Against Comfort Zone
An online coaching programme for coach Leonidas Valakos, sold as a monthly subscription. The platform combines a Shopify storefront, a training and nutrition application, and a members-only Discord community.
The brief
Leonidas Valakos had a large following and a coaching method he wanted to offer at scale, without lowering the standard of a personal programme. The requirement was a product that could sell subscriptions, deliver an individual training and nutrition plan to each member, record their progress, and keep them engaged between check-ins.
What was built
A single page collecting email addresses ahead of the launch, so that the first sales day began with an existing audience.
Two tiers, Silver and Gold, offered on monthly, three-month and six-month terms. Built on Shopify for reliable payments and straightforward administration.
Sixteen workouts per month with sets, rest timers and alternative exercises. Members record their weights on each set; the application proposes the next progression and charts personal records.
Each member answers a short questionnaire; the resulting plan is reviewed by the coach before release and includes weekly shopping lists and food alternatives.
A Discord server restricted to active subscribers, with separate areas for Silver and Gold members and regular group calls.
Conversion tracking configured from the outset, with the advertising campaigns managed by our team.
How the components connect
Technical notes
Shopify handles the catalogue, checkout and recurring billing for the Silver and Gold tiers. Using Shopify for payments means card data never touches our systems, and renewals, failed payments and cancellations are handled by a platform built for them.
A purpose-built web application on our standard stack: a Python backend, a PostgreSQL database and a mobile-first interface. It stores each member's programme, logged sets and weights, personal records and nutrition preferences, and proposes the next progression from the logged history.
A successful subscription creates the member account and the invitation to the community. Access is tied to subscription status, so a lapsed subscription closes the application and the Discord server without anyone intervening.
A Discord server with roles mapped to the two tiers. A bot, connected to the application's database, messages only the members who have not logged that day's workout. It is deliberately simple: one check, one message.
Meta Pixel and Conversions API configured at launch, with purchase events tied to the subscription tier so advertising spend can be judged against actual revenue.
The application runs on our managed servers behind nginx, with daily database backups and SSL. Shopify hosts the storefront.
Screens
Commercial basis
A monthly fee combined with a percentage of online revenue. We proposed this structure because we believed in the product and it allowed the client to launch without funding the full build in advance.