Profit Made Simple

What if success in business and life wasn’t about doing more, but removing what gets in the way? In this episode of Profit Made Simple, Coach Dan Henderson sits down with Dave Nixon – gym owner, TEDx speaker, author and high-performance coach – for a deeply reflective conversation on presence, performance and building a business that truly aligns with who you are. From starting in the fitness industry at 15 to sleeping in his gym and surviving on tins of tuna, Dave shares the raw realities of entrepreneurship and the lessons that shaped his unconventional approach to business. Together, Dan and Dave explore why the best gyms aren’t just gyms, how community and culture outperform marketing spend, and why being present in the small moments unlocks performance in the big ones. This episode challenges traditional models of success and invites you to rethink leadership, health and growth through a more human, sustainable lens. Our favourite quotable moments: “The best gyms weren’t gyms – the best gyms had gyms.” – Dave Nixon “Being present isn’t about adding more, it’s about removing what’s in the way.” – Dave Nixon “We are our own bottleneck, and everything flows downstream from that.” – Dave Nixon Resources: Dan Henderson - Website, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube About Guest: Dave Nixon is a high-performance coach, gym owner, TEDx speaker and author. With over 20 years in the fitness industry, Dave works with athletes, business owners and leaders to help them become more present in everyday moments and perform at their best when it matters most. About Dan: Dan Henderson, founder of Fitness Profit, is a coach and business consultant who helps fitness owners achieve more freedom, impact, and income. With over a decade of experience in the industry, Dan is a well-respected leader, owning two successful businesses within the space: Fitness Profit and Australia's largest fitness conference, Filex. As a published author and entrepreneur, Dan shares his knowledge on the Profit Made Simple podcast, where he interviews industry experts and offers practical advice for growing your fitness business, building your brand, and achieving your goals. Join Dan each week and take your fitness business to new heights with Profit Made Simple. Related: presence, performance, leadership, community, personal development, high performance, fitness business, coaching

Fresh from presenting at the High Performance Father Retreat, Coach Dan Henderson shares his powerful High-Performance Pyramid model—the pillars to having an incredible legacy and amazing impact on those you love and care about most. Dan warns that too many entrepreneurs achieve Success but fail to build Significance. Dan breaks down the four layers, urging you to stop giving your family the scraps and start showing up as the highest version of yourself: 1. Standards (The Foundation) 2. Capacity (The Engine) 3. Service (The Impact) 4: Significance (The Pinnacle) If you're ready to look deep within, challenge your current behaviours, and optimise the four layers of your life, this episode is the blueprint for a fulfilling life. Our favourite quotable moments: “Goals are really important... But it is standards that shape us.” – Dan Henderson “You're not showing up as the person you think you are. And you know what? She was right.” – Dan Henderson “Capacity is not luxury. Capacity is your responsibility to your family, to your partner, to your business, to your community.” – Dan Henderson “Success is achievement-focused. Significance is character-focused.” – Dan Henderson “Significance is how you showed up when no one was watching.” – Dan Henderson Resources: Dan Henderson - Website, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube About Dan: Dan Henderson, founder of Fitness Profit, is a coach and business consultant who helps fitness owners achieve more freedom, impact, and income. With over a decade of experience in the industry, Dan is a well-respected leader, owning two successful businesses within the space: Fitness Profit and Australia's largest fitness conference, Filex. As a published author and entrepreneur, Dan shares his knowledge on the Profit Made Simple podcast, where he interviews industry experts and offers practical advice for growing your fitness business, building your brand, and achieving your goals. Join Dan each week and take your fitness business to new heights with Profit Made Simple. Related: high performance, standards, legacy, emotional capacity, physical capacity, mental capacity, work-life balance, self-improvement, significance, success, fatherhood, leadership

Fresh from presenting at the High Performance Father Retreat, Coach Dan Henderson shares his powerful High-Performance Pyramid model—the pillars to having an incredible legacy and amazing impact on those you love and care about most. Dan warns that too many entrepreneurs achieve Success but fail to build Significance. Dan breaks down the four layers, urging you to stop giving your family the scraps and start showing up as the highest version of yourself: 1. Standards (The Foundation) 2. Capacity (The Engine) 3. Service (The Impact) 4: Significance (The Pinnacle) If you're ready to look deep within, challenge your current behaviours, and optimise the four layers of your life, this episode is the blueprint for a fulfilling life. Our favourite quotable moments: “Goals are really important... But it is standards that shape us.” – Dan Henderson “You're not showing up as the person you think you are. And you know what? She was right.” – Dan Henderson “Capacity is not luxury. Capacity is your responsibility to your family, to your partner, to your business, to your community.” – Dan Henderson “Success is achievement-focused. Significance is character-focused.” – Dan Henderson “Significance is how you showed up when no one was watching.” – Dan Henderson Resources: Dan Henderson - Website, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube About Dan: Dan Henderson, founder of Fitness Profit, is a coach and business consultant who helps fitness owners achieve more freedom, impact, and income. With over a decade of experience in the industry, Dan is a well-respected leader, owning two successful businesses within the space: Fitness Profit and Australia's largest fitness conference, Filex. As a published author and entrepreneur, Dan shares his knowledge on the Profit Made Simple podcast, where he interviews industry experts and offers practical advice for growing your fitness business, building your brand, and achieving your goals. Join Dan each week and take your fitness business to new heights with Profit Made Simple. Related: high performance, standards, legacy, emotional capacity, physical capacity, mental capacity, work-life balance, self-improvement, significance, success, fatherhood, leadership

December is a make-or-break month, and too many business owners cruise to the finish line, starting the new year behind the eight ball. In this episode of Profit Made Simple, Coach Dan Henderson shares his structure for the "Review before we Preview," helping you formulate a Pre-Loaded Plan to roll into 2026 with clarity and momentum. Dan emphasises that a generic desire for 'growth' and 'better health' means nothing. You must first determine your specific definition of success for your business (clients, team, revenue, profit, role), personal life (holidays, time off, weekends), and health (training, sleep, nutrition). He then dives into the Prime Five Questions for deep introspection. Finally, Dan guides you through the Reflect and Rise section, sharing his own lessons from 2025: the law of diminishing returns from technical delivery, the need to serve, not save, clients, and the belief in infinite abundance. He challenges you to identify your number one bottleneck and the skill you need to develop (for him, short-form content). If you're ready to stop relying on vague New Year's resolutions and start living a life by design, not default, this episode is a mandatory listen. Our favourite quotable moments: “December is a make or break month for you and your business.” – Dan Henderson “We can’t even begin to start planning 2026 unless we review 2025. What I call this is our review before we preview.” – Dan Henderson “We want to live a life by design, not default.” – Dan Henderson “What can you pay to buy back your time? Because that’s the most valuable commodity of all.” – Dan Henderson “Businesses always hit plateaus.” – Dan Henderson Resources: Dan Henderson - Website, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube About Dan: Dan Henderson, founder of Fitness Profit, is a coach and business consultant who helps fitness owners achieve more freedom, impact, and income. With over a decade of experience in the industry, Dan is a well-respected leader, owning two successful businesses within the space: Fitness Profit and Australia's largest fitness conference, Filex. As a published author and entrepreneur, Dan shares his knowledge on the Profit Made Simple podcast, where he interviews industry experts and offers practical advice for growing your fitness business, building your brand, and achieving your goals. Join Dan each week and take your fitness business to new heights with Profit Made Simple. Related: business planning, goal setting, 2026, reflection, business strategy, work-life balance, health goals, time management, leadership, business growth

Conor Pedersen, Founder of Code 5, shares insights on rapid gym growth through community-driven marketing. He reveals effective strategies for selecting prime locations and crafting low-barrier offers that attract new members. Conor discusses innovative ways to convert trials with incentives and outlines a compelling 5kg weight loss campaign with guarantees to minimize risks. Additionally, he highlights the importance of forming partnerships with local sports clubs and implementing a rewarding team structure to motivate staff and promote ownership in the growth process.

In this episode of Profit Made Simple, Coach Dan Henderson sits down with returning guest Connor Pettersson to unpack the real art of vertical integration. From retreats in Bali to endurance coaching, hot Pilates, and the launch of his own supplement brand, Connor shares the wins, the flops, and the lessons learned while adding new revenue layers inside Code Five. Together, Dan and Connor explore how to identify the right services to introduce, why under-investing can kill a great idea, and how polling your members can save you from costly mistakes. Connor also reveals the key numbers he now runs before launching anything, from fit-out costs and staffing to retention uplift and profitability, offering gym owners a practical and honest look at what it takes to expand without diluting your core product. If you’ve been considering adding nutrition coaching, recovery, endurance programs or premium service layers, this episode will give you the clarity and confidence to move forward strategically. Listen now to learn how to boost retention, lift revenue, and create experiences your members rave about. Our favourite quotable moments: “Your clients are already spending money somewhere—why aren’t they spending it with you?” — Connor Pettersson “When people pay, they pay attention.” — Connor Pettersson “The numbers tell the story. You’ve got to run them before you plug anything into your business.” — Connor Pettersson Resources: Dan Henderson – Website, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube About Guest: Connor Pettersson is the founder of Code Five and a coach who has built multiple successful revenue layers inside his gym, from retreats and endurance coaching to hot Pilates and upcoming supplement subscriptions. About Dan: Dan Henderson, founder of Fitness Profit, is a coach and business consultant who helps fitness owners achieve more freedom, impact, and income. With over a decade of experience in the industry, Dan is a well-respected leader, owning two successful businesses within the space: Fitness Profit and Australia's largest fitness conference, Filex. As a published author and entrepreneur, Dan shares his knowledge on the Profit Made Simple podcast, where he interviews industry experts and offers practical advice for growing your fitness business, building your brand, and achieving your goals. Join Dan each week and take your fitness business to new heights with Profit Made Simple. Related: vertical integration, revenue layers, retention, retreats, endurance coaching, nutrition coaching, supplements, Pilates, yoga, profitability, gym growth

In this episode of Profit Made Simple, Coach Dan Henderson sits down with Arjun Paliwal, founder of InvestorKit and one of Australia’s leading property buyers agents, to unpack how business owners can use property to create true financial security. From leaving a stable banking career without a side hustle to building a $20M+ portfolio and an eight-figure business, Arjun shares how curiosity, data and his “best worst case” framework have guided every major decision. Together, Dan and Arjun dive into why relying solely on business profits is risky, how to start investing sooner than you think, and why specialisation and swim lanes are the real keys to scaling a service business. They also explore personal brand, going all-in on content, and the power of shifting into “founder mode” when your company needs you most. Listen now to learn how to turn your business cash flow into long-term property wealth and build a portfolio that grows while you sleep. Our favourite quotable moments: “Curiosity is the most important trait to me for property success and business success.” – Arjun Paliwal “If life’s too predictable, you lose a bit of fun – your best worst case should make taking the shot feel easy.” – Arjun Paliwal “Sometimes you’ve just got to go into founder mode and get shit done – kindly, but ruthlessly.” – Arjun Paliwal Resources: Dan Henderson - Website, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube About Guest: Arjun Paliwal is the founder of InvestorKit and one of Australia’s top buyers agents, helping business owners and professionals build scalable property portfolios using data-driven research. With around 20 properties and over $20 million in assets by his mid-30s, Arjun specialises in turning business cash flow into long-term, set-and-forget wealth through strategic residential and commercial acquisitions. About Dan: Dan Henderson, founder of Fitness Profit, is a coach and business consultant who helps fitness owners achieve more freedom, impact, and income. With over a decade of experience in the industry, Dan is a well-respected leader, owning two successful businesses within the space: Fitness Profit and Australia's largest fitness conference, Filex. As a published author and entrepreneur, Dan shares his knowledge on the Profit Made Simple podcast, where he interviews industry experts and offers practical advice for growing your fitness business, building your brand, and achieving your goals. Join Dan each week and take your fitness business to new heights with Profit Made Simple. Related: property investing, wealth creation, business owners, diversification, curiosity, personal brand, founder mode, data-driven decisions, Australian real estate, legacy money

Why do some teams thrive while others churn? In this episode of Profit Made Simple, Coach Dan Henderson welcomes back gym owner Mitch Phillips for his third appearance to unpack exactly how he turned persistent staff turnover into a strong, values-led culture. Mitch shares the hard lessons behind “you get the team you deserve,” from taking radical ownership and healing old wounds, to shifting from reactive to proactive leadership. You’ll hear the practical playbook he and Vicky now use: always-on recruiting, value-based interviews, a realistic trial, and a 4-6 week onboarding that sets clear standards from day one. They dig into empowering - not “hard” - conversations, “play above the line” accountability, and why sometimes you must hit the brakes to grow. Plus, Mitch opens his KPI dashboard for coaches: completion rate, 98% monthly retention, reviews and referrals, and monthly values alignment. If you’re ready to move from tugboat to lighthouse and build a team that stays, this one’s for you. Our favourite quotable moments: “You get the team you deserve.” – Mitch Phillips “Leadership is communication… become the lighthouse rather than a tugboat.” – Mitch Phillips “We remind more than we need to be taught.” – Mitch Phillips Resources: Dan Henderson - Website, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube About Guest: Mitch Phillips is a gym owner who, alongside his wife Vicky, has rebuilt a high-performance, values-driven team. He’s passionate about leadership, culture, and a semi-private training model that supports coach careers and client results.

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.

In this special episode of Profit Made Simple, the tables turn - Coach Dan Henderson jumps into the hot seat on Shane’s Freedom Formula podcast. From bootstrapping a 30m² studio in Coogee to pioneering Australia’s first kettlebell certification and scaling education across 16 countries, Dan unpacks the decisive moves that shifted him from technician to CEO. You’ll hear the exact pivots that created real product–market fit, how proximity and environment accelerate growth, and why your relationship with money quietly dictates pricing, reinvestment and momentum. Dan also breaks down his “Heart, Head, Hands & How” framework, the identity shift required to lead, and the be -do–have approach that turns intention into outcomes. If you’re ready to raise your “baseline temperature”, ditch perfectionism, and lead with purpose, this one’s for you. Our favourite quotable moments: “Business is a mirror… it will tell you where your belief gap is.” - Dan Henderson “Be the CEO now - your calendar should prove it.” - Shane “Money is just a reflection of the value I give to the world.” - Dan Henderson Resources: Dan Henderson - Website, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube About Guest: Shane is the host of the Freedom Formula podcast, a business builder and interviewer who explores the mindset and mechanics behind creating time, income and lifestyle freedom. About Dan: Dan Henderson, founder of Fitness Profit, is a coach and business consultant who helps fitness owners achieve more freedom, impact, and income. With over a decade of experience in the industry, Dan is a well-respected leader, owning two successful businesses within the space: Fitness Profit and Australia's largest fitness conference, Filex. As a published author and entrepreneur, Dan shares his knowledge on the Profit Made Simple podcast, where he interviews industry experts and offers practical advice for growing your fitness business, building your brand, and achieving your goals. Join Dan each week and take your fitness business to new heights with Profit Made Simple. Related: identity, mindset, offers, product–market fit, proximity, leadership, money beliefs, technician to CEO, masterminds, functional training, failure to learning