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Funding for your situation

Funding a third gym location: what it costs and how it gets sized.

What a third gym site really takes in cash, how Merchant Fund Express reads the file, and a worked sizing example with illustrative numbers.

✓ Checking what you qualify for does not affect your credit score.

Where the cash gap comes from

A third site changes how a funder reads the file: two operating locations with real deposit history, and a request that has to fit on top of both. The class schedule is full and members are asking for earlier and later slots than the floor can hold. Merchant Fund Express walks owners through how to present that picture before they apply.

Merchant Fund Express is a funding marketplace: you apply once, and the file is matched to the structure that fits it. The sections below show what this situation usually costs, how a funder reads it, and what to prepare.

Typical useOpening cash for a third site and the cushion
TimelineSame-day decision on a complete file; funding typically the next business day after signing
CreditMinimum FICO is 500; better credit means better offers
DocumentsAbout three months of business bank statements and a short application

A gym file is read through recurring revenue and churn visible in deposits, how billing-platform settlements look in the bank and equipment already financed or leased.

Membership billing produces recurring monthly deposits, often via a billing platform that settles on a schedule. A reviewer sees that pattern in the statements before reading a word of the application.

Equipment is part of the picture. A failure such as a treadmill motor and belt or a sound and lighting can run $3,200 to $6,800 and interrupt revenue while it is down.

The documents that usually matter most for a gym are an equipment quote or lease and membership billing reports if available, alongside the bank statements.

A worked example for a third gym site

Cost itemIllustrative amount
Build-out and flooring$60,000
Equipment$85,000
Locker rooms and plumbing$35,000
Front desk and software$6,000
Launch marketing$9,000
Cushion for overruns and slow early weeks (about 10%)$19,500
Funding need for the third site$214,500

Sizing check. If the full repayment shown in an offer were $278,000 over about 26 weeks, the weekly debit would be about $10,692. Against illustrative monthly deposits of $215,000 (about $49,615 a week), that is roughly 22% of weekly deposits. Your own offer states the real repayment amount in dollars; run your numbers on the factor rate calculator before you accept anything.

Source: worksheet by Merchant Fund Express. Illustrative only: these figures are not an offer, and real amounts depend on your file and the funder.

What the money usually covers

Build-out and flooring ($60,000)

Paid to a contractor before opening, often in draws that start before any revenue.

Equipment ($85,000)

A fixed purchase with a quote you can put in front of a funder.

Locker rooms and plumbing ($35,000)

A real cost of the move that is easy to leave out of the first estimate.

Front desk and software ($6,000)

A real cost of the move that is easy to leave out of the first estimate.

Launch marketing ($9,000)

The spend that fills the new capacity, which is why it belongs in the plan.

Common mistakes to avoid

Funding the build-out but not the opening months of rent and payroll, which is when gyms are cash-poor
Opening before the current location(s) can carry both without borrowing from next week
Counting projected sales at the new site as repayment capacity; a file is read on current deposits
Leaving out occupancy permit and business license, which can delay an opening while the rent runs

What the review looks at

Whether the existing gyms deposits can carry the new payment on their own
A signed lease or letter of intent, and a realistic opening date
How much of the opening is already paid for out of your own cash
Recurring revenue and churn visible in deposits
How billing-platform settlements look in the bank
Equipment already financed or leased

These are the same factors described on revenue and deposit requirements and time in business. Merchant Fund Express walks you through how your own file reads before you apply.

Compare before you decide

Working capital loans: Lump-sum capital sized on your deposits, for a defined need with a clear payback.
Business line of credit: A reusable pool you draw on and repay, useful when costs arrive in pieces.
Business term loans: A fixed schedule for a larger, longer project, if the file supports it.
Equipment financing: Built around the equipment itself, which often keeps the payment tied to what it earns.
How funders read a gym: Industry-specific notes on what the file needs.
Factor rate calculator: Run your own numbers before accepting an offer.
More funding situations: Other growth, operating and recovery moments.

Documents that speed it up

Three months of business bank statements
A completed application
A government-issued ID for the owner
An equipment quote or lease
Membership billing reports if available
A lease or letter of intent for the new space

A complete file is what makes a same-day decision possible. If something is missing, tell us and we will work around it.

Common questions

How much can I get to open a third gym location?

Amounts are sized on your current deposits and existing obligations, not on the new site's projections. Merchant Fund Express reviews your last few months of business bank statements and gives a same-day decision on a complete file; funding is typically the next business day after signing. The how much can I borrow page shows what drives the number.

Do I need a signed lease first?

Funders generally want to see a lease or letter of intent, because it shows the opening is real and what occupancy will cost. If you are still negotiating, tell us; the file can often be prepared in parallel.

Will the new location's sales count toward the request?

Not until they exist. The review is built on the deposits you have today, plus clearly documented, already-paid opening costs.

What credit score do I need?

The minimum FICO is 500, and better credit means better products and terms. See credit score requirements for how the tiers work.

See what you qualify for

Merchant Fund Express gives a same-day decision on a complete file. Applying takes a few minutes and will not affect your credit score.

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