Most gym owners never seriously consider that their business could be sold for real money. They assume it's worth little more than the depreciated value of their equipment. Daniel Meng proved that assumption wrong.
Meng opened MUVFit Personal Training in Nashville, Tennessee in March 2009. In 2016, he made the shift to semi-private training — "a more efficient way to do business," he said. In August 2024, after 15 years of ownership, he hired a broker and sold his gym to an outside buyer for $950,000.
"I don't know that I would have sold my business without the Iron Circle." — Daniel Meng
Four Keys to Building a Sellable Gym
1. Systems, Systems, Systems
A gym is only sellable if it can operate without its current owner. That requires documented, transferable systems for every function — client onboarding, marketing, programming, and operations.
"You have to have all your ducks in a row, you have to be very strict about how you systemize and process things. When the broker came in and didn't know anything about my business, but then he saw it and how it ran, he said, 'You have something valuable here.'"
2. The Right Business Model
Meng's semi-private training model generated an average client value of $400+ per month, $700,000 in annual revenue, and a 40% profit margin — while paying his coaches a professional salary. That kind of profitability is what makes a gym attractive to buyers.
3. A Turnkey Operation
For years before selling, Meng pulled himself out of day-to-day operations. The buyer — who had no fitness industry background — was purchasing a business, not a job. That distinction is everything.
4. The Right Mentors
Meng credits the Iron Circle and Tim Lyons directly for walking him through the process of selling and for helping him build a gym worth nearly a million dollars in the first place.
"There are so many resources and the level of gym owner you're around — that's what I wanted at the time. I was like, 'I gotta get around some people doing better than I am, because I am never going to grow if I don't.'"
The Big Picture
Meng's story is proof that an independent gym owner can build and sell a valuable asset. It requires the right model, the right systems, and the right mentorship — but it is possible.
"I would suggest [ProFit's education and the Iron Circle] to anyone. If you're in the gym industry and you're not in a group like this, you're making a huge mistake."
Learn more about the Iron Circle mastermind and what it takes to build a gym worth selling.
