Do the management of the club and the choice of tools depend on the size of the club? Certainly yes. On the other hand, does this mean that a small club has limited options and cannot operate at a high level? Let’s look at the needs and try to find the answer.
First of all, the needs.
Regardless of the size of the club and the specifics of its activities, the business goal remains the same, i.e., providing services at the highest level and generating revenues.
There are many ways to implement these assumptions. Each type of business will focus on different areas, which may constitute its competitive advantage in the long run. However, the areas around which the activities revolve can be divided into three main groups.
The first group is related to the facility itself, i.e.: premises, media, and employees. The second is associated with the offer – schedule, choice of classes, main and additional services. The third group is broadly understood communication, marketing, and sales.
And although this division is very conventional and many activities permeate naturally between areas, we will use it for this article to look at the needs of smaller facilities.
The most significant difference between the needs of small and larger fitness clubs is visible in the first group, i.e., the one related to the premises. Large clubs are usually a large area, thus higher costs of rent, equipment, and service.
On the other hand, smaller studios often do not need specialized equipment; only a place to conduct classes is essential, or even not if they organize, for example, outdoor activities. And if they decide to invest in the necessary elements (e.g., mats, balls, smaller equipment) or the appropriate arrangement of the space – the scale of the project is much smaller than in the case of a large club or network clubs.
However, in terms of other elements, the needs remain similar: determining the best offer, effective communication, and, above all, sales.
And again, in large clubs, the scale of such activities is much greater. Furthermore, it results directly from the assumptions – these clubs are prepared to serve many club members.
In turn, the owners of facilities such as yoga, dance, or pilates studios carry out most communication activities themselves, without hiring a sales department or marketing people. But does this mean that the effectiveness of these activities is lower? Not necessarily. Much depends on the commitment itself, but also the tools used.
A range of possibilities
What do you fear most when you think about your studio? The answer is obvious – cost, or simply saying that it will be too expensive. Consequently, many activities will be self-funded, and many others will be abandoned due to a lack of time or resources. Concerns also apply to the use of tools because the main activity is the organization of the studio, not complicated processes, settlements, and statistics.
Good news – it does not have to be this way and, fortunately, in many cases, it is not – we know fitness studios that are doing great in this area, using more advanced management methods than a telephone or the proverbial “notebook.”
Observation of the changing fitness industry and, above all, the experience of our several hundred clients show that it is possible to run a club well thanks to the right tools. It is worth emphasizing that running a club, mainly a studio, does not require complex and expensive solutions to be effectively managed. After all, technology is for everyone.
Tools vs. costs
Why is it worth considering the use of tools, even if you plan to cut costs?
First of all, we will save time and resources. Many of us struggle with the lack of free time because we engage in routine activities such as keeping a calendar, settlements, or simply organizing life in the club. And yet many processes can occur without our direct participation, i.e., automatically.
Do you register for classes by phone? Maybe you inform clients about changes in the schedule via social media? Or perhaps you still accept payments only at the club? These actions (and many more) can take place automatically.
It is worth using a wide range of free tools that perfectly support commercial activities and broadly understood communication. For example, you can quickly prepare exciting posts for social media or even design a poster, flyer, or sticker using free templates and online services. Similarly, in the case of billing, mailing, or project management.
You can also choose dedicated club management solutions that support your daily work and facilitate several routine activities. For example, managing bookings for classes (signups and cancellations), online payments, or club entries via QR codes without the participation of reception and specialized equipment. Finally, it’s worth adding that many of those operations are proceeding via a mobile application intended for club members – the eFitness App.
A proven solution for a fitness studio
We have been supporting clubs in Poland and abroad for over 12 years. We are constantly developing together with our clients, trying to meet their needs. The eFitness system supports all activities carried out in fitness clubs, including smaller ones.
We have also created the eFitness App so that club members can have the club always at their fingertips.
We are currently working on a solution dedicated to small facilities, where most of the processes will take place through a mobile application without other devices. We simplified the way of using the system itself and the method of settlements as much as possible.
The new solution will contain key functionalities just for the fitness studio to further simplify the use of the system. And most importantly, the tool is scalable and grows with your club’s needs—planned premiere in autumn 2022.
Summary
It is worth using the available tools to run a fitness studio even more effectively. Free tools can be used to implement certain, more general activities, while dedicated solutions should be used for more operational ones. Although thanks to this, we will save time and resources, it will also directly impact the quality of services provided and the satisfaction of club members.
Please find out more about using eFitness when managing a fitness studio.
