Retaining Clients for 22 Months: Care, Community & Coaching with Mitch Phillips

How do you build a fitness business where members stick around for nearly two years on average? In this episode of Profit Made Simple, Coach Dan Henderson sits down with Mitch Phillips from RFD to unpack the practical systems behind elite retention. Mitch breaks down his “three C’s” (care, community, and connection), the 70/30 rule that keeps coaching professional (not just “mateship”), and why structured onboarding in the first 4–6 weeks is the biggest predictor of whether a client stays or strays. You’ll hear how small-group personal training (10:1) is delivered as truly personal coaching, the power of fixed training pods and routine, and the engineered community events that turn casual members into committed lifers. If you want stickier membership, clearer boundaries, and clients who actually get results, this one’s a ripper.

Our favourite quotable moments:

“You can’t Google your way to accountability.” - Mitch Phillips

“Accountability is one of the greatest forms of love and care you can show somebody.” - Mitch Phillips

“We simply do personal training - we just deliver it in a small-group setting.” - Mitch Phillips

“During seasons, you’ve got to do the unscalable work.” - Mitch Phillips

Resources:

Dan Henderson - Website, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube

About Guest:

Mitch Phillips is the founder and head coach at RFD. His team delivers personal training in a small-group setting and is known for exceptional client retention driven by professional coaching, structured accountability, and engineered community.