Cadence — Online Coach Client Check-In & Accountability SaaS

The Idea

A purpose-built client check-in and accountability platform for independent online coaches — fitness coaches, nutrition coaches, and wellness practitioners — that collapses Google Forms + WhatsApp + spreadsheets + separate Stripe invoicing into one clean tool at $49–149/month. Coaches build custom weekly check-in forms, clients submit via a branded portal, coaches leave structured feedback, and Stripe handles recurring billing — all in one place.

The Problem You Solve

Independent online coaches (especially fitness and nutrition) manage 20–50 clients using a painful patchwork:

• Google Forms for weekly check-ins (not built for coaches — no photo upload, no history view)
• WhatsApp or Instagram DMs for delivering feedback (chaotic, no record)
• Spreadsheets to track adherence, measurements, and mood over time
• PayPal or hand-rolled Stripe invoices for billing
• Google Drive folders for progress photos with zero organization
• Calendly for scheduling the occasional check-in call

There's no single hub that ties check-in intake → coach feedback → client progress history → recurring billing into one workflow. Dedicated platforms like TrueCoach and PTDistinction exist but are priced for gym chains ($150–300/month), have bloated interfaces built for in-person PT workflows, and charge per-client fees that punish coaches for growing. The independent online coach is completely underserved.

Core Features (MVP)

• Coach dashboard — client list with weekly check-in completion status, at-a-glance green/amber/red per client
• Check-in form builder — drag-and-drop fields purpose-built for coaches: mood slider, sleep score, adherence checkboxes, custom numeric fields, progress photo upload, open notes
• Automated reminders — email (Resend) and optional SMS (Twilio) reminders sent on a coach-set schedule (e.g., every Sunday at 9am)
• Coach feedback flow — structured text response plus optional voice note per check-in; client notified on delivery
• Client progress timeline — scrollable history of all check-ins, coach notes, and photos; coach and client both see it
• Stripe billing — coach sets monthly subscription price per client tier; Cadence handles recurring billing and failed payment retries
• Client portal — clean, mobile-first view where clients submit check-ins and read coach feedback

Pricing

• Starter — $49/month (up to 15 active clients)
• Pro — $99/month (up to 40 clients + SMS reminders + custom branding on portal)
• Studio — $149/month (unlimited clients + white-label portal subdomain + priority support)

Coach pays; clients use the portal for free. No per-client transaction fees.

Tech Stack

• Next.js + Supabase (auth, PostgreSQL, file storage for progress photos)
• Stripe for recurring subscription billing (coach accounts)
• Twilio for SMS check-in reminders
• Resend for transactional email (reminders, feedback notifications)
• Vercel for hosting

How to Build MVP

Week 1–2: Coach auth (Supabase), client invite flow, basic check-in form builder (field types: text, number, scale, photo)

Week 3–4: Client portal (submit check-in form), coach feedback text field, email notification on submission (Resend)

Week 5–6: Stripe subscription billing, client progress history timeline, progress photo upload (Supabase Storage)

Week 7–8: SMS reminders via Twilio, coach dashboard polish, onboarding flow, public landing page

Total: ~6–8 weeks for a launchable MVP. Start charging at week 9.

How to Get First Customers

1. Post in r/personaltraining and r/onlinecoaching — coaches openly discuss operational pain there
2. DM 50 Instagram/TikTok fitness coaches (5k–100k followers) with a free 60-day beta offer — offer to build their check-in form for them to reduce friction
3. Join and post in Facebook groups for online fitness coaches (multiple groups with 20k–50k members)
4. Build in public on Twitter/X: "I'm building a check-in tool for online coaches — here's week 1" with screenshots
5. Partner with one active beta coach (15–30 clients) for co-design — earn their testimonial and warm referrals to their coach network

Revenue Math

• 50 coaches × $79 avg = $3,950/month
• 100 coaches × $79 avg = $7,900/month
• 150 coaches × $79 avg = $11,850/month

150 paying coaches is achievable in 12–18 months. The market of independent online coaches is massive and growing; fitness influencers with 10k+ followers routinely sell coaching programs at $150–500/month per client, so $49–99/month for software is trivially justified (one client's revenue covers it).

Churn will be low: all client history, photos, and progress data lives in Cadence. Coaches don't abandon a system of record.

Why This Is Different

• Priced for independents, not gyms — TrueCoach starts at $147/month with per-client fees; Cadence is $49 flat
• Built for async online coaching — not adapted from in-person PT software; the workflow assumptions match how online coaches actually work
• Check-in form builder is coach-specific — macro tracking fields, mood scales, adherence checkboxes, and progress photo upload are first-class citizens, not afterthoughts
• Billing is native — coaches don't wire together a separate Stripe dashboard; client billing is managed inside Cadence
• Mobile-first client portal — clients submit on their phone; existing tools have terrible mobile UX

Path to Quitting Day Job

• Month 1–2: Build MVP, onboard 5–10 beta coaches at no cost
• Month 3: Start charging; convert 10 coaches at $49/month → $490 MRR
• Month 6: 50 coaches → ~$4,000 MRR via community posts + word of mouth in coach circles
• Month 12: 130–150 coaches → ~$10,000–12,000 MRR; at this point the product sells itself through coach referrals
• One feature addition (workout plan delivery or habit tracking) unlocks moving coaches from Starter to Pro, increasing ARPU

Risks & Mitigations

• TrueCoach/PTDistinction competitive response: They're enterprise-focused and slow to iterate; maintain the "built for independents" positioning and lower price as moat
• Coaches are price-sensitive: Frame as ROI — $49/month saves 5+ hours of admin per week; at $50–100/hour coaching rate, that's $200–400 of time recovered
• Churn if coach's client base shrinks: Offer a pause plan (keep data, no billing) instead of cancellation — coaches return when they rebuild their roster
• Photo storage costs: Cap storage per plan tier; Supabase Storage is cost-effective at this scale
• Two-sided cold start: Only coaches need to be acquired; clients follow where their coach sends them (no marketplace chicken-and-egg problem)

Why This Works for You Specifically

• Supabase + Next.js + Stripe + Twilio is your exact stack — zero ramp-up time, ship in weeks not months
• B2B SaaS with a clear buyer persona you can reach via Instagram DMs and niche Reddit communities — no enterprise sales required
• The coaching market is adjacent to community and wellness interests; you understand the social dynamics of accountability-based communities
• Product, not service — build once, collect recurring revenue at scale
• Small, passionate niche with high referral rates — coaches talk to coaches constantly; one delighted power user can drive 10 more signups

First Action

Spend 90 minutes in r/onlinecoaching, r/personaltraining, and the "Online Fitness Coaches" Facebook group. Search for "check-in," "client management," "Google Forms," and "TrueCoach." Screenshot the exact language coaches use about their pain. DM 5 coaches asking how they currently handle weekly check-ins. Use that verbatim language on the landing page headline — don't invent it.