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Business Owner Insights ClassPass

Building a Better Review System for Partners and Users

At ClassPass, we’re always looking for ways to improve the experience for both our partners and users. A key part of that experience is reviews.

Business Owner Insights

How to Successfully Open and Grow Your Own Pilates Studio

Launching a Pilates studio is an exciting step, but it takes more than a love of reformers to turn your vision into a thriving business. From defining your niche and writing a detailed business plan to securing funding, choosing the right location, and navigating legal requirements, every decision shapes your long-term success.

Business Owner Insights Studio Spotlights

Perspire Sauna Studio Partner Spotlight

Business Owner Insights Fitness Industry Trends

How To Create Catchy Group Fitness Class Names

Business Owner Insights hiring

Tips on How to Hire a Yoga Instructor

Resources Business Owner Insights

How To Run A Successful Fitness Studio

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Fitness Studio Reopening Checklist

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Marketing 101: Steps To Create A Fitness Marketing Plan

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How to Pay Your Fitness Instructors

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How to Maximize Revenue with Digital Classes

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Launching Outdoor Fitness Classes During COVID-19

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How to Reopen Your Wellness Business after COVID-19

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6 Tips for Better Work-Life Balance

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Fitness Business Owner 101: Your Guide to Success

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5 Fitness Business Owners Share Takeaways From Their Biggest Mistakes

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8 Tips to Start a Personal Training Business

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6 Tasks to Consider Delegating as a Fitness Business Owner

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How to Start A CrossFit Gym

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Top 5 Tips to Beat Burnout as a Fitness Entrepreneur

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6 Tips to Stay Motivated as a Fitness Entrepreneur

The entrepreneur is a rare breed. A combination of fearlessness, resilience, and good old-fashioned hard work is needed to succeed. What really separates them from the run of the mill clock puncher is their ability to motivate themselves at critical points in their journey. They need to be consistently optimistic and when they are in the trenches struggling to see a path to success. Conversely, when they have achieved success, they can't let standards slip and fall behind the competition. In both extremes, their goals may be different, but staying motivated is key.

Business Owner Insights Quiz

Quiz: Studio Owners, We Can Guess Your Celebrity Persona Based on These 5 Questions

Whether you're crunching on the mat or crunching the numbers, studio owners are the true stars of the boutique fitness industry. We compiled a quiz to tell you which celebrity boss you're most like — try it for yourself!

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How to Overcome the 5 Biggest Problems Studio Owners Face

From the outside, being a fitness studio owner can look like a walk (or jog!) in the park. But those who live the day-to-day of owning a small business know how tough it can really be and how getting it right can be one of the most rewarding and enriching experiences.

Resources Business Owner Insights

Top 4 Challenges and Hacks for Retaining Your Talent in the Fitness Industry

“If I could just clone my top two trainers, we would be unstoppable.”

Business Owner Insights Instructor Insights

How Many Classes Should Studio Owners Teach?

Many studio owners operate as part entrepreneur and part fitness instructor, running their business while also teaching class. And of course, teaching at your fitness studio comes with plenty of benefits. For starters, it gives you first-hand experience of what's working for your clients, allows you to see how they're responding to class offerings and helps you identify where you can improve. The downside? Taking time out of your busy schedule to teach means that you're likely working longer hours than you'd be if you'd handed that class over to an instructor, giving you time to focus on other areas of your business.

Business Owner Insights Managing Staff

4 Keys to Building an Effective Organizational Structure for Your Studio

As anyone who works out on the regular will tell you, being a part of a fitness community at a studio or gym you love is so important. A strong sense of community and shared purpose is what makes any fitness experience feel complete.

Business Owner Insights Studio Spotlights

Partners in Life and Yoga: Humming Puppy Co-Founders Jackie Alexander and Chris Koch

Not long after they started dating, Jackie Alexander and Chris Koch decided to extend their partnership into the yoga business by launching Humming Puppy. Five years later, the couple has studios in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia and is opening a third location in New York City.

Business Owner Insights Studio Spotlights

From Winter Olympian to Yoga Studio Owner: Jamie Silverstein's Founder Story

Many studio owners are former athletes or dancers who turned their passion into their business. Yet it's not every day you come across a former Olympian who managed to pivot their passion into something new, like former ice dancer Jamie Silverstein did when she opened her yoga studio, The Grinning Yogi, in Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. In honor of the upcoming 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, we spoke with Jamie to learn more about how she made the transition from an Olympian to a yoga teacher and what those years of competition taught her about running a business.

Business Owner Insights Instructor Insights

6 Ways to Incorporate Self-Care into Your Classes

It may be cliché but it’s true: Fall in love with taking care of yourself, because you can’t take care of others until you take care of yourself. Sure, this is a given if you’re all about fitness, but self-care goes way beyond working out and eating well. Meaningful self-care is about slowing down and being mindful in the moment. Not only is it important to practice self-care as fitness instructors, but it’s also crucial to incorporate it into your classes. We asked studio owners and instructors how they manage to do it and here’s what they shared:

Business Owner Insights Hiring Instructors

How to Introduce a New Instructor at Your Fitness Studio

Your instructors are an integral part of your studio's success. You count on them to lead an inspiring workout that keeps your clients coming back for more. Class regulars get used to seeing the same familiar instructors when they take class at your studio -- and there's a trust that gets built between member and instructor week after week. All of which makes it especially important to take extra consideration when adding a new instructor to your roster.

Resources Business Owner Insights

5 Must-Read Books for Fitness Entrepreneurs

Looking to learn something new in 2018? Take a break from the Internet and try picking up a book! We talked to studio and gym owners about their must-read book recommendations for those in the fitness business.

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A Guide to Goal Setting

As we get ready to approach a new year, you may find yourself reflecting on what you've accomplished so far while also thinking ahead to the future of your business. After all, every business owner, at various points, must ask him or herself this question: Where do I want my business to grow?

Business Owner Insights recommended

A Day in the Life: MNTSTUDIO Founder Elaine Hayes

In our series of "A Day in the Life" profiles, we ask studio owners and instructors to share their day-to-day experience to give readers around the world a peek into what it's really like managing or teaching at a studio.

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How Lululemon Uses Ambassadors for Customer Engagement

Business Owner Insights Managing Staff

7 Ways to Uncover Management Potential in your Staff

There are so many things that go into running a successful fitness studio but among the most important is having an ace management team. As a business owner, you need to be able to delegate the day-to-day so you can focus on big picture growth. But finding managers you can trust who are great at what they do and have a passion for their work is hard. Really hard.

Business Owner Insights

How to Conduct Your Mid-Year Goal Check In

The start of a new year is typically a time of ambitious goal setting for your small business. But before you know it, half the year has flown by, and it’s time to take a closer look at what's working and what’s not. We like to call this a “mid-year check in.”

Business Owner Insights

8 Mom Business Owners Share Their Advice for Balancing It All

Business Owner Insights Managing Staff

When to Hire vs. When to Outsource

Business Owner Insights Programming

How Sarah Lux, CEO of uforia studios, Builds Community by Giving Back

We’re excited to showcase Sarah Lux, co-founder and CEO of uforia studios, for this post!

Business Owner Insights

How to Grow Your Business Without Burning Out

We’re excited to feature this guest post from RedBird Fitness LLC!

Business Owner Insights

Your Guide to Networking in the Fitness Industry

What's harder than running a small business? Running a small business in a highly competitive space -- like the fitness industry. When it comes to getting the word out about your studio, networking can be one of the most powerful tools to utilize. But to do so effectively, you'll need to master the art of making connections that feel genuine, allowing you to create relationships with people you can leverage to help build your business.

Business Owner Insights

5 Tips to Build Relationships With Anyone

As business owners and instructors, you rely on the relationships you build, whether it be with a new client at your studio or with a brand you hope to partner with. It’s important to focus on cultivating a connection with a person, and not just focusing on whatever goal you hope to achieve. As a Partner Development Manager on ClassPass’s team in Australia, I learned a few tips along the way about developing such relationships back when we launched in Sydney in July 2015.

Business Owner Insights

4 Steps to Find and Maintain Harmony at Your Studio

We're excited to feature guest author Karen Schwalbe-Jones of Harmony Studios for this post!

Business Owner Insights Class Experience

Behavior Change Begins with Your Client – Not You

We're excited to feature this guest post from RedBird Fitness LLC!

Business Owner Insights Managing Staff

Should You Offer Benefits to Employees?

As a small business owner, you want to look out for the wellbeing of your employees as much as you possibly can. After all, employees that are happy, healthy and feel well cared for will be even more motivated to help grow and improve your business. But as far as benefits like health insurance, paid time off and other work perks are concerned, what should you be offering?

Business Owner Insights Fitness Industry Trends

4 Inspiring Female Fitness Entrepreneurs To Watch

Studio owners and instructors alike know just how competitive the world of fitness can be. Standing out among the rest of the landscape is key, whether you do so through the uniquely tailored classes you're offering to clients, your top notch customer service, a new way of approaching a classic fitness trend -- or a mix of all the above.

Business Owner Insights Expansion

Strategies for Expanding to a Different City -- While Remaining Remote

Your business is doing so well that you're planning to expand to a new location. However, you have your eye set on opening up shop in a city that you're not able to commute to every day, whether that's a new area in your own state or a new coast entirely. Meaning, you're going to be dealing with all the duties of operating a fitness studio without having the advantage of actually being there to make sure that everything is running smoothly.

Resources Business Owner Insights

How To Get Your Business Started on ClassPass

Business Owner Insights Revenue & Growth

Thinking of Franchising? A Successful Studio Owner Has Advice For You

Five years ago, fitness evangelist and entrepreneur Alex Nicholas turned his love of running obstacle races like the Spartan into his first boutique fitness studio. Epic Hybrid Training debuted in New York City in 2012. The idea was to offer a high intensity circuit-training program specializing in a different workout every day of the week.

Business Owner Insights

7 Ways to Avoid Burnout

Business Owner Insights Revenue & Growth

Develop Your Quarterly Business Goals

The new year is right around the quarter, which means there's a fresh opportunity to establish new goals for your small business. With the busiest time of year for fitness studios coming up fast, there's no better time to get clear on your quarterly goals for the next few months. You'll want to set goals that feel ambitious, but still achievable for your business. And of course, you'll need to set you and your team up with a plan to get there.

Business Owner Insights

Empowering Business Advice from Female Studio Owners

For a very long time, the fitness industry was a man's world. In 2016, that couldn't be further from the truth. Today, so many key players in the fitness space are women. From inventing their very own fitness classes to expanding their studios across the nation, there are so many inspiring female fitness leaders who have paved the way for the next generation of women who have big aspirations to someday open a studio of their own.

Business Owner Insights

Level With Your Competition

It’s every studio's’ biggest fear: a shiny new studio opening on the next block with a marketing budget that’s 5x the size of yours and all of the best teachers.

Business Owner Insights

10 Business Owners Share Their Time Management Secrets

Just about any person you ask will tell you that they feel like there are not enough hours in a day—and that goes doubly for business owners. Why? Because while most people work a standard 9-5, or a shift that has a designated end time, being a small business owner means that you have no set schedule. In fact, as an entrepreneur, you could technically always be working. It’s not like you have a boss who’s going to tell you to call it quits for the day, right? Plus, it doesn't help that there's always something you could be doing, whether it's getting ahead on next week's payroll, figuring out a new social media strategy, creating a new newsletter for your customers – you name it.

Business Owner Insights Marketing

How to Figure Out Your Target Audience

The number of health clubs in the U.S. has steadily grown in recent years, with more than 36,000 businesses now offering fitness classes across the country. Which begs the question: How can you stand out?

Business Owner Insights

What's Your Endgame?

Inspiring others through your passion for health and exercise is a noble pursuit. Many fitness professionals combine teaching group classes with personal training sessions to run a stable business. This is a great way to build a successful short-game. But what’s your long-game? More importantly, what’s your endgame?

Business Owner Insights Expansion

5 Studio Owners Share What They Wish They Knew About Relocating

Whether it's an increase in rent that has you looking for a new space, or a need for a bigger location, moving your business can come with a lot of unforeseen challenges. Sure, you can try and plan for the things that might come up during the process. But often, unless you've been through a relocation before, there are a lot of surprises that you probably won't see coming. And not the good kind, either.

Business Owner Insights Operations

How a Work Study Program Can Bolster Your Business

Federal work-study programs are offered at thousands of colleges and universities around the country, and lately, fitness studios have been riffing on the idea with similar programs that have future employees learning the business from the ground up. We talked to Revolve Fitness’s chief operating officer Nick Oram about the instructor-training program he recently established at the studio. With pit stops at Flywheel, Revolution and SoulCycle (he was the sixth employee hired and a senior master instructor there), Oram is a spin expert and, having opened eight studios in his career, he knows a thing or two about training a team.

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