SBA 7(a) Fitness Center Feasibility Study in Vermont

The smallest gym loans of any cell here

Vermont fitness centers borrow a midpoint of only $50,000 under 7(a), 0.20x the national 7(a) gym midpoint, with the middle half between $33,400 and $131,400. The 25 loans total just $2.5 million. More than a quarter of the loans, 28.0%, are franchised. Vermont ranks 49 among states by count, and fitness center is 5 of 39 at home, a high place in a state of very few loans.

A small map

Chittenden County, around Burlington, has 10 of the 25 loans, Bennington, Franklin and Rutland have 3 each, Lamoille 2 and Caledonia 1. The holder column is empty, which leaves no lender to name. FY2022 and FY2026 each brought 5 loans, while FY2024 and FY2025 show none, at $0, and FY2018 had 2 loans carrying $774,100, the largest dollar year.

Blanks for outcomes

Vermont gyms come with two unpublished rates, approvals that never funded and loans written off, since both cohorts are too small. At these ticket sizes a handful of failures would swing any rate, hence the SBA minimum. No code caveat attaches to the class, and the lessor note from FY2024 has no bearing.

What a Vermont gym study has to test

Few people live in Vermont's hills and valleys, so the study should say how many people live within a reasonable drive of the site, and how many already belong to a gym, school facility or town recreation program. Show the age profile and the seasonal pattern: ski season, summer tourism and a college calendar all move attendance. Set out the dues, the pace of new sign-ups and the churn assumed, and the other income, such as classes or training. A midpoint of $50,000 points to a modest equipment and leasehold package, so itemise the equipment and its life, and compare the lease with the loan. If the unit is franchised, the fees and required equipment must be costed. Check the payment in a slow first year and in the weakest season. Because requests are small, a short, well-documented study is better than a long one, and it should show the owner's own experience and equity.