u/Middle-Living9420

Hi!

I've been working on finding a side project for a while now.

In my day-to-day life, I run a gym with 900 members, a team of 20 staff, and 1,400m² of space, just so you have some context about what I do.

We went through a seriously tough period, and I managed to pull the business through it by planning smart, restructuring our operations, reviewing and adjusting everything financially, and cutting costs where we could.

Now I want to offer that exact skillset as a side project, specifically for other gym owners who are struggling.

The problem: the people who need this most often can't afford it.

That's why I'm thinking about adjusting my offer. My plan is to run an ad that includes a free tool in exchange for contact information. The tool I want to offer is a simple Excel file where gym owners can log their incoming invoices to get a better overview of their cash flow, something that genuinely helped save us during that difficult period.

Is this a smart move? What do you think?
And how should I structure my actual service offering?

again, this is not a self promotion. i just need some help with my offer

Hey everyone,

Looking for some perspective from people who've been in a similar spot.

I'm 27 and I run a brick-and-mortar business that I pulled out of a rough patch a few years ago. It's now been running stable and profitable for about 1.5 years. Steady, almost boring cashflow — which I love. The market has kind of capped the growth potential for now, but that's fine, it'll come back. My house is paid off, I work when I want, life is comfortable.

But I'm not satisfied. I want more.

Because I spent the last few years fixing the business rather than stacking cash, I don't have a huge war chest to invest. But I have time, I'm young, and I want to build something new — ideally online — that can eventually make serious money. Not because I need it to survive, but because I'm ambitious and I know I can do more.

I'm not looking for dropshipping or anything that feels like a race to the bottom. I want something where putting in real time and effort over the years actually compounds into something meaningful. A skill, a brand, a product — I don't know exactly.

I'm also deliberately not trying to copy what I already do. I want diversification, not just more eggs in the same basket.

For those of you who've built something online from scratch — what would you look at if you were 27, had time, had some financial stability, but were starting lean?

What actually worked for you, or what do you wish you'd started earlier?

Anyone else noticing members are happy but just… not showing up?

Running a gym in the Netherlands, about 800 members. Lessons are well-received, members are satisfied when they come, retention is solid. But lately I’m just noticing how easy it is for people to stay home.

Not talking about cancellations or complaints. People renew, people are positive. They just don’t come. Warm weather, busy lives, comfortable couch.

Youth judo classes are packed as always — that’s scheduled and structured so they show up. But the adult drop-in and group lessons? You can feel the difference.

Curious if this is just a June thing or if others are seeing the same pattern. Is the bar to actually leave the house just getting higher every year?