6 min readWhatsApp reminders
Gym software for small gyms in towns and villages: what you really need
By Himanshu Thakur, Founder, Jimwala · Updated · 6 min read
Most gym software is built for city chains with receptionists and fingerprint doors. A gym in a small town or a village is a different business: one owner, maybe one trainer, 40 to 150 members, a phone and a notebook. Members pay in cash or on UPI, and a lot of them forget the date.
Here is what such a gym actually needs.
Five things, and nothing else yet
- A member list with phone number, plan and expiry date, showing who expires today.
- A record of who paid, who owes and how much, so nothing sits in your head.
- A reminder to each member before the plan ends, on WhatsApp, because that is what everyone reads.
- A way for members to pay your UPI ID without you handing over a bank login to anyone.
- A daily and monthly total, so you know what came in and what went out.
Workout plans, class booking and branch reports are nice. They do not decide whether a small gym grows.
What you can skip
Fingerprint machines cost money, break, and need a computer. A QR code at the door does the same job on the members' own phones. A payment gateway is not needed either: UPI to your own ID is free and members already use it. And anything that needs a laptop is the wrong software. If it does not work well on a phone, leave it.
Moving from the notebook
- Photograph each page of the register, or type names into Excel.
- Import them. Jimwala can read members from a register photo, an Excel sheet or a CSV file.
- Add each member's expiry date and pending dues.
- Set the reminders once. They send themselves.
- Put the QR poster by the door so new members can sign up from their phone. Print a few member cards.
- Keep the notebook beside you for a week, then put it away.
Taking fees without a gateway
Small gyms are often told they need a payment gateway, a business account and a pile of paperwork. You do not. Put your own UPI ID in the software. The member pays that UPI ID from any app and you tap to confirm. The money goes to your bank. Jimwala never touches it. You can still record cash, card and bank payments, and everything lands in one daily total.
If most of your members pay cash, that is fine too. The software is just the record.
Filling the gym in a small place
Word of mouth is your best channel, so make it easy to repeat: a few free days for a member who brings a friend, transformation photos on your WhatsApp status with permission, and a Google Maps listing with your real phone number and photos. Jimwala also gives you a free website and a join link to share in local WhatsApp groups. The guides on referrals and Google Business Profile go through it.
What it costs
₹399 a month billed yearly, or ₹549 month to month, for up to 100 members. Reminders and receipts are included, and the trial is 14 days with no card. If it brings back one or two members who would have forgotten, it is paid for.