Planet Fitness: How to turn laziness into millions

How to make millions from those who don’t want to exercise? Imagine a fitness club that actively discourages athletes and profits from those who don’t show up. Sounds like a crazy business plan? Meet Planet Fitness – a chain that has turned laziness into a gold mine.

In 1992, the Grondahl brothers decided to create “fitness for everyone”. Their genius plan:

1. Ridiculously low prices: $10-15 per month instead of the usual $100-300.

2. Extremely basic gyms: no frills, just basic equipment.

3. Advertising for everyone: from office workers to housewives.

4. And the main ingredient: actively deterring real athletes!

Yes, you heard that right. Planet Fitness installed sirens that wail when someone is working out too hard. They criticize heavy weights and do everything to keep professionals away.

Why? So that ordinary people don’t feel uncomfortable next to muscular athletes. So they buy a membership, pay… and don’t come.

The result? More than half of Planet Fitness clients simply pay but don’t go to the gym. This allows the company to sell more memberships than their gyms can actually accommodate.

Now Planet Fitness has over 2,400 franchise gyms. They raised prices for the first time in 26 years – and still remain the cheapest in the market.

The moral of the story? Sometimes the best client is one who pays and doesn’t use the service. Planet Fitness has turned the guilt of an unused membership into a million-dollar business.

So the next time you feel guilty about missing a workout, remember: perhaps an entire business empire is built on people just like you.