The life-changing effects of sports
Drawing on his experience as an Olympic gymnast, Dan Purvis set out to create a special kind of kids’ gymnastics club in 2016. With his parents by his side, Dan envisioned a program that fostered not just physical skills but also confidence and life skills that would benefit young gymnasts outside of class.
At first, Dan started out in a completely different sport: football. But his celebratory cartwheels and flips on the field caught his parents' attention. At seven, they enrolled him in a local gymnastics club. As a shy child, Dan quickly found that learning gymnastics alongside other kids his age really helped him grow more confident, something he's been eager to transfer to the kids at his own club, too.
“Some kids come in for the first class and they’re shy and unsure, and the following week they come in and run onto the mat because they’re so excited for class - THAT’s what I do it for.”
Alongside gymnastics skills, Dan really highlights the importance of the kids gaining life skills they can use outside of the sport, like confidence, decision-making, and effective communication.
Finding a new passion after a professional career
Dan started out with smaller classes in two different sports centres. But with equipment to transfer between venues, it limited Dan in the number of classes he could run. He’s now moved to one location that has ample storage for him to keep all the equipment on-site. As a result, he can run more classes at 100% capacity, often with multiple parents on waiting lists eager to book a spot for their children.
“At one point, we had around 400 kids on the waiting list, and it was just chaotic! Now, with ClassForKids, all that is automated. We can see exactly who's booked, who's on the waiting list, and all the payments.”
For Dan, automated waiting lists and financial reporting tools were a true lifesaver. They made it so much easier for him to manage everything and provided better visibility into his operations.
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Spreadsheet stress turned into success
As the club grew, doing everything manually became a greater task than was manageable. Having been a British Gymnastics Gymnast for 20 years, Dan was also keen on running the British Gymnastics Rise Badges programme, which awarded the kids at Dan’s club with medals and certificates for learning gymnastics skills.
However, with no booking system to automate the process, keeping track of which kids were being awarded which badges every week became a big task, adding to the chaos. Plus, Dan was often left in the dark about outstanding payments or the amounts paid by each parent. That’s when Dan heard recommendations for ClassForKids.
“I heard glowing reviews about the ClassForKids booking system, both from other gymnastics club owners and those outside of the sport. When I reached out to ClassForKids, they were very supportive and keen to show me how it worked, and it’s just been really easy ever since then!”
Like many club owners, Dan was passionate about teaching but wasn’t so keen on taking on the admin tasks. With over 10 hours saved each week with ClassForKids, he is now able to focus on business growth and nurturing his young gymnasts. Since he started using ClassForKids, Dan’s managed to double his revenue, showing how a good booking system like ClassForKids helps you focus on what truly matters.
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Spotting new opportunities for growth
Although initially nervous about not having the technical skills to navigate a booking system, Dan was able to get started quickly thanks to ClassForKids' user-friendly interface, free setup service, and award-winning customer support team.
“I’m not a very technical sort of person, so if I can use it, I’m sure anyone can!”
With ClassForKids, Dan is able to spot new opportunities backed by reliable data. He can easily keep track of who's signed up to which classes, see which classes are at capacity and the most popular classes by age group.
Dan’s Top Tip: Use the ClassForKids waiting lists to discover where there’s already an interest in new classes. You can gauge interest without the financial investment, meaning you’ll run classes in the best locations.
“In the future, I would love to expand the club and offer more classes. A dream come true would be having my own space so I could offer toddler sessions or other specialised classes. And I know I’m in safe hands and that I’m working together with ClassForKids, aiming for a better business.”
With a true passion for coaching and helping kids develop their skills, Dan Purvis Gymnastics Club is only set to keep growing. With a stellar online system to help, Dan can set his sights on future plans and we can’t wait to see where his amazing club takes him next.
Curious to see our booking and management software in action? Click the button below to watch our interactive demo, a clickable guide to our booking system. Take your time to discover features, tailor them to your needs, and see how ClassForKids can transform your kids' activity business.
