Your Classes Are Full… Then Empty Again? The Retention Problem No One Is Talking About

In this episode of The Pilates Business Podcast, host Seran Glanfield breaks down the hidden reason so many boutique fitness studio owners feel stuck on a constant hamster wheel of marketing, discounting, and chasing new clients.

 Spoiler alert: it’s not a lead problem - it’s a retention problem. Seran explains why client retention is the real engine behind a profitable, sustainable pilates business and how focusing on keeping the right clients can create stable revenue, fuller classes, and far less burnout. 

If your pilates studio or boutique fitness business feels unpredictable month to month, this episode will show you how retention systems, consistency, and intentional client experience can completely transform the way your business grows - without adding more to your already full plate.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Why Retention Beats Constant Acquisition
• 1:18 Meet Sarah And The Thrive Program
• 2:24 The Cost Of The Acquisition Treadmill
• 5:24 Retention As A Core Growth Strategy
• 8:04 Great Classes Aren’t Enough Anymore
• 10:53 Systems That Create Predictable Experiences
• 12:46 Strategy Over Tactics For Retention
• 14:40 Retention Starts Before The First Class
• 17:08 Consistency In Schedule And Standards
• 19:23 Connection Touchpoints That Build Loyalty
• 21:15 Make Retention A Leadership Mindset
• 23:13 Recap And Invitation To Thrive

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Many studio owners think that success comes from constantly getting more clients, more leads, more intro offers sold, more new faces in the door. But the truth that not so many people talk about is that if you cannot keep your clients, you'll always feel like you're starting from zero. So in today's episode, I want to show you why retention is the real engine of a profitable, sustainable studio business and why focusing on keeping clients could really double your revenue without adding more work to your plate. So if you've ever wondered why your classes feel full one month and patchy the next, this episode is for you. Well, hi there, I'm Sarah 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. This is the Pilates Business Podcast. Well, hey friends, and welcome back to the Pilates Business Podcast. This is where we talk about building a thriving, profitable boutique fitness studio that supports you, your clients, and the life that you want to live. Now, if you're new here, I'm Sarah and Glamfield. I've been a business coach and consultant for Boutique Fitness Studio Owners since 2013. I'm also the creator of Thrive, which is my business coaching program that helps studio owners to build the systems, the structure, and the strategy they need to grow sustainably, profitably, and perhaps most importantly, sanely. And today I want to talk about a pot topic that, you know, we we talk about a lot among studio owners. And that, but I think we talk about it in SATA Thrive a lot, I should say. I think it's probably not the topic that is most talked about out there in the world. Um, but it's the thing that most people desperately need to improve, and that is retention. Now, what I see nearly every day amongst studio owners who come to me, new to me or new to my program, and want to see their businesses grow in a profitable and sustainable way, um, they are already exhausted. They're already scrambling, they're already desperate, and they're constantly on this hamster wheel of trying to get new clients in the door. And they will they feel like they've tried everything. They've poured a ton of time into social media, all these different accounts they're setting up. They've started to spend a lot of money on meta-ads, which so far is not really bringing them anything. They've started discounting more, creating new offers, trying to drive traffic. And yet, frankly, their business feels unstable, unpredictable, and chaotic. And, you know, when we start to talk about different systems in your business, when you join Thrive, we do our business assessment, we know we're took it looking at every single piece of the puzzle. And, you know, when it comes to retention, this is something that not a lot of folks are really keeping a good eye on. And when I ask about retention rates and numbers behind that, there's either silence or a bit of a nervous laugh. And that's often because our focus as studio owners is mostly on acquisition. That's what the people talk about all the time. And, you know, that retention piece often gets pushed to the bottom of the to-do list or perhaps isn't even on your radar at all. And it's costing them money, it's costing them predictability, it's costing them stability, it's costing them peace of mind. And the reality is that your existing clients are where your long-term revenue really lies. That's where that sort of ease that I know so many of you looking for really, really lives. And so if you want a steady and predictable and full energized studio, the kind of business where you can take a week off without the whole thing falling apart, you're gonna need more than just a few new clients. You need clients who stick around. You need clients who stay. So I want to talk a little bit about that today. I want to talk a little bit about a perhaps a different way to think about retention. It's not a nice to have, it's not that win back email you're sending, but as actually a core growth strategy that makes every single part of your business more successful. Now, I think there's a lot of costs when it comes to growing a business by chasing just new clients. And I think a lot of studio owners are trapped in what I call the acquisition treadmill, right? So that's where you're always running, right? As fast as you can to get more clients in the door. And yet you never arrive anywhere because you're on a treadmill, right? So you're pouring energy into marketing. You're trying so hard to stay visible, you're spending a lot of money on all sorts of different ways you can be visible and you're chasing people and you're exhausted by it. And also, guys, it doesn't feel good to chase people, right? And no matter how many clients you bring through the door, you're still struggling to fill classes consistently. And honestly, this leads to burnout. It's the reason why people close their doors, you know, and and it also leads not only that, it leads to financial inconsistency as well. And who wants to work for good money one week and zero the next, right? And I think that, you know, this sort of inconsistency and instability in in revenue is also the reason why we live in a world where many folks live in a world as business owners where they're just really nervous from one month to the next, wondering if the next month is going to be the month where they, you know, really have to like pull money out of their savings again, right? And the kicker is that, you know, honestly, looking at the people, the faces in the room, and it's not that you're not getting new clients, you are, right? I know you are. Every single one of every single person who comes to me, no matter how long they've been in business, is getting new clients. This is an age where everybody wants fitness. But it's that you're not keeping them, it's that you're losing them. And we kind of have to think about this sort of two different parts to the business, right? The client acquisition part is important, but the client retention part is what really creates stability in your business. Okay. So the new clients, yes, they bring a lot of excitement, but the existing clients bring a stability. And I think when we approach our uh marketing efforts in this way, a lot of the way that you approach your entire business shifts. Now, inside Thrive, you know, we we did a training recently on exactly this how to take a client who is new and convert them into not just they come back, not just, oh, they buy that next package, but that they are a long-term loyal client. And we give you all the tools and all the steps, and also all the understanding and the opportunity to make it yours because I know that your studio is very different from the studio down the street. And that's really critical as well to all of this retention component of your business. Okay. Now, a lot of people think that um retention is about creating a really great class. And, you know, I spoke about this recently at a conference I was at. Um I'm gonna talk about it a little bit more at some upcoming events I'm going to as well. And I think that this concept of if I teach great classes or I hire great teachers to teach great classes, then that will be great because then clients will come back. Now, the reality is that in this 2026 era of boutique fitness boom and there are studios opening on every corner, um, just having great teachers and just having a great class is often not enough. And if you're relying on that being the strategy, then you're gonna have a massive problem. Retention doesn't come from just having a good class. Frankly, you have to have a good class to survive at all in this era. So teaching well and having great teachers and having a great class is sort of like a requirement. It's a prerequisite actually for success, but it's not the only input. And real, real strong retention comes from more than just good teachers. Real retention that is sustainable, that is consistent, that really keeps people active and engaged comes from systems, from the systems that you have in place in your business that create consistency, from the way that you operate your studio behind the scenes, from delivering predictable experiences, right? People don't just stay because you're the best teacher, even though I know you are a hundred percent. They stay because of that plus everything else. That and the experience. And so when your studio becomes, you know, that and right, teach great teaching and a great experience, and you have great marketing efforts and you're great at communicating, then retention just becomes more automatic. It turns this um, this sort of wishful thinking into a well-oiled machine. So retention is not just about having a good teacher or good teachers anymore. Now, I do want to go into sort of the deeper layer of what are the real drivers of retention, right? And you know, I think that when it comes to retentions, there is sort of 20% of things drive 80% of retention, truly, right? And often they're not just these quick tactics, right? So tactics, when I talk about tactics versus sort of strategy, tactics are things like sending an email on day, you know, X of their purchase and after their purchase and saying this. That's a tactic, right? Now, a strategy is made up of a lot of tactics, but a strategy is more sophisticated than just throwing a bunch of spaghetti at the wall or just giving a bunch of tactics a shot, right? They are a strategy is is about planning, about bringing into play a bigger picture, a bigger intention, and a strong principle behind all of your actions. And so some of these you will recognize for sure as I share them with you right now. And then some of the things I'm gonna share with you is gonna feel a bit like, oh, okay, yeah, this explains a lot. Now, when it comes to retention, I think that the old way, and I talked a lot about this, is old way versus the new way. You know, the old way of doing things says, okay, get a client in the door, give them a good discount, give them a good class, and then pursue them aggressively with a discounted offer to get them to buy their next package. Like that was the old way, right, you guys. And, you know, that worked for some people really, really well. It worked terribly for other people. Um, but it does not work today at all, right? And so if you're still playing by that playbook, then it's time to make some changes because in today's world, retention doesn't start at the end of the intro offer. It doesn't start even after they haven't purchased the next cell, which is often where people start thinking about retention. It starts well before that. And when we think about retention, I'm thinking about it from the literally from the minute that someone discovers our studios. And when we work on retention, and it's a part of our entire marketing strategy from the very beginning. Um, and so we're thinking about how we can nurture and guide our clients and make them feel confident and cared for because we know that when they feel confident and cared for and seen, they stay longer because they know they're in a place that they belong. And so when it comes to long-term retention, we're thinking about the entire experience from the second they hear about you. And I think this is one of the most overlooked opportunities that exists. And inside Thrive and the Marketing Intensive, which is our six-week deep dive into brand, brand messaging, and marketing strategy, we just we take you through the step-by-step of how to create this path, this journey with all of these extremely supportive touch points at every single step. One of the strongest predictors of long-term retention truly is how good your brand message is at the top of the funnel. So we often overlook this as part of retention, but it's absolutely critical, especially as we head and continue to head into 2026. Now, so that part of it is critical, right? That that new client onboarding, new client uh nurture is absolutely key and a huge opportunity to develop those deeper connections that we know drive retention higher and higher and higher. Now, the second key piece of this is that, you know, we have clients joining your studio and they are they're looking for a home for their fitness. Okay. They're not new to fitness anymore, they're not new to pullads, they're not new to bar, they're not, they've done all of this before. They're, they have, they are, they're not new to movement like they might have been in the old days. Okay. And so when it comes to your ability to support them and become their home for their fitness, we have to be thinking about our clients and understanding who they are. And again, this is another area where I see that again, in 2026, with the increase in competition and options available to everyone in Boutique Fitness, that we have to be doing more to meet our clients where they are. Okay. So if you are putting classes on a schedule because it's at times that suits you and not at times that suits your clients, you might be running into some issues. Um, if you are adding and taking away classes or times to teach um because of that same reason, then you again you're gonna run into issues. If you've got chaotic schedules, if you've got constant subbing, if you've got no clear sort of experience standard in your sessions, you're gonna create an atmosphere and energy of um instability. Um, and that lacks um credibility, honestly. And with the options available to people these days, that people are not gonna give you a second chance at all. And so what we found is that the more consistent you can be with your teaching and your scheduling and your classes, um, the stronger your attention will be as well. Because clients will leave your studio for a lot of different reasons, right? So they may not be the right fit for you, they may not be looking for Pilates, they might not be looking for bar or yoga or spin or dance cardio, and that's fine. They can go elsewhere, that's all good. But if they come to you and they're looking for exactly what you do, but you are your class schedule just keeps switching around and changing, and they can't create this routine and they can't keep up with all these changes, then they're just gonna go somewhere else that makes it really easy for them. Okay. Inconsistently truly is like one of the things that first breaks trust. And I don't want you to lose clients because of that. So let's get that cleaned up as well. Now, the third thing is obviously you all have built boutique fitness studios because of the fact that you like to work really closely with a group of clients that are a community, right? And I think one of the things that we have always strived to do in a boutique fitness studio is to create spaces which give people energy, which make people feel empowered and strong and happy. And this is what this is a lot of the reasons why you do what you do and we do what we do, right? And what we know is that people feel um more comfortable when they're in a space when where they feel that they belong, right? That deep connection is critical to long-term retention. And that connection part of what you do really does build stickiness in your business. They people come and they don't, they're less likely to leave. And now you don't have to have potlucks, you don't have to have parties, but there are a lot of small, meaningful moments, these these touch points that will make clients feel seen. And those connections, right, they're a part of your system too. And so when you're really deliberate and intentional about those connection points, about those touch points, and you're authentic in the way that you deliver them and what you're saying, we see retention skyrocket. And this is an area insider Thrive that I think it makes it one of the most powerful programs in the industry because we look at these opportunities and we don't ignore them. And we're looking at every single potential way to optimize that experience your clients have and ensure that you are not missing out on revenue. Because when you've got clients in the studio and you've done the hard work of getting them in, let's not let them walk out the back door, right? Let's keep them around, let's keep them active. And if all it takes is some key touch points with some very specific language and conversations and recognitions, then that's easy, right? That doesn't cost you thousands and thousands of meta-ads. Now, I think that when it comes to retention, and you know, I've given you a few sort of real drivers here of retention that we've seen uh make massive differences. I think that, you know, one of the key uh shifts that I see studio owners making when they come into my program is that retention is not an afterthought any longer. It's not something that just happens if clients love the classes. When you join Thrive and you see what's possible for you, and we show you how to implement this in your studio business, a lot shifts for you. And as the leader of your business, you start to see how much control you actually have over your growth. And so you shift from thinking about it as a reactive tool to thinking about it as something that is actually a part of your strategy overall. It's a part of something that just happens in your business. You're not putting retention in the hands of chance. It's not random, right? Because when retention is random, your revenue will be random too. Remember, I said earlier about how retention is key to that sort of very sustainable, uh consistent revenue. So when you make retention random, your revenue will be random. Equally, when retention is strong, revenue is strong, growth is strong, and you can relax and breathe and enjoy your business again. So retention is part of your leadership mindset. And it's a result of the standards you set. It's a it's a result of the consistency that you're going to create in your business and the structure and the systems that you will build. And when you lead your studio forward with retention in mind, a lot of things will change. It's so powerful. Your team becomes more aligned, you're a lot more focused on the things that really matter, and you stop sort of switching gears from one thing to the next. Like I said, throwing spaghetti at the wall, right? Uh, your clients feel more cared for, your schedule becomes a lot more stable and stops fluctuating, your marketing works better, and you know, ultimately your business becomes that predictable and scalable business that you. You always wanted. And then retention isn't sort of this sort of afterthought. Uh, it is actually sort of the foundation upon which you build your entire business growth strategy around. So let's give you a quick recap, you guys. I know we need new clients. Yes, getting clients is great, but keeping them, well, that's that's really where your studio becomes truly profitable and scalable. Retention generally, I've seen, you know, when you put these systems in place, it really does take a little bit, not too much though, you'll be surprised. A little bit of work up front, a little bit of focus on your part, but ultimately does reduce your workload. Not only that, it allows you to step out of the studio because it stabilizes your revenue and creates predictability. So you're not wondering if you're gonna be able to pay yourself or pay your teachers or add a teacher, right? And it builds a studio, right? And this is my favorite part. It builds a studio that feels energized and exciting and thriving and fulfilling for you. And the studio owners that master of attention, they're not just working harder and harder and harder and harder at all. In fact, what we see is they're able to take their foot off the gas because they're working smarter and they're building systems that create consistency and connection and confidence, you know, and and I think that you know, that translates into then the way that clients see them and how much more credible and how much more presence they have as a business, as a business, um, as a part of their clients' lives. And so if you want help building these systems and this structure from onboarding to scheduling to team alignment, then I would love to invite you into Thrive. This is my business coaching of program for boutique fitness studio owners, just like you. And Thrive helps you to streamline your operations, to drive retention, and to grow your studio sustainably without burning out or guessing your way through, making a lot of very expensive mistakes. So you can learn more at springthree.com forward slash thrive, and we can set up a quick discovery call to see if it's the right fit for you. All right, you guys, until next time. I hope this is super helpful to you. And if it was, I'd love if you'd go to wherever you're listening to this, take a quick minute and rate and review this podcast. It would mean a ton to me and will help to get this out there into our community that more teachers just like you, more studio owners just like you, can feel empowered and supported on their journey in our industry. Did you love this episode and want more? Head to springfree.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.