Learning Center
We’ve consolidated our videos, guides, webinars and more into the AFS Business Learning Center. Browse the resources, and use the concierge service if you need help with any topic.
Thank you to Rachael Blumberg, the Founder / Owner at PLATEFIT for taking the time to answer some questions from AFS!
In this featured spot, Rachael shares how Power Plate and vibration training changed the course of her life.
Happy Holidays! It seems like Halloween is the “gateway” to all-things holiday madness, as we now find ourselves ready to close out another year.
As fitness studio owners this is a great time to celebrate with your patrons, and to capitalize on the many opportunities to help members manage common stressors while creating community! Additionally, designing exceptionally appealing sales offers is a great way to power through Q4 and finish the year strong!
In the spring of 2007, I was sitting in the back of a taxicab in Rosemont, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. I was in town to speak at a fitness industry conference. I brought my racing shoes and clothes because I planned to run a race in Chicago’s Grant Park while I was there.
I didn’t have a car in Rosemont, so I got up extra early and took a taxi from the hotel to the park.
There’s never enough time in the day! As a business owner you can get caught in the ‘busy trap’, constantly trying to complete to-do’s, put out fires and perform the day to day tasks required to run your business. But, being busy usually doesn’t mean productive!
Productivity requires that you know your priorities, stay focused on them and are ensuring that you spend time working on them.
In my last article, we discussed how to prepare for your first corporate wellness meeting. To recap, we talked about the 4 key steps:
1. Do your homework
2. Develop a presentation
3. Develop and adhere to an agenda
4. Dress and act professionally
So, you have done your homework, developed a rock-solid presentation, prepared an agenda, you are dressed professionally and now it’s GAME TIME! You are at the corporate campus with a friendly and confident smile, ready to wow your next client! What next?
Have you ever had a new client say this, or something similar?
"I'm not making the progress I thought I would." It usually happens after a month or two and it's at that point that many people simply give up.
It's a pretty common issue and one that can be devastating to your bottom line. To help you avoid this, we’ve compiled what we have found to be the top nine benefits of offering a solid system of nutrition to avoid this from happening in your business.
Imagine today is your new hire’s first day on the job. She walks in (10 minutes early of course) and knows exactly what is expected of her. She knows where she will be able to immediately contribute and which areas she needs more training on.
Even though there will be some areas of the job she may not be completely familiar with, I suspect she would have a certain level of confidence as she walks through the door.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could help your clients get faster results, reinforce their commitment to achieving their goals and increase their value to your business at the same time?
Strategically providing your clients the opportunity to invest in services, products or programs that will help them accomplish their goals faster or avoid their biggest challenges helps you accomplish all three.
We all know fitness business owners (studios, small gyms, independent trainers) don't have the big budgets that many of the big box health clubs do. They don't have the resources or a team of marketing experts that can easily analysis where to allocate certain funds to consistently drive traffic into their businesses.
Luckily in today's day and age, fitness business owners are armed with an abundance of technology to fill in the gaps when your budget might not allow you the reach the big box guys have.
Thank you to Ricky Buoncore, the Co-Owner of Vedas Fitness in Cleveland, Ohio for taking the time to answer some questions from AFS!
In this featured spot, Ricky shares additional information about how going green with SportsArt equipment has taken their business to the next level.
The most common financing option available for studios and gyms using fitness equipment leasing is a capital lease. The main purpose of a capital lease is to finance the fitness equipment purchase while preserving the owner’s working capital.
You can finance the purchase of their proprietary equipment, security systems, computer hardware & software, flooring, outdoor signage and other tangible items needed to run the business using a fitness equipment lease.
In the Fitness Industry, August has earned the reputation of being a lazy month. It’s a time when clients struggle more than ever to get inside the studios they belong to. Summer weather is precious and filled with distractions, which end up leaving studios empty like at no other time during the year.
You are encouraged to make the most of it. The time is now to wrap up your mid-year business analysis and use the results in your Q4 Marketing plan. Take advantage of this fleeting quiet and get to work preparing for the rest of this year. Use this checklist to get back on track.
Your website is your most important marketing tool. There are individuals in your area actively searching online for the fitness services you offer - and your website is where they’ll decide if your programs are a fit for what they need.
To prove that you are the right fit it is vital that the homepage of your website speaks to viewers in a way that will influence them to convert.
Thank you to Paul Christopher, the Founder of Gravity + Oxygen Fitness in Boca Raton, FL and Joe Drake, Co-owner for taking the time to answer some questions from AFS!
In this featured spot, Paul and Joe share additional information about how their studio has become a cornerstone in their community.
You did it, you have scored your first corporate wellness meeting! You are pumped, Job Well Done! Now you have nervous jitters about what you should do to prepare, what you should present, and how you will “win the contract”. Allow me to offer a few important tips that will get you off to a great start!
It is important that you know and practice the "3 P's" to effectively represent your BRAND at a business meeting.
For 10 years I volunteered as a coach for my son’s youth sports teams. I coached his baseball and football teams from kindergarten until he went off to high school last year. It was a big commitment, but an invaluable use of my time!
Not only did I get to spend quality time with my son but I made many lifetime friends with the other dads in the program. A few of them were entrepreneurs like me and I think I was naturally more drawn to them. There is a group of us that gets together a couple times per week to play racquetball…at the one guy’s HOUSE!
Why calculate revenue per square foot? 2 reasons: Here are two stats from AFS' industry-leading research that might shock you:
1. Top-producing studios generate $193 per square foot, but the average studio only generates $68.
2. The average studio has a client retention rate of 75%, so a 5% increase in retention can boost profits by 25% - 100%.
Social media has made it easier than ever to build an active, engaged audience as a fitness professional. However, many fitness studio owners aren’t leveraging social media to get new clients and position themselves in their local market.
Don’t shy away from this powerful marketing tool!
For most of us, fitness is more than a process to a healthy body; it’s also a social experience.
What’s better than ‘commiserating’ with your fitness buddies after a gritty workout? As a studio owner, you can create social events that encourage camaraderie amongst clients and staff.
Jane Bahneman showcases her tips for getting clients coming back again and again, fostering a safe and ethical business environment, plus marketing strategies that you can implement now for your fitness business!
FBA is Right For Everybody
• Trainer, Manager or Owner • Beginner or Veteran • 500-10,000 sq.ft.