Lessons From a 7 Figure Gym OwnerPodcast

Today, I sat down with Nick Haince, Founder and President of Capital Strength. He oversees all Sport Performance Programs at Capital Strength. He has been in the industry for 15 years and has worked with a wide range of ages, abilities, injuries and levels of sport. He has helped develop hundreds of local amateur, college and professional hockey athletes in his 12 years of Hockey performance development. He has guided athletes from AAA to Professional and continues to lead the CSTS Summer Hockey program alongside his Strength Staff. He is very proud of his team of Coaches and the community they get to work with every day.

As a Kinesiologist, he has successfully worked with and rehabbed several post-surgery patients, including Knee Replacements (half and full), Hip Replacement, ACL reconstructions, and Shoulder and Hip Labrum surgeries.

Over the past decade, Nick has transformed his gym from a simple training facility into a thriving 7,000-square-foot operation that combines fitness training with comprehensive therapy services. His journey offers invaluable insights for strength and conditioning coaches looking to build sustainable, community-centred businesses.

10 Key Takeaways from Lessons from a 7 Figure Gym Owner

Community Events Drive Long-Term Retention Over Immediate Sales

Nick emphasizes that community-building events like charity drives, cold plunges, and social gatherings aren't designed for immediate ROI. Instead, they create long-term member retention by making people feel part of something bigger than just a gym membership. The goal isn't to sell memberships at these events but to foster relationships that keep members engaged for years.

Word-of-Mouth Referrals Are Higher Quality Than Paid Advertising

While Nick acknowledges the value of paid advertising, he notes that word-of-mouth referrals convert at much higher rates and tend to stay longer. Ad-generated leads often come from people who are "shopping around," whereas referrals come from people who already believe in what you're doing based on trusted recommendations.

Staff Culture Directly Impacts Member Experience

Nick makes it clear that unhappy staff members are immediately noticeable to clients in a face-to-face business. Investing in your team's happiness, compensation, and growth isn't just good ethics—it's an essential business strategy. Happy coaches reflect the values you want to represent and create the atmosphere that keeps members coming back.

Maximize Your Current Space Before Expanding

Before taking on the risk and expense of expanding to a second floor, Nick ensured his existing clinic space was operating at maximum capacity. This methodical approach to growth helped justify the investment and demonstrated real demand for additional services rather than expanding based on hopes alone.

Put People Over Profits for Sustainable Growth

Nick's "people over profits" mentality extends to both staff and members. This includes offering generous vacation packages, profit-sharing opportunities, and prioritizing long-term relationships over short-term revenue gains. This approach has been fundamental to his ability to retain both excellent staff and loyal members.

Create Unexpected Value, Not Just Over-Delivery

Rather than simply over-delivering on promised services, Nick focuses on providing unexpected value—things members wouldn't anticipate when joining a gym. This includes networking opportunities, friendships, community connections, and access to other professional services through the extended gym family.

Staff Investment and Equity Opportunities Increase Engagement

Nick discusses exploring equity partnerships with key staff members who demonstrate a commitment to the business at an ownership level. This approach recognizes that in a relationship-based business, your best people can easily leave and start competing ventures, making retention through genuine partnership crucial.

Growth Requires Returning to "Entrepreneur Mode"

Nick candidly shares how expansion brought back the stress, pressure, and "fire in the belly" that characterized his early years. He acknowledges that sustainable businesses sometimes require stepping out of comfortable maintenance mode and accepting new challenges and risks to reach the next level.

Integration of Services Creates Unique Value Propositions

Nick's vision of combining gym membership with therapy services under one package represents innovative thinking about what a fitness business can offer. This integration serves the growing market focused on longevity and preventative care while maximizing the use of member benefits that often go unused.

Personal Development Comes Through Business Challenges

Rather than formal education or extensive reading, Nick finds that navigating real business challenges—like staff turnover, expansion decisions, and financial pressures—provides the most valuable personal development. The act of solving problems and adapting to changing circumstances becomes a form of continuing education.

Nick's emphasis on community, staff investment, and long-term thinking over quick profits demonstrates that the most successful fitness businesses are built on relationships rather than transactions. As Nick puts it, "It's never really over"—the willingness to continue growing, taking risks, and serving others is what separates thriving businesses from those that simply survive.

Find Nick

Website -https://capitalstrengthts.com/

Personal Instagram -@nhaince

Business Instagram - @capital_strength_ts

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