Elijah Kafer took over CrossFit Novi in Novi, MI in July 2021. Before he made the switch from Mindbody to PushPress gym management software, his gym only had 29 members.
He admits that the first year was a struggle. He recalls picking up “only a handful of members” the entire year, and knew he had to make some changes. So he did some research, discovered PushPress and decided to give it a try.
At that point, he had been paying $400 per month for Mindbody, and not getting much out of it.
“It couldn’t get any worse,” he said. “I almost went back to just a spreadsheet to manage my members.”
Switching to PushPress Gym Management Software.
Despite the success he’s seen since making the switch, Kafer said it wasn’t goals of increasing gym revenue that prompted him to act. Instead, he switched to PushPress for two other reasons.
First, he was looking for gym management software that was easier to use for himself and his coaches. He recalled that Mindbody was challenging, making it difficult to perform simple tasks like creating programs or adding member profiles.
Second, Kafer wanted an app that was intuitive for his members. Ultimately, he wanted to give them more control so they could register for classes, book personal training or upgrade payment info.
Two years later, CrossFit Novi is thriving. The gym has 108 members and Kafer has quadrupled his revenue. This has allowed him to hire eight coaches and “actually make it run as a business” now. On top of that, he also runs a martial arts gym in the same facility. Omega Athletics has another 67 members.
Three Benefits of Making the Switch.
1. Cost Savings.
The $400 that Kafer was paying to Mindbody each month got him what he describes as a lesser version of PushPress Core. Now, he gets Core, Grow, Train and a more effective website... for less money.
“The software is infinitely better,” he said. “But the price point is better too, so it saves the gym money. It’s night and day.”
Further, when Kafer was with Mindbody, he also paid for two additional services to accommodate gym programming needs. Beyond the Whiteboard is how he delivered daily training to his group classes. And he needed TrueCoach to accommodate his clients with individualized programming.
Since switching to PushPress, he was able to cancel both. With PushPress Train, his clients can log workouts, track milestones and connect with the community, all in one app.
2. More Leads, More Clients.
In the past, Kafer had set up a GoDaddy website and didn’t have much of a gym marketing strategy. He found himself constantly struggling to connect with leads.
“It was hard for us to respond,” he said. “And there would always be a delay, and we would always lose out on a lot of leads.”
With PushPress Grow, lead don’t get lost in the shuffle anymore. The moment they express interest, automated workflows in Grow spring into action. Kafer has found this to be the most important thing about successful member conversion. Not only is the website generating significantly more leads, the response time is crucial.
“Now we catch them right away,” he said. “It’s a really good system. Grow starts the communication and then we can pick it up as soon as possible with a human touch.”
The results speak for themselves. Kafer said his leads instantly took off after making the switch, jumping from around four per month, to now averaging 16-20.
3. Stronger Community.
As he’s watched his gym community grow, Kafer understands the importance of connection. He credits the Social Feed in the PushPress Members App with helping to engage and connect his members.
“The Social Feed has been awesome,” he said. “We’re able to communicate, make announcements and celebrate things. We drop everything in there. It’s massive.”
Pro Tip: Want to figure out which PushPress solutions would help your gym the most? Book a demo with our team today to walk through the options!
In Summary: PushPress is “So Much Easier and More Intuitive.”
Two years after switching to PushPress, Elijah Kafer, owner of CrossFit Novi, couldn’t be happier. He believes it has helped every aspect of his business.
Kafer also understands that gym owners can be hesitant about switching gym software. He said he was there, too. But needing more seamless options and paying too much forced him to start exploring options. When he discovered PushPress, he made the switch, and never looked back.
“It’s so much easier and more intuitive to use,” he said. “So it saves a ton of time, and it gives a better customer experience, too. And those are two massive things.”
