Are you a trainer at a boutique gym? Are you looking to lift your business to the next level? Maybe owning a gym has always been your dream since you did your first set of curls, and you’re just now starting out on your solopreneur journey as a small business owner. Perhaps you already have an established gym and you’re interested in ways of growing it like you have your muscle tone (or making it more profitable!)
Whatever the reason, fitness services are growing in popularity, we will share the earning potential of boutique gym pros, as well as explain how to grow your specialty fitness business step-by-step.
As a fitness enthusiast, you are likely familiar with the concept of dedication and hard work.
However, you probably also know that the most determined gym rat that’s employing the wrong techniques with diet and exercise still won’t achieve their desired physical goals.
As Tony Robbins says, if you’re running East looking for a sunset, it’s not going to happen no matter how much you run!
Let’s funnel your effort and sweat equity into the most productive and effective methods of growing your small fitness business.
Ready to learn the correct form and hit your first set of business owner reps?
Before we plunge in, let’s cover the popularity and earning potential of boutique gyms.
ARE BOUTIQUE GYMS POPULAR?
The answer, in short, is yes.
Boutique gyms (otherwise known as specialty gyms) are known for instructor-led classes, group classes, and have a wide range of fitness plans available – from barre workouts, to monitoring heart rate, crossfit training, pilates, and even powerlifting.
From 2015 to 2017, membership in boutique studios climbed 15%, while conventional club membership declined 3% during the same time period.
The New York Times attributes this phenomenon to a lack of human connection at most big-box gyms. The big gyms like Crunch, 24 Hour Fitness, Bally’s seem soulless.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts 10% growth in the Fitness Training sector, which is higher than the market overall.
IBIS estimates that Fitness is a $30B industry, so there’s lots of opportunity to go around.
But one thing that may surprise you is that Boutique Gyms are also quite profitable.
ARE BOUTIQUE GYMS POPULAR?
The answer, in short, is yes.
Boutique gyms (otherwise known as specialty gyms) are known for instructor-led classes, group classes, and have a wide range of fitness plans available – from barre workouts, to monitoring heart rate, crossfit training, pilates, and even powerlifting.
From 2015 to 2017, membership in boutique studios climbed 15%, while conventional club membership declined 3% during the same time period.
The New York Times attributes this phenomenon to a lack of human connection at most big-box gyms. The big gyms like Crunch, 24 Hour Fitness, Bally’s seem soulless.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts 10% growth in the Fitness Training sector, which is higher than the market overall.
IBIS estimates that Fitness is a $30B industry, so there’s lots of opportunity to go around.
But one thing that may surprise you is that Boutique Gyms are also quite profitable.
HOW TO START A BOUTIQUE GYM
Let’s take it step by step. Here’s a great source of information that explains the basics in great detail, but we’ll summarize it for you here:
- Get your Personal Trainer Certification and Become CPR Certified
- Consider costs for space rental, employees, insurance, and equipment
- Write a business plan
- Find your niche
- Form a legal entity (such as an LLC)
- Register for taxes
- Open a business bank account
- Set up business accounting
- Obtain necessary permits and licenses
- Get business insurance
- Define your brand
- Establish your online presence
With the basics out of the way, let’s talk about how to get your boutique gym training business off the ground.
HOW TO GROW YOUR BOUTIQUE GYM TRAINING
With the above checklist in mind, you must be on the edge of your seat and excited to plunge in headfirst!
Keep in mind that the price of entry isn’t a nominal fee. Entrepreneur Magazine estimates that starting your own gym can cost between $10,000 and $50,000. How do you raise the money? Keep reading.
HOW TO RAISE MONEY
As an entrepreneur or small business owner, you should probably be looking at obtaining unsecured funding. Unsecured funding is a loan with no collateral required. Read more about how to do this here.
HOW TO GET CLIENTS
We wrote an article about how to generate online leads for your business. As a business owner today, this should be one of your top priorities.
Consider building your online presence, which includes creating a Facebook page, Instagram profile, and website for yourself.
Incidentally, you can put your PocketSuite online booking link on any of these platforms to encourage potential clients to book your services online.
You should also consider running paid ads on Google (formerly called Google AdWords), which PocketSuite can help you with as well through our partnership with Google.
Lastly, make sure to do some offline marketing as well! Word of mouth, flyers, and referrals are all amazing to get more clients for your boutique gym.
Now let’s talk about some of the practical ways to grow your boutique business that involve capitalizing on battle-tested tactics that work in fitness.
OFFER A FREE TRIAL
One gym owner said she retained 67% of her clients after offering a two-week free trial to her classes.
CONSIDER ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF REVENUE
Besides your monthly membership fees, you should consider providing other value added services for your patrons, which will increase your income per customer.
Other sources of income include nutritional juices or smoothies, coffee and healthy snacks, and gift shops containing logo t-shirts, towels, and other apparel. You can also consider providing childcare during workouts and nutritional guidance.
In the next section of this article we’ll unveil some major hacks to take your boutique gym training business to the next level.
USE POCKETSUITE TO GROW YOUR BOUTIQUE GYM
Here are some of the features that boutique gym owners as well as fitness trainers love about using PocketSuite to run their business:
Memberships – charge your members a monthly fee to be part of your gym.
Classes – fill up your Crossfit, Cycling, or any other type of classes and make the most of your gym space
Messaging – Stay on top of client communication over text without using your personal cell phone number
Smart Campaigns – Create automated client follow-ups that help you get more bookings and keep your gym full
Thousands of boutique gym trainers are using PocketSuite to make six figures. Isn’t it time you did the same?
Try out the Premium plan FREE trial on us – we promise you’ll love it. No strings attached.
If you’re already using PocketSuite, here’s how to set it up for Fitness professionals.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this primer how to grow your boutique gym. We’ve covered how to get started, how to get clients, and even how to make your life easier using a special app called PocketSuite.
Now go out there and max out your business. I expect you will have all kinds of income gains!
Like this article? You’ll love these articles:
- How to Run Your Fitness Business on PocketSuite
- Our guide on how to generate leads for service businesses in 2022
- Our Frustrations with Square article
