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Ask plain-English member and trial questions by uploading MindBody report exports and dashboard screenshots to Claude

who Micha Hershman, owner of Forge Krav Maga, a self-defense school in San Francisco, on his school's blog

The problem

Forge runs on MindBody, and there's no official AI connector. Answering a question like how many trials converted meant a reporting session.

What happened

He says a cohort analysis on raw exports showed roughly half of paying members on legacy pricing below the current rate. He says trial-to-membership conversion was in the low twenties (percent) in January and February and fell to single digits by spring, with the drop-off happening after people are on the mat. He says that points the work at the trial experience rather than advertising. He also found a referral field empty on essentially every client record. He says "I was often wrong early, and so was the AI. First-pass conclusions from clean-looking reports were confidently incorrect." Those conclusions were only corrected as more data and history built up. His rule: "hold the numbers firmly and the reasoning loosely." A direct MindBody connection is something he wants next, not something live. Owner-told.

Quoted in the source: Micha Hershman, owner, Forge Krav Maga. Source: Forge Krav Maga blog: How I Run a Martial Arts School With AI (Micha Hershman) (2026-09-08) · Added 2026-10-20.

How to set it up yourself

1. What Forge Krav Maga does: Micha Hershman exports MindBody reports, screenshots the dashboards the exports don't cover, and uploads it all to a Claude project. Then he asks questions in plain English, such as how many trials came in during March and how many converted.
2. Export the member, membership and trial reports you need from MindBody as spreadsheets, and screenshot any dashboard the exports don't cover. If possible, remove member names and contact details before uploading, and keep only an ID, plan, price, dates and status.
3. Create a Claude project, upload the files, and ask one question at a time using the prompt below.
4. Check every number against the original report before acting on it. Treat early conclusions as guesses until more months of data agree.

Copy-paste prompt

These files are {SCHOOL NAME}'s MindBody exports and screenshots for {DATE RANGE}. Answer: {QUESTION, e.g. how many trials started in {MONTH} and how many became paying members}. Use only numbers in the files. Show which file and columns you used and how you counted, so I can check it. Never estimate or fill in a missing number; mark it [MISSING]. If the files can't answer the question, say so and list the report I should export.

Tools used

Some tool links may be affiliate links. Disclosure

Checked prices: Claude: from $17/mo billed annually ($20 monthly) (verified 2026-10-18) · Mindbody: from $79/mo (verified 2026-10-17)

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