Getting to your first £10,000: Insights from Jack & Jacob Cardy
Reaching your first £10,000 as a fitness business owner can seem daunting, but it's entirely achievable with the right strategies and mindset. In the latest LegitFit Sessions, Jack and Jacob Cardy, owners of a thriving gym chain, shared their journey and provided a step-by-step breakdown of how they built their fitness empire. Let’s dive into some key takeaways from the webinar to help you hit your own milestone of £10,000, whether it's through cash flow or recurring revenue.
Know your numbers
One of the biggest themes Jack highlighted in the webinar was the importance of tracking metrics. Whether you're running a small studio or a large-scale gym, your ability to hit financial goals is directly linked to how well you understand your data.
"The difference between a studio owner who scales fast and one who stagnates is their ability to track the metrics within their business." - Jack Cardy
Here's what you should track daily:
- Leads (people showing interest)
- Appointments booked (consultations or trials)
- Front-end sales (one-off challenges, class packs, etc.)
- New members
- Ad spend and cost per acquisition
Having a daily dashboard helps you understand where to focus your efforts. If you're seeing fewer sales, dig deeper - maybe your leads aren’t booking consultations, or people aren't showing up for appointments. As they mentioned, “You can't improve what you don't measure.”
Master the art of consultations
Conversions don't happen by accident. Jack and Jacob revealed that every consultation is carefully choreographed. A 30-minute conversation is designed to move leads from "interested" to "committed." The key to success? Creating a clear, structured path for the client to achieve their goals.
They focus on getting new clients to commit to a six-week program, priced at £299. Why a fixed duration? As Jacob put it, "Most people want to get in a taxi and know exactly where they’re going." By setting a clear destination, they give clients a sense of certainty - and, importantly, enough value upfront to justify the investment.
Convert clients into recurring members
The six-week program is not the end of the relationship - it’s just the beginning. Once clients complete their challenge, the next step is converting them to a monthly membership at £59 per week. This model brings in around £216 per month, creating a solid base of recurring revenue.
Jack’s pro tip? Use a progress check-in at the end of the challenge to discuss the client’s results and the value of continuing with a monthly membership. This transition point is critical to keeping your clients long-term, building loyalty, and boosting your predictable income stream.
Facebook Ads: A goldmine for leads
We have already discussed how helpful TikTok can be to your fitness business. Now, the Cardy brothers shared their success with Facebook ads, using them to generate a consistent flow of leads. With a low cost-per-lead of around £3.55, they were able to book consultations and convert those leads into paying members at a high rate.
But it's not just about getting more leads. Jack shared a story about a gym owner who thought his ads were "fatiguing" after a few days when, in reality, the problem was lower conversion rates during consultations. Sometimes, it's not the quantity of leads but the quality of your systems that makes all the difference.
The systematic game of scaling up
If you’re already making money and looking to scale, consistency is key. The Cardy brothers’ success came from repeatable processes that could be easily adapted as they expanded from one location to two and now a third. As Jack said, "We have the data to support our decisions, so we have more clarity over when and how to scale."
When your system works, scaling becomes a matter of plugging in the same formula. Whether you're launching a new studio or simply boosting revenue in an existing one, tracking the right metrics and keeping an eye on costs ensures your growth is sustainable.
Key takeaways
- Track everything: Leads, appointments, sales, and ad performance.
- Perfect your consultation process to move leads to paying clients.
- Use a front-end challenge to bring in more cash upfront and cover ad costs.
- Focus on recommitting clients into recurring memberships.
- Leverage Facebook ads to drive traffic, but monitor conversion rates closely.
Watch the full webinar
Curious to learn how to optimise your gym’s sales, lead generation, and retention strategies? Watch the full video for all the key strategies and expert advice with Jack and Jacob Cardy. Watch them dive into actionable insights to help you boost conversion rates, streamline appointment booking, and enhance client retention. From leveraging sales metrics to crafting effective lead generation campaigns, the session covers it all - including tips on creating FAQ videos, celebrating client milestones, and scaling your business using cost per acquisition.
By integrating these proven tactics into your business model, you'll be well on your way to reaching (and exceeding) your revenue goals. And if you’re looking for more tips and strategies like this, subscribe to LegitFit’s newsletter for regular insights from top industry professionals.
