How IOTA Jiu Jitsu Opened Their Doors With Gymdesk and a Rate Built for Membership Dues
IOTA JIU JITSU ACADEMY
A new Pittsburgh jiu jitsu gym opens with Gymdesk running memberships from day one and a custom low interchange plus rate on their recurring dues.
A New Gym With No Room for a Bad Setup
Opening a gym is a long list of decisions, and payments sit near the top of it. IOTA Jiu Jitsu was getting ready to open in Pittsburgh, and like most martial arts academies, their revenue would run almost entirely on recurring membership dues. That meant they needed two things right from the start: software built to manage memberships and billing, and a processing rate that would not quietly eat into every monthly charge.
For a brand-new gym, there is no room for a bad setup. Every dollar matters in the first year, and untangling the wrong system later is a distraction no new owner needs.
This one was personal for BridgeWave, too. IOTA's founder and owner, Cameron Chaffee, is a good friend of Sam's, and for years Cameron personally instructed the jiu jitsu classes Sam trained in. When it came time for Cameron to open his own academy, getting his payments right was not just another account. It was helping a friend and longtime instructor launch the gym he had been working toward.
Gymdesk, Plus a Rate Built for Dues
BridgeWave set IOTA Jiu Jitsu up on Gymdesk, a platform built specifically for gyms and martial arts academies. Gymdesk handles memberships, recurring billing, scheduling, and attendance in one place, so Cameron can focus on the mats instead of the back office.
We did not just hand over a login. BridgeWave coordinated the onboarding call with the Gymdesk team directly, so IOTA walked into launch with the software configured and questions answered before the first member ever signed up.
On the processing side, we set them up with a custom low interchange plus rate for their membership dues. Because dues bill every month, even a small difference in rate compounds across every member, every cycle. Getting that number right on day one means the savings grow as the gym does.
Open, Running, and Billing Right
IOTA Jiu Jitsu opened their doors with billing that just works. Members sign up, dues run automatically through Gymdesk, and the processing costs stay low and predictable. Instead of piecing together software and processing on his own, Cameron launched with both handled, and with BridgeWave a phone call away as the gym grows. After years of learning from Cameron on the mats, it was Sam's turn to teach the payments side.