Meet Two Gym Owners who are Generating Hands off Revenue with HybridAF


One of the most underrated aspects of adding HybridAF’s unattended access to your small gym is the diversity with which you can roll it out.


Yes, it provides the option to offer 24/7 access, but that’s up to the gym owner. If 5 a.m. until 10 p.m. makes more sense for your gym, then you can easily set those hours of operation.


Further, as the gym owner it’s up to you whether you want to provide your entire membership access to HybridAF without charging them more, or whether you want to roll it out as a potential upsell, as a way to increase your average client value.


Or, like Kurt Miller, the owner of South Mountain Community Fitness in Pennsylvania did, you might choose to add HybridAF at the same time as you increase your rates, as a way to show that increased rates are coming with increased value.


Or, like Ben Benson in Savannah, Georgia, you might use it to build a business focused on drop-ins. Benson uses HybridAF in conjunction with PushPress software to sell one day, one week and one month memberships. Read more about how Benson is doing it here.

Generating Revenue with HybridAF

Adam Ludlow, the owner of Rewired Fitness Co. In Spokane, Washington turned to HybridAF one year ago because “he liked the idea of having members have the option of using the gym 24/7,” he said.

 

One year in, HybridAF is adding value to 25 percent of his clientele who have added the option to their membership. As a result, it has helped increase his average client value as HybridAF is an additional cost.

 

Specifically, Ludlow charges $30 a month additional for HybridAF unattended access, which has also been helpful for him to accommodate his individual design clients.

 

Further, his drop-ins, especially in the summertime have increased, as the 24/7 option “helps us stand apart from our competitors,” he said.

 

As a side note: With HybridAF and PushPress software working together, drop-ins can now sign a waiver, register for a class or unattended access, pay the associated fee and receive their unattended access pass all without Ludlow lifting a finger.

 

“PushPress and HybridAF integrate quite seamlessly. It allows people to purchase what they need without having to wait for a staff member to respond,” he said.

 

All of the above means today HybridAF is responsible for an additional 9 percent of overall revenue a year, Ludlow explained.

Tim Rockenbach, the 11-year gym owner of CrossFit Kodiak Island in Alaska, also uses HybridAF to generate new revenue. And like Ludlow, this was never his original goal.

 

Rockenbach began with HybridAF in 2020 simply “as a way to let people use our gym who were still on the fence about returning during COVID and being around lots of people,” he admitted. HybridAF then allowed them to come in during off hours and “be by themselves.”

 

But today, Rockenbach sells unattended access as a stand alone service for those who want to use the facility, but aren’t interested in group class, thus allowing him to pick up clients he wouldn’t otherwise be able to capture.

 

“Not everyone wants coaching, CrossFit, group classes, group programming etc,” he explained.

 

The second option is as an add, additional charge, to a group class membership for those who want access on top of the regular group class membership, again allowing him to generate additional passive revenue.

 

That being said, once a member reaches 250 workouts, they are given unattended access for free “as a reward for being consistent,” Rockenbach explained, because he knows those who are consistent are less likely to quit. So it’s a win-win.

 

“A little incentive goes a long way,” said, adding that today about 20 percent of his clientele take advantage of unattended access.

 

Further, it ultimately saves him money, because he no longer has to pay a coach to be at the gym during open gym times.

 

Needless to say, both Ludlow and Rockenbach recommend HybridAF to gym owners looking to save money and make money.

 

“I love being able to sell time and my space that I don’t have to cover on payroll,” he said.

 

“The system is simple, easy to use and affordable,” he added. And his members love it.

 

“I have never heard anyone say I sure wish we didn’t have access.”

 

The bottom line HybridAF goes hand-in-hand with more options and opportunities for the gym owner. Opportunities to increase your client experience, opportunities to increase revenue, and opportunities for the busy gym owner to get some of their time back.