Rogue Business with Rochene Hawley

About Rogue Business with Rochene Hawley

Welcome to Rogue Business with me, Ro. This is the podcast for founders who refuse to build businesses that look good on paper but feel wrong in real life. Here we talk leadership, autonomy, scaling, and the systems that actually support freedom, values, and real profit; not hustle theatre or copy-paste playbooks. This space is for smart, non-conforming service-based founders who think for themselves and aren’t interested in forcing their business into someone else’s mould. No polished nonsense. No performative success. Just grounded strategy for building a business that works because it fits you, not in spite of it. If you’re done chasing someone else’s version of success and ready to build it your way, you’re in the right place. Welcome, let's have some fun! Ro x

Publisher

Rochene H.

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

10 Jan 2020

Latest episode

12 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

143 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   12 Oct 2026

   Ep 139: Win Anyway: Six Years of Semi-Private, the Good, the Bad, the Ugly

   When you're adding community events, nutrition add-ons and the next shiny thing to keep clients… but your sessions still start late and the playlist sucks… And what happens when the thing that actually keeps people in your gym is so simple you've been skipping right over it? On this episode of the Rogue Business Podcast, I'm joined for the second time by Max, owner of Performance Hub, a semi-private gym in Melbourne for everyday legends who don't like gyms. He came from exercise physiology and pro sport, took how elite athletes are trained, and built a gym around it. He's six years in, he's made plenty of mistakes, and he doesn't give you bullshit. We get into: - how his 6:1 semi-private model runs, with every client on their own program, and why six is the max - the iterations that didn't work, from fixed squat days to 12-week blocks that didn't fit new starters - why clear expectations make your team happier, and why being too casual backfires - the "mum and dad" rule: one house, one set of answers, no coach-client allocation - raising the floor, not the ceiling, and why consistency beats "best self" - why he'd hire from hospitality before fitness - the customer service pyramid: nail the basics, make it personal, then blow their mind - why community events and add-ons don't drive retention, but really good sessions do - the one filter for every new idea: how does this help us deliver a better service? - going from an $11k month after lockdown to $30k months within six months, and why the money came when he stopped staring at it - "win anyway," and why gym owners are Sam, not Frodo If you're thinking about moving out of 1:1 into semi-private, or your boutique gym keeps chasing the next fix, listen to this first. Find Max: Gym: Performance Hub Instagram: @max.strength And me, Ro: @rochenehigginson

2. 

   24 Sept 2026

   Ep 138: Two Years, a Sold Gym, a Divorce & a New Lens on Fitness Business

   When you're doing more work than ever, you know more than ever… and you're still stuck, second-guessing every move and overhauling your whole business because of a few quiet weeks… And what happens when the problem isn't a lack of information, but that nobody taught you what to *ignore*? On this episode of the Rogue Business Podcast, I'm back behind the mic after a long pause. It's been two years of selling my gym, getting divorced, becoming a single mum, and rebuilding my business from my home office with no staff and no contractors. Just me. It's a new lens on the same fundamentals, and a very honest look at what I'm seeing across the fitness industry right now: more noise, more confusion, and more owners making big changes when nothing is actually broken. We get into: - why the last two years forced me to let go of my identity as a gym owner, a wife, and someone always surrounded by people, and what that clarity gave me - the "noise" problem: AI, social media, industry drama, and why it's leaving informed, hard-working owners overwhelmed and directionless - why owners collapse their marketing and create new offers after a few quiet weeks, when all they need is to pull one lever - my four lenses for a sustainable, profitable fitness business: acquiring clients, retaining clients, managing money, and managing yourself - why tracking your numbers isn't enough if you don't know what they mean or what to do with them - why the gap isn't information, it's your filter, and why that's your real edge right now - how I rebuilt my offers and resources to merge clean tactics with the human stuff: the shame, the second-guessing, the avoidance - building a business that holds up on your *worst* weeks, not just your best ones - growing softer and more ruthless at the same time, and building around your real capacity If you've got hundreds of saved posts, a head full of strategy, and still no idea what to do next, listen to this first. Find me, Ro: @rochenehigginson

3. 

   27 May 2026

   Ep 137: the truth about bad hires with Ash from Emerald HQ

   Rochene Higginson interviews Ash, founder of Emerald HQ, about avoiding costly hiring mistakes and building a strong team.

Who has been a guest on Rogue Business with Rochene Hawley

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Ash
• Meghann Birks
• Christine Lane-Bishop

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

81 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 46 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

80

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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