The Gym Turnaround Secret Most Owners Overlook: Your Employees Already Know What Needs to Change

When a gym is struggling, most owners immediately start looking at the numbers.

They examine membership sales, cancellations, payroll, marketing expenses, operating costs, and cash flow. They start asking what needs to be cut, what needs to be changed, and how quickly they can turn things around.

And certainly, all of those things matter.

But here’s something I’ve learned over the years working with independent gym owners, boutique fitness studios, and struggling fitness businesses:

Some of the best ideas for turning your gym around may already be inside your building. You just haven’t asked the right people.

I’m talking about your employees.

The people answering your phones, selling your memberships, training your clients, greeting your members, cleaning your equipment, and dealing with the day-to-day challenges of running your business.

They see things you may not see.

They hear things you may not hear.

And in many cases, they know exactly where opportunities are being missed.

The question is, are you listening?

The First Thing I Do When I Get Involved in a Struggling Gym

When I get involved with a gym that’s struggling, particularly when it’s a significant turnaround situation, one of the very first things I’ll do is send out something I call a Get-Acquainted Worksheet.

I send it to everybody.

Managers, membership salespeople, personal trainers, front desk employees, and other team members.

And I make something very clear from the beginning.

Their responses are confidential between me and them.

I want honest answers. Not answers they think ownership wants to hear. Not answers designed to make their manager happy. And certainly not answers that simply tell me everything is fine when it isn’t.

I want to know what’s really going on.

Once those worksheets are completed, I’ll typically interview most of the employees individually. Depending on the size of the operation and the circumstances, I may interview every single person.

We’ll go through their worksheets, talk about their experiences, and discuss what they see happening inside the business.

And let me tell you, these conversations can be incredibly revealing.

Because sometimes the people closest to the problems are also the people closest to the solutions.

I’m Looking at More Than Just Their Answers

During these interviews, I’m certainly evaluating attitude.

I want to understand their mindset.

Are they positive? Are they frustrated? Have they given up? Do they still believe in the business? Do they want to be part of the solution?

All of that matters.

Because if we’re going to turn a struggling gym around, we need people who are willing to move forward with us.

But there’s something else I’m looking for that’s just as important.

I want to know how they would run the business if they were the owner.

And that’s where the conversation gets interesting.

I’ll ask questions like:

• If you owned this gym, what’s the first thing you would change?

• Where do you see money or resources being wasted?

• What opportunities are we not taking advantage of?

• What are members complaining about that we haven’t addressed?

• What could we do differently to sell more memberships?

• What’s keeping our personal training business from growing?

• What procedures are making your job more difficult than necessary?

• If you could make one immediate improvement, what would it be?

And then I listen.

I’m not there to argue with them.

I’m not there to defend everything the business has been doing.

I’m there to learn.

Sometimes the most valuable thing a gym turnaround consultant can do is stop talking and start listening.

Your Employees Know Things Your Reports Will Never Tell You

Think about this for a minute.

Your membership salesperson may know that prospects aren’t buying because the presentation process is too complicated.

Your front desk employee may know that members are frustrated because certain equipment has been broken for weeks.

Your personal trainers may know that new members are interested in training but nobody is introducing them to the training department.

Your group fitness instructors may know that certain classes are poorly attended because they’re scheduled at the wrong times.

And your maintenance staff may know exactly where you’re wasting money.

Yet none of those things may show up clearly in your monthly financial statement.

You can review reports all day long, but you still may not understand why certain things are happening.

That’s why I want to hear from the people actually doing the work.

Not every employee will have the right answer. Some recommendations may not be practical. Others may be based on incomplete information.

That’s okay.

I’m not looking for every idea to be perfect. I’m looking for opportunities we can turn into results.

One of the Biggest Turnaround Mistakes: Trying to Do Everything Yourself

Here’s something I’ve seen happen repeatedly.

A gym owner realizes the business is in trouble.

They bring in a consultant, hire a new manager, or decide they’re going to take control personally.

They develop a plan, announce a series of changes, and tell everybody what needs to happen.

Now, sometimes that approach works.

But there’s a potential problem.

The employees may feel like the turnaround is something being done to them instead of something they’re participating in.

They’re being told what to do, but nobody has asked what they think.

And that’s a missed opportunity.

Because one of the secrets to a successful gym turnaround is getting your staff behind you.

Not just getting them to follow instructions.

Getting them to believe in what you’re doing.

Getting them excited about the possibilities.

Getting them to take ownership of the results.

And I’ve found one of the easiest ways to accomplish that is to involve them in the solution.

Success Is a Pretty Wide Road

Here’s something I believe strongly.

Success is a pretty wide road.

There isn’t just one way to grow a gym.

There isn’t just one membership offer that works.

There isn’t just one marketing strategy, one sales script, one operating procedure, or one approach to member retention that guarantees success.

There’s a lot of room within the parameters of running a successful business.

And if an employee comes to me with an idea that fits within those parameters, I’m very interested in implementing it.

Why?

Because now that employee has a voice in the turnaround.

They weren’t simply handed another directive from management.

They made a recommendation.

Somebody listened.

And their idea became part of the plan.

That changes things.

Instead of saying, “Management wants us to do this,” they’re now saying, “This is something I helped come up with.”

That’s a completely different level of commitment.

And when people have a personal stake in an idea, they’re often much more motivated to make it successful.

The Power of Hearing, “That Was My Idea”

Imagine you’ve got a struggling gym where membership sales have been disappointing.

During one of your employee interviews, a salesperson tells you that the club used to have a very effective referral program.

Members loved it.

Employees understood it.

It generated appointments.

And it produced sales.

But somewhere along the way, the gym stopped doing it.

Nobody can really explain why.

Now you’ve got a decision to make.

You could simply announce a new referral program and tell everybody to get busy.

Or you could recognize that employee’s contribution.

You could say:

“That’s a good idea. Let’s revisit that program, make whatever improvements we need, and put it back to work.”

Now imagine what happens next.

That employee sees their suggestion being taken seriously.

They know they contributed something important.

And chances are, they’re going to work harder to help make that program successful.

Why?

Because they helped create it.

That’s the kind of buy-in I’m looking for.

And in a gym turnaround, that buy-in can be incredibly valuable.

Don’t Confuse Listening With Giving Up Control

Now, let me clarify something.

Involving employees doesn’t mean every suggestion should be implemented.

It doesn’t mean management stops making decisions.

And it certainly doesn’t mean you allow the loudest employee to dictate the direction of the business.

You still need leadership.

You still need standards.

You still need accountability.

And you still need a plan.

But within that plan, there’s often considerable room to incorporate employee ideas.

The key is evaluating those ideas based on whether they help the business move in the right direction.

Will this increase membership sales?

Will it improve the member experience?

Will it reduce unnecessary expenses?

Will it help retain members?

Will it make employees more productive?

Will it improve the profitability of the business?

If the answer is yes, and the idea is practical, why wouldn’t we consider doing it?

We should also be willing to explain when an idea doesn’t fit. Employees don’t need every suggestion approved to feel respected. They need to know their input received genuine consideration.

How to Turn Employee Feedback Into a Gym Turnaround Strategy

If you’re operating a struggling gym, or you’re simply trying to move your fitness business to the next level, here’s how I’d approach it.

The Hidden Benefit: You’ll Find Out Who Really Wants to Win

There’s another benefit to this process that I think is important.

When you start asking employees how they would improve the business, you begin learning something about the people themselves.

You’ll discover employees who have been sitting on good ideas for months.

You’ll discover people who genuinely care about the gym but haven’t felt comfortable speaking up.

You’ll identify potential leaders who may have been overlooked.

And yes, you may discover people whose attitudes and behaviors aren’t aligned with the direction the business needs to go.

That’s valuable information.

But I wouldn’t automatically assume someone who’s frustrated is a bad employee.

Sometimes your most frustrated employees are frustrated because they care, they recognize the problems, and they haven’t been able to get anyone to listen.

Those employees can become some of your strongest supporters when they realize meaningful change is actually happening.

A gym turnaround isn’t just about changing the numbers. Sometimes it’s about rebuilding trust, confidence, and belief inside the organization.

Employee Buy-In Can Be the Difference Between a Plan and a Successful Turnaround

I’ve been involved in enough struggling gym situations to know that having a good plan is only part of the equation.

You can develop the best marketing campaign.

You can improve your membership pricing.

You can rewrite your sales process.

You can reduce unnecessary expenses.

You can establish new performance expectations.

But if the people responsible for executing those changes aren’t behind you, the process becomes considerably more difficult.

The staff has to make the phone calls.

The staff has to book the appointments.

The staff has to make the presentations.

The staff has to deliver the member experience.

The staff has to follow up, solve problems, and keep the business moving forward.

And when those employees believe they helped shape the direction of the business, you’ve got an advantage.

They’re not just carrying out somebody else’s plan.

They’re helping make their own ideas successful.

That’s powerful.

Final Thoughts: Before You Change Everything, Ask the People Who Know the Business

The next time your gym is struggling, or you’re looking for ways to improve performance, I want you to consider something.

Before you immediately start changing everything, spend some time talking to your people.

Ask them what they see.

Ask them what they would change.

Ask them where you’re wasting money.

Ask them where you’re missing opportunities.

And perhaps most importantly, ask them:

“If this were your gym, what would you do differently?”

Then listen carefully.

You may be surprised by what you hear.

And when somebody presents an idea that makes sense, that fits your objectives, and that can help the business improve, don’t hesitate to use it.

Remember, success is a pretty wide road.

We don’t have to come up with every idea ourselves.

We just have to recognize the good ones, put them into action, and get our people working together to make them successful.

Because one of the most important things I’ve learned about turning around struggling gyms is this:

The fastest way to get employees behind your turnaround plan may be to make sure they have a hand in building it.

And sometimes, the person who knows exactly what your gym needs isn’t sitting in the owner’s office.

They’re standing behind your front desk.

Need help building systems, improving your facility, or turning around your gym business? Contact Jim here.

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