The Small Group Gym Pod

What makes a gym model good enough to build again?

With Intent91 having just opened its sixth site, I’m revisiting my conversation with co-founder George Branford — one of the most downloaded episodes in the podcast’s history.

When we recorded this, George had opened site five: a barn transformed into a small-group personal training gym with a 150-member cap.

That number is what makes this conversation so interesting. Because deciding how many members you want shapes everything else: the space, the team, the coaching experience and how the business grows.

We get into the thinking behind Intent91’s model and the lessons George brought into his fifth gym after building the first four.

Whether you’re planning your first facility, improving the one you have or considering another location, there’s plenty here to think about.

Originally released as episode #2. Reposted as one of the show’s most popular conversations.

In this episode, George shares:

• Why he caps membership at 150 per gym (and why that number works).
• The marketing and sales processes that keep trialists flowing in each month.
• How selling memberships over the phone has become a non-negotiable system in his gyms.
• The lessons he’s learned about scaling locations without losing control.

Find Out More About Intent 91:

• Intent 91's Instagram
• George's Instagram
• Website

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

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

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.

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

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 Website
• Foundry

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 business
• What healthy profit margins can look like
• The growing problem Gareth sees with gym owners overspending on ads
• Why you should understand your ads even if somebody else manages them
• When to invest more money back into your gym
• Why one great month isn't enough evidence to increase your spending
• The "push, hold, push" approach to sustainable growth
• How much business owners should consider contributing towards a pension
• Why simply looking at your bank balance every day can improve your financial habits
• How 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

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:

• Instagram
• His Gym

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:

• Instagram
• His Gym

Nick Winkleman's Sept 26th Edinburgh Seminar Details (4 spots left)

Most gyms barely use email.

And the ones that do often send stuff nobody particularly wants to read.

In this episode, copywriter and marketer Mike Samuels explains how gym owners can use better stories, stronger messaging and simple emails to build relationships and ultimately bring in more members.

We get into:

• Why your message matters more than the marketing platform
• How to write emails people actually want to open
• Why you should write to ONE ideal member
• How often your gym should email
• Where your offers should fit
• Why storytelling is such a powerful marketing skill
• How Mike uses AI without letting it write his content
• Why your email list should get your best content first

If your gym has an email list gathering dust, start here.

Find out more about Mike:

• Instagram