The plumbing behind the premium experience: how clients book, how they pay, how we find them, how we keep them, and how we stay protected.
Scheduling & booking
At launch, scheduling is concierge-assisted — a human coordinates sessions, which is exactly the high-touch signal this clientele expects, and which keeps the prototype simple. In phase 2, we add a member portal for self-service booking once volume justifies it.
Payments
Payments run on Stripe — subscriptions for the recurring membership tiers via Stripe Billing, plus one-off charges for à-la-carte sessions and add-ons. Production-scale fitness platforms (Mariana Tek, Walla, or Mindbody) are a later choice and are not needed for the prototype. Stripe covers everything the launch requires.
Client-acquisition funnel
Acquisition is referral-first: concierge word-of-mouth, plus partnerships with country clubs, luxury-condo buildings, and physicians. Clients' own IG content serves as proof. This is deliberately not paid social — the buyer is not won by an ad. The site is the credibility and closing surface: a prospect arrives, reads, and books a concierge intake call. There is no "buy now" button; the close is a conversation, as it should be at this price point.
Retention
Retention is engineered, not hoped for: quarterly reassessments that make progress visible, consistent trainer pairing that builds relationship, app and content engagement that keeps the client invested, and membership rather than session packs so the default is to continue. These are the same levers behind the 90%+ retention and 3:1 LTV:CAC targets in Pricing & tiers.
Legal & insurance recap
The structure that protects the venture and its founders:
- A two-member New Jersey LLC, with an S-corp election later as the economics warrant.
- Commercial general liability ($1M / $2M) plus professional liability / E&O.
- Workers' compensation once trainers are W-2.
- A per-client waiver plus a PAR-Q / medical clearance — critical for a 55+ clientele.
- Contractor COIs naming the LLC as additional insured for any independent bench trainer.
- An in-home property rider for work performed in clients' homes.
- A media release covering the IG-content service.