In this episode of Profit Made Simple, I sat down with Dave Nixon, a long-time gym owner, coach, TEDx speaker and high-performance mentor. Dave’s journey through the fitness industry spans more than two decades, and it is filled with lessons every gym owner needs to hear.

This conversation is not about hacks, funnels or flashy marketing tactics. It is about building a gym and a business that actually lasts, one that people feel deeply connected to and never want to leave.

If you have ever felt trapped by your own business, burnt out by trying to run your gym the way you think it “should” look, or frustrated that growth feels harder than it needs to be, this episode will challenge how you think about success in the fitness industry.

Dave entered the fitness industry at just 15 years old through work experience at a local gym in Canberra. What started as cleaning floors quickly turned into managing members, building relationships and learning how people actually behave in a training environment.

By his late teens, Dave was managing multiple gyms. On paper, it looked like success. In reality, there was a ceiling.

There was no real pathway to ownership, autonomy or creative control. That frustration eventually pushed him to do what many gym owners do. He bet on himself.

At 21, Dave started his own facility out of the corner of a martial arts gym with six clients. No big plan. No safety net. Just commitment.

What followed were years that most people never see. Owning two facilities, paying himself below minimum wage, sleeping in gyms, cars and houses he was minding, and surviving on discounted tins of tuna.

These were not glamorous years, but they were formative. They forced Dave to confront his blind spots, particularly around trust, leadership and decision making.

One of the biggest lessons he learned was this: early on, he trusted other people because he did not trust himself. Later, he learned to trust others because he trusted himself.

That shift changed everything.

One of the most powerful insights Dave shared came from spending time in the United States, training and learning from some of the most influential gyms in the world.

What he noticed was simple but profound.

The best gyms were not just gyms.

They were education businesses. Equipment brands. Media companies. Communities. Gyms were only one part of a much bigger ecosystem.

They were not desperate for clients. They were not reliant on constant promotions. They had depth.

This idea fundamentally changed how Dave thought about his own facility.

Rather than trying to copy what everyone else was doing, he leaned into building something unique. A gym that felt more like a sit-down restaurant than a fast food outlet.

No uniforms.
No reception desk.
No slogans on the wall.
No signage outside.

Clients walk in and feel like it is their space, not a business they are visiting.

This is a powerful reminder for fitness business owners. Differentiation does not come from louder marketing. It comes from clarity and conviction.

Beyond gym ownership, Dave’s work now focuses on high performance coaching through BSFT

His philosophy is simple but powerful. Help people be present in the small moments and perform in the big moments.

Many people think presence means trying harder, removing distractions or forcing focus. Dave challenges that idea.

Presence is not something you add. It is something you uncover by removing what gets in the way.

Old patterns, unresolved beliefs and unconscious habits pull us out of the present moment. When those are addressed, presence flows naturally.

For gym owners, this matters deeply. Presence improves leadership, communication and decision making. It also directly impacts client experience.

A present coach connects better.
A present owner leads better.
A present business performs better.

As the conversation wrapped up, Dave shared one final insight that every fitness business owner should sit with.

You are your own bottleneck.

Growth, income and impact all flow downstream from your ability to lead yourself. The habits you build, the beliefs you hold and the standards you accept shape everything else.

A gym is not just a business. It is a reflection of the owner.

When you change, the business changes.

That is confronting, but it is also empowering.

If you want to build a fitness business that lasts, attracts the right people and gives you freedom instead of burnout, this episode is one you need to listen to carefully.

And if this conversation resonated, take a moment to ask yourself one simple question:

Are you building your gym the way you think it should look, or the way it needs to feel?

That answer changes everything.