Jason spent years running a CrossFit gym before he started building Gym Force.

That experience gave him a pretty specific view of what wasn't working. He'd used gym management software, marketing tools and outside business support, but having access to more tools didn't necessarily make running the business any easier.

Now he's on the other side, building a product for the kind of operator he used to be.

Jason talks with Marco and Jonas about how that experience has shaped Gym Force, from the problems they chose to build around to how they listen to gym owners without taking every request at face value.

They also spend time on community and what actually makes people stay with a gym. The discussion gets into the role of coaching, learning and skill development, where technology fits into those relationships, and where Jason thinks it doesn't.

Jason breaks down:

→ What running a gym taught him about the software built for operators
→ How Gym Force identifies the problems worth building around
→ Why customer requests don't always lead to the right product decisions
→ What "the gym owner is never the problem" means for the way they build
→ How Gym Force thinks about measuring whether the product is actually working
→ Why community plays such a large role in Jason's thinking about fitness products
→ Where technology can help coaches and gym owners, and where Jason draws the line

Follow Jason:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-david-2642371/
Website: https://gymforce.app

Follow Marco Benitez and Jonas Dücker
LinkedIn Marco: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcobzg/
LinkedIn Jonas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonas-ducker-37460bb3/

Get in touch with This Feature Will Save Us Podcast
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/this-feature-will-save-us
Website: https://thisfeaturewillsaveus.com/

Powered by
ROOK: https://www.tryrook.io/

0:21 - Welcome and quick questions with Jason
4:31 - Jason's path from CrossFit gym owner to building for gym operators
5:41 - How COVID exposed the business side of running a gym
6:51 - Having the software doesn't mean the problem is solved
8:51 - Wanting to coach without constantly selling and finding new members
12:11 - Why the gym owner is never the problem
13:01 - What Gym Force is being built to do
13:46 - Building the roadmap around customer struggling moments
14:31 - How Gym Force thinks about measuring success
15:21 - Identifying what gym owners are actually struggling with
17:16 - What customers ask for vs. what they're trying to accomplish
18:51 - Connecting independent gyms with corporate wellness
21:01 - The missing data between fitness, employers and insurance
28:01 - Is community actually the product in fitness?
28:41 - Why lasting communities need learning and skill development
31:11 - Building around coaches and communities
35:41 - What the fitness industry should stop building