Meet Dan Jones, Instinct Gym and Wellbeing
Dan Jones runs Instinct Gym and Wellbeing, a coaching-based gym offering semi-private personal training, classes, one-to-one personal training and open gym access.
Dan started the business in 2014, converting an office into his first personal training studio.
Over time, he built a team and grew the business until the original facility reached capacity.
That created a new challenge for Dan.
He had successfully grown what he had — but how could he take the business to the next level?
The Challenge
Before working with Nicky, Dan says he based many of his business decisions on what he felt was the right thing to do.
That approach became increasingly difficult as the business grew.
Around four years before his testimonial, Instinct was reaching the limit of its semi-private personal training sessions.
The sessions were maxing out, and Dan couldn’t see an obvious way to continue growing within the facility they had.
Rather than simply guessing at the next step, Dan and Nicky went back to the numbers.
Making Decisions Based on Data
Working through the figures highlighted a potential way forward: introducing a hybrid model.
Alongside semi-private personal training, they incorporated classes into memberships.
Crucially for Dan, this wasn’t simply another idea to try.
The decision was based on what the numbers were telling them.
The new model let Instinct scale the business and make better use of the space in the original facility.
And eventually, they were able to take that model with them into something much bigger.
“We can make decisions based off the numbers rather than just what we think we need to do.”
Clarity Through the Numbers
Dan describes working on the numbers with Nicky — particularly using the Optic Sheets — as “absolutely vital”.
They give him greater clarity around what needs to happen next.
Rather than automatically assuming the answer is simply to sell more memberships, Dan can look at the business and determine whether they need to:
- Manage expenses more effectively.
- Review the pricing structure.
- Increase marketing activity.
- Generate more sales.
- Make another change within the business model.
That ability to make decisions from the numbers has given Dan much greater confidence in the direction of the business.
The Results
Dan’s progress has ultimately taken Instinct far beyond the limitations of its original PT studio.
His experience includes:
- Growing the original facility to capacity.
- Using the numbers to identify a new way to scale beyond semi-private training alone.
- Introducing a hybrid membership model incorporating classes.
- Maximising the potential of the existing facility.
- Developing a model that could be transferred into a larger facility.
- Designing and building a brand-new gym and wellbeing centre.
- Taking on a new facility Dan estimates is approximately 5–10 times bigger than the original gym.
- Developing greater confidence to make significant business decisions based on the numbers rather than instinct alone.
For Dan, one of the biggest results has been having the confidence to take on a project of this scale.
“It's probably 5 to 10 times bigger than our original gym, but there was no fear because I knew I had the support of Nicky behind me.”
The Confidence to Go Bigger
The new facility wasn’t a small next step.
It represented a significantly larger project than anything Dan had taken on before.
But having a clearer understanding of the numbers meant he knew what the business needed to do.
And if something didn’t go according to plan, he had the confidence to look at the information, make adjustments and find another way forward.
“I knew the numbers, I knew what we needed to do.”
For Dan, that has been one of the most valuable parts of working with Nicky over the previous five years: the confidence to go for bigger things.
Building a Better Business,Without Losing Yourself in It
Dan's coaching has also had another side.
His natural tendency is to work hard, grind and keep his attention firmly on the business.
Nicky has continually challenged that mindset by encouraging Dan to manage himself first.
That means thinking about his own time away from the business as well as what is happening inside it.
Dan is open that this is still something he is working on.
But he recognises its importance for the long-term future of both himself and the business.
What This Means for Other Fitness Business Owners
Growth can eventually create a new problem.
You reach capacity.
The model that got you to your current position can no longer take you where you want to go next.
That was the situation Dan faced at Instinct.
Rather than simply doing more of the same, working with Nicky helped him look at the numbers, adapt the model and find another route to growth.
That journey has taken Instinct from an office converted into a personal training studio to a purpose-built gym and wellbeing centre approximately 5–10 times bigger than the original facility.
And Dan now has the confidence to continue making decisions based on what the business is actually telling him.
Dan’s Advice to Other Fitness Business Owners
For somebody considering working with Nicky but still sitting on the fence, Dan’s advice is straightforward:
“Just do it, get started, you won't regret it.”
He believes being open-minded and genuinely wanting to build the business are important parts of the process.
For Dan, the support has given him the confidence to take on opportunities that once would have felt significantly bigger.
Find Out More About FBDA
Experience a Complimentary FBDA Coaching Session. We don’t want to sell you into a coaching programme that isn’t right for you. Instead, we’d love you to experience how FBDA coaching actually works before you make any decisions.
We’ll take the time to understand your business, where you want to go, and what might be holding you back. You’ll experience real FBDA coaching, leave with greater clarity on your next steps, and get a feel for how we could help move your business forward.
Then we can both decide if working together feels like the right fit.
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