The Small Group Gym Pod

In this episode, I sit down with James and Callan from Scope Health and Fitness in Bathgate — a small-group personal training gym based in Bathgate, Scotland that has grown to more than 200 active members while building a seriously strong reputation for coaching, care, and community.We get into how they split roles across the business, how they’ve built a team they can trust, why they track far more than just monthly revenue, and the lesson they learned after a painful member drop-off last year.We also talk about the power of greeting people by name, using data to identify your best-fit client, why retention should be viewed through lifetime value, and how a gym can feel more like a community than just a place to train.Find Out More About James & Callan:James' Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jameswilsonfitness/ Callan's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/callanstonefitness_/Scope: https://scopehealthandfitness.co.uk/

Dan Moore didn’t build his gyms the way most people expect.In fact, at one point, he had 250 members… with no booking system at all.In this episode, Dan breaks down how he grew DM Elite to 3 locations and 500+ members—and what he’d do differently if he started again.We get into:Why scaling creates problems you can’t outworkThe real reason most onboarding processes failWhy session ratios matter less than you thinkHow email became one of his most powerful retention toolsAnd the truth about “premium” positioningFind Out More About Dan:His Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imdanmoore/ His Gym: https://dmelite.co.uk/

What does it really take to grow from one successful training studio to four locations... with more on the way?In this episode, Stuart sits down with John Farkas, owner of Blue Ocean Fitness and multiple Alloy Personal Training franchises, to talk about the real work behind scaling a gym business.John shares why he stepped away from coaching clients himself, how his role has changed from trainer to leader, and what surprised him most about moving from one site to multiple locations. They get into staff development, onboarding systems, tough feedback conversations, client retention, referrals, Google reviews, and the communication challenges that come with growth.Find Out More About John:His Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachjohnfarkas/

In this episode, Alloy Personal Training founder and CEO Rick Mayo breaks down why the most scalable gym model might actually be the smallest. We dig into the logic behind the 150-member “neighbourhood gym” ceiling, the “inverse model” (fewer clients paying more), and the systems Alloy uses to make care feel personal at scale — from greeting members by name in 10 seconds, to random acts of surprise that drive industry-leading retention. Rick also shares a practical community partnership playbook (email lists, in-store presence, and events) and why gym owners shouldn’t rely solely on digital ads once the doors are open.Find Out More About Rick:His Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachrickmayo/Alloy: https://alloyfranchise.com/

In this episode, I sit down with Rhys Lewis, owner of Totem Fitness — a small-group training gym in Surrey that hit 160 members in under two months after opening on January 5th.We unpack the thinking behind launching a 1,200 sq ft facility (and why bigger isn’t better), how Rhys used pre-sale marketing and New Year momentum to fill the gym fast, and the automation-heavy system he runs to convert leads without living on calls — including a high-volume email sequence designed to handle objections before someone ever steps through the door.Rhys also shares the retention systems most gyms skip: weekly attendance tracking, proactive check-ins, group onboarding, and how he’s already hiring and delegating to buy back time without losing standards. We finish with a rapid-fire round on equipment, software, cashflow mistakes gym owners make, and why he believes community-led gyms are about to become even more valuable.Find Out More About Rhys:His Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rdlfit_/ His Gym: https://www.instagram.com/totumfitness_/

Katie Hughes runs Bodyworks — a small-group training facility in a small Scottish town… and in just 9 months she’s gone from 30 garage-gym members to nearly 120 recurring members, with trials lined up and capacity in sight.In this episode, Katie breaks down what actually drove the growth: a smart opening-day play that brought 200+ locals through the door, the non-salesy way she uses local Facebook groups to create waves of enquiries, and why she believes “stongevity” (strength training for life) is the positioning that’s pulling in more 55+ clients — and then integrating them into the main timetable.We also get into the unsexy reality of scaling: why “systems that make sense only to you” start cracking around 80 members, what she’s learned hiring (and mis-hiring) staff, and the surprising truth about gym finances once expenses and VAT enter the chat. If you’re thinking of moving from PT → garage studio → facility, this is the real behind-the-scenes version!Find Out More About Katie:Her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bodyworksstudio_forres/Her website: www.bodyworksmoray.co.uk

Previous guest Mike Waywell returns to discuss selling his gym, Steel Habitat in Liverpool, after running it for 12 years.In this episode, Mike breaks down:• The 3 questions that determine if your gym is sellable• The simple valuation formula he used• Why most gyms aren’t actually businesses• Why your head coach is probably your buyer• The emotional reality of stepping away• And why building for freedom and building to sell are the same thingFind Out More About Mike:His Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gymownr/

Emma Regan didn’t set out to build a multi-site women’s strength brand. She started with a 6-week course in her mum’s back garden… and seven years later she’s leading a team across two sites, supporting 400+ women, and scaling a mission-driven community under the 'And Bloom' umbrella.In this episode, Emma breaks down how her gyms work, the barriers that stop women lifting weights (it’s not motivation), why 8:1 became her “magic number” for strength sessions, and how they’ve systemised a compassionate coaching standard built around clients feeling strong, supported, and seen.We also get into the less-glamorous side of growth: evolving SOPs, designing an intake that builds buy-in, structuring memberships to minimise admin, and the leadership lessons Emma learned the hard way when her team grew faster than her management skills.Find Out More About Emma:Her Gym: https://www.andbloom.uk/ Her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmaaregann

Dan Mee is nearing 10 years of running MeeFit, and he doesn’t sugar-coat the parts gym owners usually gloss over.In this episode, Dan breaks down the hardest stretch of his entire journey: a price increase that triggered a wave of cancellations, a dip in monthly revenue, and a wobble in confidence… even though it turned out to be the right move.We unpack what Dan would do differently next time (hint: stop over-explaining), the “£997 front-end offer” experiment that didn’t last but changed everything, and why “people in my area won’t pay that” is usually just a story.You’ll also hear how MeFit thinks about small-group ratios (4:1 vs 6:1 vs 8:1), why their second site will start at 6:1, and Dan’s go-to method for fixing a gym that feels “stuck”: find the bottleneck, then fix the maths.If you’re wrestling with pricing, capacity, retention, or the leap to site 2 — this one will land!Find Out More About Dan:Mee Fit Website: https://meefit.co.uk/ Dan's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dan_meefit/

In this episode, I sit down with Mike Waywell from Gym Ownr to unpack the things he's learned after building and running his own gym, Steel Habitat, for 12 years, and helping 100s of gym owners through his GymOwnr system.We talk about:What he learned mystery shopping a bunch of group training gymsHow fast, consistent follow-up beats being “good at sales”Why selling “small group personal training” isn't good for your marketingThe truth about session size, coaching quality, and actually making a profit from your gymHow small operational changes can dramatically increase capacityWhy trial-based changes reduce member resistanceAnd the mindset shift required to move from coach to business ownerFind Out More About Mike:Website: https://gymownr.com/businessInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/gymownr/