Liam Oakes opened Bare Strength PT in a 150-square-metre studio in Perth's Subiaco neighbourhood in early 2024. A former competitive powerlifter turned coach, Liam was exceptional at what he did on the gym floor. Running a business was another matter entirely.
By mid-2025, Liam had 40 active clients -- enough to pay the rent and his own salary, but not enough to hire additional trainers or invest in growth. The bottleneck was not demand. Liam was turning away enquiries because his schedule was permanently full and he had no time to manage the admin side of the business.
Scheduling happened through text messages. Clients would text Liam to book, reschedule, or cancel, and he would manually update a Google Calendar that he checked between sessions. No-shows were running at 18% -- roughly 1 in 5 sessions -- because there were no automated reminders and the only consequence was an awkward text from Liam the next day. Each no-show cost him $85 in lost revenue.
Billing was equally manual. Liam sent invoices through a generic invoicing app, chased late payments via text, and tracked session pack balances in a spreadsheet that was perpetually out of date. Clients would sometimes dispute how many sessions they had remaining, and Liam had no reliable record to refer to.
Marketing was essentially non-existent. Liam's client acquisition came entirely from word-of-mouth and his personal Instagram account. He had no referral program, no email list, no follow-up system for enquiries that came through his website contact form. Leads would email, and Liam would reply 2-3 days later between sessions -- by which time many had already signed up with a competitor who responded faster.
Liam signed up for VERVE Pulse's Starter plan in July 2025. Setup took less than a week. The first priority was replacing the text-message scheduling system with Pulse's automated booking engine.
Clients could now book, reschedule, and cancel sessions through the Pulse member app or website widget. Available slots were shown in real time based on Liam's configured hours and existing bookings. Automated reminders went out 24 hours and 2 hours before each session via SMS and push notification. A no-show policy was configured to charge $25 for missed sessions without 4 hours notice, deducted automatically from the client's session pack.
The session package management system replaced the spreadsheet. Liam created three packages: a 10-session pack for $800, a 20-session pack for $1,400 (a $200 saving), and an unlimited monthly subscription at $680. Each client's remaining sessions, purchase history, and expiry dates were visible on their profile. When a client dropped below 3 remaining sessions, Pulse automatically sent a renewal reminder with a one-tap repurchase link.
For billing, Pulse's integrated payments handled everything. Clients entered their card details once and payments were processed automatically -- either per-session deductions from packs or monthly subscription charges. Failed payments triggered automated retry sequences with polite reminder messages. Liam's outstanding receivables dropped from an average of $3,200 to under $400 within two months.
The lead management system was transformative. Every enquiry that came through the website, Instagram, or phone was captured in Pulse and assigned an automated follow-up sequence. New leads received an instant acknowledgement, followed by a series of nurturing messages that included client testimonials, a virtual studio tour, and a booking link for a complimentary consultation session. Average lead response time went from 2-3 days to under 5 minutes.
Finally, Liam activated the referral tracking system. Existing clients received a unique referral link. When a referred friend signed up and completed their first paid session, the referring client received a free session credit. The system tracked every referral automatically, applied credits without Liam needing to intervene, and sent thank-you messages to both the referrer and the new client.
Eight months after implementing Pulse, Bare Strength PT had transformed from a one-man operation into a growing studio with three trainers and a waiting list.
Client base tripled from 40 to 120. The growth came from three channels. The automated lead follow-up system converted enquiries at more than double the previous rate -- Liam estimates that faster response time alone accounted for 30 additional clients. The referral program brought in 28 new clients through existing member recommendations. And the freed-up admin time allowed Liam to hire two additional trainers, expanding capacity from 40 sessions per day to over 100.
No-shows dropped by 60%. The combination of automated reminders, easy rescheduling, and the $25 no-show fee reduced missed sessions from 18% to 7%. Over 8 months, this recovered approximately $14,000 in revenue that would have been lost to empty time slots. Liam's trainers reported that the consistent schedule also improved their own job satisfaction and client relationships.
Referral rate increased by 45%. Before Pulse, roughly 30% of new clients came from referrals. After implementing the automated referral program, that figure rose to 43%. The incentive structure (free session for successful referrals) and the frictionless tracking system encouraged clients to actively recommend the studio. The cost of the free session credits was far lower than the cost of acquiring a client through paid advertising.
Liam freed 10 hours per week. Scheduling, billing, follow-ups, and lead management that previously consumed over 10 hours per week were now automated. Liam used that time to train clients (generating direct revenue), develop programming for his expanding trainer team, and plan the opening of a second location -- which was in the works by the end of 2025.
"I'm a trainer, not an admin. Pulse handles the business so I can focus on my clients. In eight months I went from barely keeping up with 40 clients to running a team of three trainers and 120 clients -- and I actually have more free time now than I did before."-- Liam Oakes, Owner & Head Trainer, Bare Strength PT
Yes. Pulse's Starter plan at $79/month is designed specifically for personal trainers, small studios, and gyms with up to 200 members. It includes client management, automated scheduling, session package tracking, billing, marketing tools, and the AI Business Coach. Bare Strength PT started on the Starter plan and grew from 40 to 120 clients before upgrading to the Growth plan.
Pulse sends reminder notifications at 24 hours and 2 hours before each session via SMS, email, and push notification. Clients can confirm, reschedule, or cancel directly from the notification. If a client cancels, the system opens the slot and notifies waitlisted clients. A no-show policy can be configured to automatically charge a fee or deduct from a session pack. Bare Strength PT saw no-shows drop by 60% within 3 months of implementing these automations.
Yes. Pulse supports single sessions, multi-session packs (such as 10-session or 20-session bundles), recurring weekly bookings, and subscription-based training programs. Each client's remaining sessions, expiry dates, and usage history are visible on their profile. Automated reminders go out when a client is running low on sessions, and the system can suggest renewal or upsell to a larger package based on usage patterns.
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