The Small Group Gym Pod

Stuart Aitken

The podcast where gym owners who mainly run a small-group personal training model share their stories, struggles, and strategies so you don’t have to figure it out alone.

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    #26 From 30 to 120 Members in 9 Months (w/ Katie Hughes)

    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

    45 min

  2. 11 FEB

    #25 How to Sell Your Gym

    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 thing Find Out More About Mike: His Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gymownr/

    39 min

  3. 3 FEB

    #24 This women’s gym grew from a back garden to 2 sites (w/ Emma Regan)

    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

    55 min

  4. 27 JAN

    #23 This gym used a £997 programme to fix pricing confidence (w/ Dan Mee)

    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/

    55 min

  5. 20 JAN

    #22 Stop Selling SGPT (w/ Mike Waywell)

    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 owner Find Out More About Mike: Website: https://gymownr.com/businessInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/gymownr/

    1h 7m

  6. 13 JAN

    #21 How this gym turns “community” into a system (w/ Chris Travis)

    Chris Travis went from corporate leadership at Amazon to building Seattle Strength & Performance from zero to nearly 1,000 members across four locations — starting in August 2020. In this episode, Chris breaks down how they engineer community (including his “Community Score” onboarding framework), why SOPs and weekly business metrics are the real growth cheat code, and the exact marketing plays that reliably bring in members: an email-first strategy, “RAD” (Rare And Delightful) 24–72 hour promotions, VIP+ referral campaigns, sell-by-chat from boosted testimonial posts, and local “3-mile famous” partnerships — including paying for an entire coffee shop’s morning rush! Find out more about Chris: SSP: https://www.seattlesp.com/ Chris' IG: https://www.instagram.com/chris.travisss/

    53 min

  7. 6 JAN

    Simple Ways to Differentiate Your Gym in 2026

    In this episode, I break down simple, practical ways to differentiate your gym in 2026, without relying on Meta ads, trends, or flashy ideas that don’t last. We cover: Why fixing the small, boring things often has the biggest impact on retentionHow to improve your member experience without changing your pricing or modelBringing real personality (yours and your staff’s) into your marketingOld-school local marketing that still works, and why most gyms ignore itBuilding genuine community beyond workouts and social drinksWhy speed and action are an underrated competitive advantageAnd why gym owners need community just as much as their members do

    18 min

  8. 16/12/2025

    #19 From Garden Shed to Shopfront Gym: Tony Cottenden's Story

    Tony Cottenden went from prison officer to running personal training sessions in a garden shed — and eventually opening a shopfront small-group training gym. In this episode, Tony breaks down the real pros and cons of “going bigger,” why gym ownership doesn’t automatically mean more profit, and how he’s built a model that prioritises coaching, retention, and a life he actually enjoys. We get into: the shed-to-shop transition, why he’s not chasing multi-site status, how his 6-week intro offer converts 65–70%, what he’d change if he started again, and why the most reliable marketing strategy is still delivering an exceptional coaching experience.

    43 min
See All (25)

About

The podcast where gym owners who mainly run a small-group personal training model share their stories, struggles, and strategies so you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Information

  • Creator
    Stuart Aitken
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    25
  • Rating
    Explicit

You Might Also Like