The Business of Boutique Fitness

I’m Lise Kuecker, a long time Studio Owner turned founder here at Studio Grow. Just a few years ago, I was building my studios the hard way cause I didn’t have the team, the budget, or most importantly the time. If you speed up to today, I sold my wildly profitable studios in the mid-7 figures while serving my community in ways I could have only dreamed. Now, I work with thousands of boutique fitness studio owners in over 40 countries and am so blessed to share some of the best tested strategies for our industry every single week. I created this podcast so you’d always have clear, actionable processes, tried and tested Facebook advice and some good ole fashioned inspiration so that you can take simple actionable steps to grow your studio and turn it into a powerhouse empire, just like I did. If you’re a studio owner who's ready to impact your community and see major growth in the process, or you’re prepping to become one, then you are in the right place. So let’s kick this off, shall we?

669: The First 90 Days - How to Set Every New Hire Up for Success with Caroline and Matt 07/17/2025

668: The Secrets to a High-Performing Team 07/10/2025

667: How Tariffs & Trade Can Impact Your Studio 07/03/2025

666: The Big Picture with Lise, Garrett, & Debra 06/26/2025

666: The Big Picture with Lise, Garrett, & Debra Y'all, Two industry powerhouses I'm absolutely fascinated by – Garrett Marshall and Debra Strougo! Garrett's been shaping our space for 22 years and just launched something that could change everything, while Debra brings her incredible insight from years of working with operators. Together they're solving the biggest challenge in fitness: how do we maintain our position of influence when 90% of our members are on their smartphones buying wellness products we don't offer? Tune in to our conversation with these two industry legends: Episode 666: The Big Picture with Garrett Marshall & Debra Strougo. ● The industry veteran: Started at Lifetime Fitness during their first IPO, learned how each department (personal training, spa, kids care, restaurants) runs on separate P&Ls - real respect for what's possible when you run fitness departments professionally ● WellBeats to Exponential: Co-founded WellBeats (originally Fitness Request) in 2007, then started competitor Fitness on Demand as CEO for 8 years under Lyft Brands, then 5 years as president at Exponential Fitness through another IPO ● The precision health platform: Launched 30 days ago after 18 months of development - designed to bridge fitness and healthcare without the operational nightmare most providers face ● The $5 billion opportunity: Companies like Everly Well, Thorne, HIMS are capturing the post-COVID wellness boom while fitness providers lose influence - consumers have a much broader definition of wellness now ● The practical solution: Curated partnerships (not a marketplace) with leading wellness providers - telehealth, peptides, GLP-1s, hormone replacement, at-home lab tests, precision supplements ● Three value propositions: Data integration to improve programming, product offerings for clients wanting more than fitness, recurring revenue that continues beyond membership length ● Smart partnerships: Hand-selected experts who wake up thinking about peptide therapy and hormone optimization - avoiding the trap of spending 40-50% of resources for 10-20% revenue growth ● The data advantage: Fitness providers get all the wellness data back to personalize programming - understanding that exercise is just one component of their members' broader wellness picture ● What's coming: Mental health telehealth and sleep/recovery services on the fast-follow list - expanding the five non-fitness wellness market segments ● Pre-validated expertise: Cutting through the chase to go directly to specialists who understand microdosing, metabolic health, and cutting-edge therapies your conventional doctor gives you blank stares about The signals are everywhere - walk your gym floor and see the evidence. The question isn't whether wellness and fitness will merge, it's whether our industry will step up to maintain our position of trust and influence. Garrett's built the bridge. Catch you there, Lise PS: Join 2,000+ studio owners who've decided to take control of their studio business and build their freedom empire. Subscribe HERE and join the party! /episode/index/show/readyaimempire/id/37155465

665: The Big Picture with Lise Kuecker, Jennifer Maanavi of Physique 57, and Jack Thomas of The Fit Guide 06/19/2025

665: The Big Picture with Lise Kuecker, Jennifer Maanavi of Physique 57, and Jack Thomas of The Fit Guide Y'all, Two industry leaders I'm absolutely fascinated by – Jennifer Maanavi, founder of Physique 57 (one of the best barre brands in the world), and Jack Thomas, creator of The Fit Guide (the gold standard for fitness excellence, like the Michelin Star guide for our industry). They're both revolutionizing how we think about hospitality in boutique fitness! Tune in to our new series of conversations with amazing industry leaders: Episode 661: The Big Picture with Lise Kuecker, Jennifer Maanavi of Physique 57, and Jack Thomas of The Fit Guide. ● Building boutique from scratch: Jennifer started Physique 57 in 2005 when boutique studios didn't exist - told architects she wanted it to feel "like coming to my house to work out" ● Hospitality over amenities: Their most successful studio had wear and tear but sold the most memberships because of warm feeling and community - proves it's about connection, not expensive finishes ● Two types of training: What to teach (mechanics for safety) vs. how to teach (hospitality that brings people back) - "you can tell people to do 10 jumping jacks one way, or another way" ● Sales as service: Reframing sales from pushy to helpful - like a washing machine store, clients need guidance to find what's right for them, not to be left to figure it out alone ● The Fit Guide standards: 250 metrics evaluating every element of the member journey - only 90%+ scores earn five stars, representing the top 1-2% of the industry ● Modality gaps revealed: Yoga scored lowest across all seven cities (guru mentality putting teacher at center), while barre scored highest (natural teaching opportunities) ● Gratitude mindset: "We're just so grateful that you're here" - understanding everything clients go through just to show up for class creates servant leadership culture Check out how both Physique 57 and The Fit Guide are elevating standards across our industry. The opportunities are massive when we focus on hospitality - and Jennifer's right, "the hero of the story is the client." Catch you there, Lise PS: Join 2,000+ studio owners who've decided to take control of their studio business and build their freedom empire. Subscribe HERE and join the party! /episode/index/show/readyaimempire/id/37061980

664: The Big Picture with Lise Kuecker and Jason Moore of Spren 06/12/2025

663: The Pilates Explosion - Global Growth with STOTT Pilates' Beth Gibbs-Bartel 06/05/2025

663: The Pilates Explosion - Global Growth with STOTT Pilates' Beth Gibbs-Bartel Y'all, when you've been in this industry as long as I have, you can feel the big shifts coming. But even I wasn't prepared for the Pilates explosion we're witnessing right now. It's unlike anything we've seen before, and if you're not paying attention, you're missing the boat on the biggest opportunity in boutique fitness. Tune in to our new series of conversations with amazing industry leaders: Episode 663: The Pilates Explosion - Global Growth with STOTT Pilates' Beth Gibbs-Bartel. ● Education empire: STOTT Pilates has trained 80,000+ instructors across 100 countries with unmatched anatomical focus ● Asia domination: unprecedented growth in China, Middle East, and APAC regions driving global expansion ● Reformer revolution: studios shifting from 6-machine comprehensive setups to 20+ reformer-only concepts ● Know your limits: instructors finding their sweet spot for class sizes (hint: it's probably around 16 max) ● Chair emergence: stability chair group classes becoming the next big trend, especially in innovative markets like Australia ● Silver surge: aging population will drive return to privates and semi-privates as boomers seek personalized attention ● Social media catalyst: TikTok trends directly correlating to studio boom 3-6 months later ● Content creation: new facilities incorporating influencer and content spaces into studio design Whether you're thinking about adding Pilates to your offerings or you're already in the space, Beth's insights on global trends, equipment evolution, and the future of Pilates education will help you ride this wave instead of getting swept away by it. And meet Beth (who's about to take her own company's certification!), after you hear from her in Episode 663. Catch you there, Lise PS: Join 2,000+ studio owners who've decided to take control of their studio business and build their freedom empire. Subscribe HERE and join the party! www.studiogrow.co www.linkedin.com/company/studio-growco/ /episode/index/show/readyaimempire/id/36855100