The best part of buying a new insurance policy is the shopping experience.

Said no one ever.

Honestly, we’re inclined to agree. As small business owners ourselves, we’ve also been in the market for what insurers love to call “commercial small business insurance.”

Does that mean it’s ready-made to cover our gyms? Does it magically cover everything we need as gym owners? Will we be able to buy a policy quickly, for a fair price, without endless questions about our gym's operations? Maybe in a handy little box, circa 1995, like buying Microsoft Windows at Best Buy?

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Unfortunately, buying insurance for your gym is a little more hands-on than grabbing a box off a shelf. For starters, there are many insurance providers to choose from. Add in brokers and agencies and risk retention groups, and the options start to feel overwhelming fast.

Then there's the product itself, with endless combinations, add-ons, exclusions, optional coverages, and hidden discounts. It can feel like there’s a secret menu hidden back there somewhere that everyone else is ordering off of, and you're only seeing two choices in front of you.

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And on top of all of this, you're feeling uncertain about the most important question: Am I getting the best price?

So yeah, buying insurance for our business isn’t our favorite activity either. But, just like going to dentist, it’s important to do and to stay on top of regular checkups. As strong, healthy business owners, we do it because it protects everything we've built.

We’ll dive into each of these topics in more detail in future posts. But for today, here are the top 3 things you need to look at when buying insurance for your gym:

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1. What coverage is included in your policy?

Just because it’s called a "gym insurance policy "doesn't mean it includes everything your gym needs to be protected completely.

At minimum, your policy should include:

• General Liability
• ‍Professional Liability
• ‍Business Personal Property (BPP)

These three from the core protection your gym needs. Everything else is just gravy.

Next, make sure your policy actually covers your activities. This means your specific training style (jiu jitsu, martial arts, CrossFit, yoga, etc), your staff and contractors, as well as your 24-hour access, dogs, minors, and more. To really answer this, you'll need to read the fine print in your quote or policy documents.

This is where AI can really help. Upload your policy PDFs to ChatGPT and ask questions like:

• “What is the minimum age limit for minors on this policy?”
• "Are my independent contractors covered on my general liability policy?”
• “What kinds of natural disasters aren’t covered on my policy?”

‍Industry expert tip: If the activity is normal for a gym (i.e. you’re not repairing cars at your gym) and it’s not listed as excluded, then it’s covered.

Special Note for CrossFit gyms: RRG policies do not include Business Personal Property coverage. Unless you’ve bought Property coverage elsewhere, your gym contents and equipment are not protected from fires, theft, or other covered disasters. Please check that you have this coverage asap. Property claims are the #1 insurance claims we see.

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2. What are the limits on your gym's policy?

Another great use of ChatGPT: Upload multiple quotes and ask ChatGPT to compare the limits on your various policies and quotes.

Pay attention to:

• General Liability and Professional Liability occurrence and aggregate limits
• Sub-limits (sometimes big differences are hidden here)
• Deductibles

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3. Price

Now that you’ve actually compared what you’re buying, you can make an informed decision about price.

Here’s why this is so important:

• If one policy is $800 cheaper, but only includes General Liability (with Professional Liability as a sub-limit) and no Business Personal Property... you're saving money but getting significantly less protection.
• But if you’re looking at two quotes, both with General Liability, Professional Liability, and Business Personal Property, similar limits and sub-limits, and the difference is $100-$200 annually, then you’re looking at a true apples-to-apples comparison.

When the price is close, then you'll want to decide based on softer factors:

• How do you feel about their customer service?
• Do you trust this company has your best interests at heart and understands your gym?
• What do other gym owners have to say about this insurance provider?

These little signals matter a lot, especially if you ever need to file a claim.

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One fun difference between 2025 vs. 1995: most gym insurance shopping can be done online. The best insurance providers let you get quotes, purchase coverage, and manage your policy without ever needing to email a person or schedule a call. This makes buying insurance faster, and we hope, a little bit easier.

But we’ll still argue that the music was better back in 1995. (If you're feeling nostalgic for the 90's, here's the top song from 1995)

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Notes

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Ready to get a fast, easy gym insurance quote online? Start here: GymInsurance.com

Need help or have questions? Email us anytime at info@gyminsurance.com.