New Year's Resolutioners: Do's and Dont's for Gym Owners

Every year around this time, we see an influx of people flocking to their local gym with the hopes of being fitter and healthier than ever before. From a gym owner’s perspective, it’s an opportunity to meet some new faces and drive revenue. However, if you’re not fully prepared for the New Year's rush, it can be stressful and overwhelming. In this post, we discuss what you should and shouldn’t do to prepare and thrive from the New Year's rush as we begin 2025.

The Do’s:

Do Start Planning and Promoting Early: 

To best prepare for the influx of new members, you need to prepare ahead of time for success. Planning and implementing promotional deals far enough in advance is a great strategy. A lot of top-end fitness companies begin to run ads for the New Year right after Thanksgiving and continue this marketing into the New Year to retain members after the novelty of their resolutions wears off. If they market far enough in advance and as often as possible during the holidays, those looking to take their fitness journey to a new level in 2025 will think of their gym as a top choice.

Do Focus on Providing Exceptional Customer Service: 

Providing an amazing experience to incoming members is a great way to drive revenue and take advantage of the influx. The rise in new prospects can be overwhelming and stressful, but if you have the right plan in place, you can take full advantage. The slower months of the year are a great time to work on perfecting these processes to ensure a smooth journey as 2025 starts.

Do Create Compelling Offers: 

Every gym tries to take advantage of New Year's resolutioners. You need to find a way to stick out from the competition. Here are a few examples of deals proven to be successful in attracting prospective gym members during the New Year's Rush:

1. Reduced Monthly/ Yearly Rates if they sign up by a certain date. 
2. Limited-time Memberships or Free Trial Periods
3. Bundle Package with Personal Training/ Massage/ etc. 
4. Free Classes/ Workshops 

The Don’ts:

Don’t Cater to the Wrong Target Audience: 

It’s great to have a group of new faces in the gym and the goal is to turn them into life-long members of your gym. But don’t neglect your current, long-term members in favor of the New Year’s rush crowd.

Chances are that your regular members will understand why classes are fuller and your calendar is packed. If they love your business, they’ll be excited to welcome new people and show them why your gym is the place to be. Welcome everyone while working extra hard to remind your long-term members why they’ve been loyal for the long haul.

Don’t Prioritize Money Over Everything 

There will always be stressful moments as a gym owner. It’s the nature of the business. The New Year’s rush might just be one of those times. Above all, remember that your mental health matters.

Even if you’re delegating duties to get things off your plate, and you feel like your processes are solid, it’s normal to feel like the weight of gym ownership is heavy. Prioritize yourself and ask for help. Find a community of gym owners or two and seek out the things you enjoy about the gym owner lift. Just remember, there’s only one you, and you matter.

Conclusion:

Even though the New Year’s rush is an opportunity to meet some new faces and drive revenue, it’s important to be prepared. Start now, during the slow season, to plant the seed for your promotions and dial in your processes. Don’t discount or cater to the wrong crowd. Delegate and automate where you can, and above all else, take care of yourself.