From Paper Forms to Running a Gym That Lasts
Coach First. Business Owner Second.
Mario trained under Justin Hanlin starting in 2009, moving between subleased locations and rec centers—wherever they could get consistent mat time. When that stopped being enough, he committed to a physical location in July 2019. He competed amateur MMA and went undefeated at 4-0, but the real lesson came after: the people who build a sustainable gym aren’t the ones trying to go pro.
A Crisis You Can’t Paper Over
Mario opened with forms—a waiver, a membership card, hand them the pen. It worked until it didn’t. When COVID hit, he had to go through every paper on file to put a hold on credit cards. That’s when it dawned on him: this wasn’t a system. It was a pile.
He got through it—grants, loyal members, Zoom classes for what he could—but the experience made one thing non-negotiable. Whatever came next had to be organized.
Everything that we felt we needed was in Gymdesk… We started utilizing all of the things within the program and it made our lives a lot easier.”
More Than He Was Looking For
Mario cross-referenced programs and landed on Gymdesk—back when it was still called Martial Arts on Rails. What he found was that it had everything he needed, and then some. Check-ins showed which classes were actually pulling people in. Membership settings let him decide whether a contract rolls over month-to-month or stops at the end of the term. Card on file and family memberships handled the billing without the back-and-forth. When something needed a conversation, support picked up.
The Operational Shift
Without the Right Tools
- Paper waivers and membership forms, stored in a file
- Going through stacks of paper to freeze cards during COVID
- No visibility into which classes were drawing members
- One membership structure, applied to everyone
- Family memberships handled manually
- Support calls that start with automation
With Gymdesk
- Digital records, accessible when they’re needed
- Card on file—holds and changes handled without the chaos
- Check-in data shows exactly which classes are working
- Perpetual or term-based contracts, set per member
- Family memberships built into the system
- A real response when something needs a conversation
Build for the 99%
Mario’s advice to anyone opening an MMA gym: stop chasing competitors. Less than 1% of people ever step into a cage—that’s a thin market to build a business on. Families, hobbyists, kids—they’re the ones who build the business. And the competitors benefit from better amenities because of those members anyway.
Five years in, that’s still the operating principle at Cornerstone.
Everything that we felt we needed was in Gymdesk… We started utilizing all of the things within the program and it made our lives a lot easier.”
Families, hobbyists, kids—they’re the ones who build the business and the competitors benefit from better amenities due to those members.”
Run Your Academy. Not Your Inbox.
Gymdesk handles the admin so you can stay on the mat.
