insight team and a fresh voice on the podcast.

Natalia shares how she got started in the fitness industry through Pilates at age 19 and how that early experience shaped both her body and her career. From working in Pilates studios to earning her NASM personal training certification, Natalia explains why fitness became more than just a job — it became a foundation for helping others take care of their bodies.

Anthony and Natalia discuss the importance of core strength, how Pilates helped Natalia recover through pregnancies, surgeries, and car accidents, and why she believes in teaching from personal experience before coaching others.

Natalia also talks about working in different fitness environments, including Lifetime, CrossFit, Pilates studios, and a brief role connected to bariatric care. She explains how her experience inside gyms and studios gave her a deeper understanding of what fitness business owners deal with every day.

The episode then shifts into Natalia’s move to the other side of the industry: helping gym owners through Gym Insight. She shares how working with gym owners allows her to support the people who are supporting their communities, and why simple, helpful software matters so much when owners are trying to run their business without unnecessary frustration.

Anthony and Natalia also talk about grand openings, helping new gym owners, customer success moments, and why having both East Coast and West Coast perspectives will bring more value to future episodes of The Gym Owner’s Podcast.

For gym owners, studio owners, personal trainers, and fitness professionals, this episode is a quick introduction to Natalia’s background, her passion for the fitness industry, and the perspective she brings to the Gym Insight team.

In This Episode

• Natalia’s introduction to The Gym Owner’s Podcast
• How she got started with Pilates at 19
• Why Pilates became her first love in fitness
• How core strength helped her through pregnancies and recovery
• Why she pursued NASM personal training certification
• Her experience working at Lifetime, CrossFit, Pilates studios, and more
• Why believing in fitness makes selling training easier
• What moved Natalia from direct member support to helping gym owners
• Why complicated fitness software creates unnecessary stress
• How Gym Insight helps simplify gym operations
• Why partnering with gym owners helps support entire communities
• What Natalia enjoys most about joining the Gym Insight team
• Why grand openings are exciting for Gym Insight customers
• Natalia’s first “moment of magic” helping a Gym Insight customer
• How Natalia will bring a new perspective to future TGOP episodes