July 21, 2025 • 24 mins
Is your Pilates studio stuck in a seasonal cycle of feast or famine? Do your classes fill up in January only to empty out by summer or the holidays? In this episode of The Pilates Business Podcast, host Seran Glanfield shares exactly how successful studio owners flatten the seasonal revenue curve and maintain steady income all year long—without resorting to frantic discounts or burnout-level hustle.
Whether it’s summer slowdowns or holiday no-shows, Seran explains how to plan ahead, align your marketing with seasonal rhythms, and keep clients engaged and coming back. From building retention systems to launching strategic promotions, this episode is packed with actionable insights that can help you create a more predictable, profitable Pilates business.
This is a must-listen for any boutique fitness studio owner who wants to ditch reactive panic and start running their studio with CEO-level strategy. ✨
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~~~
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Do you secretly dread summer because you know your
class attendance is about tonosedive?
Or maybe December always feelslike a bit of a ghost town,
while you keep the lights on andhope for the best?
Well, you're not alone and thisepisode is for you.
Today, we're unpacking whyseasonal slumps don't have to be
(00:21):
inevitable, and exactly what itis that smart studio owners do
to flatten the curve and keeprevenue flowing all year round.
So if your studio feels likeit's stuck in a seasonal cycle,
especially right now, one thatmaybe is a bit of feast and a
bit of famine, and you're notreally in control, then keep
listening.
This episode might just changehow you look at your calendar
(00:45):
forever.
Well, hi there.
I'm Saren Glanfield.
I'm a business and marketingstrategist just for boutique
fitness studio owners like you.
If you're ready to be inspiredand make a bigger impact, you're
in the right place.
All you need are a few keystrategies, the right mindset
and some support along the way.
(01:06):
Join me as I share thereal-life insights that will
help you grow a sustainable andprofitable studio.
This is the Pilates BusinessPodcast.
Welcome back to the PilatesBusiness Podcast.
I'm Sarah Glanfield.
I'm thrilled that you're herewith me today on this sunny
(01:29):
summer's day.
Yes, it's officially summer inmy house, absolutely.
My kids are climbing the walls,we are navigating all of the
chaos that comes with it, butalso the fun and joy as well,
and I thought this would be afantastic time for us to talk
about, perhaps seasonality inyour studio business.
(01:50):
It's a big topic actually, andit's something that I talk a lot
about with the studio ownersinside of Thrive, my group
coaching program.
Now, when it comes to seasonalslumps, you know what I'm
talking about.
This is the frustratingly slowperiods, that sort of sneak in
at certain times of the yearjust like clockwork.
After that new year rush fades.
(02:11):
Or perhaps when summer hits,everyone kind of disappears.
Or you know, when thoseholidays Christmas and so on
roll around and perhaps you findthose classes more empty than
you would want.
And so, when it comes to theseseasons and when seasons change,
what we found and working withstudio owners for well over a
(02:33):
decade here at Spring 3 is thateven if those seasons are
changing, that doesn't mean thatyour growth and your revenue
has to move with that season.
And I know that many, manyfolks will say well, that's just
how it is, this is what I'dexpect.
This is what happens here, orthis is how it happens in my
(02:55):
town or my area, but what I haveseen over and over again is
that the most profitable andmost successful studios actually
see these patterns coming aheadof time and they prepare for
them Now, not necessarily withgimmicky sales and massive,
massive discounts or big flashsales, but with smart, strategic
(03:16):
moves that create moreconsistency in terms of revenue.
And today I want to talk alittle bit more about this,
because I think it's time thatwe all stop feeling like we're
at the mercy of the calendarmaybe the school calendar, maybe
the holiday calendar and Ithink this episode and what I'm
going to share with you todaymight open up a little bit of a
(03:39):
new way of thinking about thingsand hopefully give you the
opportunity to take a little bitback, a little bit of that
control over your revenue growthand, obviously, that
consistency in your revenue aswell, which we all really really
like.
So let's talk a little bitabout perhaps what I often see
(03:59):
and hear most of all when itcomes to seasons in the business
and when we look at data.
This is where I often hearthese types of phrases come
along, and it's sort of thingsthat studio owners will say are
things like well, yes, that wasa slow month because so-and-so
was traveling and they comethree or four times a week, and
(04:21):
this other person was travelingbecause they also come that many
times a week, and then a wholebunch of the parents are off
because the schools are out, andthat was just because that's
just how it is.
It's always slow at this timeof year, or maybe it's back to
school month, and you know thatthat is perhaps tricky, and you
know what we often see is that,yes, these are real scenarios
(04:41):
that happen in every singlestudio, are real scenarios that
happen in every single studio,but they are not a reason
necessarily for you toexperience a slowdown or a dip
or drop in revenue.
When we know these events arecoming right, then it shouldn't
be a surprise to you.
(05:01):
And what we are actually infact observing more often than
not is not surprises butactually more of a pattern.
And so, instead of being inreactive mode and sort of almost
pretending to be a little bitsurprised by what the data is
telling us, we were actuallythinking ahead and using the
data that we perhaps have beentracking, hopefully over a
(05:22):
number of months or years andactually started planning for
these periods, these differentchanges, different seasons, and
so when you're tracking thosedata points, you can start to
see these patterns emerge, andyour business will be very
unique in the types of patternsthat emerge for your business,
(05:42):
so you will probably have asense to know when a lull might
be coming.
Now one of the things I oftensee happen is that many studio
owners will hope that they don'tsee perhaps that dip this
summer, or don't see that diphappen perhaps in February or
March, and so instead of perhapspreparing in advance, we're
(06:04):
just sort of hoping it doesn'thappen, perhaps hoping that
because of all of our hard workand we keep on, we've had such a
busy few months, or a busyJanuary or a busy December, that
it will continue, I hope.
But we probably should be morestrategic than that, and the
most successful studio ownershave a plan already in place to
(06:26):
keep their schedule and theirincome steady.
And so what we know is thatwhen you have predictability in
your business, you have powerand control over your business
right.
So when you're able to reallyanticipate that ebb and flow,
you can start to redesign yourmarketing efforts, your
(06:46):
attention efforts, yourengagement efforts and align
your messaging and your offersand also the energy that you
have in your business and in thestudio for that ebb and flow,
whichever direction it's goingin, and when you are able to
bring that into the way that youthink about your growth, then
you stop scrambling and trulystart leading your business
(07:10):
forward.
So, just like you might nottrain a client or train a team
member without a long-term plan,I don't want you running your
business without one either.
So think about mapping youryear out well in advance, not in
terms of days or maybe a coupleof weeks, but actually in terms
of months and even quarters,because these seasons tend to
(07:33):
have rhythms to them and everystudio is slightly different,
and so it's really up to you toperhaps look at when your season
has a season, or when yourstudio has a season of fast pace
and lots of activity, and whenit's perhaps a little bit slower
, perhaps a little bit fewerfaces, perhaps a few more
(07:56):
classes that don't have a waitlist.
That's something that youshould have a feel for in your
business, and if you don't, thedata will give you all the
information that you need.
So let me guess you might havehad a really, really busy
January.
Right, you know, perhapseverybody is back to the studio,
back in it, wanting to get backto movement, get back in their
(08:20):
routine.
Your classes are full.
You know everyone is reachingout, maybe following you, extra
followers on social media, maybesome more email being sent to
you, maybe some more phone callscoming in, maybe some more
people dropping by.
You have a lot of inquiries,and then March hits, and you
know, perhaps you're still busy.
Perhaps, though, you'reexhausted, and suddenly, maybe
(08:44):
you decide that you cannot dealwith responding to those emails,
or you cannot deal with youremail marketing campaigns, or
you cannot deal with socialmedia any longer, because you
are just worn out, and I seethis often right, and I see this
often as sort of this sort ofconsequence or knock-on effect
of going at full speed andtrying to just squeeze as much
(09:06):
juice out of the lemon aspossible whenever we have a busy
season, and we need to perhapspace ourselves and perhaps
prepare for not just the slowerseasons, but also prepare for
those busier seasons.
Right, because we, despitebeing busier, despite having,
perhaps, full classes, we stillneed to be thinking about our
(09:28):
marketing efforts, and it's notsomething that you just pull out
when things get quiet.
Actually, in marketing, we haveto be super consistent with our
marketing efforts.
So it's really important tobuild out not just your
campaigns around your slowseason, but also campaigns
during your busy seasons as well.
(09:49):
And what I found is that whenyou are really thinking ahead
and very proactive with yourmarketing campaigns and your
calendar, then you are notscrambling to react to whatever
is happening, whether that is aslow or a peak season of your
business, and you can also, whenyou take the time to plan ahead
(10:14):
, be so much more creative withthe content and with your
engagement activities and withyour events and with all of the
different ways that you arecreating visibility and buzz in
your studio.
For each kind of campaign, adifferent message, a different
vibe, and you're also usuallyable to be more creative but
(10:39):
also more aligned with yourmarketing messaging, so it
doesn't just sound the same aseveryone else's.
Now, one of the big reasons whyI encourage all of my studio
owners that I work with andinside of Thrive, we actually
give you a calendar and manydifferent ways to implement all
(10:59):
of these different types ofcampaigns throughout the year.
The reason why I'm so sort ofpassionate about that is because
one of the things that I really, really want you to avoid, and
any studio owner to avoid, isreactive discounts.
I cannot tell you the number oftimes I've had studio owners
(11:21):
call me in a scramble saying Ijust did this promotion and I
sold a lot of it, but I'm reallynot me.
I haven't paid myself all monthand next month it looks the
same and it's not looking goodand I'm really scared.
And we look at the numbers andwe find out that that discount
is unprofitable for the businessand has put them in a really
dark, terrible place and it'snot pretty to dig out of that
(11:43):
hole, crawl out of that hole, asit were.
So I don't want to see anyonedoing those sort of reactive
discounts and I don't think youneed to when you are planning
ahead.
And so instead of perhaps justthrowing out massive, deep
discounts off of class packsmidsummer because you're feeling
desperate and you're worriedthat you'll never see another
(12:03):
client in the studio again, orbecause you, you know, are
seeing these, your classattendance drop significantly,
you know we often have sort ofthese scrambling reactive
scenarios happen and you knowit's common.
So if you are in that placeright now, you know you're not
alone.
Just make sure whatever you'redoing is, in fact, profitable
(12:24):
for your studio business.
Now, in an ideal world, wearen't reactive in that way.
We're not.
We don't find ourselves in thatdesperate place at all, because
often, when we are in thatplace, it not only perhaps
damages your profitability, butit also creates a lot of stress.
(12:44):
It can also chip away at yourvalue and your sense of value in
your business and, ultimately,your confidence in your business
overall.
And instead, what we recommendis that you have planned
promotions.
These aren't a sign of weakness, by the way.
So if you think you need tohave a promotion because your
(13:06):
business isn't doing well, thatis not the case.
In fact, when done well,planned promotions can really
reinforce your brand and reallycreate fantastic results for a
studio without undercutting yourintegrity.
So there is things that you cando around summer bundles that
(13:26):
reward consistency andattendance, or bring a friend
week right before the holidays,or a seasonal challenge that
motivates people to show up whenthey're most likely to fall off
the schedule.
And when you build these typesof campaigns into your annual
marketing plan, they feelexciting to you, they feel
(13:48):
doable, they feel exciting andthey're not frantic, they're not
chaotic.
They actually help to buildmomentum and they're not frantic
.
They're not chaotic, theyactually help to build momentum.
You know what's coming, you canplan for them and you can plan
well in advance for them as well.
So it's about using promotions,and when I say promotions I
don't necessarily just meandiscounts.
It's something that you arepromoting and it's time to use
(14:11):
promotions not just as band-aidsfor your business, but actually
as tools to create growth andmomentum.
Now we also not only want to beplanning ahead and thinking
ahead about campaigns andpromotions at various times of
the year.
We also want to make sure thatwe have, underneath all of this
(14:33):
ongoing sort of the ongoing sortof stickiness that we want to
create in our community for ourclients, right.
We love when clients come overand over and over again.
We love when they come back.
They feel a part of yourcommunity, they are friendly
with other clients, they welcomenew clients in and you know
(14:53):
they help to create thatwonderful energy that you have
in your studio.
And when the clients don't feelthat sort of connection to your
business or each other, theytend not to stay.
So we want to look for ways toencourage that sense of
connection and community, andespecially when we find that
life gets busy or perhaps likethis time of year for me, you
(15:16):
know, it gets very difficult tohave a very consistent routine.
And it's not personalnecessarily, it's just how we
operate.
And when there are other sortof pulls in our time, it's not
unusual to have clients sort offall off the schedule or dip out
of the schedule for a few weeksor a few months even right.
But if you can give your clientsa reason to keep coming back,
(15:39):
if you can give them a goal or amilestone or a reason to really
kind of stay plugged in, thenthat will only help your
retention levels.
And retention is criticalbecause when it comes to those
ups and downs, retention is oneof the things that helps to
create a lot more consistency inyour studio growth.
(16:01):
And so it's not just about newclients coming in or converting
new clients, it's also aboutretaining your existing clients
and keeping them as active aspossible as well.
And what I find is that, overand over again, what is super
helpful is having systems behindthe scenes that you and your
(16:24):
team are able to easilyimplement in your business.
Not complicated necessarily,not complex, not necessarily
even super time consuming, butsimple systems that work best to
encourage attendance, to trackprogress, to reward loyalty, and
(16:44):
they don't have to be high tech, they don't have to be
complicated, but they do need tobe actually quite meaningful to
your clients.
Okay, so I'd encourage you tostart thinking more about how
you can engage your clients in away that is not just sort of
trying to help them to hang onwhen they're one foot out the
door, but actually to rewardthem when they are at most
(17:07):
active as well.
So think about your client'slifestyle, think about your
seasonality in your business andstart to think more in seasons,
not just about one session tothe next, and then how you can
perhaps align what you're doingin your studio with some of
those rhythms that you knowexist within your community,
(17:30):
right?
So there's a lot that you cando when it comes to building
more stickiness in your businessand helping your clients to
stick around a little bit longer.
And when your clients feel likethey're on a bit of a journey
with you, right, when they havesome milestones, when they have
goals, it creates a buzz betweenmembers within your community
(17:50):
as well, which we really like,and it helps to obviously keep
them more connected to yourstudio as well, which we really
like, and it helps to obviouslykeep them more connected to your
studio as well, and they'llfeel like they're on a journey
with you and they'll want tostay with you.
So, even if they take a stepout of the studio, they perhaps
drop their attendance a littlebit over the summer or perhaps
during the holiday season.
Then they'll come back to yourstudio versus perhaps going
(18:13):
elsewhere.
So I also want, before we wrapup this quick episode, I do want
to share something with youthat I think might be the most
overlooked but possibly the mostpowerful shift that you can
make.
When it and teachers especiallyoften get stuck in teacher mode
(18:33):
, you're head down, you're inthe trenches, you are teaching
and scheduling and coordinatingyour other teachers and
rescheduling and rebookingpeople, and that you are kind of
(18:57):
like in the weeds of thebusiness a lot of the time, if
not all of the time, and I wantto encourage you to take a step
out of your business and perhapstake the time to look at your
data, look at your numbers, notafter the damage is done, so not
perhaps at the end of July orthe end of August, but actually
(19:17):
ahead of time, right at the endof July or the end of August,
but actually ahead of time right.
So what we do in Setter Thriveand I show you how to do this
step by step is we look ahead,we project forward and we look
ahead into the next few monthsand across the next year and
we're thinking always about howwe can be ready for whatever
comes next.
So that you're pulled out formaybe just that one hour of our
(19:41):
Thrive meeting each week tofocus on your business and
thinking bigger picture andbeing prepared for what might be
coming down the pipeline at you.
Because the most successfulstudio owners and CEOs of every
business of any size thosegenerating zero in revenue to
those generating millions andmillions in revenue they are
(20:04):
looking ahead.
And I think running yourbusiness without thinking about
what's coming next and withoutforecasting and without
projections is like teaching aclass with no plan.
Right, it's probably quitechaotic, it probably does not
feel aligned, it probably feelsuncomfortable and it keeps you
in a reactive mode instead of ina calm and control mode, right?
(20:26):
So I invite you to think aboutperhaps what might not be coming
just this week or just nextweek or this month, but think
even further ahead than that,review your calendar, even
further ahead than that.
Review a calendar, set seasonalrevenue goals, sketch out
campaigns that support thosenumbers.
Because when you start toforecast like a CEO, when you're
(20:47):
looking ahead, then you stopfeeling behind, actually, and
you start to make decisions froma place of clarity, with
direction, and you also feelperhaps a little bit more
inspired and excited about whatmight be to come.
So there you have it.
I just want to give you a quickrecap of what we talked about
(21:09):
so that you can take awayperhaps some things to think
about and implement in yourstudio business today.
And while seasonal slumps mightfeel frustrating, I don't think
they have to be inevitable andin fact I've seen that they
don't have to be.
And what we really find when wediscover there are these
(21:29):
seasonality slumps and ups anddowns in the business is that
there often is a gap in terms ofplanning or in terms of that
marketing rhythm or in terms ofmember or client engagement.
So you don't necessarily justhave to work harder during the
slow seasons, but you might needto work a bit smarter, you
might need to be a bit moreproactive ahead of time to help
(21:50):
smooth sort of the curve alittle bit and avoid that
dramatic dip in revenue that youmight be experiencing.
And I encourage you to thinkmore like a strategist, from a
place of strategy, from a placeof planning, instead of being
from a place of perhapsscrambling right.
And I encourage you to build arhythm into your marketing
(22:10):
calendar and think about how youcan plan ahead, forecast ahead,
and you can use that to supportvarious different, very
creative and actually very, veryfun campaigns to give your
clients reasons to stick aroundand stay active and engaged in
your community, even whenperhaps it might be more
(22:31):
challenging for them.
Invite you to perhaps removethe thought that slow seasons
are just the way it is, becauseI've seen that it doesn't have
to be at all.
So if you want help creatingyour own year-round marketing
(22:52):
and retention game plan, ifyou're ready to ditch that
seasonal stress and you want tohave a business that brings in
more consistent revenue, thenlet's talk, because inside
Thrive I prepare the studioowners well in advance so
they're never chasing the tailwhen it comes to seasonal shifts
(23:12):
.
With the resources and theplaybooks to give you the
step-by-step, alongside our livecoaching calls, you get the
answers and the guidance whenyou need it.
So I hope this is helpful toyou as you go about building
your boutique fitness studiobusiness.
If you loved what you heard,please go ahead and give this
(23:33):
podcast a quick review andrating.
It would mean a ton to me.
And don't forget, you canalways check out the show notes
for all the links to get intouch and learn more about how
we can work together.
Did you love this episode andwant more?
Head to spring3.com and checkout my free resources that will
(23:54):
help you run a profitable andfulfilling studio business.
And before you go, one lastreminder there is no one way to
do what you do, only your way.
So whatever it is that you wantto do, create or offer, you've
got this.
Thanks again for joining metoday and have a wonderful rest
(24:15):
of your day.
Do you secretly dread summer because you know your
class attendance is about tonosedive?
Or maybe December always feelslike a bit of a ghost town,
while you keep the lights on andhope for the best?
Well, you're not alone and thisepisode is for you.
Today, we're unpacking whyseasonal slumps don't have to be
(00:21):
inevitable, and exactly what itis that smart studio owners do
to flatten the curve and keeprevenue flowing all year round.
So if your studio feels likeit's stuck in a seasonal cycle,
especially right now, one thatmaybe is a bit of feast and a
bit of famine, and you're notreally in control, then keep
listening.
This episode might just changehow you look at your calendar
(00:45):
forever.
Well, hi there.
I'm Saren Glanfield.
I'm a business and marketingstrategist just for boutique
fitness studio owners like you.
If you're ready to be inspiredand make a bigger impact, you're
in the right place.
All you need are a few keystrategies, the right mindset
and some support along the way.
(01:06):
Join me as I share thereal-life insights that will
help you grow a sustainable andprofitable studio.
This is the Pilates BusinessPodcast.
Welcome back to the PilatesBusiness Podcast.
I'm Sarah Glanfield.
I'm thrilled that you're herewith me today on this sunny
(01:29):
summer's day.
Yes, it's officially summer inmy house, absolutely.
My kids are climbing the walls,we are navigating all of the
chaos that comes with it, butalso the fun and joy as well,
and I thought this would be afantastic time for us to talk
about, perhaps seasonality inyour studio business.
(01:50):
It's a big topic actually, andit's something that I talk a lot
about with the studio ownersinside of Thrive, my group
coaching program.
Now, when it comes to seasonalslumps, you know what I'm
talking about.
This is the frustratingly slowperiods, that sort of sneak in
at certain times of the yearjust like clockwork.
After that new year rush fades.
(02:11):
Or perhaps when summer hits,everyone kind of disappears.
Or you know, when thoseholidays Christmas and so on
roll around and perhaps you findthose classes more empty than
you would want.
And so, when it comes to theseseasons and when seasons change,
what we found and working withstudio owners for well over a
(02:33):
decade here at Spring 3 is thateven if those seasons are
changing, that doesn't mean thatyour growth and your revenue
has to move with that season.
And I know that many, manyfolks will say well, that's just
how it is, this is what I'dexpect.
This is what happens here, orthis is how it happens in my
(02:55):
town or my area, but what I haveseen over and over again is
that the most profitable andmost successful studios actually
see these patterns coming aheadof time and they prepare for
them Now, not necessarily withgimmicky sales and massive,
massive discounts or big flashsales, but with smart, strategic
(03:16):
moves that create moreconsistency in terms of revenue.
And today I want to talk alittle bit more about this,
because I think it's time thatwe all stop feeling like we're
at the mercy of the calendarmaybe the school calendar, maybe
the holiday calendar and Ithink this episode and what I'm
going to share with you todaymight open up a little bit of a
(03:39):
new way of thinking about thingsand hopefully give you the
opportunity to take a little bitback, a little bit of that
control over your revenue growthand, obviously, that
consistency in your revenue aswell, which we all really really
like.
So let's talk a little bitabout perhaps what I often see
(03:59):
and hear most of all when itcomes to seasons in the business
and when we look at data.
This is where I often hearthese types of phrases come
along, and it's sort of thingsthat studio owners will say are
things like well, yes, that wasa slow month because so-and-so
was traveling and they comethree or four times a week, and
(04:21):
this other person was travelingbecause they also come that many
times a week, and then a wholebunch of the parents are off
because the schools are out, andthat was just because that's
just how it is.
It's always slow at this timeof year, or maybe it's back to
school month, and you know thatthat is perhaps tricky, and you
know what we often see is that,yes, these are real scenarios
(04:41):
that happen in every singlestudio, are real scenarios that
happen in every single studio,but they are not a reason
necessarily for you toexperience a slowdown or a dip
or drop in revenue.
When we know these events arecoming right, then it shouldn't
be a surprise to you.
(05:01):
And what we are actually infact observing more often than
not is not surprises butactually more of a pattern.
And so, instead of being inreactive mode and sort of almost
pretending to be a little bitsurprised by what the data is
telling us, we were actuallythinking ahead and using the
data that we perhaps have beentracking, hopefully over a
(05:22):
number of months or years andactually started planning for
these periods, these differentchanges, different seasons, and
so when you're tracking thosedata points, you can start to
see these patterns emerge, andyour business will be very
unique in the types of patternsthat emerge for your business,
(05:42):
so you will probably have asense to know when a lull might
be coming.
Now one of the things I oftensee happen is that many studio
owners will hope that they don'tsee perhaps that dip this
summer, or don't see that diphappen perhaps in February or
March, and so instead of perhapspreparing in advance, we're
(06:04):
just sort of hoping it doesn'thappen, perhaps hoping that
because of all of our hard workand we keep on, we've had such a
busy few months, or a busyJanuary or a busy December, that
it will continue, I hope.
But we probably should be morestrategic than that, and the
most successful studio ownershave a plan already in place to
(06:26):
keep their schedule and theirincome steady.
And so what we know is thatwhen you have predictability in
your business, you have powerand control over your business
right.
So when you're able to reallyanticipate that ebb and flow,
you can start to redesign yourmarketing efforts, your
(06:46):
attention efforts, yourengagement efforts and align
your messaging and your offersand also the energy that you
have in your business and in thestudio for that ebb and flow,
whichever direction it's goingin, and when you are able to
bring that into the way that youthink about your growth, then
you stop scrambling and trulystart leading your business
(07:10):
forward.
So, just like you might nottrain a client or train a team
member without a long-term plan,I don't want you running your
business without one either.
So think about mapping youryear out well in advance, not in
terms of days or maybe a coupleof weeks, but actually in terms
of months and even quarters,because these seasons tend to
(07:33):
have rhythms to them and everystudio is slightly different,
and so it's really up to you toperhaps look at when your season
has a season, or when yourstudio has a season of fast pace
and lots of activity, and whenit's perhaps a little bit slower
, perhaps a little bit fewerfaces, perhaps a few more
(07:56):
classes that don't have a waitlist.
That's something that youshould have a feel for in your
business, and if you don't, thedata will give you all the
information that you need.
So let me guess you might havehad a really, really busy
January.
Right, you know, perhapseverybody is back to the studio,
back in it, wanting to get backto movement, get back in their
(08:20):
routine.
Your classes are full.
You know everyone is reachingout, maybe following you, extra
followers on social media, maybesome more email being sent to
you, maybe some more phone callscoming in, maybe some more
people dropping by.
You have a lot of inquiries,and then March hits, and you
know, perhaps you're still busy.
Perhaps, though, you'reexhausted, and suddenly, maybe
(08:44):
you decide that you cannot dealwith responding to those emails,
or you cannot deal with youremail marketing campaigns, or
you cannot deal with socialmedia any longer, because you
are just worn out, and I seethis often right, and I see this
often as sort of this sort ofconsequence or knock-on effect
of going at full speed andtrying to just squeeze as much
(09:06):
juice out of the lemon aspossible whenever we have a busy
season, and we need to perhapspace ourselves and perhaps
prepare for not just the slowerseasons, but also prepare for
those busier seasons.
Right, because we, despitebeing busier, despite having,
perhaps, full classes, we stillneed to be thinking about our
(09:28):
marketing efforts, and it's notsomething that you just pull out
when things get quiet.
Actually, in marketing, we haveto be super consistent with our
marketing efforts.
So it's really important tobuild out not just your
campaigns around your slowseason, but also campaigns
during your busy seasons as well.
(09:49):
And what I found is that whenyou are really thinking ahead
and very proactive with yourmarketing campaigns and your
calendar, then you are notscrambling to react to whatever
is happening, whether that is aslow or a peak season of your
business, and you can also, whenyou take the time to plan ahead
(10:14):
, be so much more creative withthe content and with your
engagement activities and withyour events and with all of the
different ways that you arecreating visibility and buzz in
your studio.
For each kind of campaign, adifferent message, a different
vibe, and you're also usuallyable to be more creative but
(10:39):
also more aligned with yourmarketing messaging, so it
doesn't just sound the same aseveryone else's.
Now, one of the big reasons whyI encourage all of my studio
owners that I work with andinside of Thrive, we actually
give you a calendar and manydifferent ways to implement all
(10:59):
of these different types ofcampaigns throughout the year.
The reason why I'm so sort ofpassionate about that is because
one of the things that I really, really want you to avoid, and
any studio owner to avoid, isreactive discounts.
I cannot tell you the number oftimes I've had studio owners
(11:21):
call me in a scramble saying Ijust did this promotion and I
sold a lot of it, but I'm reallynot me.
I haven't paid myself all monthand next month it looks the
same and it's not looking goodand I'm really scared.
And we look at the numbers andwe find out that that discount
is unprofitable for the businessand has put them in a really
dark, terrible place and it'snot pretty to dig out of that
(11:43):
hole, crawl out of that hole, asit were.
So I don't want to see anyonedoing those sort of reactive
discounts and I don't think youneed to when you are planning
ahead.
And so instead of perhaps justthrowing out massive, deep
discounts off of class packsmidsummer because you're feeling
desperate and you're worriedthat you'll never see another
(12:03):
client in the studio again, orbecause you, you know, are
seeing these, your classattendance drop significantly,
you know we often have sort ofthese scrambling reactive
scenarios happen and you knowit's common.
So if you are in that placeright now, you know you're not
alone.
Just make sure whatever you'redoing is, in fact, profitable
(12:24):
for your studio business.
Now, in an ideal world, wearen't reactive in that way.
We're not.
We don't find ourselves in thatdesperate place at all, because
often, when we are in thatplace, it not only perhaps
damages your profitability, butit also creates a lot of stress.
(12:44):
It can also chip away at yourvalue and your sense of value in
your business and, ultimately,your confidence in your business
overall.
And instead, what we recommendis that you have planned
promotions.
These aren't a sign of weakness, by the way.
So if you think you need tohave a promotion because your
(13:06):
business isn't doing well, thatis not the case.
In fact, when done well,planned promotions can really
reinforce your brand and reallycreate fantastic results for a
studio without undercutting yourintegrity.
So there is things that you cando around summer bundles that
(13:26):
reward consistency andattendance, or bring a friend
week right before the holidays,or a seasonal challenge that
motivates people to show up whenthey're most likely to fall off
the schedule.
And when you build these typesof campaigns into your annual
marketing plan, they feelexciting to you, they feel
(13:48):
doable, they feel exciting andthey're not frantic, they're not
chaotic.
They actually help to buildmomentum and they're not frantic
.
They're not chaotic, theyactually help to build momentum.
You know what's coming, you canplan for them and you can plan
well in advance for them as well.
So it's about using promotions,and when I say promotions I
don't necessarily just meandiscounts.
It's something that you arepromoting and it's time to use
(14:11):
promotions not just as band-aidsfor your business, but actually
as tools to create growth andmomentum.
Now we also not only want to beplanning ahead and thinking
ahead about campaigns andpromotions at various times of
the year.
We also want to make sure thatwe have, underneath all of this
(14:33):
ongoing sort of the ongoing sortof stickiness that we want to
create in our community for ourclients, right.
We love when clients come overand over and over again.
We love when they come back.
They feel a part of yourcommunity, they are friendly
with other clients, they welcomenew clients in and you know
(14:53):
they help to create thatwonderful energy that you have
in your studio.
And when the clients don't feelthat sort of connection to your
business or each other, theytend not to stay.
So we want to look for ways toencourage that sense of
connection and community, andespecially when we find that
life gets busy or perhaps likethis time of year for me, you
(15:16):
know, it gets very difficult tohave a very consistent routine.
And it's not personalnecessarily, it's just how we
operate.
And when there are other sortof pulls in our time, it's not
unusual to have clients sort offall off the schedule or dip out
of the schedule for a few weeksor a few months even right.
But if you can give your clientsa reason to keep coming back,
(15:39):
if you can give them a goal or amilestone or a reason to really
kind of stay plugged in, thenthat will only help your
retention levels.
And retention is criticalbecause when it comes to those
ups and downs, retention is oneof the things that helps to
create a lot more consistency inyour studio growth.
(16:01):
And so it's not just about newclients coming in or converting
new clients, it's also aboutretaining your existing clients
and keeping them as active aspossible as well.
And what I find is that, overand over again, what is super
helpful is having systems behindthe scenes that you and your
(16:24):
team are able to easilyimplement in your business.
Not complicated necessarily,not complex, not necessarily
even super time consuming, butsimple systems that work best to
encourage attendance, to trackprogress, to reward loyalty, and
(16:44):
they don't have to be high tech, they don't have to be
complicated, but they do need tobe actually quite meaningful to
your clients.
Okay, so I'd encourage you tostart thinking more about how
you can engage your clients in away that is not just sort of
trying to help them to hang onwhen they're one foot out the
door, but actually to rewardthem when they are at most
(17:07):
active as well.
So think about your client'slifestyle, think about your
seasonality in your business andstart to think more in seasons,
not just about one session tothe next, and then how you can
perhaps align what you're doingin your studio with some of
those rhythms that you knowexist within your community,
(17:30):
right?
So there's a lot that you cando when it comes to building
more stickiness in your businessand helping your clients to
stick around a little bit longer.
And when your clients feel likethey're on a bit of a journey
with you, right, when they havesome milestones, when they have
goals, it creates a buzz betweenmembers within your community
(17:50):
as well, which we really like,and it helps to obviously keep
them more connected to yourstudio as well, which we really
like, and it helps to obviouslykeep them more connected to your
studio as well, and they'llfeel like they're on a journey
with you and they'll want tostay with you.
So, even if they take a stepout of the studio, they perhaps
drop their attendance a littlebit over the summer or perhaps
during the holiday season.
Then they'll come back to yourstudio versus perhaps going
(18:13):
elsewhere.
So I also want, before we wrapup this quick episode, I do want
to share something with youthat I think might be the most
overlooked but possibly the mostpowerful shift that you can
make.
When it and teachers especiallyoften get stuck in teacher mode
(18:33):
, you're head down, you're inthe trenches, you are teaching
and scheduling and coordinatingyour other teachers and
rescheduling and rebookingpeople, and that you are kind of
(18:57):
like in the weeds of thebusiness a lot of the time, if
not all of the time, and I wantto encourage you to take a step
out of your business and perhapstake the time to look at your
data, look at your numbers, notafter the damage is done, so not
perhaps at the end of July orthe end of August, but actually
(19:17):
ahead of time, right at the endof July or the end of August,
but actually ahead of time right.
So what we do in Setter Thriveand I show you how to do this
step by step is we look ahead,we project forward and we look
ahead into the next few monthsand across the next year and
we're thinking always about howwe can be ready for whatever
comes next.
So that you're pulled out formaybe just that one hour of our
(19:41):
Thrive meeting each week tofocus on your business and
thinking bigger picture andbeing prepared for what might be
coming down the pipeline at you.
Because the most successfulstudio owners and CEOs of every
business of any size thosegenerating zero in revenue to
those generating millions andmillions in revenue they are
(20:04):
looking ahead.
And I think running yourbusiness without thinking about
what's coming next and withoutforecasting and without
projections is like teaching aclass with no plan.
Right, it's probably quitechaotic, it probably does not
feel aligned, it probably feelsuncomfortable and it keeps you
in a reactive mode instead of ina calm and control mode, right?
(20:26):
So I invite you to think aboutperhaps what might not be coming
just this week or just nextweek or this month, but think
even further ahead than that,review your calendar, even
further ahead than that.
Review a calendar, set seasonalrevenue goals, sketch out
campaigns that support thosenumbers.
Because when you start toforecast like a CEO, when you're
(20:47):
looking ahead, then you stopfeeling behind, actually, and
you start to make decisions froma place of clarity, with
direction, and you also feelperhaps a little bit more
inspired and excited about whatmight be to come.
So there you have it.
I just want to give you a quickrecap of what we talked about
(21:09):
so that you can take awayperhaps some things to think
about and implement in yourstudio business today.
And while seasonal slumps mightfeel frustrating, I don't think
they have to be inevitable andin fact I've seen that they
don't have to be.
And what we really find when wediscover there are these
(21:29):
seasonality slumps and ups anddowns in the business is that
there often is a gap in terms ofplanning or in terms of that
marketing rhythm or in terms ofmember or client engagement.
So you don't necessarily justhave to work harder during the
slow seasons, but you might needto work a bit smarter, you
might need to be a bit moreproactive ahead of time to help
(21:50):
smooth sort of the curve alittle bit and avoid that
dramatic dip in revenue that youmight be experiencing.
And I encourage you to thinkmore like a strategist, from a
place of strategy, from a placeof planning, instead of being
from a place of perhapsscrambling right.
And I encourage you to build arhythm into your marketing
(22:10):
calendar and think about how youcan plan ahead, forecast ahead,
and you can use that to supportvarious different, very
creative and actually very, veryfun campaigns to give your
clients reasons to stick aroundand stay active and engaged in
your community, even whenperhaps it might be more
(22:31):
challenging for them.
Invite you to perhaps removethe thought that slow seasons
are just the way it is, becauseI've seen that it doesn't have
to be at all.
So if you want help creatingyour own year-round marketing
(22:52):
and retention game plan, ifyou're ready to ditch that
seasonal stress and you want tohave a business that brings in
more consistent revenue, thenlet's talk, because inside
Thrive I prepare the studioowners well in advance so
they're never chasing the tailwhen it comes to seasonal shifts
(23:12):
.
With the resources and theplaybooks to give you the
step-by-step, alongside our livecoaching calls, you get the
answers and the guidance whenyou need it.
So I hope this is helpful toyou as you go about building
your boutique fitness studiobusiness.
If you loved what you heard,please go ahead and give this
(23:33):
podcast a quick review andrating.
It would mean a ton to me.
And don't forget, you canalways check out the show notes
for all the links to get intouch and learn more about how
we can work together.
Did you love this episode andwant more?
Head to spring3.com and checkout my free resources that will
(23:54):
help you run a profitable andfulfilling studio business.
And before you go, one lastreminder there is no one way to
do what you do, only your way.
So whatever it is that you wantto do, create or offer, you've
got this.
Thanks again for joining metoday and have a wonderful rest
(24:15):
of your day.
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