diff --git a/resources/gitlab b/resources/gitlab
index 397f08da..c844ebb5 100755
--- a/resources/gitlab
+++ b/resources/gitlab
@@ -41,15 +41,15 @@ stdout_logfile=/var/log/supervisor/%(program_name)s.log
 stderr_logfile=/var/log/supervisor/%(program_name)s.log
 EOF
 
+	# fix permissions and ownership of /var/lib/mysql
+	chown -R mysql:mysql /var/lib/mysql
+	chmod 700 /var/lib/mysql
+
 	# initialize MySQL data directory
 	if [ ! -d /var/lib/mysql/mysql ]; then
 		mysql_install_db --user=mysql
 	fi
 
-	# make sure /var/lib/mysql/ has the right permissions in case it is mounted as a volume.
-	chown -R mysql:mysql /var/lib/mysql
-	chmod 700 /var/lib/mysql
-
 	supervisorctl update
 
 	# wait for mysql server to start (max 120 seconds)