Spotlight: Coach Nolan grew revenue 2x in two years

TeamUp partners with thousands of fitness studios, from boxing and small-group fitness to yoga and pilates. Whether it’s a high-performance training program or a tight-knit community event, these businesses are known for creating experiences that keep members coming back.

We got the opportunity to chat with Nolan, the coach behind Coach Nolan Boxing, who trains competitive fighters and private clients in Brooklyn, NY. Since switching to TeamUp, he’s grown his business over 2x, thanks to effortlessly booking more private classes month over month. 

We spoke about his path into the sport, what it takes to build a competition team, and how TeamUp takes the admin off his plate so he can focus on coaching.

Tell us about how you got into boxing?

I started boxing when I moved to New York City fourteen years ago. My first gym was the New Bed-Stuy Boxing Center, started by a legendary trainer named George Washington. He's well known for training great heavyweight champions.

I fell in love with the sport right away and started competing. I had a couple of fights, and then an injury ended my amateur career. After surgery, I started coaching, and I fell in love with that too. For the past ten years, coaching has been my focus, though I've always kept training and sparring on my own.

Who do you typically train?

Really anyone who's serious about boxing. I work with aspiring professionals and a lot of incredible amateur boxers who want to compete. I also train hobbyists and more casual boxers through private lessons.

For people who want to join the competition team, I have certain expectations and requirements. I tell people to think about it more like school than a fitness class. Paying for a college class doesn't mean you're going to pass. You've got to do your homework.

Boxing is not for everybody. It's for very few people. But for the few people it's for, it's a gift. It can give you something a lot of us look for our whole lives and never find. 

Why did you start using TeamUp?

I've been using TeamUp since I started training at this gym full time in 2021. Since I wanted to focus on coaching, I needed a tool that would help me manage my own books, finances, and scheduling.

Scheduling is not my strong suit, so being able to hand it off to TeamUp has been huge. Every morning, I wake up, look at what I have going on that day, and plan. At night, I check whether anyone's booked anything for tomorrow and what time I need to be at the gym. 

Ask anyone who knows me: all I want to do is be in the gym. TeamUp has taken so much of the administrative headache of booking and scheduling off my plate, and that's been amazing.

What's made the biggest difference since you started?

The main thing I notice is that people don't have issues booking with me! My calendar is all laid out, I set my schedule, and if I post on social media that I have a slot open, I just share the booking link and people book right there.

If it's not on my TeamUp calendar, it doesn't exist. I've used several different tools, and TeamUp is way better than all of them. Whenever I see that bill come out, I never think twice about it. It's a totally necessary expense, like having gloves in my locker. I never think about switching because it's given me no problems. It's made everything so seamless and easy.

Your classes are filled with all ages and demographics. What does community mean for your business?

Community is everything. The community of the gym, of our team, our relationships with other coaches and boxers. This gym is like a big family. 

My students range in age, gender, background, and culture, and none of that matters at all. Some I've known for years, since I started here. Every single person on my team is kind and welcoming, and that's what boxing's for.

A lot of people think boxers are aggressive, brutish knuckleheads. On the whole, we're very smart and kind people. Boxers are strong, brave, and courageous, but we're also pretty nerdy. We're thinking about boxing all the time. They say it's chess, not checkers. Everyone looks at a chess player and sees intelligence, but people don't always see that in a boxer. Boxers have that kind of intelligence, and they deploy it while under immense physical strain.

What do you think keeps your students coming back?

The most gratifying thing for me is watching somebody develop their own relationship to boxing, fall in love with the sport, and find out what it means to them. I think I have an ability to guide people in that direction and encourage them to take ownership of it. I tell my students this has to make your whole life better, not just your boxing. I also encourage them to be honest with themselves about their goals and what's motivating them.

So I think what keeps people coming back is the personal growth they experience through boxing, plus the supportive community and camaraderie. We might have different means, but we share the same end: getting an education in boxing. Learning how to fight. Learning how to make it look beautiful. Learning how to protect yourself and challenge yourself. Being able to see that progress is so gratifying.

Boxing is also a really creative practice. Like dance, painting, or music, it helps people express who they are. I tell my students not to let the competitive side of the sport distract them from its expressive potential. Eventually they see it: "Okay, this is me. This is how I can show people who I am."

I also challenge them to see that they have something to contribute.

You're not just here to take up resources. You're part of the whole ecosystem. The better one fighter gets, the better the whole team gets. So make each other better, and teach each other along the way.

Ready to take your gym or fitness studio to the next level?

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