CAITLIN BOVEE | FOUNDER OF PILATES IN GULEPH

Episode Summary

In this episode, Mike sits down with Caitlin Bovee, founder of Pilates in Guelph, to break down how she scaled her studio past $180,000/month—not by chasing more leads, but by becoming a stronger leader and building a team that runs the business without her.

Caitlin shares how her biggest growth didn’t come from marketing—but from leadership. As she stepped back from day-to-day operations, she focused on developing leaders within her team, allowing the business to grow without her constant involvement.

One of the biggest mindset shifts was learning to let go. From stepping out of meetings to eventually giving up her last remaining clients, Caitlin had to transition from operator to CEO—a move that many gym owners struggle with.

On the sales side, her approach is highly intentional. Every step of the customer journey is designed around how the prospect should feel—from the first call to their first session. This creates a personalized experience that increases conversions and long-term retention.

A key driver of growth was increasing revenue per member rather than just adding more members. By moving clients into higher-commitment plans and avoiding low-frequency memberships, she improved both retention and profitability.

Retention is where her system really stands out. With only 4–6% attrition at nearly 700 members, her team focuses heavily on connection—like instructors sending personalized notes to members to make them feel seen and valued.

Another surprising insight: making it easier for members to cancel actually increased the number of people who returned later, reinforcing the idea of building long-term relationships over short-term revenue.

The result is a business that grows through leadership, systems, and culture—not just marketing spend.

Key Takeaways

• Leadership development is the biggest driver of scaling.

• Stepping out of operations allows the business to grow beyond the owner.

• Letting go of control is required to build a real team.

• Sales should be designed around how the customer feels.

• Increasing revenue per member is often more powerful than adding new leads.

• Avoid low-commitment memberships to improve retention.

• Small personalization (like instructor notes) dramatically improves retention.

• Making cancellations easy can increase long-term loyalty and return rates.

• Hiring for drive and character beats hiring for experience.

• Understanding your numbers is non-negotiable for growth.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and record revenue
03:10 Leadership as the growth driver
07:20 Letting go of control
12:00 Transitioning from operator to CEO
17:40 Sales process and customer experience
23:10 Hiring and building a strong team
29:00 Revenue per member strategy
34:20 Marketing without paid ads
39:50 Retention systems and personalization
45:10 Cancellation strategy and member loyalty
50:30 CEO mindset and personal growth
55:00 Final advice for gym owners

Show Notes

Caitlin’s growth story flips the typical gym owner mindset.

Most owners think scaling comes from more leads. Caitlin proves that growth often comes from better leadership and smarter systems.

Her studio hit over $180K/month while she was actively stepping away from operations. Instead of doing more, she focused on building leaders inside her team who could take ownership and manage the business effectively.

One of her biggest shifts was moving away from low-commitment memberships. She noticed that members attending only once per week were the most likely to cancel, so she stopped selling those options and focused on higher-value plans.

This change increased both revenue per member and retention.

Her retention strategy is built around connection. Instructors send personalized messages to members, helping them feel recognized and valued—something that significantly reduces churn.

Another key insight is her approach to cancellations. Instead of making it difficult, she made it easier—and saw more members return later. This reinforces her philosophy of building long-term relationships rather than maximizing short-term revenue.

Caitlin also emphasizes the importance of understanding numbers. Tracking trends, identifying patterns, and making data-driven decisions allowed her to continuously refine her business.

The biggest takeaway from this episode:

You don’t scale by doing more.

You scale by building a team and a system that can grow without you.