Welcome to the latest episode of L.I.F.T.S – your bite-sized dose of the Latest Industry Fitness Trends and Stories. Today, hosts Matthew Januszek, Co-Founder of Escape Fitness and Mo Iqbal, Founder & CEO of SweatWorks, are joined by Julian Barnes, Co-founder and CEO of BFS.

Julian unpacks critical trends shaping boutique fitness—like the explosive growth of Pilates studios, the impact of tariffs on equipment pricing, and the secrets behind the most profitable studios. If you're a studio owner, investor, or just passionate about the business of fitness, this is an essential listen packed with actionable insights.

This LIFTS episode covers:

• The power of hiring a full-time manager.
• Studio profitability benchmarks and benchmarks.
• Tariffs, supply chains, and pricing strategy.
• The growing role of experience in member retention.
• Why Pilates is outperforming other modalities.

To learn more about the 2024 BFS State of the Industry Report, click here: https://main.bfsnetwork.com/state-of-the-industry-report

Use discount code "LIFTS" to get $50.00 off your copy of the report.

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00:00 Welcome Back to LIFTS

02:00 Introducing Julian Barnes

03:30 The BFS Network & State of the Industry

05:10 Breaking News: Exponential Fitness & Sequel

08:45 Studio-Level Performance vs Portfolio Models

11:20 The Impact of Tariffs on Equipment Imports

16:15 Rethinking Global Manufacturing Strategies

19:40 How Operators Can Sell Outcomes, Not Features

21:00 Profitable Studios Have One Key Role…

24:00 Trainer vs. CEO: What Studio Owners Must Become

27:30 FER: Find, Enroll, Retain

30:00 Aggregators like ClassPass: Help or Hindrance?

33:00 Pilates Is Booming—Here’s Why

37:00 What Actually Works in Boutique Fitness

42:00 Raise Prices, Raise Value

45:00 Takeaways: Fundamentals Over Fads

48:30 Disney-Level Client Experience? Why It Matters

50:00 Wrap-up & How to Get the Report