.png)
Katie Wetzel
gain.
We got the chance to speak with Katie Wetzel of gain. on what it's like to be a female founder, what she's learned, her struggles along the way and what she wants to share with others.
Please tell us more about your business. How did you start? Who do you work with? What are some of your offerings? What do you love about it?
gain. is a women and non-binary strength training gym established by my founding partner, Erin, and me. We met when we were personal trainers working out of a different facility in 2021. We'd separately harbored a dream of opening our own studios, and over the years of developing our training businesses, we recognized that there was a huge gap in training spaces catered toward women. We started testing small women-only group classes, and it took off, leading us toward our creation of gain.
When we started consistently coaching small group classes, we were in a townhouse garage, doing pop-ups, and trying to figure out how to build a home of our own. A year later, in 2025, we opened our first brick-and-mortar facility in Reynoldstown. Our intimate space hosts small group classes (capped at 8-10 attendees) that bridge the gap between personal training and group fitness. We also offer individual and duo personal training sessions.
The gain. community is truly what makes the place so special. The folks who come to gain. have become incredibly consistent, resulting in true physical and mental gains, as well as a community of strong humans who uplift and cheer each other on, support each other through hard seasons, and truly encourage growth and love in every way.
Plus, our programming is truly top-notch, intentional, and effective.
Achieving a balance between personal life and business demands is a hot topic. What strategies have you found effective for maintaining harmony in your life?
I don't think there is truly a point of 50/50 "balance", but there's this dial that's constantly turning. I think it's also different for everyone - what works for me isn't the same as what works for Erin, and vice versa, when it comes to finding harmony. But, I do think that taking time to do things that spark joy, that feel like play, is incredibly important. And, in our our work, we spend so much time and energy pouring out, that we have to be deeply conscious of how we're refilling that cup and what tools we have to ground - whether that's putting our headphones on for focused work when we have down time in the gym, blocking off the calendar, or going full "do not disturb" over the weekend.
How do you leverage community and collaboration in your business strategy? We're keen to explore how female entrepreneurs are strengthening ties and creating synergies with other businesses and community members.
One of our key pillars is community, and we have been working hard to create meaningful connections with other female experts and businesses who feel aligned with our mission. We primarily partner with women - whether that's to do our bookkeeping, real estate, or collaborations. We work to showcase female entrepreneurs by inviting them to collaborate on or host events for our community - for example, we just hosted a Galentine's workout event in collaboration with a sweet brand called Gatherhers, and treats from Finca to Filter - both women-owned brands. We also spent a lot of time leaning on our female friends who own businesses as we built gain., getting their input, expertise, and feedback, which has been invaluable.
Failure is often seen as a taboo subject, but it can be a powerful teacher. Could you share an experience where you faced failure and how you turned it into a learning opportunity?
In one of our early iterations of gain., we were hosting classes in a townhouse garage, which ultimately resulted in receiving a cease & desist from the City of Atlanta and left us scrambling, as we were in the middle of a training cycle that folks had pre-paid for. That roadbump lit a fire under us to work on securing a more permanent home, which was an incredibly laborious and confusing process, but ultimately, the right choice, and I'm grateful that we had a little pressure to make that choice sooner rather than later.
Every entrepreneur faces hurdles along the way. Can you talk about a significant obstacle you've overcome and what you learned from it?
Every aspect of starting this business has been a learning opportunity - we're both coaches by trade, not business professionals. We've had to learn every aspect of running a business by doing: finances, marketing, operations, HR, real estate, licenses, creating a business structure that supports the members and the employees... it feels like we've almost done nothing BUT learn as we go.
Something I'm very proud of is how adaptable we are. We're well suited to problem-solving, we openly welcome feedback (in fact, we send out a quarterly satisfaction survey, and that's really helped us make sure our business serves our community), and we have a good sense of what we want to hold tight to (our values, our quality) and what we are open to changing. Along those lines, I think we've really learned that there's no one perfect way to run a business, and we're allowed to make this our own.
What advice or tips would you have for other female founders starting their businesses?
Do it scared. We've been saying that to each other since we dreamt up gain. in the first place, and still stand by it. Start, even if you're not sure you're "ready" because the only way to move forward is to take the first step, even if it's a step toward learning instead of succeeding. Don't wait, because you'll regret the time you spent wondering if it's perfect.
You can follow Katie on Instagram at @katiewetzel_ and her business at @gain.atl
Photo Credit: Lyndsey Schappe Photo and Film
Know A Small Business Owner?
We love highlighting female founders. If you know of someone and want to give them some recognition for their hard work, please nominate them!