January feels like a goldrush for gym owners.

It looks like momentum, with leads pouring in, calendars filling up, and sign-ups spiking.

But underneath it, something else is happening: just as many members are leaving out the back door.

And your gym is not alone here. This is typical across the industry.

In January, clients reassess everything: their finances, priorities, and their results from last year. And when fitness has been framed as a short-term result instead of a long-term identity, it becomes an easy cut.

This is the topic Tim and Zach break down in this week’s episode.

They also talk about:

• why front-end marketing masks retention problems
• how poor holiday engagement sets up January cancellations
• why results-driven messaging accelerates churn
• how lifestyle identity changes retention forever

January isn’t broken. But if you're just focused on sales and ignore the retention side of the coin, it will expose every crack in your business.

Tune in to learn how to survive the January goldrush without bleeding members once the dust settles.

Key Takeaways: 

• Intro (00:00)
• Mass January membership cancellations ignored (00:28)
• Front-end marketing neglects client journey (03:24)
• Sales and delivery role conflict hurts retention (06:49)
• Solepreneurs trapped in churn cycles (07:44)
• Holiday disengagement fuels January churn (11:14)
• Lifestyle identity drives long-term retention (12:45)

Additional Resources:

- Schedule your SpringBoard call

- Apply to join The Iron Circle

- Check out our Switch to Semi-Private course

- Get 30 days of Semi-Private Pro on us!

- A tool for deciding on new gym services – 5-Question Matrix

- Tim's new book – Built to Win by Tim Lyons 

- ProFit Accelerator: Helping Training Gyms Grow to 30K/month and Beyond Facebook group 

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