Pilates Business Podcast

Don’t Let Q4 Revenue Slip Through Your Fingers: Here’s What To Do Now

• Seran Glanfield • Season 24 • Episode 237

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In this episode of The Pilates Business Podcast, host Seran Glanfield dives deep into what it really takes to make Q4 your most profitable season yet — without burning out or running constant discounts. If you're a boutique fitness studio owner juggling full classes, holiday chaos, and planning for the new year, this episode is your ultimate guide.

You’ll learn how to strategically plan your marketing, boost client retention, and fine-tune your operations so you can maximize revenue and minimize stress. With studio owners making up to 40% of their annual revenue in Q4, this is the moment to get intentional.

Whether you’re running a Pilates studio, barre business, or yoga space, Seran’s expert insight will help you take action now to finish the year strong — and enter January already ahead of the game.

Got a question for Seran? Add it here 👉

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Speaker 1:

It's no secret that Q4 can make or break your year, but are you actually set up to take full advantage of what might be the busiest and most profitable time of year in the boutique fitness world? In today's episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on what it really takes to maximize your profit in Q4, from marketing to retention and the operational adjustments that could make or cost you thousands. So if you want to finish the year strong and step into January already ahead, this episode is for you. Well, hi there, I'm Saren Glanfield. I'm a business and marketing strategist just for boutique fitness studio owners like you. If you're ready to be inspired and make a bigger impact, you're in the right place. All you need are a few key strategies, the right mindset and some support along the way. Join me as I share the real life insights that will help you grow a sustainable and profitable studio.

Speaker 1:

This is the Pilates Business Podcast. Well, hey there, and welcome back to the Pilates Business Podcast. I'm Sarah in Glanfield. I am your business coach, ex-pilates teacher, massive studio owner cheerleader and your go-to guide for building a sustainable and profitable boutique fitness business that also fulfills you and excites you and energizes you. I mean this is why you get into entrepreneurship in the first place? Right, because you want to make an impact, you have an idea about how you want that to look and you want to be able to enjoy it and live well because of it, right? So that's what I'm all about when I help my studio owners build and grow their business. And here on the Pilates Business Podcast, as you know, we talk about everything that goes into building a strong studio. And today's topic is one that I love talking about because when you get this right, it can literally that I love talking about, because when you get this right, it can literally transform your bottom line, your profit, without working harder or adding more to your to-do list or to your already packed schedule. And so I want to talk a little bit about what we're looking at in this at this time of year and as we look towards the end of the year. Right, and that means that we want to make sure that we are maximizing revenue and profit in Q4. And before you go thinking, oh, that just means running a Black Friday sale, hang tight, because this episode goes way beyond promos.

Speaker 1:

This is about understanding the very unique dynamics and ins and outs of the last 90 days of the year and then using them to your advantage, because I think this is one of the most powerful times of the year. In fact, I see studio owners often making up to 40% of their annual revenue from this quarter alone. But that is only possible when you plan for it, and the reality is is that we come out of this summer season excited for the fall, and you know we see an upswing in terms of engagement and activity, often in September, and then, by the time the holidays kind of come around, they often take us by surprise and we're often unprepared or trying to sort of duct tape together last minute promotions or marketing campaigns, also while juggling perhaps, a changing schedule, subs, client cancellations and obviously all of the average holiday chaos that is happening in your life outside of the studio, right, but that doesn't have to be the way it is. Instead, when you're thoughtful and prepare ahead of time and have a strategy for the season, one that is designed to both bring in new leads, keep your existing clients engaged and also protect your time, energy and profit, that's when things start to look a little better for you and your business. Today too, I should say, and that's what we're unpacking today for you and we talk about this inside of my Thrive Business Coaching Program. You know we've been talking about it actually for a few weeks already, and so you know every year it's really important to not wait until the last minute when it comes to your Q4 game plan. I'm a big believer in being prepared and planning ahead and thinking ahead, and I get how challenging that can be when you're also juggling a lot of different things, which is why having a program like Thrive as your kind of backup, as the support that you need and the structure and the framework that you need to keep looking at the right things in your business.

Speaker 1:

Now, one of the problems that we see when it comes to Q4 and why that profit often just sort of even, although we might see it tick upwards or revenue tick upwards we often are not optimizing and we do allow quite a lot of profit and revenue to slip through your fingers, because it does often sneak up on us, right. One minute is back to school, then it's Halloween, thanksgiving, and you're then well into the holiday season, new year and with all you know, you're in the middle of January and felt like whiplash, right. And so what we want to do is, instead of approaching Q4 with a okay, I'm just going to get it all done and then, you know, at some point I will, you know, recharge my batteries. I want you to enter Q4 with more strategy than that, so that you can make sure that you're not missing out on any revenue opportunities in your business. And I think sometimes, at this time of year especially, you know classes are full again, right, we're beyond this, perhaps the lulls of summer, but we often are, you know, dealing with that right, and so without a plan, we can often let the Q4 and all of the opportunity that comes with it sort of slip away and often leaving money on the table in the process.

Speaker 1:

So Q4 isn't just about surviving the holiday season. It's actually an opportunity to obviously generate revenue but also create momentum that carries you into the new year and so that you're starting that year strong, that you're starting the year, you know, already thinking ahead and not just sort of hanging on by a thread after what might be a bit of a busy holiday season for you. Okay, so when it comes to how can we make the most of Q4, I'm not even going to give you an opportunity to make you guess what it is that I'm going to talk about first, of course, my favorite topic, and that is marketing, because this is where I see, honestly, studio owners either shine or struggle. Okay, and you know I will say that that what makes Q4 so powerful from a revenue perspective is that it's full of these natural buying triggers, right? These, these opportunities, these, these opportunities, these activities, these celebrations that are often formed around very natural buying activity.

Speaker 1:

Routines are back in full swing and we know that there is a lot of different times and seasons in this next few months where people are going to be spending money. People are primed to spend more money. Your clients are already spending and the question is is whether or not they are spending with you, right? So, more importantly than just throwing out a promotion that is, a discount, we want to make sure that our messaging connects with where your clients are right now, and again and again, you're going to hear me say that if you are simply throwing away money via discounts to try to get new people in the door, your business and your bank account will suffer. You want to wrap that into messaging that goes alongside it, that meets your clients where you are and highlights the benefits of what you do and how it impacts them. So this isn't just about saying save money or get a discount. It's also about saying, hey, are you stressed out? Do you need a reset before the holidays? What about a holiday survival pass? Right? And all of these kind of creative ways to show up in your clients' lives and to showcase what it is that you do also highlights benefits of what you have to offer, creating actually a much deeper connection to your studio business.

Speaker 1:

So marketing in Q4 is not about being louder and it's certainly not about having the deepest discount. I would encourage you to make it about being as relevant as possible to your clients and when you plan your Q4 campaigns ahead of time whether that's your Black Friday offer, your gift card promotions or perhaps even programs for the new year you're able to spend some time to get creative around that messaging and you avoid the last minute stress and ultimately you will reach that goal of higher conversions. So we're looking in Q4. Yes, we are indeed looking in Q4 to get new clients in the door with messaging and marketing that resonates Absolutely. We do not want our marketing to get stale and we do not want to ignore those new clients, even though perhaps it is the end of the year and you're assuming people are going to wait until the new year to commit. What we see time and time again is that this is often a time where people are looking for a fresh, new way to move their bodies or a way to take care of themselves and prioritize themselves. So don't miss out on that.

Speaker 1:

I talk about a little bit here and there, but I really want to highlight for you here today, which is that, when it comes to growing your studio, the growth comes from new clients, yes, but it also comes from your loyal clients. In Q4, retention becomes even more important Because, as you know and as we all are, in that world where we are busier, a little bit busier with the seasons, perhaps a little bit more distracted, there might be a few more things happening and going on in the in, in the lives of your clients, just like perhaps there may be in your life too, and because of that, yes, we're all a little bit more overwhelmed, perhaps have a little bit more on our plate, and naturally we're going to make it. It's going to be more difficult to make it to class right, but that's also and this time of year is also, I will say when community and when consistency really matters most. So in this season, in the Q4 of this year, I want you to focus on keeping your current clients engaged and spending, and there's lots of different great ways to do this. Some of the ideas that we've dove into in a lot of depth inside of Thrive include things like having challenges or events in the studio, and there's a lot of different ways you can promote those and make them really fun and engaging for your community. So you want to think about how can you keep your clients as active in the business as possible, because the more active they are, the more they are going to spend, the more that you will see a consistency in your revenue over those Q4 months. A consistency in your revenue over those Q4 months and the busier your business will be and you won't lose that energy that we all know and love about your studio. So the easiest way to maintain consistent revenue isn't just to get new clients in. It's also to take really, really good care of the clients that you already have. So remember that the clients who stick with you in December are the people who will also be the one who will sort of create that stable revenue in January as well. Okay, so retention still is absolutely critical at this time of year, and I really encourage you to focus on that and continue to focus on that.

Speaker 1:

Now let's talk a little bit about what's happening behind the scenes. Right, because you can run the best campaigns in the world, but often this is a time where the schedule gets a bit messy. We know that some classes aren't going to work. You probably will close your studio for some or a few days, and that means that you're juggling classes and also communication with clients. Your teachers may also may need to take some time out for their own sort of personal festivities, and so you're looking for coverage every single week, and this means that there is a possibility that not only will your revenue perhaps take a bit of a hit, but so will that sort of behind the scenes operations and admin that you're dealing with most likely on a day to day basis, and so when it comes to the operations of your business especially when it comes to the day to day that you know, I think this is a very unique time of year where we see this level of disruption.

Speaker 1:

I want you to just be really clear on a few things. Number one is when it comes to your schedule. We want to make sure that you are aligning your schedule with your demand that you have from your clients that what you're delivering in terms of classes and class times matches what it is your clients want. And this means not necessarily that you're going to cut classes because the studio is closed or because it's Thanksgiving, but that you might actually add some classes here and there as well to make it more accessible around the holiday season. Ok, you also want to make sure that you're looking at and reviewing, perhaps, what you did last year and even taking the time to have a quick think about was that, did that work? Did it was it? Did it make sense? Does it make sense to do that the same thing this year? You know how is your studio changed? How is your client demands change? What are they looking for from you? This year? Perhaps might be different from last year. So review what happened last year and the year before and think about how you can use that information and apply it to what you want to do this year. And then, finally, we also want to encourage you to use as many different ways to communicate any changes with your clients as possible. The worst thing you can do is have a client show up for class they thought was happening and then they find the studio closed. Right, what a feeling that would be.

Speaker 1:

So we want to make sure that you are communicating with your clients clearly about changes in the schedule, new classes you might add as one-off events for the season, perhaps any themed classes you might be hosting, so your whole community is in the know and able to fully participate. Now how do you know which classes are the ones to keep and which classes are the ones to drop? Well, you're going to want to go and check out your revenue per class data and have a look at your attendance and have a look at what that revenue number looks like from a class perspective, because we want to make sure that not only are we looking at driving business through new client acquisition as well as retention, but that we're also protecting your profit by being really, really smart about where your expenses are at this time of year. And so now is the time to think ahead and to look ahead at the schedule, at potential challenges that you might find pop up in terms of subs, et cetera, et cetera, so that you can plan ahead and your team is very aware of what you have going on. Now is the time to perhaps map out some of those promotions, the communication plan, and also think about how you want to communicate to your team about those promotions and the plan for your schedule as well. You don't want to be drowning come the end of November or the middle of December. I want you to enjoy the holiday season too, right?

Speaker 1:

So now is the time to take a little bit of time to plan and prepare, okay, and so I also want to, just in that same kind of mindset, encourage you to start to think about the next year, and I know we are not quite even fully into Q4 yet. However, I do, like I said at the beginning of the episode, I like to plan ahead, I like to help you plan ahead, and so I want you to think about, okay, as you enter into the end of this year and head into January, what is it that you want that January to look like? So, the sooner you can plan and map out your Q4, the sooner that you can invest your time and perhaps some of those brainstorming business planning sessions to think about the beginning of next year and beyond, because if you wait until January to figure out your new year plan, that means you're going to be starting from behind, and I'd much prefer if you hit the ground running energized and excited and ready to go. So now is the time to lay the foundation, okay, in Q4, to get those new leads in, warm up new leads for January, engage your clients and prepare your schedule and then, as that season comes the new year season, I should say comes in. You'll be ready when the rush hits and not scrambling to catch up. Okay.

Speaker 1:

So let's recap your Q4 profit playbook. Number one marketing comes first, absolutely this time of year, there's a lot of noise, which is why you want to make sure that your marketing messaging is relevant to your clients and what they are dealing with in their lives. Try to align your offers with that seasonal buying behavior and I really, really, really encourage you to map out and plan out and to even schedule any promotions you plan to run now. That said, don't forget that revenue is driven by retention, so I encourage you to also keep your current clients engaged and excited about their movement, practice and activities with you. We want to make sure they continue to feel valued, a part of your community and make sure you're perhaps thinking about the various touch points that you can use to develop that sense of connection with them. You know, sprinkle in some, you know, festive challenges and events throughout this season as well. And then, finally, don't forget about the operations. This is where you want to protect your profit, so track the data that matters. Make sure you've got systems and processes in place that is going to support your business in Q4. And then, yes, I would encourage you to plan ahead, not just for the holidays, but for the new year. Trust me, your nervous system will thank you for it.

Speaker 1:

So the truth is that Q4 does not have to be chaotic and it does not have to be all about discounts. It can actually be your most profitable, impactful and that's fun quarter of the year. Right, but only if you approach it with strategy. And if you want to build a business that is thinking ahead, that is prepared to take advantage of all of the opportunities that every season brings, that every quarter brings, then I'd love to invite you to check out Thrive, my business coaching program for boutique fitness studio owners who want to grow smarter and not just work harder. So inside Thrive you'll get the systems, the strategies and the support to streamline your operations, level up your marketing and to finally create a business that doesn't depend on you doing everything.

Speaker 1:

You can go to spring3.com forward, slash, thrive to learn more and let's make Q4 your best. Yet You've got this. I'll speak to you soon. Did you love this episode and want more? Head to spring3.com and check out my free resources that will help you run a profitable and fulfilling studio business. And before you go, one last reminder there is no one way to do what you do, only your way. So whatever it is that you want to do create or offer you've got this. Thanks again for joining me today and have a wonderful rest of your day.