Key Takeaways: State of the Fitness Studio Industry

When running your own business, you take on all the risk. You build your vision, raise the the money, put your name on the lease, etc., but nowhere has anyone guaranteed your financial success.

In fact, in AFS’ Marketing Best Practices Research Report, it was identified that 57% of studio owners DON’T have a marketing plan. How can you expect long-term success without a plan?

When you move from personal trainer, coach or instructor into business owner, like it or not you’re an entrepreneur. And this new role comes with a completely different set of skills and knowledge.

In a recent AFS report, studio owners identified what they perceived to be their top challenges - see the chart.

Every business has challenges that preoccupy the minds of owners and operators. Frequently, these challenges are internal matters, and in other cases external market forces.

When it comes to running a successful studio or gym, AFS has everything you need. If you are interested in specifics see the Fitness Studio Fact Sheet. In fact, thanks to the help of thousands of community members like yourself answering surveys, and with the support of more than 60 of the most influential fitness organizations, we continue to publish the most important industry research. 

Members of the AFS community generate an average of $9 per sq. ft. more than studios operated by non-AFS members! To put this in perspective, if an AFS member and non-AFS member each operate a 5,000 sq. ft. studio, the AFS member would generate an additional $45,000 in annual revenue.

Plus, AFS member studios generated $141 more revenue per client than non-members. If, for example, you operated a 5,000 sq. ft. studio in which the average client count was 454, this would mean the AFS member studio would generate an additional $64,000 in revenue.