This gym makes $85k/mo from small group training

ABOUT THIS ARTICLE

Gym World comes from Kilo co-founder John Franklin, who shares lessons about making money in the fitness industry.

& is on track to scale to 4 locations next year…

What’s up Gym World?

14 years ago, Ben Supik started Activate Body Personal Training in a small room with just a couple of pieces of equipment and 20 clients.

💬 He moved to a bigger space in 2017 and opened a second location in 2022.

Now, Ben is making $85k a month with his small group training model, and he’s planning to expand to four locations by the end of next year. He came on Gym World to break it all down with my co-host, Mateo:

Here’s what he said: 👇

Building Activate Body 🏗️

Ben knew he wanted a career in fitness after taking an exercise science course in college. He started as a personal trainer at a big box gym but didn’t like their model because “their incentives didn’t align with what they claimed.” So, in 2010, he:

  • Quit
  • Subleased a small room with just a couple of dumbbells and benches
  • Brought 20 clients with him for 1-on-1 training
activate body first facilities

While most gym owners focus on marketing to grow, Ben spent his first 1.5 years without it. The gym wasn’t growing, so he took a revenue-building course and switched to a small group model for better profitability.

💬 Members had annual contracts, with one coach training six people at $25 to $28 per person ($150 to $168 per session). Due to the small space, they could only run one session at a time.

Around that time, Ben also became an early adopter of Thumbtack — an online directory that connects individual service providers with customers. If someone needed a personal trainer, they could find one through the platform.

Most users joined as individuals, but Ben was strategic and signed up as a gym. He asked clients for 5-star reviews, and by 2015, Activate Body was ranked the #1 personal trainer in the US.

💬 Reviews are a powerful way to build your reputation, get people in the door, and help your site rank higher in search results. If you want your gym to be #1 on Google, check out this article.

Within a year, the gym was full, so Ben expanded to a larger space where he still trains today and generates $85k a month.

activate body 2017 gym location in Baltimore
It opened in 2017 and is located in Baltimore, MD.

Here’s what the business looks like: 👇


The space 📍

Activate Body has an L-shaped footprint with two gym floors on opposite sides, so two small group sessions can run simultaneously.

activate body 3700 sq ft gym
The gym is 3,700 sq ft.

There’s a cafe/smoothie bar in the middle, as well as an outdoor patio for members to hang out.

activate body smoothie bar and outdoor patio
Former Gym World guests Jack Wheeler and Kevin Higgins also have smoothie bars at their gyms.
💬 Ben added the cafe as an extra revenue stream but says it brought more complexity like permits, inspections, and staff turnover.

The training 🏋️

Ben offers small group personal training for people 40+ with little to no fitness experience who want to build stronger, pain-free bodies.

💬 The gym also provides 1-on-1 personal training and online small group personal training.

Each 45-minute session has one coach training six people, all with customized programs.

activate training semi private program
Based on other gyms like Aspire and BOLT, this sounds more like semi-private training.

Members can choose to train:

  • 2x a week for $100/wk
  • 3x a week for $125/wk
  • 4x a week for $150/wk
💬 Ben calls it small group training, but admits there’s friction with the language. He assures prospects they’re getting 1-on-1 personal training with the camaraderie of a small group setting.

The marketing 📣

Today, most of Ben’s leads come from:

And since his target demographic mostly uses Facebook, he doesn’t bother with organic on Instagram.

💬 Until 2018, Ben only used Thumbtack to get leads, which he says was a mistake because when Thumbtack was sold, the gym’s growth stalled. That’s why it’s important to have multiple lead channels.

The selling 🤝

Activate Body has a simple 4-step sales process:

  1. Opt-in: Prospects provide their contact info to learn more about the gym.
  2. Phone call: The front desk quickly calls the lead and schedules a free strategy session with the general manager.
  3. Tour: The prospect tours the gym with the GM.
  4. Offer: The goal is to sell them on a low barrier offer of $149 for 28 days of unlimited small group training.

💬 Small group training is the most popular program at Ben’s gym, and he says most members train 3x a week.

The staff 👔

The gym is open 6 days a week, 14 hours a day, except on Saturday. It has 9 staff members, including:

  • 1 full-time front desk person and 3 part-time for support
  • 1 full-time coach and 3 part-time for support
  • General Manager who handles sales and retention
💬 Part-time staff work 20-30 hours a week. Ben uses this location as his HQ, while the second location operates with just a GM and 2 part-time coaches.

If you skimmed… 🔎

Ben started with 1-on-1 personal training but switched to a small group model to make the business more profitable. With the right systems in place, he now makes $85k a month.

When asked what’s next, Ben said he wants to be the ‘Rolls Royce’ of small group personal training and plans to open two more locations next year.

💬 The goal is to have an HQ with three gyms nearby and see if it’s viable to expand these clusters into other markets. This model is similar to Varsity House, so it’ll be interesting to see how it works out.

For more on Activate Body, watch or listen to Ben’s full interview on Gym World.

cheers,

j

📣 P.S. If you liked what you read, then tell another gym owner to subscribe to the newsletter.

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