Fired via Group Chat, Opens Gym a Month Before 18 Months of Lockdowns & More: Max's Crazy Story

Max Waldron opened Performance Hub in Melbourne three weeks before COVID locked the city down for 18 months, grew membership anyway, survived a messy business partnership, and scaled from $11K to nearly $60K a month with a teency bit of help from his gym's marketing agency - Gym Member Machine. This episode is a raw, tactical look at gym sales, gym marketing, gym partnerships, and the mindset that actually separates small-group and semi-private gym owners who make it from those who don't. Claim a (yes, actually) free 30-day trial with GMM here: https://join.gymmembermachine.com/new... FREE Gym Growth Audit: https://join.gymmembermachine.com/fre... ⬆️ Plug in your gym's numbers and find your growth ceiling. See if you're on pace to hit your member goal (or exactly what's capping you) in 5 minutes or less. Follow us on Instagram:   / gymmembermachine   ABOUT US Welcome to Gym Member Machine, we're a done-for-you marketing agency and growth partner for boutique training gyms around the world. In plain English, we help gym owners make more money with less headaches (and we help you do it in ways that you, your team, your community, the people you serve, and yes, your bank account, are gonna feel awesome about). Here's what that actually means: • Offer design that makes sense for you and your model • Customized, multi-platform paid ad campaigns • World-class gym websites and landing pages that convert • Time-saving sales and automation systems • Coaching, resources, and playbooks to help you turn new leads into raving-fan, referral-engine members of your gym Biggest bragging point? In an industry where the average agency gets fired in 3 months (that's 33% churn for those counting at home), we've been at an average of 2-3% churn for the last 5-6 years... all with an open door for our clients to leave whenever the heck they want (no long-term contracts here). Want to see if we're full of it for yourself? Book a SUUUPER high-pressure get-to-you-know-call here: https://join.gymmembermachine.com/new... 📞 Full transparency, we only invite about 30–40% of the gym owners we speak with to work with us. If it's not a fit, we'll tell you (we're in this for the long game and don't have any "532 members in 3 seconds with no work" fairy tales to sell ya). If you're serious about growing your gym and want a straightforward, honest conversation about where you are and where you're trying to go, book a call. Either way, we're rooting for ya 💪 Timestamps 0:00 - Meet Max: Melbourne's P-Hub Origin Story 2:19 - Worst Time to Open a Gym Ever 3:12 - The Pro Sports Career That Got Him Started 6:39 - Running His Own Gym Inside Someone Else's 9:39 - COVID Hits: 18 Months Locked Down 14:06 - Small Gym Advantage: Move Fast or Die 17:51 - Show Up Positive When Everything Sucks 23:03 - Swallowing Pride and Asking for Help 26:02 - From $11K to $30K: The Real Story About the First Jump 30:28 - Rehearsing Sales Scripts in the Bathroom Mirror 37:48 - The Business Partner Disaster 43:16 - Do Your Business Prenup Before You Need It 44:50 - Confront the Brutal Facts Before They Explode 55:55 - Passive Growth Is a Myth 59:00 - Cover Expenses First, Everything Else Second 1:01:28 - Working on the Right Thing vs. Working Hard 1:11:27 - Define the Role Before You Hire the Person 1:17:20 - Stop Overthinking and Just Do It Sooner 1:20:24 - Back Yourself: Final Word for Gym Owners #GymOwner #GymBusiness #GymMarketing #FitnessBusiness #GymSales #SmallGroupTraining #SemiPrivateTraining #GymPartnership #GymMemberMachine