For as long as I’ve been consulting with gyms, the standard “retention” move has been to reach out to non-attendees after a set amount of days or once it's clear they’ve quit.

(What nonsense.)

Now (finally), we’ve got a leading indicator, a way to see who is at risk to leave before they stop attending — a metric that relies on the attendance level of current attendees rather than the non-attendance level of former attendees.

Here’s how I got there.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are the numbers that matter. And if you set them up correctly, they’ll tell you EXACTLY where’s happening with your business.

(Note I said “where’s happening” rather than “what’s happening”. It’s a crucial distinction. A good KPI system will demonstrate where your growth efforts are succeeding, where they’re breaking down, and critically, where they need reinforcement — but it won’t tell you what to do about the issues…

So far, we’ve leveraged CrossFit X’s member management software and Excel to pull a bunch of data into a single spreadsheet (and created a few data points of our own, like “Dedication Factor”).

Now, we’re adding a 31-question survey, with the goal of adding qualitative data to the mix. While our last dive was entirely quantitative (with metrics like membership by gender, membership by tier of service, history of attendance, commitment to the gym, city of origin, etcetera), this dive is all about attitudes, feelings, and receptiveness to new products…

First, eyes on the prize.

We’re using data science, user experience design, and content marketing to build the client base of CrossFit X. The goal is to get from the current member count to 350 paying members. We’ve got my skills/know-how from working with dozens of individual founders, being a high-level coach, building Again Faster, and scaling up Whole Life Challenge (along with $1,000 per month) to do it…

CrossFit (redacted) is a 9,000 square foot Affiliate located in (redacted). I was recently hired by ownership to use my skills in user experience design, data science, and content marketing to build the business.

I am doing so on a fixed budget to begin ($1,000 per month), with potential budget increases coming with proven success. I can use this budget any way I see fit…