The Small Group Gym Pod

This week I'm joined once again by Lisa Jarratt from Downham Ladies Fitness, just weeks after opening the doors to her brand-new facility. We discuss why she decided to move gyms, how she generated 70 new trial members before the doors even opened, the systems she's put in place to protect the coaching experience as the business grows, and why she's chosen retention over squeezing every last penny...

This week I'm joined once again by George Branford from Intent 91 to discuss what's working inside one of the UK's fastest-growing gym businesses. We dive into the marketing strategies bringing in members today, how George uses AI and sales-call transcripts to create better content, the retention systems keeping clients for nearly two years on average, and the hiring process that's helped build a...

In this episode, Stuart sits down with Michael Keeler from Business for Unicorns to discuss what separates thriving gyms from struggling ones in 2026. The conversation centres around a simple idea: successful gyms aren't usually doing magical things... they're doing the basics consistently. Michael explains that the best-performing gyms have: Reliable lead generation systems instead of hoping refe...

In this episode, Stuart interviews Emma Storey-Gordon (@esgfitness & @afmentors) about personal finance, investing, pensions, and financial freedom for PTs and gym owners. Emma's core message is simple: Financial freedom isn't about getting rich quickly. It's about creating security, options, and peace of mind through consistent, boring financial habits. She explains why coaches should stop ig...

In this short episode, Stuart details some key things that help turn a new client into a long-term member of your gym. Stuart's email: stuart@theptroadmap.com Stuart's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stuart__aitken/

This week on the Small Group Gym Podcast, I sit down with Greg Mikolap from ICON to unpack nearly a decade of gym ownership, the realities of scaling small group personal training, and why the model he originally built nearly broke the business. Greg shares: Why he moved from a 4:1 model to sessions as large as 16:1 The financial mistakes that cost him almost £300,000 What he learned from visiting...

In this episode, Fionn MacCullagh shares how Tailormade Coaching scaled to 8 locations and more than 850 clients by simplifying its offer, raising prices, systemising referrals and obsessing over retention. You’ll learn: Why Tailormade sells one simple membership instead of multiple packages How the “Committed Club” improves attendance and reduces churn The pricing mistake that cost years of profi...

In this episode, Stuart sits down with Mike Bouranis, owner of Stoked Athletics in Long Island, to unpack how he grew to around 200 members by becoming “Three Mile Famous.” Mike shares why he moved away from paid ads, how he builds powerful local business partnerships, and how events with run clubs, coffee shops, doctors and youth sports teams have helped Stoked generate leads, referrals and long-...

In this short episode, Stuart shares some lessons he's picked up since being a customer of an SGPT gym.

In this roundtable-style conversation, Stuart speaks to three gym owners (Stuart MacDonald from True Fitness, Chris Travis from Seattle Strength & Performance and Tim Reid from ETC) who have successfully built youth coaching programs inside their facilities—ranging from sports performance models in the US to general fitness programs in the UK. They break down: How they actually got started Wha...

What should gym owners actually know about VAT, expenses, business structure, and becoming more tax-efficient? In this episode, Stuart sits down with Gareth from Coach Accounts to break down the money side of running a gym in plain English. They cover why many gym owners should think seriously about operating as a limited company, the VAT mistakes that can cost you thousands, what counts as a genu...

I visited Foundry in London and took part in a small-group session. Here are some of the things I learned!

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 m...

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 outwork The real reason most onboarding processes fail Why session ratios matt...

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...

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 surpris...

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 conver...

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 Faceb...

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 buildin...

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 motiva...

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 (...

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 gyms How fast, consistent follow-up beats being “good at sales” Why selling “small group personal traini...

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 play...

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 retention How to improve your member experience without changing your pricing or model Bringing real personality (yours and your staff’s) into your marketing Old-s...

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:...