For many gym owners, attracting new members is often seen as the biggest challenge, but for Ian Ryves of Wellbeing Fitness Education Centre, that was no longer the main issue. After working with Fitness Marketing Agency, lead flow had become consistent and predictable. The real challenge was how to continue growing the business without being pulled back into day-to-day operations every time staffing became difficult.

After building multiple gym locations and developing a strong client base, Ian identified recruitment as the key barrier to scaling further. By creating a practical education model within the business, they were able to solve staffing problems while opening an additional revenue stream that strengthened the business overall.

The Challenge

Before introducing education into the business, Wellbeing Fitness Education Centre had already expanded and was employing around 15 full time staff across multiple sites. Client acquisition was no longer the main concern. The more pressing issue was finding the right people to support continued growth without compromising the way the business operated.

As Ian explained:

“The problem was never getting more customers. The problem was, how do you grow? How do you scale? How do you keep your business flat so you don’t get dragged back into everything all the time?”

Recruitment had become inconsistent and frustrating. Hiring experienced personal trainers often created cultural challenges because many arrived with their own established methods that did not align with the systems already in place.

“The problem is when you get experienced personal trainers, they also have their own way of doing things, which might not match the way your business runs.”

At the same time, newly qualified trainers often lacked the practical knowledge needed to contribute confidently from day one.

“They might have a piece of paper, they might have a qualification, but they know literally nothing.”

Traditional hiring routes also proved unreliable. Applicants often looked suitable on paper but failed to meet expectations during interviews or did not progress further, which created instability and forced owners to step back into operational delivery when staff gaps appeared.

The Strategy

Once lead generation had been stabilised through Fitness Marketing Agency, attention shifted towards strengthening the business internally. Ian credits Fitness Marketing Agency with solving the front-end growth problem first.

“Once we joined with you, the problem of getting new clients was basically resolved.”

That consistency created room to address recruitment properly. Instead of continuing to rely on external hiring channels, the business developed a ten-week face-to-face personal training course delivered directly inside the gym environment.

This allowed potential future staff members to be observed over time rather than judged through a single interview. Over ten weeks, the business could assess punctuality, communication, attitude, and coachability while also seeing how well each person fit the culture of the gym.

“You know that person over ten weeks. It’s the best interview process you could ever get and you’ve been paid for it.”

Adding education proved more commercially effective than opening another facility.

“If I was to do it again now, I actually wouldn’t have opened that second location.”

Rather than taking on additional overhead, the business increased profitability using systems already available within the existing operation.

The Results

The first year of introducing education delivered both operational and financial gains. Recruitment became significantly easier because the business now had a direct pipeline of potential staff who had already spent weeks inside the environment and understood the expectations.

“The first year of us doing it, we solved our staffing issue, and we made 50 grand extra.”

The new model generated an additional £50,000 in revenue during the first year while also reducing dependence on external recruitment channels. Over time, the education side of the business expanded further, with the wider operation eventually working with 130 gyms across the UK and Ireland.

“All you need to do is three courses a year and get ten people on each course. It’s an extra 60,000 in revenue.”

Alongside financial growth, the business developed a much stronger long term staffing solution because new coaches were entering the team already trained within the business culture.

Sales Mindset That Supported Growth

A strong sales mindset also played an important role in the business’s wider success. Drawing from previous commission-based sales experience, Ian highlighted the value of repetition and volume in generating results.

“More calls equals more sales.”

A simple internal comparison confirmed that consistency often outperformed pure experience. A less experienced team member making more calls regularly achieved stronger outcomes than someone with stronger sales ability but less activity.

“If you want the big wins, it’s just double the amount of time you’re spending on doing it.”

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