Consulting
Consulting for gym and studio owners now lives at MERGE Fitness Inc.
I still run a gym, so the advice comes from the same payroll, lease and retention problems you have. All of my work with gym and studio owners now runs through MERGE Fitness Inc. That is where to start.
Work with MERGE Fitness Inc.Guides
From the blog: fitness business consulting
October 11, 2026
Opening a Second Gym Location: What Going From 3 to 8 Taught Me
Fitness Town grew from three locations to eight while I was COO. The growth worked because of systems and managers. The hardest lesson: growth outran the leaders.
October 11, 2026
Gen Z Gym Members: Why They Churn and How Gyms Keep Them
Gen Z is now the biggest source of new gym joins and the group most likely to cancel. Here is what the data actually says, what younger members want, and how a small gym keeps them past month three.
October 11, 2026
CrossFit Open Participation Is Down: What Affiliate Owners Do Now
Open registrations dropped from 343,496 in 2024 to 233,815 in 2025, then climbed to about 254,690 in 2026. Here is what that says about gym health, and how to decide whether the Open still earns a place on your calendar.
October 11, 2026
How Much Do Gym Owners Make in Canada? Owner Pay Benchmarks
Most gym owners can't say what they actually earn because their pay is buried in the profit line. Here are the Canadian benchmarks, a worked P&L and the fixes.
October 11, 2026
Average Revenue Per Member at a Gym: ARM Benchmarks and 6 Levers
Most gym owners overstate their ARM because they average across every membership type. Here is how to calculate it by tier, what the 2025 benchmarks look like in Canadian dollars, and six levers that raise it without touching your base price.
October 11, 2026
Gym Failed Payments: How Canadian Gyms Stop Involuntary Churn
Some members never decide to leave. Their card expires or a debit bounces and nobody calls. Here is how a Canadian gym measures that loss, handles cards and PADs, and wins those members back.
October 11, 2026
GST on Gym Memberships in Canada: A Gym Owner's Tax Guide
Memberships, drop-ins, class packs and personal training are taxable for GST/HST once you are registered. BC PST mostly skips memberships but hits apparel and equipment. Here is the full breakdown with sources.
October 11, 2026
How Much to Pay CrossFit Coaches in BC: Employee or Contractor
Most class coaches in BC look like employees under the law, whatever the contract says. Here is how the tests work, why work-trade is a trap, and what a compliant coach actually costs you.
October 11, 2026
Gym KPIs and Benchmarks: The Numbers That Decide Survival
The handful of gym business metrics that decide whether an independent gym survives, with current benchmarks, honest formulas and a one-page scorecard you can copy.
October 11, 2026
HYROX Affiliation Cost and Payback for Small Gyms in Canada
HYROX doesn't publish its Training Club fee. Here is what affiliation includes, what equipment you need, how to work out payback, and how an independent competes with GoodLife and Movati.
October 11, 2026
Is ClassPass Worth It for Gyms? A Gym Owner's Real Funnel Data
607 drop-ins became 10 paying members at my gym. Here is what that means for ClassPass economics, which visitors are worth chasing, and when to cap aggregators.
October 2, 2026
Pricing your gym memberships: the decision most owners keep putting off
Most gym owners know their prices need a look and keep delaying it. How to think about the decision clearly, without guessing.
October 2, 2026
Fitness business consulting in Vancouver: how it works
What fitness business consulting with Dai looks like for Vancouver gym and studio owners, from the first conversation to the decisions you act on.
October 2, 2026
Gym Retention Rate Benchmarks and a Retention System That Works
The average gym keeps about two members in three each year. Here are the benchmarks, the honest way to measure your own churn, and the retention system I would run in any Canadian gym.
September 26, 2026
The operational mistakes that cost gyms their members
Price, changing circumstances and avoidable friction can all cost members. A practical review of onboarding, attendance and the front desk.
September 26, 2026
Member experience: what your front desk is really selling
Your front desk is not checking people in. It is deciding whether they come back. A look at the member experience from someone who still runs one.
September 26, 2026
Co-owning CrossFit BC: lessons in culture, partnership and retention
Dai and his wife Christie co-own one of Vancouver's longest-running CrossFit gyms. These are the lessons that survived contact with reality.
September 26, 2026
Hiring a fitness business consultant: what to look for
What to ask about operating experience, scope and decision-making before hiring a fitness business consultant.