Advertise on podcast: Alloy Personal Training Business

Paid media is getting more expensive and less predictable. So what do you do instead? Kaitlin Bitting just joined Alloy as Director of Marketing, and she comes with agency experience, time at Campbell's Soup, and a front-row seat inside another major fitness franchise. Rick Mayo brought her on the podcast six weeks into the job, and the conversation landed somewhere useful: three organic marketing tactics that franchisees can start executing this week without touching their ad budget. The first is community partnerships, done right. Not the kind where you slap a flyer in someone's window and call it a day. Rick's Fleet Feet playbook is the template: leverage each other's email lists, put physical presence in each other's locations for 30 days, run a joint educational event, and track everything with a unique QR code. One campaign generated 60 leads and 40 new members. The second is referrals, which convert at 90% and most owners still never ask for. The third is Google Business Profile, which 76% of customers check before they ever visit a location, and which now influences how LLMs surface your business in AI search results. Rick also shares what happened when someone left a scathing review for a location they had never visited, and why the response he wrote became one of his better PR moments. Playbooks for all three are on the way for Alloy franchisees. This episode is the preview.Key Takeaways: 00:00 The Referral Conversion Rate Is 90% 00:38 Welcome Kaitlin Bitting, Director of Marketing 02:54 Kaitlin Bitting's Background: Agency, Campbell's, Fitness Franchise 04:32 Why Alloy's Model Stood Out 06:54 Why Organic Marketing Matters More Now 08:12 Strategy 1: Community Partnerships 09:46 Make It Mutually Beneficial or Do Not Bother 10:00 The Fleet Feet Playbook: 3 Steps, 60 Leads, 40 New Members 16:00 Build a Partnership Calendar for the Year 19:00 Track Every Partnership with a Unique QR Code 20:00 Playbooks Are Coming for Alloy Franchisees 21:14 Strategy 2: Referrals 23:46 Ask at the Moment They Sign Up 25:38 John Herrera's Presale: One Third of 150 Members from Referrals 26:54 Joe: The Best Referral Culture We've Ever Seen 30:16 You Are 20% More Likely to Stick If a Friend Is in the Program 33:34 Strategy 3: Google Reviews and Google Business Profile 35:24 Respond to 75% of Reviews and Your Rating Jumps Half a Star 38:46 The Fake Negative Review Rick Turned Into a PR Win 40:40 Treat Google Business Profile Like a Social Media Account 43:42 LLMs Are Pulling from Google. Keep Your Profile Current. 44:28 5.8 Million Searches Per Minute. Half with Local Intent. 47:06 Whisper Marketing and Building Long-Term Community Equity Additional Resources: - Alloy Personal Training - Learn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity --------- You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you haven't already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts! To learn more about the Alloy Personal Training Franchise Opportunity, visit 👉 http://bit.ly/alloy_franchise

If you run a premium fitness business, discounting is not a sales tool. It is a confidence problem with a price tag on it. In this episode, Rick Mayo and Matt Helland break down the psychology behind why fitness business owners discount, and why it almost never has anything to do with what the customer actually needs. They cover the five reasons people drop their prices, from lack of conviction and fear of rejection to short-term revenue pressure and discounting as a substitute for actual sales skill, and explain why every single one of them costs you more than the discount ever saved. Rick also shares the math: a 20% presale discount held across 100 members for a year is $120,000 in straight profit you gave away for free. To people who would have paid full price anyway. If you are in a premium category, this one is worth your time. Listen in to find out why holding your price is one of the best things you can do for your business and your members. Key Takeaways: 00:00 The Foot on the Gas Is Not Your Price 00:38 Back in the Beats Lab 01:28 Why Premium Pricing Belongs at the Top of Boutique Fitness 02:38 Higher Prices Attract Better Members 03:46 The Motorcycle Jacket That Proves the Psychology 06:26 Suzanne Paid $700 a Month in 1994 09:18 Why Discounting Is Never a Consumer Problem 10:00 The Five Reasons Owners Discount 10:12 Reason 1: Lack of Conviction 15:44 Reason 2: Fear of Rejection 20:04 Reason 3: Desire for Approval 21:54 Reason 4: Short-Term Revenue Pressure 27:22 Reason 5: Discounting as a Substitute for Sales Skill 31:20 The $120,000 You Gave Away for Free 34:48 Four Questions to Ask Before You Ever Drop Your Price Additional Resources: - Alloy Personal Training - Learn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity --------- You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you haven't already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts! To learn more about the Alloy Personal Training Franchise Opportunity, visit 👉 http://bit.ly/alloy_franchise

July is the slowest month in fitness. Everyone knows it. The question is what you do about it. Rick Mayo and Matt Helland sit back down in the Beats Lab for one of their unscripted conversations about what it actually looks like to run a great personal training studio when the season is working against you. No guest, no slides, just two people who have been doing this for decades talking through what works. They get into three things you can start doing right now: getting ahead of your members before their schedules fall apart, running a student and teacher special that brings new people in the door at exactly the right time, and a social campaign called Where's Waldo that one of Alloy's top franchisees has turned into one of the best retention and culture tools in the system. Rick also tells the story of Kathy — a client who sat across from him every month for the better part of a year, never once followed his advice, and still became one of his clearest examples of why showing up for people is the whole job. Listen in. You can start using all of this the day you hear it. Key Takeaways: 00:00 If It Becomes Transactional, You Have Already Lost 00:46 Back in the Beats Lab 02:38 Why July Is the Hardest Month in Fitness 06:02 Strategy 1: Have the Summer Schedule Conversation Now 08:22 Do Not Let Them Off the Hook 10:54 The Kathy Story 13:10 Why Alloy Members Do Not Count Sessions 17:38 Strategy 2: Student and Teacher Summer Specials 21:50 The Private School Play and the Scholarship Contest 24:32 Strategy 3: Where's Waldo 28:18 Why Jolson Does It Better Than Anyone 29:14 Wrap Up: Three Things You Can Start Today Additional Resources: - Alloy Personal Training - Learn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity --------- You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you haven't already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts! To learn more about the Alloy Personal Training Franchise Opportunity, visit 👉 http://bit.ly/alloy_franchise

JP Middleton started his company out of his mom's basement at 21. No clients, no experience, and no idea what he was getting into. Eight years later, Gym Members Now is a seven-figure operation working with hundreds of fitness businesses, and JP just joined the Alloy vendor network. In this episode, Alloy founder Rick Mayo sits down with JP to find out what GMN actually does differently. The answer is not the ads. It is everything that happens before and after the ads that most marketing vendors completely ignore: activating dead leads in your existing database, answering missed calls with AI, chasing reviews and turning them into referrals, and following up with new leads within five minutes instead of the industry average of 42 hours. JP also breaks down the three things that genuinely set GMN apart, why word of mouth is still the only real proof that your business is working, and what he learned about fitness marketing from working inside chiropractic offices, med spas, and roofing companies. If you are an Alloy franchisee or an independent gym owner wondering why your marketing spend is not converting, this episode has your answer. Listen in to find out what a real lead-to-member system looks like. Key Takeaways: 00:00 Your Fault or Our Problem? 02:44 Mom's Basement to Seven Figures 04:42 Why Gym Owners Hire the Wrong Help 07:22 What Makes GMN Different 08:56 Testing on Real Gyms Before Touching Yours 12:04 Cross-Industry Intel from Chiropractors to Roofers 12:46 From Marketing Agency to AI Agency 13:44 98% Check Reviews. Only 9% Ask for Them. 15:22 Mining Dead Leads Before Spending on Ads 16:22 62% of Calls Go Unanswered 17:00 The Harvard Study: Follow Up in 5 Minutes or Lose the Lead 18:46 Two Camps: Blame the Owner or Handle It 23:40 The One Thing Every New Business Owner Needs to Hear 26:28 Shoutout to Andy Gundlach and How It All Came Full Circle 28:08 Last Meal: Dairy Queen, Death Row, and Two Blizzards Additional Resources: - Alloy Personal Training - Learn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity --------- You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you haven't already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts! To learn more about the Alloy Personal Training Franchise Opportunity, visit 👉 http://bit.ly/alloy_franchise #AlloyPersonalTrainingPodcast #FranchiseOwnership #BusinessLeadership

What does it look like to have a world-class CMO in your corner without the full-time price tag? In this episode, Alloy founder Rick Mayo sits down with Erin Levzow, CMO at CapitalSpring, to talk about the real value of fractional marketing leadership. Erin has held CMO roles at Wingstop, Freebirds, Museum of Ice Cream, and Marcus Hotels, and now works across the full CapitalSpring portfolio to help franchise brands build stronger marketing systems and better internal teams. She and Rick dig into how she mentors marketers inside growing companies, why most franchisees make the mistake of betting everything on one marketing channel, and what the faucet-and-bucket analogy tells you about why your spend is or is not working. They also talk about the human connection at the core of the Alloy model and why that matters more than ever in an AI-driven world. If you are building a franchise brand or trying to get more out of your marketing team, this episode is worth your time. Listen in to learn what great franchise marketing leadership actually looks like. Key Takeaways: 00:00 There Is No Silver Bullet 02:48 From Vegas Dead-Body Apartment to CMO 05:00 Wingstop, Museum of Ice Cream and the Road to CapitalSpring 07:32 Why CapitalSpring Recruited Erin onto Their Own Team 09:26 What a Fractional CMO Actually Does Day to Day 13:04 The Cyclical Relationship Between Franchisees and Customers 16:42 Why Alloy Stood Out as a Marketing Story 17:36 Mentoring Marketers Who Want to Do Everything Themselves 21:06 The Faucet and Bucket: Why Dripping Does Not Work 23:36 Do Not Get Drunk on Digital 25:16 The Karaoke Question Additional Resources: - Alloy Personal Training - Learn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity --------- You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you haven't already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts! To learn more about the Alloy Personal Training Franchise Opportunity, visit 👉 http://bit.ly/alloy_franchise

What happens when a franchisor and its franchisees are both running ads at the same time, targeting the same people? In this episode, Alloy founder Rick Mayo sits down with Aren Johnstone, CEO of Franchise Ramp, to talk about one of the most misunderstood problems in franchise marketing: duplicate spend. Aren breaks down why national and local budgets so often work against each other, what a properly divided marketing funnel actually looks like, and how Franchise Ramp built a system that makes every dollar, national and local, work harder. Aren also shares how he got his start buying an e-commerce business his senior year of high school, why he eventually left that world for franchising, and what Franchise Ramp's no-contract model says about where their confidence comes from. If you are an Alloy franchisee, a prospective owner, or just trying to understand where your brand fund actually goes, this episode gives you a clear answer. 🎧 Listen in to learn how smart franchise marketing is supposed to work. Key Takeaways: Audio: 00:00 Your Ads Are Competing Against Themselves 02:30 From Figure Skating Moms to Franchise Marketing 06:02 What Franchise Ramp Does and Who It Is For 07:50 Why He Left E-Commerce for Franchising 08:22 No Contracts. Ever. 12:56 The Funnel Most Brands Get Wrong 13:56 The Sandwich Strategy 17:16 Geo-Targeted Campaigns Around Every Location 19:02 How Agencies Hide Behind Branded Keywords 24:06 The Franchisees Asking Questions Are the Best Ones Additional Resources: - Alloy Personal Training - Learn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity --------- You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you haven't already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts! To learn more about the Alloy Personal Training Franchise Opportunity, visit 👉  http://bit.ly/alloy_franchise

What's the difference between a website that looks great and one that actually brings in business? In this episode, Alloy founder Rick Mayo sits down with Jimmy Weeks, CEO of Internet Strategy Labs, to dig into what separates high-performing websites from digital dead ends. Jimmy has built nearly 700 websites over 25 years and built one of the first franchise analytics dashboards in the industry. He knows what works and more importantly, why. They cover how to design for different buyer personas, why time-on-site has dropped from three minutes to under one, how the back end of your site can quietly kill your marketing results, and why building for function before beauty is almost always the right call. If you run a franchise location or are evaluating the performance of your brand's web presence, this one is worth your time. 🎧 Listen in to learn what your website might be costing you and how to fix it. Key Takeways: 00:00 In 2012 You Had 3 Minutes. Now You Have 60 Seconds. 05:28 How He Measured Every Lead from Click to Grand Opening 08:12 What a PE Firm Found Wrong with Alloy's Website 11:02 Why Your Website Is Quietly Killing Your Leads 12:00 Stop Talking to Everyone. Design for Personas 15:38 Your Google Business Profile Is a Goldmine You're Ignoring 17:46 How to Use Facebook Forms to Pre-Qualify the Right Members 22:22 Pretty vs. Functional: What 690 Websites Taught Us 24:26 Why You Only Have 60 Seconds to Make Your Website Work 27:54 The Attention Span Crisis and What It Means for Your Marketing 31:00 Build It to Work First. Make It Pretty Second.    Additional Resources: - Alloy Personal Training - Learn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity --------- You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you haven't already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts! To learn more about the Alloy Personal Training Franchise Opportunity, visit 👉  http://bit.ly/alloy_franchise

What does it really take to scale a fitness brand — and find the right investment partner to help you get there?  In this episode, we sit down with Bryan Dickinson from CapitalSpring to discuss his path into franchise-focused private equity, what it takes to thrive in the industry, and what made Alloy Personal Training a standout investment opportunity. Bryan breaks down how CapitalSpring evaluates brands, why the franchisee experience is central to any smart franchisor investment, and how their growth-first partnership model helps founders scale with confidence.  If you're a founder, franchisee, or fitness professional curious about what smart capital and the right partnership can do for a brand, this episode is worth your time. #AlloyPTFranchise #TeamAlloy #StrongerTogether #CapitalSpring #FranchiseGrowth #FitnessIndustry #PrivateEquity Key Takeways: 1:20 - Bryan's background 2:10 - Discovering consumer & moving to sector specialist at Capital Spring (2019) 3:10 - Joining right before COVID  4:00 - What it takes to succeed in PE 7:10 - Closing on Christmas Eve — staying positive through the hard moments 8:10 - About Capital Spring  9:55 - Origins in food & bev franchising and expanding to gyms, car wash, pet, auto 11:30 - What Capital Spring provides beyond capital  13:00 - Portfolio stats — 280+ investments, 90+ brands, 7,000 brick-and-mortar locations 13:20 - Why investing on both franchisor & franchisee sides gives unique perspective 16:00 - Investment diligence — beyond the financials, what Capital Spring evaluates 17:00 - Why Alloy stood out 17:50 - Why strength training has staying power 18:55 - Longevity trends, GLP-1 tailwinds, and the case for muscle mass 20:05 - Alloy's franchising playbook  22:15 - The importance of great management teams and trust in any partnership 23:20 - Dispelling bad PE narratives — most founder-friendly firm, growth focus only 26:15 - Capital Spring's mission    Additional Resources: - Alloy Personal Training - Learn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity --------- You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you haven’t already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts! To learn more about the Alloy Personal Training Franchise Opportunity, visit 👉 http://bit.ly/alloy_franchise

How do you grow fast without losing what makes your business great? In this episode, we sit down to talk about bringing on a private equity partner, CapitalSpring, and what that really means for our franchisees and our team. We get into why we waited for the right partner, how they’re helping us scale faster, and why this is not just about money. It is about resources, accountability, and opening doors we couldn't open on our own. We also share what it is like to run 130+ franchises, the highs and lows of rapid growth, and how having the right support can make all the difference. 🎧 Tune in to hear what it is really like to scale a franchise, partner with investors the right way, and keep your team and your culture thriving while doing it.Key Takeaways:  Intro (00:00) Big announcement (01:14) Why we did it (09:30) Our long-term plan (13:56)  Our experiences from the start (17:20) Outro (20:17) Additional Resources: - Alloy Personal Training - Learn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity --------- You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you haven’t already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts!

What actually separates great franchise owners from those who struggle? In this episode, Alloy founder Rick Mayo sits down with Tammi, a seasoned franchise business coach with experience across multiple national brands, to break down the real traits that drive long-term franchise success. They dig into why employee turnover is usually a leadership problem, how owner involvement directly impacts retention, and why “semi-absentee ownership” is often misunderstood, and overestimated. If you’re considering franchise ownership (or already in it), this conversation is a reality check on what it really takes to win. 🎧 Listen in to learn whether you’re truly built for franchise ownership, and how to level up if you are. Key Takeaways:  Intro (00:00)Why employee turnover is a leadership issue (12:40)The danger of blaming systems instead of ownership (13:34)Why owner involvement is non-negotiable (15:54)The myth of semi-absentee ownership (16:12)How retention starts with how you treat your team (19:14)Following the playbook — and why consistency matters (20:05)Final thoughts on leadership and accountability (28:25)Additional Resources: - Alloy Personal Training - Learn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity --------- You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you haven’t already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts!

Running one gym is hard. Running multiple is a whole different game. In this episode, Rick is joined by John Vargas, multi-unit Alloy franchise owner and president of the Franchise Advisory Council, who shares the 5 keys that helped him scale from one successful Alloy location to several top-performing locations. They talk about why everything starts with your people, how to lead without micromanaging, and the importance of clear goals and consistent communication. John also shares how he and his team stay focused by cutting out distractions, and why being an available leader is one of the most underrated success factors. John's approach is packed with real-world advice you can use right now. 🎧 Give this episode a listen and learn what it really takes to grow without losing control. Key Takeaways Intro (00:00)People first (02:01)Set Clear goals (07:37)Communicate relentlessly (16:35)Remove the noise (25:19)Be available (29:29)Additional Resources: - Alloy Personal Training - Learn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity --------- You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you haven’t already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts!

So, you’re ready to dive into the fitness industry? First off, congrats. It’s an exciting world to be in. But now you’re at the ultimate fork in the road: do you build your own brand from the ground up, or do you buy into a franchise? In this episode, Jared Nassiff interviews Rick Mayo, founder of Alloy Personal Training, to explore this topic through Rick’s journey from independent gym owner to franchise owner. Rick shares how he bootstrapped his first fitness business in 1992, scaled it through white-label licensing, and eventually launched Alloy as a franchise with 400 awarded locations and growing. He breaks down the real differences between starting a business from scratch and joining a franchise, from risk and scalability to royalties and emotional grit. 💬 Curious which path is right for you? Listen now. Key Takeaways Intro (00:00) Mindset differences between entrepreneurs and franchisees (05:28) Advantages and disadvantages of independent businesses (09:36) Building a successful franchise (17:11) Final thoughts and advice (25:43) Additional Resources: - Alloy Personal Training - Learn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity --------- You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you haven’t already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts!

In this episode, Rick Mayo shares his journey from a college side hustle to building one of the most respected personal training franchise brands in the country. Starting in 1992 with a single location, Rick revolutionized small group personal training and scaled globally before launching Alloy as a full franchise in 2019. He opens up about the challenges of transitioning from licensing to franchising, how leadership and data drive success, and the critical role strength training plays in adult longevity and well-being. He also talks about franchise scalability, team-building, and the rising demand for strength-based fitness as a counterbalance to aging and modern stress. Tune in! Key Takeaways Intro (00:00) Transition to small group training (04:53) Scaling and licensing (11:28) Franchising and global expansion (13:22) Impact of Alloy Personal Training (29:11) How Rick stays grounded while scaling rapidly (39:46) Additional Resources: - Alloy Personal Training - Learn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity --------- You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you haven’t already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts!

In this episode, Rick sits down with the number one facility operator and multiunit Alloy franchisee, Nick Garrity, to discuss his secrets to successfully scaling to multiple facilities. With a deep entrepreneurial background in stretching studios, saunas, and golf performance, Nick explains why consistency, trust, and communication are the real currency of successful fitness operations. He dives into the systems he uses to keep staff engaged (including profit sharing), how he evaluates struggling locations for turnaround, and what franchisees need to know about absentee vs. active ownership. Nick shows how small, repeatable actions create massive compounding success. If you’re building or scaling a fitness business, this episode is your playbook. 🎧 Tune in! Key Takeaways Intro (00:00) Nick's background and journey (02:05) Transition to Alloy and franchising (03:22) Alloy franchise and business strategy (05:41) Keys to success in multi-unit ownership (08:33) Challenges and opportunities in franchise management (22:54) Impact on clients and community (27:40) Future goals and vision (28:45) Additional Resources: - Alloy Personal Training - Learn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity --------- You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you haven’t already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts!

In this episode, Rick Mayo introduces Alloy's very own Rosheika Strachan, the team’s new internal communications lead. With a background in journalism, public relations, and sports management, Rosheika brings a wealth of expertise in shaping internal communications. Her mission is to make sure Alloy’s franchisees have all the resources they need, and they know how to use them, when to use them, and why they matter. Rick and Rosheika also discuss how data can inform communication strategy and the role of storytelling in building engagement. 🎧 Hit play and get the inside scoop on how Rosheika is driving the Alloy internal communications strategy. Key Takeaways Intro (00:00) Rosheika's role and background (02:13) Challenges and strategies in internal communication (05:21) Importance of consistent and effective communication (10:24) Measuring success and future goals (14:26) Cultural exchange: traditional Jamaican dishes (17:54) Additional Resources: - Alloy Personal Training - Learn About The Alloy Franchise Opportunity --------- You can find the podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you haven’t already, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts!