Our Full Q1 Review: Wins, Numbers & Lessons Learned

Q1’s already wrapped (and it flew by).

And while it wasn’t all smooth sailing, it’s been one of our most productive quarters yet across both fitness studios.

We centralised our sales process, launched new systems, and ran our first events—all while managing the chaos of running two growing locations.

Here’s what we learned (with real numbers to back it up):

1. Centralising Sales Was the Best Move We Made

We moved all sales online. Zoom consultations, systemised follow-ups, the lot.

We were worried it would feel less premium. But it turns out, if you design the experience properly, it can actually improve the process.

Our new funnel now includes:

• A short video sales letter before the call

• Pre-call questionnaire

• A new in-person health assessment after they join

The result? An 86% close rate since we made the change.

And it's now repeatable across every location we open.

2. Health Assessments Helped Cut Churn to Almost Zero

After every sale, we book a 1:1 health assessment with the new client. It acts as a seamless handover to the coaching team.

It’s simple, personal, and sets the tone for long-term retention.

In Q1, only 3 members left out of over 80 active memberships.

A sign that this new and improved onboarding process has helped.

3. Big Events Are Fun (But Simplicity Wins)

We ran our first member events for each location.

• Ninja Warrior UK

• Clip n Climb

They were really fun and clients loved them. But a lot of members chose not to attend as they felt it would be too high impact. We've learnt that community is built through connection, not spectacle.

Next time, we’re bringing it local. Lower stakes, higher turnout.

4. Here’s What the Q1 Numbers Looked Like

• Studio #1 (Paid Ads)

  • Leads: 227

  • Appointments booked: 76

  • Appointments sat: 56

  • Front-end sales: 41

  • New MRR members: 14 (still some in front-end)

  • CPA: £6

  • Churn: 3

• Studio #2 (Mostly Organic)

  • Leads: 52

  • Appointments sat: 22

  • Front-end sales: 18

  • New MRR members: 5 (still some in front-end)

  • CPA: £1

5. We Spent Time Building Gym HQ (and It’s Worth It)

We’ve been quietly building something behind the scenes:

A complete operating system for running your gym, start to finish.

Templates. Checklists. Automations. Systems. All built inside Notion. All tested across our two studios. It’s not ready yet. But we’re close.

If you want access when it drops, join the waiting list here.

6. What’s Coming in Q2

We’re dialling in three main things this quarter:

• New front-end offer to re-engage those who dropped off post-January

• Referral campaign built around Easter (gift-based angle)

• More creative content to tell real member stories without cheesy before/afters

Plus, we’re eyeing up one or two new locations. More on that soon.

Final Takeaway

You don’t need 100 things to grow your gym. You need the right 3–5 systems that actually move the needle.

For us this quarter, it was:

• A centralised sales process

• Better onboarding

• Clear focus on retention and community

If you haven’t done your own Q1 review yet, steal our template and get it done. We’ve dropped it here.

We’re building this complete operating system inside Notion to help other studio owners streamline and scale.

It’s everything we’ve used to launch and grow our own locations, while keeping the team aligned and hitting targets.

If you’re running your gym business in “reactive mode,” this tool will help turn it into a well-oiled machine.

Included inside Gym HQ:

• Content scheduling (using our REPS framework)

• Team directory

• Company calendar & policies

• AI-assisted meeting summaries

• Session & class programmes

• Ad creative templates / swipe files

• Business partnership hub

• SOPs & funnels

• Email & SMS templates

• Social media templates

• Studio performance dashboard

• Expense & receipt logging

...and a lot more.

Want early access to Gym HQ? Join the waiting list here and we’ll let you know the moment it’s live.

In this episode, we talk about a trap nearly every gym owner falls into: spending too much time on the decorations of their business, and not enough on the foundations. From Canva templates to colour palettes, it’s easy to feel productive while avoiding the real work that drives growth. We break down how to audit your operation, get focused, and build a studio that actually scales.

Here’s what we cover:

• What decorations vs foundations really mean in your business

• How to spot when you’re working on the wrong things

• A dead simple question to help you prioritise your next move

• The danger of tweaking branding instead of fixing retention

• Lessons from visiting high-performing studios

• Common mistakes that slow down growth

• A simple action plan to help you refocus fast

That’s it from us. Reply any time…

Cardy Brothers
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