Fitness Business Blog

8 Ways to Combat Competition for Your Fitness Studio in Your Area

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Business is war and the competition is the enemy--right? Wrong. Though competition is a fundamental aspect of being in business, savvy entrepreneurs know that viewing competitors exclusively as adversaries is shortsighted and potentially damaging.

Every February in Chicago there’s a week properly titled, Restaurant Week. The program was designed to promote the restaurant industry and drive traffic to participating establishments during a typically slow time of year. For fourteen days, diners can enjoy value pricing for lunch and/or dinner throughout the city and surrounding suburbs.

How to Stop Discounting Your Personal Training Programs

Monday, April 2, 2018

Using discounts to sell the services you offer in your fitness studio is an antiquated technique to get more clients. Discounting puts you on the path to becoming a commodity. This technique is often used as an incentive to get a potential prospect to buy or to reward someone that refers.

Discounting occurs when you don’t have the sales skills to get a prospect to pay what you are worth and possess a negative mindset around money.

AFS Reports from IHRSA 2018

Thursday, March 29, 2018

The annual Convention & Trade Show of the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) was held March 21-24 in San Diego.

From the AFS corporate perspective, over 30 meetings were held with a wide variety of fitness industry leaders including major equipment suppliers, new-wave technology firms, certifying organizations, influential trainers, and leading studio operators.

Tips for Supporting Staff Professional Development

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

As any fitness facility owner knows, staff are crucial to success. They are on the front lines, working with clients, ensuring the day-to-day runs smoothly, and are important advertisements for your business.

Finding the right people to work for you is essential, but once you’ve hired your dream team, the next challenge is to keep them happy, engaged and growing with your business.

The 5 Best Tips to Market Your Gym or Studio on Instagram

Saturday, March 17, 2018

“No excuses,” you tell yourself. “Today’s the day, I am going to do a better job at marketing my business on Instagram.” No more random posts when you have time… you’re going to really see this thing through. You pull up your account or register a new one (no time like today to try something new!), and create what you think just might be the next viral post on Instagram.

Your heart is racing as you click post.

How One Studio Significantly Increased Member Engagement By Playing Bingo

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

One of the things I love most about the AFS Community is that our members aren't shy about sharing the ideas and programs that have worked so well for them, with others.

I also love taking part in several of our member Roundtable Discussions because it allows me the ability to learn from our members, exactly what's working, what's not, what's new and exciting, and where they're looking to improve.

How to Sell Your Fitness Services with a Purpose

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

In Simon Sinek’s famous TED TALK he simply stated that people don’t buy WHAT we sell, they buy WHY we sell it. In other words, if your purpose aligns with that of your customer then you are likely to form a long-term bond.

What is your purpose as a trainer or fitness facility? I’m not asking WHAT you do or WHAT you offer but WHY do you do it?

Making Tax Season Painless for Fitness Businesses

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

It is tax season, every fitness studio owners favorite time of the year, right? Eh, probably not. If you are like most small business owners out there, you absolutely dread the following items:

Thinking about taxes
Handling the various personal and business tax forms
Worrying about if you are doing everything correctly
Sending in hard earned cash to the IRS
And so much more…

What Can I Expect It to Cost to Design and Build a Studio?

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

The cost associated with the design and construction of a fitness studio is highly variable and depends on many factors, the most important of which include: (i) the size of the studio, (ii) the scope of the work (e.g., number of rooms and level of finish), (iii) the condition of the space (shell or partially finished space), (iv) whether an architect was retained, and (v) the timeframe for completing the work.

How to Drive Traffic to Your Studio After the January Rush is Over

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

You got away with social media deals, giveaways online, and New Year’s resolutions to drive traffic into your fitness business this past month, but now, as you enter into February, March, and April - how do you keep your momentum moving forward in regards to driving traffic into your studio?

Below are a few ideas to make these months just as great as January.