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. 2d ago

    #57 From 45 to 84 Members: How Dan Rose Grew His Gym w/out Social Media

    How do you grow your small group gym when posting on social media feels like a constant struggle? In this episode, I’m joined by Dan Rose, owner of Core Performance in Twickenham, to talk about growing from around 40–45 members to 84 and approaching capacity in a 50-square-metre gym. Dan shares how he clarified who the gym serves, adapted sessions to fit busy parents and professionals, and built a steady flow of enquiries through referrals, school partnerships, local sponsorships and Google. We also discuss his six-week trial, how he helps new members settle in, and why his goal is to run one successful gym while staying involved in the coaching he enjoys. Find out more about Dan: His Instagram

  2. Oct 21

    #56 How to Build a Gym Team That Does the Work Better Than You (w/ Chris Travis)

    You’ve hired coaches, but you’re still handling every enquiry, sorting every membership issue and making every decision. How do you build a team that can take more responsibility for running the gym? In this episode, I’m joined by Chris Travis from Seattle Strength & Performance to discuss how he staffs his gyms, develops his coaches and creates careers that people want to stay in. Chris explains his approach to combining coaching hours with clear responsibilities off the gym floor, why predictable schedules matter, and how he thinks about hiring before the business has fully grown into the role. We also cover interviewing, giving useful feedback, weekly staff meetings and creating progression when you can’t make everyone head coach. Recorded live with members of my gym-owner mentoring group, the conversation includes their questions about affording the next hire, making admin hours worthwhile and knowing when you’re ready for a second location—including what Chris learned from going nine months without a salary. If you’re building a team but still feel like everything comes back to you, this episode will give you plenty to work on. Find out more about Chris: His Instagram

  3. Oct 14

    #55 6 Ways to Improve Your Small Group Coaching (Lessons From Nick Winkelman)

    How much of what you say during your small group training sessions actually helps your members? And how much of it is just noise? I recently hosted Nick Winkelman, author of The Language of Coaching, for a full-day seminar in Edinburgh. Since then, I've been thinking a lot more about how we communicate with people during coaching sessions, particularly when we're working with multiple people at once. In this episode, I'm sharing six of the most useful lessons I took from the day and how you can apply them to your own small group coaching. We cover: Why you might be talking too much during sessions.How using silent sets can help members become more confident and competent.Why giving someone one coaching cue is often better than giving them five.How analogies can make your coaching more memorable, effective and enjoyable.Why involving members in creating their own coaching cues can improve their experience.What we can learn from comedians about preparing our coaching outside of sessions. These are small changes that don't require new equipment, a different training programme or a complete overhaul of your sessions. But they could make a meaningful difference to how your members experience your coaching. And ultimately, that's something worth paying attention to if you want people to enjoy their sessions, make progress and keep coming back.

  4. Oct 7

    #54 How to Become the Gym Your Community Recommends (w/ Maggie Elliott)

    How do you become the gym that local people recommend... even when they’ve never trained with you? In this episode, I’m joined by Maggie Elliott from Spark Life Movement and Wellbeing, a community-focused studio in Prestwich with 109 members and several different ways for people to get involved. Maggie shares how she’s built a welcoming space for people who feel intimidated by traditional gyms, and how local relationships, social activities and partnerships have become a key source of new members. We explore: • How hiring out unused studio space generates income, and recently brought three new members into small-group PT. • Why a cup of tea, a book club or a social walk can help someone take their first step through your door. • How Maggie adapted her memberships around what her clients actually wanted. • Why people who have never visited Spark Life still recommend it. • Her experience of becoming a Community Interest Company and using grants to make movement more accessible. Find out more about Maggie: Her Instagram Spark Life

  5. Sep 30

    #53 Why JC Vacassin is Simplifying Foundry

    JC Vacassin returns to the podcast to share some of the biggest lessons he's learning from running and evolving Foundry. We talk about why Foundry is deliberately simplifying its product and messaging, why SGPT should be the vehicle rather than the thing you sell, and the question JC thinks every gym owner should ask themselves: if you opened your gym again tomorrow, what would you build? JC also breaks down Foundry's approach to generating referrals, incentivising staff, local outreach and acquisition, why gyms may need to do more offline marketing, and how AI is changing the way he thinks about operating the business. We also get into some of the harder decisions he's made recently — including closing locations, cutting complexity and building a leaner business for the future. If you tune in, you'll learn: Why SGPT shouldn’t be the thing you sell — it’s the vehicle you use to deliver the result.How to spot when your gym, membership and buying process have become too complicated.The simple question JC thinks every gym owner should ask: “If I opened my gym again tomorrow, what would I build?”How to build a more deliberate referral system, rather than simply hoping happy members send people your way.Why gyms may need to rely less on paid digital marketing and get better at referrals, outreach and local marketing. Find out more about JC: His WebsiteFoundry

  6. Sep 23

    #52 How Profitable Should Your Gym Actually Be? (w/ Gareth from Coach Accounts)

    What actually makes a gym a good business? It isn't necessarily the one with the most members or the biggest monthly turnover. In this episode, I'm joined again by Gareth from Coach Accounts to talk about the numbers gym owners should actually be paying attention to. We get into profit margins, how much you should be spending on ads, when hiring another member of staff makes financial sense, and why there are times when the best thing you can do for your gym is stop trying to grow it. We also talk about the personal side of money as a business owner — including pensions, emergency funds, financial security and why so many business owners avoid looking at their numbers altogether. We cover: Why £20k/month turnover tells you very little about the quality of a gym businessWhat healthy profit margins can look likeThe growing problem Gareth sees with gym owners overspending on adsWhy you should understand your ads even if somebody else manages themWhen to invest more money back into your gymWhy one great month isn't enough evidence to increase your spendingThe "push, hold, push" approach to sustainable growthHow much business owners should consider contributing towards a pensionWhy simply looking at your bank balance every day can improve your financial habitsHow AI can help you better understand where your money is actually going If you run a gym and know your monthly revenue but couldn't confidently tell me your margins, this episode is worth a listen. Find out more about Coach Accounts: Instagram

  7. Sep 9

    #51 From £50 CrossFit Memberships to £200 Small Group PT (w/ Jan Westrik)

    Jan Westrik went from running a 200-member CrossFit gym to building a premium small-group personal training facility — losing around two-thirds of his existing members during the transition. In this episode, we talk about why a busy gym isn't necessarily a successful business, making difficult decisions that upset members, charging enough to build a great team, and why Jan believes gym owners need to build the business around the life they actually want. We also get into how gym marketing is changing, why the old Facebook ad → sales call model isn't as reliable as it once was, and what gym owners need to do instead. Find out more about Jan: InstagramHis Gym

  8. Sep 2

    #50 The Gym That Gets 50 Referrals Every Month (w/ James Pratt)

    James Pratt has built one of the most unusual small-group PT models I've come across. His 7,200 sq ft headquarters has around 950 members, can coach 30 people an hour and still gives every member individualised programming. We get into the systems that make it possible, why Pratt Personal Training only offers ONE service, how they generate around 50 referrals a month, why their free trials convert at 83%, and James' obsession with creating an "unreasonable amount of customer satisfaction." An absolutely fascinating look inside a small-group gym operating at serious scale. Find out more about James: InstagramHis Gym

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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
    56
  • Rating
    Explicit

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