The Five Numbers Playbook | Dave Dunham
THE FIVE NUMBERS

Most gym owners can't quote three of their five numbers.

Run yours in 90 seconds. See which one is bleeding you and what to fix first. Then take the prompt to ChatGPT or Claude for a 30-day action plan tailored to your scorecard.

A free playbook by Dave Dunham@thedavedunham
"The gym you've built reflects the numbers you track.
Or don't."

Why this matters

The five numbers decide if you have a business or a hobby with a P&L. Most owners discover their bleeding number after they've already lost the year to it. The owners who track them weekly don't get surprised.

The silent killer
Most owners discover their worst number after it's already cost them the year. Tracking weekly turns surprises into decisions.
The lever
Every gym has one number that moves the others. Find it, move it, and the rest of the business follows.
The freedom test
A gym you understand by the numbers is a gym that can run without you. The five numbers are the floor under everything else.

The five numbers

Know these cold. Pull them every week.

1
CAC · Customer Acquisition Cost
Total marketing and sales spend divided by new members acquired. If you don't know what a member costs, you don't know if your marketing makes money or burns it.
CAC = total marketing + sales spend / new members
Where to find it: Add every dollar from Meta Ads + Google Ads + agency invoices + sales commissions for the last 30 days. Divide by new members added in your gym software (MindBody, Wodify, PushPress, Hubspot, GHL) over the same period.
2
Churn Rate
Members lost in a month divided by members at the start of the month. Silent killer. Five percent monthly churn turns over sixty percent of your base every year. New leads can't outpace it forever.
Churn % = members lost / members at start × 100
Where to find it: Pull your active member count on day 1 of the month and again on the last day. Take the number of cancellations during that month, divide by day-1 count, multiply by 100. Most gym software has a retention or attrition report that does this for you.
3
Sales Conversion Rate
New members closed divided by qualified leads. Below thirty percent means you don't have a lead problem, you have a sales problem.
Sales Conv % = new members closed / qualified leads × 100
Where to find it: Pull intake or trial appointments booked last month from your calendar or CRM. Then pull new members closed. Divide closed by booked, multiply by 100. If you don't track intakes, start. You can't fix what you don't measure.
4
ARPM · Average Revenue Per Member
Total monthly revenue divided by active members. Your pricing power. Most owners discount to keep bodies in the door and watch ARPM bleed for years before they notice.
ARPM = total monthly revenue / active members
Where to find it: Total monthly recurring revenue from your gym software's revenue report (or Stripe / Square if you bill outside). Divide by active member count. Use recurring revenue only. Drop one-time PIF spikes and merch.
5
LTV · Lifetime Value
ARPM times average tenure in months. Tells you the most you can spend to acquire a member and stay profitable. Without it, you're guessing on every marketing dollar.
LTV = ARPM × average tenure in months
Where to find it: Use the ARPM from above. For tenure, pull your gym software's retention report or calculate the average of (today minus join date) across all current members. Most owners overstate tenure. Get the honest number.

Build your scorecard

Fill in the fields on the left. Your scorecard scores live on the right against industry benchmarks for your revenue band. Then copy the prompt and run it in ChatGPT or Claude for your 30-day move.

Your numbers

Ads spend + sales spend last 30 days / new members added.
Members lost last month / active members on day 1 × 100. Gym software retention report.
New members closed / qualified leads (intakes or trials) × 100.
Monthly recurring revenue / active members. Skip one-time PIF and merch.
Average of (today minus join date) across active members. Most owners overstate this.
We calculate this for you when you fill in ARPM and tenure.

Your scorecard

Your Five Numbers
Number You Score Read
CAC — — Pick your band first.
Churn — — Pick your band first.
Sales Conv — — Pick your band first.
ARPM — — Pick your band first.
LTV — — Pick your band first.
Fill in your numbers
If three or more land yellow or red, the issue isn't tracking. It's the system underneath.
EMAIL ME MY SCORECARD + 30-DAY GAME PLAN
Drop your email. You'll get your filled scorecard, a 30-day game plan tailored to your weakest number, and a prompt you can paste into ChatGPT or Claude.
First time sender. Check your spam or promotions folder if it isn't in your inbox within a minute. Move it to your inbox once and future drops land clean. One-time send unless you want the weekly playbook drop. Unsubscribe anytime.

Run the 30-day move

Copy the filled prompt. Paste into ChatGPT or Claude. It already has your numbers. You'll get the one move ranked by impact, the second move ranked by impact, and the one number to leave alone for now.

The Prompt: Copy & Paste Into Claude or ChatGPT
Open in ChatGPT → Open in Claude →
THREE WAYS TO WORK WITH ME

Three Ways to
Work With Me.

You've got your scorecard. Want help moving the numbers, building the systems behind them, or scaling the whole business? Pick the tier.

TIER 1 · START HERE

Profit Catalyst

The operator app that pulls these five numbers for you every week and tells you which one to move next. Built for owners under $20K/month or anyone who wants the numbers automated.

GET THE APP →
MOST OPERATORS PICK THIS
TIER 2 · BUILD THE SYSTEMS

Alien Abduction Plan

Knowing your numbers isn't fixing them. Alien Abduction is the done-with-you build where we install the systems behind your five numbers, wire the SOPs and scoreboards that keep them moving, and train your team to own them. 90 days. You walk away with a business that runs without you.

TAKE THE PLAN →
TIER 3 · GO ALL IN

Freedom Formula

Direct coaching for gym owners doing $20K+/month who are ready to stop running the business and start leading it. 28-day cycles, 90-day minimum, invitation reviewed.

APPLY NOW →
Profit Favors the Decisive.