a simple reminder for next seasons' promotions

May 2025 keep us all safe, content & healthy!

I have way too many photos in my iPhone. An outrageous amount.

Honestly? It is obnoxious; I am not an influencer nor a photographer nor a parent neither of children or of furry friends…but yet, have a very high number of photos. Over the past 2 months or so, whenever I have a piece of time where my brain is “fried" and I'd rather not think…I've started purging my photos & making/collating albums with a goal to delete 100 photos and/or videos at a go. 

(I have found a few gems lost in the mix! And date-stamped, no less!)

This Great Deletion has, of course, proved useful when I've needed to locate something specific I need for a client or an idea or an Instagram post. 

Of course, I have been driven bonkers in the meantime when I know I saved that screenshot of the good idea or something I need to read about & fall down the rabbit-hole-of-research…but better late than never to have a system. (clearly-labeled albums)

Prior to Christmas, I purchased a gift card for a friend, for a set amount to a local restaurant & I was reminded how much I love the pay-it-forward vibe of the promotion they had on offer.

Their Holiday 2024 promotion ➡️  for every USD $50 you spend on a gift card for someone else

=

you are gifted a USD $10 gift card by the restaurant for your own use. ⬅️

I haven't eaten at this restaurant yet…and now I have all the more reason to give them a try.

If we've worked together over the past 10+ years, you'll know I absolutely love a value-add sale for a boutique fitness business and I absolutely loathe a % discount. I would rather clients be gifted 2 classes for every 10 classes they purchase rather than a % off, as a tangible example; as it is thoughtful & adds value, rather than discounting what your experience is worth/potentially jeopardizing your break-even point.

If your Black Friday or Small Business Saturday or Overall Holiday 2024 Promotions landed poorly or spectacularly…I hope you have a simple system in place to remind yourself of what you did & how it went, easy to access/alert you in October/November of this year, when the game starts all over again…and not like me frantically looking for a screenshot amongst tens of thousands of iPhone photos.

And if your studio had a similar & successful promotion like the restaurant, I'd love to hear about it; reply & let me know!

3x3 expansion & the last email of '24

This is my last weeklyish Wednesday email of 2024! They began in March & I've loved thinking thoughtfully about what to share with you with intention to offer stories to spark your creative thinking, tools which could work for your studio & perspective of what I've seen over the past 15ish years in the boutique fitness space. 

If you've read & ever taken even a suggestion to advisement or felt as though you were doing the right thing even once…please know I am delighted to be of service in the smallest way, of what you have created.

---

I wrote on Instagram earlier this week, 3 brackets of 3 questions, each, to consider when ideating an expansion plan for your studio:

1. Start with why:

✍🏻Why do I want to open another studio & do I honestly have the energy?

✍🏻Is it due to direct-demand from clients?

✍🏻Is it because I want to expand & eventually consider selling?

2. Be so for real:

✍🏻 What did I do really well for location #1?

✍🏻Where did I allocate $$ poorly for location #1 / were there design missteps I do NOT want to repeat?

✍🏻For location #2 to look / feel on-brand to location #1, what are my top 3 non-negotiables?

3. And finally:

✍🏻Am I sure that my front-of-house SOPs & instructor SOPs are airtight?

✍🏻Do I have $$ allocated for a competitive salary for a great Studio Manager?

✍🏻What is my training plan for expanding my instructor team? (aka those who execute my product)

As always…if you've scaled (or moved locations!) & feel strongly about something not mentioned above, you know I want to hear from you; please click 'reply' & I am all ears.

--

In caring for both of my aging parents, one of whom has spent 2ish weeks in the hospital as of late (but doing well + a successful surgery yesterday)...I missed both shopping on (AND sharing a new & simple product I made with studio owners in mind) on Black Friday. 

And I missed Small Business Saturday, too.

And also Cyber Monday.

I thought I'd stress myself out more: “you know…maybe I'll ‘launch’ the product & tell the Wednesday email inner-circle about it first…on my birthday"

(Which is today…and sorry…still no dice 🙃)

So that's my way of saying…I created a product to take a crucial piece (in my opinion!) off your plate as a studio owner. Share more with you next year!

Til then, friend, may your holidays be healthy --

I truly believe the best feedback comes from direct feedback

I truly believe the best feedback comes from direct feedback.

ClassPass reviews, overhearing client conversations around the studio, social media echo chamber, client emails (either pos or neg) all give us a piece of the puzzle…and intentional conversations with key people cannot be beat.

Of course, we are ALL busy in the day-to-day side of running a business as well as the bigger picture “working on rather than in” our businesses. 

I know if a Founder of a business I frequent took the time to directly reach out to me, I would feel cared for & with the perception my money was going to a business who truly values being first-rate. Nothing is more valuable to a Founder than time and if even a 5-10 minute conversation is spent on me…I would continue to be a retained client…especially as I'm sure there would be great questions asked & answered.

What do you think would happen to your studio if you or your Founder implemented 1 daily 10 minute conversation with a regular client, or occasional client, or front of house staff, or instructor team?

--

I've missed writing to you these past 2 weeks! I've kept an unofficial “weeklyish” cadence since starting to send these “hellos” with stories, tools to use & takeaways from around the world in our boutique fitness space.

My Father landed in (2) hospital(s) for 11 nights (no wifi & no brain-bandwidth from me to you) & it was a wonderful serendipity I was able to spend the time with him, facilitating steps for his care; I was supposed to be away in Canada for round 1 of instructor training for a new cycle studio, but there was an unforeseen issue with the lease, causing a necessary postponement. 

Sometimes when the thing doesn't work out in the timeline we had planned…causes us to be exactly where we need to be.

& Dad is doing great, by the way; heads into his 90-something surgery (yes, really & yes, we've lost count…🤯) next week.

Have a great rest of your week!

Recognizing the staff members who make your success possible

Last Thursday I caught up on the phone, separately, with 2 longtime group fitness professionals who, quite transparently, are my real-friends in addition to being colleagues, and who do not know one another. 

Both are multi-format instructors, who have leaned-into the Master Trainer track of working for a number of years with companies of whose format certifications you're likely familiar. 

Both have lead instructor trainings in the mainstream-traditional-convention-space AND internal trainings at boutique studios.

I was expecting to hear about each of their lives both personally and at work, the roses & thorns; a proper catch-up free from glossing-over disappointments.

I didn't expect to engage in two nearly identical conversations within hours of one another.

The focal-point of both conversations was, very very simply, that both of these tenured, intelligent, caring & responsible instructors felt completely unimportant, unrecognized & not properly compensated (1 shared there had been no bonus structure & the other was not reimbursed for travel expenses to certify fitpros) for the efforts they've put into their work. 

Given they both are in a select few “faces of the company” for which they've worked, this is especially not good.

They simply feel like their years of dedication & work have been for nothing & are beginning to think strongly what else they may want to do for their occupation.

So, what are the shifts & how can we better ensure our talent feels cared-for?

Here are a few I recommend: 

❤️ Quarterly bonuses for consistent class occupancy

❤️ C-suite verbalizing in a meeting, an email, a event keynote speech, on a podcast interview, on a LinkedIn Brag-Status-Update, wherever….the names of the team members responsible for major wins (💸…)

❤️Annual automatic cost-of-living-raises & brief mention to the team that they'll be taking affect on x date (If you're in the USA, here is the link to COLA)

❤️If you have a larger multi-location business…ESOP

What have you implemented at your studio to good success? One of the above or something else? Click reply - I would LOVE to hear.

When was the last time you worked at the front desk?

One consistent pillar of my consulting business for indoor cycling program design since I began 10 years ago…is my strong advice that at least 1 boutique studio founder complete our instructor training.

(If your studio offers other modalities, stay with me; cycling isn't what matters, I believe this applies to every format!)

Even if they don't intend to teach, I believe the inside-out-learning of how their team of talent delivers the product they sell…only makes them better boutique fitness studio founders.

Another consistent pillar…is my strong advice that the studio founder(s) schedule themselves for a front desk shift at absolute minimum, once per month, even if they have a wonderful studio management team.

This could look different depending on the founder & their persona; I do not believe there is a wrong answer, only the wrong solution for you. 

If you're someone who is operations-focused, it could be a great audit for you to watch check-in & flow of client-traffic, especially if you're eyeing another location & want to make a design adjustment. And perhaps your “front desk shift” IS assisting your team as well as chatting with clients.

If you're someone whose persona is more of a “social butterfly” and you'll be less inclined to fold towels & check-in clients into your system, I invite you to lean into “floating” during the shift & seeking conversation with clients you know & engaging clients you do not yet know. 

By having even one meaningful conversation, be it with praise or something….else, you are helping a client feel seen, heard & understood. 

And maybe, you'll find insight you need from a casual comment.

I have a feeling…even if you're a hands-off founder…you'll be designing more time to spend interfacing with staff & clients during back-to-back classes; the connections your “third place” fosters, matters now more than ever.

Have a great rest of your week!

Accepting pricing from Amazon & Apple but not a small business?

Have you ever had a client negotiate your class prices with you, directly (or pester your front desk staff) for a discount?

I have a colleague with a studio in Nashville for which this happened 3 times last week, alone. 🤯 

And I asked her, "What do you say? Do you say that it sounds like our studio may not be the right space for you & that we wish you well on your journey?

I as well said, “I'm sure you were diplomatic…but I'm pissed; you are a small business. This is beyond rude."

She replied to me, “Each situation is a little different, but I basically say this is our price and we do not make deals. And this week, it's honestly all been from EXISTING clients, too, which is wild. Our prices are our prices and our policies are our policies and either you take it or you don't.”

Me: “WHAT?!” (regarding that the negotiation is coming from an EXISTING client)

Founder: "Yes. Another example from last week: someone asked for a refund 12 days after their membership renewed. 

Then said ‘well, I didn't know it was active, I thought I cancelled it.' 

I told her, ‘well, you didn’t, since you're supposed to email to cancel it right now.' Then the client said, ‘well, can you re-start the month so it starts today?’

And I said ‘no, you can have the remainder of the month.’

…and she continued to fight me on it.

In this case, I did, in fact give her her money back as she had been a pain in the 🍑 anyways and is always late for class. I don't want another month of that so I simply gave in & may blacklist her from ever purchasing from us again."

I mentioned to this founder, I felt this client not returning to her space was a gift. And I understand the last sentence above about the blacklist, don't you, friend??

Do you, as a consumer of a given product, bargain with Amazon? Apple? Netflix? Chevron? Instamart? Deliveroo? Equinox? Virgin Active? Uber? Chipotle? You are as important. (And don't receive nearly the same tax-breaks 🙃)

As we used to say back in the day when I worked in a NYC tea house which attracted some characters… “Everyone brings joy when they enter our space; some when they enter, some when they leave.”

I'd love to hear if client-bartering with your small business has happened to you and what polite & effective statements you or your team have made; hit reply to let me know.

And I hope you're having a wonderful week with more people bringing joy to your spaces…when they enter!!

lessons in group fitness from the Book of Kells

When I was cat/housesitting in Dublin, Ireland last weekend, I had the chance to head over to Trinity College's The Long Room or their old library, home of a stunning array from floor-to-ceiling of ancient books which felt very Harry-Potter-At-Hogwarts-esque. I hope you can relate yourself or at least smile at this image; I was a bookish young child who devoured fiction and non-fiction books from the time I could phonetically-pronounce a sentence. 

As I wandered this beautiful old library in awe & I flashed-upon the memory of 11 & 12-year-old Noël, who in junior high school, absolutely despised having to play team sports as a school requirement for physical education; I was much more at home at my ballet class outside of school. The “deal” I cut with my PE teacher was in lieu of me joining-in on team sports…I would pass the class if I walked the track, instead. 

I found walking in circles, alone, tremendously boring…so I would read a book and walk. 📖🤣 

Young Noël walking the track, reading a book and avoiding her classmates, would surely be both confused & intrigued to know that 30s-40's Noël teaches group movement, builds replicable movement programs for studios & trains trainers on how to deliver movement as part of her job.

If you as an adult in your corner of the fitness industry, could speak to a version of you as a child…what would you say? 

One final thing before closing, which applies at your studio: 

Prior to stepping into the library, I viewed the Book of Kells or Ireland's treasure of the 9th century; a well-preserved book of the Four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John from the Bible. 

The Book of Kells was written by 4 main scribes in a formal style. 

1 was conservative in how he copied the script. 

Another enjoyed calligraphy & added color to the pages. 

There was a goldsmith in the mix, too, to add ornate flourish.

Though the ancient scribes had a script & plan to follow…because they were different people, executed the script differently to beautiful result.

When we have a tight & replicable group fitness program of any format, be it with a template to follow or otherwise, if we work to develop instructors' unique personalities, lean-into their life experiences & taste in music…we'll never have a commonplace & unoriginal class.

As always, I love to hear whatever you're working on; let me know how you are.

I hope you have a great rest of your week!

who finds a boutique studio via newspaper? (or) Friends In Cold Places

I have been in Reykjavik, Iceland for about the past week, visiting a dear friend, Jess, who lives here & recently became a homeowner. 

(& if you follow me on Instagram, my account was temporarily an Aurora Borealis fansite, given we had 3 consecutive clear-nights with stunning Northern Lights, including last Thursday's solar storm when friends & colleagues who normally don't, were able to see the lights in southern Europe & North America!)

Jess was a rider, actually, back in Singapore 2014-15 at our early-days-of-boutique-fitness-in-Southeast-Asia studio 7Cycle. We met & forged a friendship on a bike-to-nowhere-in-a-dark-room. Jess avidly attended both cycle class offerings (music+metrics & music+choreo, which I program-designed) + off/on bike bootcamps in the membership she purchased after first checking out the studio.

Tonight I asked her to please remind me how she found 7Cycle & she remembered it was via traditional print-media rather than on Instagram (2014 & all) or Facebook. 

I asked, specifically, was it The Business Times ….and yes, it was (!!!). 

10 years ago. Next week. 

Come via the newspaper article…stay for the people.

Prior to considering trying a class, Jess, an expat from the US in Singapore:

• practiced a lot of yoga

• had completed a 200 hour YTT

• wanted to find a space in the city to (hopefully) meet more people to become friends with, which wasn't a dating app or a bar happy hour ✔️

• would do outdoor runs, but had never taken an indoor cycling class before

• was concerned the class wouldn't be fun or engaging & the teachers would be “meh” & she'd be in a dark room by herself feeling lonely

• hoped that people would be nice to her & welcoming ✔️

• hoped the music would be fun & motivating ✔️

• hoped the staff might remember her name & greet her kindly if she returned; didn't want to feel like a stranger every time she walked in for class as she could do just that if she joined Fitness First gym ✔️

That was it, Really.

So I pose to you; have you recently asked why your clients stay patronizing your facilities? And what can be accomplished to ensure the above list of negatives don't happen & instead, all the check-marks & then some?

“When done very well, boutique fitness can change lives” –  Jess

I agree. ✔️😊

As always, I love to hear whatever you're working on; let me know how you are.

I hope you have a great rest of your week!

Did you open your studio with an exit strategy? And other ?s

As we are all “busy” (and there is a gluten-free pizza for dinner tonight here in Sanremo, Italy, with my name on it!) I am going in quickly with 5 questions for you to answer for yourself:

1. Did you open your studio with an exit strategy?

2. If yes, is it still the same today as it was when you opened?

3. Did you open your studio to scale or to sell?

4. Are you the same person today as you were when you opened?

5. Do you view closing or selling your studio as a failure when other businesses in other industries do so daily & it is “normal”?

With a high-profile cycle studio closing in Singapore, another which closed last week in Hong Kong, (2 extremely high rent cities…for my American friends, think Manhattan NYC, for my European friends, think Mayfair London UK) the questions I asked above are topical. 

Several times each month, without fail, I hear from other studio owners looking to sell 

OR sharing they are burnt-out on running a businesses & wanting something else for their lives 

OR looking at a great merger opportunity 

OR wanting to double-down on being the best at what they offer & wanting outside advisory from me 

OR diversifying what they offer their communities with another kind of class or a designer-led activewear brand or public instructor training

OR are looking for a 2nd, 3rd, 4th location for their brick & mortar studio.

As my colleague Mitch McGinley (who sold his yoga studio in 2018 & for the past 5 years, helps other studio owners sell their businesses) so brilliantly said in his Talk for Boutique Fitness Talks a few weeks ago, “valuations are opinions, worth is what is important"

and

“When you clarify your ideal exit, be sure that your full identity isn't tied to your company.”

(BTW, I'll be doing everything I can to be sure Mitch can join us in-person for a Q2 Talks next year, if not, trust me, you will find tremendous value in his presentation that I will wholeheartedly include again next event!)

No pressure to share your answers to the 5 questions, but if you want to, I'm always here for you.

I hope you have a great rest of your week 

Refine/Redesign & Let Go/Be Dragged

A few days ago, I had a first-contact phone call with a boutique fitness studio founder, whom I do not know personally. They wanted to discuss with me, what they feel is their next level as a cycling brand & specifically, how I could help them achieve it, through auditing their hospitality systems, their class program manuals, next-level feedback for instructors who have taught for years who might be plateauing, etc.

It was a vibe-check. For me. For them. 

An honest vibe-check to see if we are a fit before they invest their energy & money in me & I invest my energy & time into working together.

After working with many different client personalities & both big red flags & bigger green flags over the past decade+…if I feel the least bit “off” about in-person work, the answer is a polite ‘no thank you.’ 😊

What we discussed, specifically, is of course confidential. I can tell you that I am familiar with both their brand + the vibrant boutique studio movement offerings in the city where they are located. And friend, it is a market with cutthroat competitive leadership between the existing studios.

I shared my belief that while studio owners where they live don't need to “braid each other's hair at a slumber party", I do encourage supporting one another's wins, not disparaging other studios to clients & collaborating whenever possible….especially if they want to host brand-agnostic continuing educational workshops for instructors across the city to benefit in attending.

Refine. Redesign. Let's see what happens.

**

As I was writing to you, from my Hong Kong airport layover today, a former collaborator texted me out of the blue, asking if we could chat ASAP.

As we'd discussed many times before over the past year+, they are thinking it is time to either try to sell or to close their studio; the P&L simply no longer adds up & their overall health has declined significantly trying to make their studio work.

I found myself saying “let go or be dragged."

I believe that we constantly decide at work & in our personal lives, whether we try harder/differently (the first example) or we let go. 

And it is on us to decide which. Or one. Then the other.

As always, I love to hear whatever you're working on; let me know how you are.

I hope you have a great rest of your week!

Bambu Fitness Bali & high-volume + Stages Cycling new era

I have spent the past few days in Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia, taking a moment to pause & read my book (imagine!) as well as to catch up with Aaron Thomson, a friend & colleague of mine from the years we both lived & worked in Jakarta.

Aaron, along with his three business partners, each with a tangible different lane of expertise, all of which are all quite active in the day-to-day, co-owns Bambu Fitness Bali.

In the off-season…they serve a few hundred movement clients a day.

In peak season…far more than that. 🤯 Consistently. Every day. 🤯

Bambu is expanding their services & spaces offered to keep pace with its legitimate demand; directly behind their large gym & studio space (+ their tasty! cafe concept), their property is presently under construction.

Do know that Bambu is not a typical class-only boutique studio; they offer classes 6 days a week & staff enough coaches to attend to clients' form, direction & motivation during their larger classes. They as well offer Open Gym for those (like me yesterday who wanted to row & StairMaster only!) who prefer a non-class environment.

For 5 ½ years, I waitressed at Alice's Tea Cup on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, around the corner from the original infamous SoulCycle rear lobby. That was a high-volume job (& my most lucrative job ever in F&B) and we needed to get ‘em in, get ’em out…while still cultivating regulars & delivering on a warm experience; it was after all, a neighborhood place.

The way I witnessed Bambu serving their client volume was with a robust number of staff at their reception desk, all of whom were ready to engage in conversation with clients about anything & everything in a non-forced way. 

No disingenuous “where are you from?" here.

Think for a moment…if your facility does or hopes to hit those numbers daily…do you have operating systems for delivering information, packages and kindness, so that the numbers are steady across years? 

Hit reply if you want to chat about it. & if you're ready for more action, let's work through solutions on a general call or take advantage of my Happy Hour Audit.

**

You might have seen that as of last week, the Stages Cycling bankruptcy drama has reached a new era.

I've not poked further to those-who-are-they (yet) but its looking good that the parts you may need for your existing bikes may no longer be a scramble to source. 🤞🏻

As always, I love to hear whatever you're working on; let me know how you are.

My #1 hiring suggestion for the studio's best front desk staff

It is, indeed, not Wednesday! After flying from LA to Jakarta, Indonesia, earlier this week for a dear friend's (& former 🚲 instructor whom I trained to teach years ago!) multi-day wedding festivities...I am constantly reminding myself what day it is. 😊 
 

Today at SaladStop in Kemang (if you're not in Southeast Asia & unfamiliar: think sweetgreen in the US or customize-your-own salad spots wherever you live!), their staff remembered my order from yesterday, exactly, as I ordered it again...and were one step ahead of me in my client-journey.
 

When I was in India for 2 months earlier this year, building powerCycle with Physique57, I was consistently amazed at the staff at the Tim Horton's by the studio. Their greetings to me were not phony, they always remembered my order & by which method I would pay. Same as at SaladStop this week, they were one step ahead of me, anticipating.
 

When I mentioned this to one of Physique's managers as an example of hospitality, he shared that the staff remembered his order, too...and he'd only been there one other time!

(If you're puzzled at this very random reference...yes, Tim Horton's as in Canada's well-known coffee & doughnut chain & yes, I didn't have "buy coffee from Timmy's when in Bombay with a cycling studio" on my 2024 bingo card, either!)

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned to you, a similar experience at the Starbucks in California by where my Dad lives.

If you're sensing a pattern with these 3 examples from the food & beverage industry...yes. And they're universal across the world IF there is structure in how staff is trained & what is important to the company.
 

The #1 tool I can offer you or your hiring management team to look out for on CVs when hiring any client-facing staff but especially when hiring for front desk reception...is if they have big-corporate service industry work experience, bring them in for an interview.

They may not be mold-able for exactly what you are looking for in your company culture...or they very well might be.

What they most assuredly will be...is accustomed to structure at work. 
 

MASSIVE bonus points for any candidate who has worked at an Apple Store or a Disney theme park, especially; they will have learned authentic client engagement & working with structure. (Anecdotally, the best sales person we had when I worked in Shanghai…was a poach from China's first Apple Store!)
 

What I've found over the past 10 years of working with boutique studios across class formats worldwide, is there is a flip-side to hiring someone with this specific background I've shared above:

If your studio's systems could use a refresh…and that hasn't been tackled yet…it might prove frustrating to an excellent employee accustomed to delivering competent customer service & overall warm hospitality.

If you think you might benefit from a consultation to look-over your written materials for your operating systems & identify any "holes" I encourage you to book a "Pick My Brain" session, here.

As always, click reply to share your hiring wins or anything else; I always love hearing from you.

Have a great rest of your week!

Positive Feedback Straight To The (Instructor) Source

Like many others, I, assuredly, appreciate hearing a compliment when genuine. ClassPass, Yelp, Google and others, for better or for worse, have offered a platform for clients to give compliments & hurl criticism to small businesses. (Personally, when reading the most outlandish of negative comments anywhere on the internet I think to myself, everyone deserves a voice but has everyone earned a microphone…?) 

I remember feeling like I'd “made it” somehow 12+ years ago in NYC when I received an alert my cycling class had been reviewed for the long-dead “Rate Your Burn” website. (IYKYK!)

Several of my studio clients agreed that when a founder or manager directly shares a customer's positive public review or positive private message about a class with the instructor whose class it was…there are no downsides. Taking the time to personally forward an email or screenshot a ClassPass review with a thoughtful and encouraging preface is great leadership.

When was the last time you one-on-one shared a positive class review with an instructor on your team? 

What about the last time you shared a positive class review with the instructor-group-chat?

As ever, I'd love to hear from you if you're inclined to share. 

Have a great rest of your week!

Noël

a reminder: how you make clients feel, matters

In boutique fitness (& many other businesses, honestly) we have the opportunity daily to help our clients feel special & seen. Many times, it costs us nothing.

This morning at the Starbucks by where my Dad lives, I was in line behind a complicated order. A barista noticed me, made my doppio espresso & came over to bring it to me prior to paying.

I'm going through one hell of a rough time at the moment & that simple kindness & noticing me while in line set a lovely tone for my entire day, frankly.

What is 1 thing you can do for a client today to make them feel seen?

As ever, I'd love to hear from you if you're inclined to share. 

Have a great rest of your week!

meet Mitch McGinley & David Finnimore + when to break our own rules

Every once in awhile, I've found it to be ok to “break my self-imposed rule” for the bigger picture of helping others.

I started Boutique Fitness Talks back in 2018 after attending an IHRSA conference where I saw that boutique fitness studio owners were not seen nor served nor (for the most part) anywhere to be found on the expo floor of the mainstream fitness event. 

I first envisioned, then brought to life with exceptional collaborators, a small niched-event where studio founders, managers & key-players could connect & learn from & with one another, with structured topics & great speakers, attend a class together, not race from one side of a sterile convention center to another & most importantly…if you weren't there, then you missed it. There was to be no IG livestream, no Zoom, no taping of sessions; a closed container of people who wanted the same things even with execution differences & cultural differences. 

I had a blast collaborating with & facilitating great dialogue & implementation with smart studio owners & soon-to-be-owners doing their homework at Talks events in Berlin, Hong Kong, Bali & Bangkok from 2018-2020.

In finalizing the Agenda for Saigon 26-27 September, I've been thinking intently about what I see as viewing our boutique industry with 4 different outcomes to pursue, 2 of which can be uncomfortable but essential to speak about; to Sell or to Close.

I decided to break my own rule for a 100% in-person Talks…because you need to know Mitch McGinley. 

Mitch is unable to attend in person & will be taping a session for us which is sure to be dynamic & insightful…about selling your fitness studio business & what that could look like.

Mitch is based in San Diego, California and is a former studio owner, licensed Business Broker and Exit Planning Advisor specializing in Boutique Fitness business sales and acquisitions. He originally worked in hotel management, and then with an investor who was buying boutique hotels, fixing them up, and then selling them. Shortly thereafter, he and his wife Karson bought their favorite yoga studio. During that time he began working as a Mindbody Certified Business Consultant, and Mindbody Education Faculty, teaching at Mindbody Universities all over the world. After successfully selling his studio in 2019, he was licensed as a Business Broker and merged all of his worlds to help other business owners in this industry maximize their biggest payday. He has helped facilitate over 50 transactions in the past five years. 

If you attended the Talks in Bali in 2019 or Bangkok in 2020, you will remember our colleague David Finnimore, who will be speaking on closing a boutique fitness studio business.

David Finnimore is a marketing and operations leader with over 20 years of experience across Asia, North America, and Australia. Skilled in property, wellness and legal sectors with a results-driven, people-focused track record in each. He was the founder of Cycology Club, Sydney, Australia; a first-to-market boutique cycling concept from 2016-2024.

We'll be an intimate group & I look forward to seeing you in a few weeks.

In the meantime…whether you're Asia-based & can join us next month or not…I leave you with what I hope is an impactful question, due to something David said to me a few days ago: does continuing to own/run a boutique fitness studio fuel your purpose? Your ego? Your P&L?

Have a great rest of your week!

talking about our products, Physique57 India added cycle & Vietnam Talks event end Sept

Earlier this summer, I had a flight with Emirates. As I was making my way down the jet bridge to board the aircraft, I overheard a seemingly regular patron of the airlines chatting with one of the cabin crew. The crew member, was having a lovely conversation which felt natural & un-rehearsed with the regular. She was asking questions of him of what he was looking the most forward to enjoying while in-flight, as he had not yet flown this particular aircraft in his class of service. 

It was an unforced chat & the crew member was genuinely turning-over-the-rocks of getting to know the patron & finding valuable points of conversation in what he shared with her about his needs & preferences when he flies.

I thought of this random yet specific memory recently as I shared a few talking points of vocabulary / phrases to digest using in one's own voice, with the Physique57 India powerCycle team ahead of their cycle launch last week on 8/8 😊

(If you've been opening these weeklyish dispatches for awhile now, surprise!, the cat is out of the bag; ICYMI, Physique57 India has added music-and-science-based cycling to their product offering in Mumbai & I loved designing the programming & training the team ❤️)

Does your instructor team as well as your front-of-house team know how to effectively communicate in conversation with clients…what exactly it is you offer at your studio? Its value to one's life & key takeaways to expect?

Have you overheard the team speaking about your product(s) & felt proud of what you've created?

Have you overheard the team speaking about your product(s) & felt they missed the mark?

Have you provided your teams with current talking-points to best communicate the value & takeaways for your product(s)? Or are they improvising? & have you provided practice opportunities for staff to talk-through how they interface with clients so they feel as unrehearsed & authentic as possible?

On an unrelated-and-bluntly-honest-note…I am at currently sorting a frustrating hiccup with the venue we secured for Boutique Fitness Talks, 26-27 September in Saigon, Vietnam…we are still planning on a lovely event in our typical intimate group setting, with speaker details/topics & pricing to follow, shortly. 

💪🏻Arrive in time on Thursday night for evening class together with our collaborator studio OneCycle & drinks/bites to follow to meet your fellow studio founders.

✍🏻Talks all day Friday, with breakfast, lunch & a tea break.

Have a great rest of your week!

visibility with new clients AND a way to raise 💰for a cause?

Hi First name / Friend,

This week, I caught up offline & outside of a studio, with an instructor colleague here in Seattle, where I am currently visiting. She shared that one of the studios where she teaches was participating in a community outreach event, the Seattle Sweat Crawl, which I wanted to share with you to (hopefully!) validate your own initiatives at your studio 

OR 

to spark creativity for a future event collaboration with other studio founders in your own community.

5 Seattle boutique fitness studios across diverse class modalities (Barry's, Cyclebar, HIIT Lab, [solidcore] & corepower yoga) offered purchase of a week-long ‘passport,’ which gave each passport-holder:

• 1 class at each studio

• a passport pick-up party sponsored by complimentary wellness vendors

• exclusive discounts at local brands (think IV drip, infrared sauna)

• & a closing party with a DJ & a raffle with prizes to be won

Most importantly, all proceeds from the passport went to a local food bank.

I really love this idea for the obvious reason to support a local charity, but as well because it offers each studio the opportunity to capture new clients trying them for the first time who maybe wouldn't be compelled to try…without relying on ClassPass for visibility.

If you are planning a similar event in your town or city, amazing!

I highly suggest:

✅ Creating a way to capture each client's email address & reaching out to them within a day of their visit to your studio. It can be as simple as a lovely and branded thank you for attending, sharing the approximate total of money raised for a worthwhile charity due to their buying a passport, your price list and schedule for their next visit, etc

✅ Being sure instructors are aware of the dates of the event, using names in class in a positive way on the mic (something I suggest anyways, all the time, irrespective of special events!) & are alongside your front desk hospitality staff, are sure to be ready for an influx in each class, of new clients to orient on equipment 

✅ Speaking with your accountant to ensure you have the correct processes in place for your tax write-off as being a part of a charitable event, if this is applicable where you live

✅ Having more present management on hand for class-check-ins to interface organically with folks visiting via the event; where are the opportunities to strike up conversations about which classes they've tried so far on the passport, where do they normally work out, do they have questions about what we offer at our studio…etc. The “turning over the rocks” to do that thing which, in boutique fitness, has turned into funny buzzwords “build community.” 😊

If your studio has participated in something similar, please hit reply & tell me more - I'd love to hear how it went.

Have a great rest of your week!

our Alaska vacation, the Denali “un-hospitality” & what to avoid at your studio

I was fortunate to travel to Alaska last week with my Mom on a-years-in-the-making family holiday so she could experience her 50th-out-of-50 USA states on her “bucket list.”

(If you love the outdoors & have considered this trip/trek, I do encourage you to visit & I am happy to answer any questions you have! Having grown up so close to Yosemite, the National Parks in the States are a few of my favorite things. 😊)

In spending time close to Denali National Park, at first I couldn’t place why the interactions I had at our (very lovely) lodge seemed different than elsewhere I’ve traveled.

& then it hit me…Denali, Alaska is a “bucket-list place" NOT a “return visit place…& as such, in my opinion, the hospitality-points we experienced were the direct opposite of the fitness business you very likely own or manage.

Do note:

➡️ Denali National Park is not easy to access. From Anchorage a 7+ hour train each way, or a 5ish hour drive on a remote highway you don’t know, or a USD $1500 or so each way small charter plane to an airstrip. (We took the train)

➡️ It is the wild; Denali-the-highest-peak-in-North-America is visible only 20% of the time in the summer & wildlife are not viewable on command, either.

➡️ It is expensive & with a very limited amount of accommodations available.

➡️ You must really want to experience this park.

➡️ I’ve joked that Alaska in summer is where you have the pleasure of paying a Ritz-Carlton price for a step above a Ramada-reality; whatever visual that evokes for you!

Most guests visit Denali once…unless they are willing to make the long trip again & again…which for many is either financially untenable and/or a “well we did it, what’s next?” feeling. The exact opposite of visiting your studio!!! 

I noticed there was no incentive to nurture repeat guests…because the “Denali once in a lifetime visitor” cycles through…daily.

Rather than share a list of what did not happen at the hotel/with staff, here is a list of reminders for what I wish would have happened, localized to your boutique fitness business:

• Welcome clients warmly

• Anticipate in advance what clients will need for the next part of their client journey with you by mentioning a necessary item (cycling shoes, extra water, barre socks, boxing gloves)

• No one should ever wonder how to get from Point A to Point B. (“Call the front desk to book our complimentary shuttle to abc place" rather than not highlighting to guests immediately that they provide a shuttle and to where…!) Physically show clients to the room where class is and/or to the locker room.

• “Did you enjoy the music?” “Was it a fun session?” “We're so happy you came to join us, let me remind you where your locker is” or "I'd love to show you our schedule & get you sorted for your next class with us after you've gathered your things, I'll see you at the front, please take your time & enjoy the space, no rush”

• Acknowledgment by staff when a client passes by

• If someone seems lost / confused as to where to go and within sight of staff, greet them genuinely and check in

• Non-curt replies to simple questions asked of staff by client, so clients feel seen & heard & not like they are asking something stupid

• Circulating staff to answer questions or to strike up conversation & “turn over the rocks” to find points of engagement with a guest (You already know that you cannot be at every prime-time check in at every location…who else can you hire / cultivate to be sure your clients are seen & heard?)

• Does every client-focused member of your team know how to talk about the class product you offer & its benefits? & for the more tricky/nuanced questions, immediate deferral to someone more senior who can take the question more thoroughly (think major food allergy, vague menu, one restaurant on site, not wanting to get sick, you get the idea!)

How many do you & your client-facing staff consistently do?

Have a great rest of your week!

our gift card sales [mis]adventures & how I hope this might help your studio

This past weekend, my Dad asked me to find a nice spa where he lives & to assist him in arranging a gift card for someone who had helped to drive him to & from his radiation & chemotherapy treatments. He wanted to purchase one for an appropriate amount, considering their menu of services & allow the recipient to choose which service(s) they wanted to enjoy, as he didn't wish to assume their preferences.

Seems simple enough, right? I assure you…if it was…I would not be sharing with you. 🙃

I found a lovely spa's website & had a quick peruse. Straightforward information & pricing. Went to their location with my Dad, asked to purchase a gift card & 'highlights' from the dialogue coming from reception included: “well is this person a member?” 

and “we have member prices & regular prices” 

and “our gift cards are not for an amount, you must specify the treatment you want to give, and since neither you nor the recipient are members, we will charge you for the specified service only at the regular price."

Needless to say…we left. I promptly found another spa which looked equally nice at a very quick glance from my phone while in the car, we drove there, briefly glanced at their brochure of services to ensure he was giving appropriately, paid, wrote a “to-from” card & it was then wrapped into a lovely gift box. 

In & out in probably 3 minutes.

Moral of the story: Please ensure your studio's website reflects a client's reality when they enter your space…and please make it easy for clients to pay you for your retail & class memberships/packs! 

This was an opportunity to serve potential clients who were not already bought-into the spa's brand…and they fumbled the ball.

Had the sales experience been more along the lines of: “Our clientele are mostly monthly members on various packages. I'd love for your guest to give us a try, however & see if they want to continue with what we offer. For a gift card, we offer x amount increments good for y services & when they call to book their appointment, they'll simply say they're a new client & we'll handle from there. All of this information is on the gift card. For what amount would you like to purchase?” …we would have been all-in.

Coincidentally, the day before the adventures-in-spa-customer-service, I had checked into a hotel with my Mom & was a bit…taken aback at the boldness of the label of the bottled water in our room. It read, and I promise you, I embellish not: “Hilton Honors: Diamond, Gold & Silver members-just a little thanks from us! Enjoy two free bottles of water on every stay. All other guests: $3.00.”

As I chuckled to myself & took a quick photo so I would remember their wording, I couldn't help but think of the old Groucho Marx line “Please accept my resignation. I don't want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member."

As always, if you have something to share, hit reply - I'd love to hear your [mis] adventures with a membership model!

Have a great rest of your week!

Noël

a California hello + data from The Fit Guide

A few months back, I was asked by The Fit Guide to weigh-in on the extensive data across multiple categories, collected from boutique studio visits in NYC, London, Singapore, Dubai & Sydney, across cities & modalities. Data was collated by city as well as by fitness modality and, in my opinion, a combination of both the fascinating & the thoroughly unsurprising. 

A small sample of my thoughts: 

(please do substitute “cycle” & “riders” for “modalities at your studio” & “clients”)

"On reviewing The Fit Guides' stats, the categories which scored poorly are, coincidentally, what was done well during my first SoulCycle rider experience. The good news for studio management is that these are not hard to improve as where cycling studios scored highly are the harder points to develop!

For example, only 34% of riders were spoken to by the instructor before the class, only 41% of the time the instructor followed up afterwards & used names 35% of the time. As these are all fundamentals, to improve I suggest management plan to work on consistently addressing, monitoring & training."

A component of delivering an experience worth money is ensuring clients are seen & heard. Using & remembering names is one part of the hospitality we provide in boutique fitness spaces…has this been made a training-point at your studio & with your teams?

You may use my code NOEL to download two complimentary reports here.

I'm with family this week in Central California. My dad has been very very ill…thankfully doing well now…but I share this with you as I believe strongly that he, in large part, has “bounced back” the way he has, albeit slowly, due to his childhood/young adulthood of competitive team sports (UCLA baseball!) & past decades of consistent physical exercise even as his health has declined.

What we do for clients' overall health while in our spaces…matters.

 Have a great rest of your week!