From 550 Sq Ft in a Batting Cage to 5 Gyms: CJ's Multi-7 Figure Story

CJ Appenzeller started in a 550 sq ft sublease in the back of a batting cage. Today he's a multi-7-figure owner with ATS Strength & Fitness plus 4 Active Personal Training studios (all opened in the last 3 years). We get into exactly how he gets a brand-new coach running sessions solo in 8 days when most gyms take a month, the site visit scorecard every coach has to pass, the hiring funnel that keeps 26 candidates on the bench, and why his new coaches get zero autonomy (on purpose). Claim a (yes, actually) free 30-day trial with GMM here: https://join.gymmembermachine.com/30-... 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   Follow CJ on Instagram:   / appyhour   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/30-... 📞 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 the guy who's a better coach than we are 3:11 550 sq ft in the back of a batting cage 5:46 The mission: impact 1,000 South Jersey families a month 8:03 The intern who wouldn't leave (now his director of ops) 10:59 The quarterly review question: what do you love, what do you loathe? 15:33 Why a baseball gym went all in on moms 17:34 The weakness he had to fix first: hard conversations and sales 20:27 Location #2: all confidence, zero competence 22:41 What actually made him ready for a second location 27:57 The coach hiring funnel (26 people on the bench) 29:45 The onboarding course they finish before day 1 35:51 The 8-day coach onboarding, day by day 36:41 The site visit scorecard (63/70 or you don't coach solo) 42:18 The Active PT model and price points 45:01 Typical gym: 4 weeks. ATS: 8 days. 45:43 48 straight hours of Looms 48:27 How he onboards facility leaders 50:19 Banter, candor, challenge 53:54 "Our best coach better be better than me" 56:19 How to make more leaders: lead, manage, hold accountable 58:46 Hot take: chatbots yes, voice bots not yet 1:00:02 Zero autonomy for new coaches 1:01:15 The weekly meeting cadence for 5 locations 1:02:45 My Daniel Pink regret (autonomy is earned) 1:05:04 Why multi-location owners outspend you on ads 1:06:57 Where to find CJ #gymowner #gymbusiness #fitnessbusiness #gymmarketing