A signup is not a retained member-month
Trials, signed future contracts, failed charges, freezes and cancellations can inflate a gross enrollment count without producing the earned recurring revenue used by the model.
At the assumed 280 paid active member-months per month and $149.00 realized net yield, this Ohio wage-reference scenario produces $6,357.13 mature monthly EBIT. EBIT break-even is approximately 234.123 paid active member-months per month. Opening funding is $319,126.53 under the stated ramp and reserve assumptions. These calculations use the fully paid roster; price, activity, premises and other commercial inputs remain planning assumptions.
Planning answer updated . Source periods appear below.
Leased boutique group fitness studio with one primary class room, a defined weekly timetable, paid instructors, paid studio coordination and recurring monthly memberships
State benchmarks: May / July 2025 · Page prepared September 13, 2026
The published reference assumes 280 paid member-months in a mature month, produces $6,357 monthly EBIT and needs 234.1 paid member-months for EBIT break-even. The assumed volume is 45.9 paid member-months above EBIT break-even. A larger shortfall in paid activity would erase the modeled operating profit.
Define the membership contract before counting net member revenue. The retained Ohio section separates prepaid-contract and taxable-service observations from Columbus operators’ published membership prices. Map the exact offer, cancellation and tax treatment, then record retained billable members and net collections. A displayed unlimited price is not the reference’s achieved $149 member-month. Inspect the Ohio rule and direct-price observations.
The mature reference month has a surplus. 280 assumed paid active member-months per month produce $6,357.13 EBIT and $8,140.46 cash after the modeled maintenance investment. Both include paid work and exclude financing, income taxes and owner distributions. The $319,126.53 opening-funding scenario is separate; a reserve cannot remove an ongoing operating loss.
Define the membership contract before counting net member revenue. The retained Ohio section separates prepaid-contract and taxable-service observations from Columbus operators’ published membership prices. Map the exact offer, cancellation and tax treatment, then record retained billable members and net collections. A displayed unlimited price is not the reference’s achieved $149 member-month. Inspect the Ohio rule and direct-price observations.
The May 2025 Ohio Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors median is $17.49 per hour. Applied to the page’s full paid roster, state occupation benchmarks produce $15,659.14 monthly payroll, $2,244.63 lower than the same national-wage roster ($17,903.76), including the assumed 18% employer allowance. BLS state May 2025, SOC 39-9031, H_MEDIAN, row 25408. Use this comparison to obtain role-specific hiring terms and employer charges; it does not price rent or demonstrate customer demand.
With the same realized yield, costs and paid roster, 235 full billable member-months in a modeled month produce $121.48 EBIT; 234 leave −$17.09 EBIT. This tests earned full member-months, not leads, trials, signed future contracts or frozen memberships. The separate mature cash-after-maintenance boundary is 222 full billable member-months per month, before financing and income taxes; it does not establish launch payback.
Rounded break-even values elsewhere on this page are estimates. The conditional whole-unit tests here use the full unrounded inputs. EBITDA excludes depreciation and maintenance investment; EBIT includes depreciation; cash after maintenance deducts maintenance investment and is not owner income.
The assumed timetable has 45 classes a week with 16 places each: 3,120 monthly reservation spots on a 52-week annual average. At 8.5 reservations per member-month, 280 billable members need 2,380 spots; the 350-member planning ceiling needs 2,975. Paid instructor coverage is 243.75 hours per month, equivalent to 1.25 hours per scheduled class; operations and member service are paid separately. Check preferred-time access, safe room capacity, setup, reset and substitution. Track billable members by cohort: replace cancellations, freezes and failed collections before counting net growth. The $149 is a realized earned yield; class-pack or drop-in revenue already included in it must not be added again. The post-ramp flat membership line assumes replacement succeeds; it is not evidence of zero churn.
| Change from reference | Monthly EBIT | Held-constant scope |
|---|---|---|
| 20% fewer paid activity units | −$1,402.79 | Assumed activity falls; yield and the paid roster remain unchanged. |
| 25% higher full occupancy cost | $4,482.13 | Complete occupancy changes; refundable opening deposits also change in the full calculator. |
| 10% higher wage rates | $4,791.22 | Every paid role changes together; hours and the employer allowance remain unchanged. |
20% fewer paid activity units gives the lowest EBIT among these three tests: −$1,402.79. These differently sized tests are sensitivities, not a probability range or an exhaustive risk ranking. A result reverses when realized contribution no longer covers the stated paid costs; validate the selling unit and every binding resource before accepting extra volume.
Next validation action: Keep the named city’s rule, list-price and asking-rent examples separate from the retained reference inputs. A cheaper base rent or competitor tier becomes a model input only after its full scope matches this studio. The retained Census employer-establishment and BLS employment observations describe sector scope and timing; they do not count members or identify the best catchment. Observed wage and population records keep their source periods; the rent, selling yield, opening allowances, employer load and sales ramp remain disclosed assumptions unless a separately scoped observation says otherwise. Inspect this page’s exact sources and limits · Read the shared business format.
Published research and calculations support business planning and education. They are not personalized financial, investment, tax or legal advice, and they do not guarantee costs, revenue, profit or financing. Estimates depend on the stated format, location, source periods and assumptions. Check the requirements and commitments that apply to your circumstances.
The 2023 County Business Patterns file reports 1,294 employer establishments and 22,860 employees in NAICS 713940 for Ohio. The 2022 Economic Census separately reports 1,189 establishments and $893,638,000 of receipts, an arithmetic mean of $751,588 per establishment. NAICS 713940 covers fitness and recreational sports centers, including broad gyms, health clubs and specialized studios; it does not isolate the frozen boutique group-class format.
| County | Collection stratum | Employer establishments | Employees | Employment / payroll flag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County | major | 195 | 3,836 | G / G |
| Lucas County | secondary | 50 | 1,639 | H / H |
| Allen County | smaller | 10 | 135 | G / H |
Reported county rows reconcile to 98.1% of the state establishment count. These strata guide local evidence collection; they do not rank counties or establish member demand.
Private NAICS 713940 employment in Ohio ranged from 17,811 in January to 24,113 in June, a peak-to-trough ratio of 1.35 in 2025. Sector staffing timing does not measure memberships, retention, class attendance or the launch ramp of this format.
| Source | Decision area | Captured finding | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio Laws and Administrative Rules | contracts and consumer protection | topic: Prepaid entertainment contract definitions including health-spa services | Applicability and exemptions depend on the final contract and offering; recheck the current code page before implementation. |
| Ohio Laws and Administrative Rules | contracts and consumer protection | topic: Prepaid entertainment contract requirements | This is not a legal determination for a particular agreement; recheck the current code page before implementation. |
| Ohio Laws and Administrative Rules | contracts and consumer protection | topic: Cancellation notice and rights for prepaid entertainment contracts | The operator must confirm exact applicability, notice wording and current law. |
| Ohio Laws and Administrative Rules | sales tax and revenue | topic: Physical fitness facility service within taxable-service definitions | The final service bundle, exclusions, local rate and sourcing determine the collected amount; collected sales tax is not revenue. |
| Ohio Department of Commerce | paid labor | scope: Non-tipped employees at covered employers; hourly usd: 11 · scope: Employers below stated gross-receipts threshold and workers under 16; hourly usd: 7.25 · item: Gross-receipts threshold; annual usd: 405,000 | Coverage, age, overtime, local rules and later legal changes must be checked for the actual employer. |
| City of Columbus Building and Zoning Services | premises and fit-out permission | topic: Building, zoning and occupancy review | No address, fee, construction scope or approval is represented. |
These direct operator pages provide dated list-price context. They do not establish realized net member revenue, sales mix, retention, discounts, attendance or demand for the proposed studio.
| Operator | Locality | Captured offers | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Strength | Franklin County | Offer: Unlimited · Listed Monthly Price Usd: $150.00 Offer: Drop-in · Listed Price Usd: $20.00 Offer: 5-class pack · Listed Price Usd: $95.00 Offer: 10-class pack · Listed Price Usd: $180.00 | A direct list-price page does not establish achieved price, retention, attendance or taxable receipts. |
| Studio Glow Fitness | Franklin County | Offer: Unlimited with three-month commitment · Listed Monthly Price Usd: $139.00 Offer: Drop-in · Listed Price Usd: $23.00 Offer: 5-class pack · Listed Price Usd: $90.00 Offer: 10-class pack · Listed Price Usd: $165.00 | Commitment length and mix must be normalized before comparison; no realized net revenue is reported. |
| Fitness Loft Columbus | Franklin County | Offer: Gym access and unlimited classes · Listed Monthly Price Usd: $80.00 | Use as format-difference evidence only. |
With every commercial input held fixed, Ohio occupational wage rows produce $15,659 of loaded monthly payroll, 12.5% below the identical roster at national medians ($17,904). The authored scenario produces $319,127 of funding, $6,357 of mature monthly EBIT and 234.12 active member-months for depreciation-inclusive break-even. The wage comparison does not localize the rent, fit-out, equipment, membership value, retention or demand assumptions.
At national wage medians, the authored case reaches EBITDA break-even before maintenance at 230.24 active member-months, cash break-even after monthly maintenance at 237.45, and depreciation-inclusive EBIT break-even at 250.32. These are calculations from disclosed assumptions, not observed market thresholds.
Census 2023 County Business Patterns · 2022 Economic Census · BLS 2025 QCEW · BLS May 2025 OEWS · Approved state research standard
This completed planning profile combines checked state wage and population sources with a transparent financial scenario. Use its opening-cost, operating-cost and revenue figures as planning inputs, then replace location-sensitive assumptions when evaluating a specific address or service area.
| Evidence family | Published basis | What to confirm locally |
|---|---|---|
| Opening costs | Published planning inputs — replace with local quotes | premises scope, fitout, equipment, installation freight tax, deposits, preopening training, opening inventory, contingency |
| Operating costs | Published planning inputs — replace with local quotes | occupancy, utilities, insurance, materials, payment fees, marketing, software administration, maintenance |
| Paid labor and employer costs | State wage benchmark used — confirm employer costs | paid roster, wages, wage floor overtime, employer taxes, benefits leave, workers compensation, owner role |
| Revenue and collections | Published planning inputs — validate price and demand locally | realized price mix, demand volume, capacity, industry cross check, launch ramp, seasonality, collections |
| Permissions and fees | Confirm for the selected address | activity address jurisdiction, initial fees, recurring fees |
National equipment prices can support the plan where configuration, delivery and taxes match the intended purchase. Confirm rent, selling prices, demand and permissions for the actual location instead of applying a generic state adjustment.
The Census estimate for Ohio is 11,900,510 people. It grew by 39,889 between July 2024 and July 2025 (+0.34%). This statewide movement cannot identify a viable retained membership, usable class-access pattern or realized member value.
Using the same paid roster, Ohio occupational wages produce $15,659 of monthly loaded payroll. That is −12.54% relative to the identical roster priced with national occupation medians ($17,904). Only wage benchmarks change in this comparison; it does not measure a state’s overall business attractiveness.
BLS wage source · Census population source · Exact fields and workbook rows

Leased boutique group fitness studio with one primary class room, a defined weekly timetable, paid instructors, paid studio coordination and recurring monthly memberships. A 2,500-square-foot boutique group fitness studio delivering a defined weekly class timetable through paid instructors, studio operations and member-services coverage.
The authored timetable provides 3,120 bookable class spots per month from 45 whole weekly classes and 16 spots per class. At 8.5 reservations per member-month, the arithmetic supports 367 whole member-months before time-slot preference; the shared model uses a lower 350-member ceiling. Both are planning assumptions rather than observed demand or approved occupancy. Peak-time access, safe layout, equipment, instructor coverage, opening and closing work, cleaning, cancellations and the actual member visit pattern can reduce usable capacity.
| Input | Reference assumption |
|---|---|
| paid active member-months per month | 280 |
| Net selling price per paid active member-month | $149.00 |
| Trading days / month | Monthly recurring-account model |
| Variable cost share | 7% |
| Occupancy / month | $7,500 |
| Other fixed costs / month | $6,500 |
| Employer cost allowance | 18% above base wages |
3.0% payment processing and transaction leakage, 1.50% member-use consumables and amenities, 1.0% refunds, credits and chargebacks, 0.75% sales and affiliate incentives, 0.75% variable program-supply replacement; all instructor, operations and member-services compensation remains in payroll. Utilities $2,000.00; Cleaning and laundry $1,500.00; Recurring local marketing $1,250.00; Insurance $750.00; Booking, point of sale, music and software $600.00; Accounting, administration and professional services $400.00. Occupancy is modeled separately at $7,500.00 and maintenance investment at $1,000.00 per month.
| Role / SOC | Paid hours / month | Wage benchmark / hour | P25–P75 / hour | Base wages / month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paid group fitness instructor coverage39-9031 · Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors · State observation | 243.8 | $17.49 | $13.86–$23.66 | $4,263 |
| Paid studio operations lead39-1022 · First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers · State observation | 173.3 | $19.07 | $16.66–$25.96 | $3,305 |
| Paid member-services coverage43-4051 · Customer Service Representatives · State observation | 260 | $21.93 | $18.00–$25.25 | $5,702 |
Base wages total $13,270 per month. An authored 18% allowance for employer costs adds $2,389, giving $15,659 of loaded payroll. The allowance is a planning shortcut; it is not a state-specific payroll tax calculation or benefits quote for Ohio.
Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors, First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers and Customer Service Representatives are broad May 2025 occupational wage benchmarks. They do not establish studio-specific hiring quotes, qualifications, lawful scheduling, employer obligations or compensation terms. The model pays all class instruction, operations and member-services hours; it does not use unpaid owner work to create capacity. Every operating role is paid, including management or supervision. If the owner performs a modeled role, their compensation occupies that role once; no additional owner draw is included in operating profit.
The middle 50% wage interval describes the occupation’s observed wage distribution. It is not a confidence interval for this business’s total payroll. Allocate the aggregate hours across an actual roster and check wage rules, overtime, leave and employer obligations for the chosen location.
| Use of funds | Cash paid |
|---|---|
| Design, lease review, permits and professional allowance | $12,000 |
| Tenant improvements, acoustic treatment, HVAC and electrical allowance | $80,000 |
| Resilient flooring, mirrors, storage and signage | $30,000 |
| Functional training equipment package allowance | $45,000 |
| Audio, access control, POS and security setup | $12,000 |
| Furniture, cleaning equipment and opening supplies | $8,000 |
| Insurance deposits and launch marketing | $8,000 |
| Opening contingency | $20,000 |
| Refundable deposit (two months of occupancy) | $15,000 |
| Paid pre-opening training | $1,850 |
| Total payments before opening | $231,850 |
The equipment and premises allowances are the same in all 50 states for this operating format. They are a comparison baseline and must be replaced with local scopes and quotes. Training uses 80 aggregate paid hours at the modeled team’s weighted loaded rate. The refundable deposit is cash tied up, not an operating expense.
The cash schedule tests 60 months, with sales ramping through 40%, 55%, 70%, 82%, 90%, 96%, 100% of the volume assumption. Full payroll and fixed costs begin in month one. The reserve covers the deepest cumulative operating deficit plus the stated buffer. A buffer is retained cash, not spending and not part of project payback twice.
The reference assumes member charges are collected without receivable delay for the month in which access is earned. Prepaid terms, deferred service, failed payments, refunds, credits, freezes, chargebacks and taxes collected for government need their own billing and revenue schedule. Asset purchases are depreciated over 60 months for this scenario. No sale or deposit recovery is assumed at the end.
At the assumed 280 paid active member-months per month, the reference scenario produces $6,357 of mature monthly EBIT, a 15.2% operating margin. Its continuous EBIT threshold is approximately 234.1 paid active member-months per month for EBIT break-even. This result depends on unverified selling price, demand and premises inputs.
| Measure | Monthly amount |
|---|---|
| Revenue | $41,720 |
| Variable operating costs | $2,920 |
| Loaded payroll, including management | $15,659 |
| Occupancy assumption | $7,500 |
| Other fixed operating costs | $6,500 |
| EBITDA | $9,140 |
| Depreciation | $2,783 |
| Operating profit (EBIT) | $6,357 |
| Maintenance capital expenditure | $1,000 |
| Mature project cash flow | $8,140 |
EBIT break-even revenue is $34,884 per month: $32,442 of fixed costs plus depreciation divided by a 93% contribution margin. At $149.00 per paid active member-month, that is approximately 234.1 paid active member-months per month and 66.9% of the stated capacity.
| Measure | Months 1–12 | Mature month |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $430,968 | $41,720 |
| Operating profit (EBIT) | $11,490 | $6,357 |
| Project cash flow | $32,890 | $8,140 |
Project payback occurs in month 37 in this reference schedule. It measures recovery of actual pre-opening payments from cumulative project cash, with no financing or owner distributions. It does not measure cash paid back to an owner.
Trials, signed future contracts, failed charges, freezes and cancellations can inflate a gross enrollment count without producing the earned recurring revenue used by the model.
Full preferred-time classes and empty off-peak classes can produce a reasonable average while retained members cannot book the service they value.
Change the assumptions to see how this format responds. The sections above remain the published reference, so you can compare your scenario with the original. Use the browser-local export buttons below to save only the scenario you are working on.
Reference scenario. JavaScript enables editing and exports.
280 paid active member-months per month × $149.00 = $41,720 revenue. Loaded payroll: $15,659 per month. Break-even uses 66.9% of capacity.
The download preserves the published scenario and its source references.
Describe the exact address, proposed use, room layout, occupancy, activities, equipment, sound, ventilation, restrooms, accessibility, hours, signage, employees, membership terms, cleaning and any child care, food, retail, massage, clinical or personal-training activity. Ask the landlord, insurer and responsible state and local offices which business, land-use, building, fire, accessibility, employer, tax, consumer-contract and activity-specific requirements apply.
| Workstream | Official starting points | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Business and activity | Which entity, name or activity registrations apply, and which local or specialist office also has responsibility? | |
| Tax | Which registrations and treatment apply to the actual goods or services, location and staffing arrangements? | |
| Employers | Which employer accounts, reporting steps and labor obligations apply to the planned paid roster? |
Take the activity, address, proposed equipment and staffing plan to the relevant office. Record applicability, supporting documents, fees, dependencies and renewal terms from the actual official response.
Agency routes were listed on the IRS Ohio directory when retrieved September 5, 2026. Links identify starting offices; they do not verify a permit, tax treatment, fee or opening time for this business. Open the full Ohio opening checklist →
Fix the recurring offer and run an authorized presale or controlled opening test. Record paid starts, earned member-months, cohort retention, realized member revenue and usable class access rather than treating leads as members.
Confirm permitted use, occupancy, egress, accessibility, ventilation, temperature, acoustics, floor, mirrors, storage, restrooms, utilities, signage, cleaning and neighbor conditions for the exact class plan before the lease or fit-out payment.
Build whole classes with paid instruction, setup, reset, opening, closing, member service, administration, cleaning and substitution. Fund the ramp and fixed premises costs without assuming every available spot will be reserved.
Permitted use, occupancy, egress, accessibility, ventilation, acoustics, safe exercise zones, equipment, restrooms, cleaning and neighbor conditions must support the actual timetable.
For a selected address or service area, collect an evidence pack covering premises and equipment quotes, paid demand, staffing, collection terms and the responsible authorities. The state wage and population evidence on this page does not supply those location-specific inputs.
State: Ohio, FIPS 39. Cross-industry, ownership 1235. H_MEDIAN supplies an available hourly benchmark; H_PCT25 and H_PCT75 describe the occupational distribution. 39-9031 (Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors), state workbook row 25408; 39-1022 (First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers), state workbook row 25385; 43-4051 (Customer Service Representatives), state workbook row 25452. Retrieved September 5, 2026.
The national comparison uses the same paid roster and these national H_MEDIAN observations: 39-9031, national workbook row 785; 39-1022, national workbook row 737; 43-4051, national workbook row 872. Any national value substituted for a suppressed state value is identified separately. National observations do not become state observations.
SUMLEV 040; STATE 39; POPESTIMATE2025 and POPESTIMATE2024. July 1 estimates; change and percentage change are calculated within the same vintage. Population is context, not a customer forecast.
OEWS covers employee jobs across industries. It is a statistical benchmark, not a hiring quote or legal wage floor. Employer benefits and overtime premiums are outside the wage measure; tips can be included.
An official route to the state government and major agencies. This directory does not confirm the fees, permits or approval times for a particular address or business.
All selling prices, demand, paid hours, employer allowance, premises, startup allowances, cost shares, ramp and cash buffer are authored planning inputs. No commercial quote or researched state total is implied.
The stated operating format and paid roster define the scenario. Wage and population observations keep their geography and period. Replace commercial assumptions only with evidence that matches the scope, then reconcile the same inputs across earnings, cash and the delivery schedule.
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