PushPress Core is the system you use to run your gym: billing, schedule, membership plans, staff, and reporting. This article walks a new owner or account admin through everything that needs to be configured in the first two weeks, then serves as a reference library you can return to whenever a question comes up about a specific part of the system.

This guide is for gym owners and account admins who have just been given Admin access to a new PushPress Core account. It covers Core and its connected apps (the Member App and the Staff App).

Note: This guide is a starting point. It does not replace your own internal policies, so adapt each section to how your gym actually operates day to day.

Have these ready before you begin, because each one is needed during setup:

Important: Features marked (Pro and Max) are not available on the Free plan. Flex Fees, invite-only events, pro-rated billing and plan limits, and waitlisting with pre-orders and priority booking all require Pro or Max.

By the end of this section your account can take payments and your staff can log in.

To set up billing and branding, go to Settings > Billing & Payment and add your business information, logo, and brand color, then connect your bank or Stripe account. Tap to Pay is optional and can be enabled later.

Full instructions: Connect your Stripe account

Screenshot placeholder: Settings > Billing & Payment, showing the Stripe connection panel

To configure Flex Fees, decide whether you want to pass card processing cost to the member instead of absorbing it, then enable the rule in Core. Flex Fees require a Pro or Max plan.

Full instructions: Set up and use Flex Fees

To add your staff, go to People > Staff Members, add each team member, and assign each person a role. The role controls what that person can see and do.

Full instructions: Get started with PushPress as a new staff member and Manage user roles

Screenshot placeholder: People > Staff Members, showing the add staff form and role selector

To set Control Panel access, decide which roles need to reach the Control Panel and turn it off for the roles that do not. Turning it off for a role prevents that group from opening the Control Panel entirely.

Full instructions: Disable Control Panel access for staff members

To set your password policy, review the password requirements and the reset flow that apply to staff and admin logins, then communicate them to your team before their first login.

Full instructions: Staff and admin password requirements and reset

By the end of this section members can book, sign, pay, and check in.

To build your schedule, create your class types under Schedule > Calendar and add them to the calendar at the times you run them.

Full instructions: Set up your Core system and Create a class on the calendar

Screenshot placeholder: Schedule > Calendar, showing the class type creation screen

To build your membership plans, go to Plans and create each offering you sell. Recurring plans, punch cards, trials, and personal training packages all live in this section.

Full instructions: Create, edit, and delete membership plans

To set up appointment types, go to Appointments > Setup and create a type for each one-to-one service you offer. Skip this step if your gym does not sell appointments.

Full instructions: Create appointment types and packages

To upload waivers and agreements, go to Apps > Digital Documents and add each document you want members to sign during sign-up.

Full instructions: Set up and manage waivers

To configure the Member App, go to Apps > App Store, open the Member App tile, and select Configure. This is where you control menu item visibility, class capacity and roster privacy, the self-check-in toggle, social feed visibility, and click-to-cancel.

Full instructions: Configure Member App and Branded App features

Screenshot placeholder: Apps > App Store > Member App tile > Configure

To decide on Kiosk Mode, choose whether your front-desk device runs in Kiosk Mode, then set the PIN that staff use to exit Kiosk Mode back into Staff Mode.

Full instructions: Kiosk Mode check-ins with the Staff App

Finish Week 1 and Week 2 before starting this section. Everything below is optional and applies only if your gym runs one of these models. Set up the blocks that match how you operate and skip the rest.

Rank and belt tracking records promotions in Core and shows each student their current rank and progress in the Member App. Build your rank structure first, because promotions cannot be recorded until the belts or levels exist.

This expands on step 8. Use it if one-to-one sessions are a meaningful part of revenue rather than an occasional extra, because credits, recurring bookings, and hybrid plans all need to be configured before you can sell packages reliably.

Use this if members train outside staffed hours. You will configure how open gym is booked and tracked, and connect door access hardware if the building is unstaffed. Kisi and HybridAF are alternatives, so set up only the one your gym uses.

Use this if you run competitions, seminars, or paid workshops. Events are sold separately from memberships, so registration, cancellation, and day-of check-in are handled on their own rather than through plans.

Note: Invite-only events require a Pro or Max plan.

Once setup is complete, three recurring tasks keep the business running.

To run payroll each pay period, set staff pay rates under People > Staff > Edit Staff Info, then open Reports > Payroll, filter by date range and staff, and export to CSV or Excel for your payroll provider. Pay rates can be set for classes (flat rate, check-in bonuses, assistant coach rate), events, and appointments (fixed amount or percentage, plus Calculated Payroll Value on hybrid plans).

Full instructions: Payroll report: set up, view, and export

To review financials monthly, open Reports > Financial > Details and review revenue, refunds, processing fees, and net deposits for the current month, a prior month, or a custom range. You can export a Transaction Detail Report, an Annual Revenue Report, or a full Bulk Report Export for your bookkeeper.

Full instructions: Financial Details report

To watch engagement trends, open Reports > Engagement and review attendance and check-in habits across four views: overview trends, class attendance by type, individual member attendance (including late cancels and no-shows), and all-time attendance. Filter by date range and membership status.

Full instructions: Engagement report

Use this section when you need to find one specific setting rather than work through setup.

Still stuck? Try logging out and back in, refreshing the page, or testing on another device.

Important: Flex Fees, invite-only events, pro-rated billing and plan limits, and waitlisting with pre-orders and priority booking require a Pro or Max plan. They are not available on Free.

Important: Pricing, card and ACH processing rates, and plan feature availability change over time. Confirm current details at pushpress.com/pricing before making a plan decision.

Important: Connect Stripe before building plans and taking sign-ups. Plans can be created without a payment connection, but no money will process until Stripe is live.

Note: Support level varies by plan. Free is self-serve with AI support, while Pro and Max add live human support and video calls.

Note: Admins, staff, and members are unlimited on every plan, so there is no need to ration seats.

How long does it take to set up a new PushPress Core account?

Setting up a new PushPress Core account takes about two weeks of part-time work. Week one covers billing, branding, staff, and access. Week two covers the schedule, plans, appointments, waivers, and the apps.

Do I need to connect Stripe before I can build membership plans?

You can build membership plans before connecting Stripe, but no payments will process until the Stripe connection is complete. Connect Stripe first so plans go live the moment they are ready.

Which features require a paid plan?

The features that require a Pro or Max plan are Flex Fees, invite-only events, pro-rated billing and plan limits, and waitlisting with pre-orders and priority booking. Admins, staff, and members are unlimited on every plan.

Where do I set staff pay rates for payroll?

You set staff pay rates under People > Staff > Edit Staff Info. Rates can be set for classes (flat rate, check-in bonuses, and assistant coach rate), events, and appointments (fixed amount or percentage).

Can I turn off the Control Panel for certain staff?

Yes, you can turn off Control Panel access for a given role so that nobody in that role can open the Control Panel. Access is controlled per role rather than per individual.

Do I have to use Kiosk Mode at the front desk?

No, Kiosk Mode is optional. If you do not run a kiosk device, enable the self-check-in toggle in the Member App configuration so members can check themselves in from their phones.

Do I have to complete the Make It Yours section?

No, the Make It Yours section is optional. Complete Week 1 and Week 2 first, then add only the blocks that match how your gym operates. A group class gym that does not run events or sell personal training can skip the section entirely.

What should I review each month once setup is done?

Each month you should review the Financial Details report for revenue, fees, and net deposits, and the Engagement report for attendance and check-in trends. Payroll should be run every pay period.