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This gym owner got 3,000 members with no paid ads
Here’s how this gym owner built a standout brand 👇
John Franklin
January 10, 2025
Gym World,
What sets a gym apart? Most gym owners will say:
Exceptional customer service
Memorable events
But that’s not always true—unless you’ve built your business on hospitality. And while many obsess over training, equipment, and systems, they often overlook branding.
Branding is how people see your business. It’s your voice, personality, logo, tagline, colors, and reputation—all working together to make your gym stand out.
Mike Orefice didn’t overlook branding. He saw gyms like ZOO Culture, Alphaland, and Warhouse Strength using social media to stand out and thought he could do the same. So, he went all-in on building a gym that could grow through organic content.
In 2019, Iron Vault opened in a 4,000 sq ft space in the upscale suburb of Scarsdale, NY.
Mike negotiated a lease agreement that prioritized him over anyone else. That deal has since allowed him to grow the location to 18,000 sq ft.
Two years later, Mike opened a 9,000 sq ft Iron Vault in Norwalk, CT.
Both locations are outfitted with premium equipment from Arsenal Strength, Eleiko, and Rogue.
They’re staffed and open to the public from 8 AM to 10 PM on weekdays and 8 AM to 8 PM on weekends. Membership requires a 3-month commitment at $105/month, and it comes with key fob access from 4 AM to midnight.
Anyone looking to try Iron Vault can purchase day passes ($30), guest passes ($20), and week passes ($99). Mike also boosts revenue by selling merch.
Mike doesn’t use ads, nurture leads, or host events—yet in just 5 years, Iron Vault has:
Grown to 3,000 members
Expanded to 2 locations across different states
Generated 7-figures a year
Here’s how he stood out: 👇
Partnerships
When Mike opened the first Iron Vault, he partnered with Arsenal Strength to outfit the entire space with their high-performance equipment.
Arsenal Strength is a premium American fitness brand known for professional strength training equipment and customizable gym designs.
Mike was one of the first to work with them and continued the partnership for his second location. Today, Iron Vault is their 3rd largest outfitted gym—when you see one, you think of the other.
Storytelling
To win on social, you have to be different, extreme, and memorable. Anyone can open a gym with Arsenal Strength equipment, so Mike leans into storytelling and building characters to make Iron Vault stand out.
Right now, he’s the main character in his own content, documenting his journey training for the Leadville Trail 100 Run—a 100-mile race through the Colorado Rockies at 14,000 ft elevation (💀). Instagram Reels and YouTube Episodes showcase the mindset, determination, and grit—values he wants to associate with Iron Vault and its members.
Mike also made the controversial decision to post about training for The Tactical Games—a mix of intense fitness and shooting challenges. It’s remarkable because:
It’s uncommon for gyms to post about guns.
It’s controversial, and controversy grabs attention.
It builds his brand—if Mike likes guns, people who like guns will connect with him and Iron Vault.
Iron Vault’s Instagram gets around 300,000 engagements per month, with nearly all their leads coming from social media. This is powered by a 5-person content team, including a full-time media director.
There’s also a series called Vault Views, where staff pick a topic (often fitness-related) and ask members for their opinions:
We thought it was awesome, but Mike considers it a flop.
‘Not just a gym’ mindset
Mike doesn’t call Iron Vault a gym—and he doesn’t like when others do either. This mindset keeps the business open to new opportunities and positions it as something bigger. He’s already done that by:
Launching a merch line to cater to the influx of visitors
Creating IV-Xâ„¢ after receiving a 50k/month energy drink bill
IV-X™ is launching soon, with plans to expand beyond the gym market. Whether it’s a good idea or not is unknown, but we’ll keep an eye on it.
Negative reviews
Building a brand worth talking about means attracting critics. But instead of fearing negative reviews, Mike finds them comical and leans into them.
Gyms like MADabolic do the same. Standing for something—even if it means pissing off a few people—requires backbone. It’s one more way Mike ensures Iron Vault stands out.
TL;DR
Influencer gyms like Iron Vault prove that a bold—sometimes polarizing—approach to business works. Their uniqueness draws attention and, ultimately, members.
In Mike’s case, he built a 7-figure business with 3,000 members and 2 locations in just 5 years by:
Sharing extreme, memorable stories through content
Partnering with premium equipment companies
Positioning his business as more than just a gym
Embracing and leaning into negative reviews
So while many gyms stick to the same playbook, the most successful ones find ways to stand out and double down on what makes them different.
over ‘n out,
j
📣 P.S. If you made it this far, tell a gym owner to subscribe to the Gym World newsletter.