Here's what I'm writing about.
Behind the scenes of a boutique fitness studio
I am writing this for boutique studio owners and service-based professionals who charge for their time. Personal trainers, physical therapists, acupuncturists and concierge physicians. If your business runs on your hours, this is for you.
I write about the operational and financial problems that show up in these businesses. The problems you probably didn’t train for.
I opened my boutique studio in Austin in 2009, and I’m still running it today. So the advice here comes from someone who is still on the floor, leads a team of teaching professionals, and oversees the desk.
The studios I work with come to me when they’re doing just okay. They are busy. The schedule is full and the clients are happy. But money is tight. Their team isn’t bought in, and it’s starting to show. Somewhere between a full schedule, the break room, and the bank account, something is off kilter.
It is almost always one of three things:
a cash flow model that depends on clients showing up at the rate they committed to,
a team that gets the job done so long as it’s on their terms, or
a payroll ratio that has quietly climbed past the point where the numbers work.
Often it’s a bit of all three.
None of these are motivation problems. They are structural. And structural problems have specific causes and specific fixes. Mindset may matter, but that’s after the leaks are fixed.
That is what I am writing about. I aim to be here every Thursday. And if you have a specific problem that needs addressing, I’d love to hear from you.
Amanda