How Dominion MMA Went From 20 Members to Nearly 400 with PushPress

Dominion MMA in San Antonio, Texas wasn't looking for a platform when Reynaldo Rodriguez found PushPress. He was looking for one specific thing: a way for someone on his website to sign up for a three-day trial without a phone call.

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His friends thought he had the wrong software. "PushPress? That's for CrossFit gyms." Five years and 375 members later, that turned out to be the wrong read. Rodriguez grew Dominion MMA from 20 members to 395, added another hundred students after layering on PushPress Grow, and got a workout app rebuilt around his own programming.

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The Problem

A martial arts gym running on tools built for someone else

Dominion MMA opened in 2010. Like most martial arts schools, its business model doesn't look much like a CrossFit affiliate's: different program structure, different trial path, different way people find their way in the door.

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Rodriguez's immediate problem was narrower and more practical. Prospects who found the gym online had no self-serve way to start.

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"At first I was just looking to find software that would let me post on my website to come in for a three day trial and found PushPress by accident."

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The Solution

A platform that adapted to the gym, not the other way around

The trial signup solved the first problem. What kept Rodriguez there was that PushPress kept bending toward how an MMA gym actually operates.

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"We have our own app within their system. The platform has grown with us, and all the integration(s) makes our lives so much easier."

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The clearest example is PushPress Train, the programming and workout delivery app. Originally built for CrossFit gyms, it was reworked to support Dominion's own Slam Ball Fitness program.

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"The train app was designed for CrossFit gyms, but that doesn't mean we can't integrate it ourselves. We have a program called Slam Ball Fitness that we're setting up on the app…They redesigned it just for us. It's really ingenious."

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Access that doesn't run through a ticket queue

"I can call or message Dan (Uyemura) any time. How many people have access to the CEO of a company like that? I don't abuse it, but if it's in the middle of the night and my wheels are turning, I can message him and tell him what I need, and he'll say, 'Let's work on it.' They really are taking the guys in the trenches like me and figuring it out to give us what we need."

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An easy front door

The three-day trial signup remains the single biggest driver of new business. PushPress also rebuilt the gym's website in 2018, which Rodriguez says made a noticeable difference in the clientele it attracted.

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"That's the reason we're so successful. It's easy for customers to use and that gets them into our system."

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Grow, layered on top

Rodriguez added PushPress Grow to handle marketing campaigns, lead follow-up and retention. He works the pipeline himself where the automation leaves off.

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"It has been integral to our success…There are all these touchpoints with the customer and that has helped me bring on people exponentially. I monitor everyone on Grow and if the system can't answer their question then I do. It's a constant form of communication and it gets them in the door faster."

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A better first day

When a student checks into class, their name and photo appear on a TV in the gym, and the system flags first-timers so coaches know to go introduce themselves.

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"Then the coach can go up to them and introduce themselves and welcome them…it helps with the first day experience a lot."

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Result

20 members to 395

Over five years on PushPress, Dominion MMA grew its membership base nearly twentyfold.

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100 additional students from Grow

Adding Grow to an already-growing business brought in another hundred students on its own.

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Retention up, admin time down

Beyond raw growth, Rodriguez points to better client retention and a lot of hours reclaimed from work that used to eat his week.

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"I can't say enough about how they have made our lives so much easier."

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Conclusion

Dominion MMA outgrew its space on the strength of that run and moved into a bigger one. Rodriguez's target hasn't moved since:

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"Our goal is to get 600 members. We're ready."

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The lesson for other martial arts owners is the one his friend got wrong. Software built by gym owners isn't software built for one kind of gym. It's software that gets rebuilt when an owner explains what their business actually needs.

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Ready to grow your school, automate lead follow-up, and give prospects an easy way in like Dominion MMA? Book a demo and see what PushPress can do for your academy.