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March 15, 2023

5 Ways to Keep and Grow Your Best Team Members

The backbone of any boutique fitness studio is its staff, and the best boutique fitness instructors are very knowledgeable, personable, and know how to demonstrate when teaching others. Here's 5 keys to keeping and growing your best instructors.

The backbone of any boutique fitness studio is its staff, and the best boutique fitness instructors are very knowledgeable, personable, and know how to demonstrate when teaching others.

In the age of The Great Resignation, many are leaving their respective industries in a mass exodus that has left companies around the world scrambling to retain top talent. Because of this, it’s of the utmost importance that your team is happy and you make them feel appreciated.

So, where do you get started? Who are the team members you want on your side?

Here are 5 ways to keep your best team members and find the best new team members to nurture into long-time instructors.

1. Attract Good People

To appeal to those who align with your studio’s mission is an important starting point. Building the right team will take time and it will require the patience to interview potential instructors until you finally find the right ones.

If you are looking for people who are passionate about fitness, consider recruiting through a specialized job board. Make clear to your prospective staff exactly what you’re looking for, to ensure that there is no confusion as to what you’re looking for in an instructor.

Pro-tip: Another great place to search for passionate potential instructors is through clubs or extracurricular groups at colleges or universities, particularly in kinesiology, nutritional sciences, or environmental studies programs. You’ll find many students in these programs are interested in fitness, and if they aren’t the right fit, they likely know someone who is.

2. Make It Competitive

Healthy competition can be a great way to motivate and grow your best team members. Especially for athletes, this can be a fun way for them to challenge one another and themselves.

We know studios are gamifying the experience in-class, but how about their team members? The logistics of gamification spark the same drive to succeed for them as they do for members. Motivating your staff with unique rewards or bragging rights will encourage health competition.

Pro-tip: Start an interactive chart that keeps track of your instructors’ progress, to help them stay engaged and improve their skills as instructors. This can include the number of their members who have hit new milestones, number of private lessons booked, positive reviews received, or a number of other accomplishments.

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3. Keep Them Motivated

A high salary—while attractive—will only get you so far; it’s not always enough to ensure loyalty. Offering incentives can help them perform at their best and benefits packages that fit the needs of each instructor can be very appealing.

While there are some instructors who focus mostly on the job’s pay, others may care much more about other factors like working conditions, quality of the space, equipment available, and even brand recognition to stay motivated.

Pro-tip: Unsure where to start when it comes to meeting the needs of your staff? Ask them! Open communication is the best policy. 

4. Reward Good Work

No matter the work environment, all staff need rewards for their hard work. In addition to ensuring that this will make them feel appreciated, this positive reinforcement will encourage your staff to continue the good work that they’re doing.

Pro-tip: Your rewards don’t have to be huge prizes. They can be as small as a gift card to your local coffee shop or an intimate dinner celebrating those who are helping your members achieve their goals.

5. Foster Their Growth

When your business starts to grow, it’s important to make sure that your staff grows with you. After all, the benchmarks for good business have changed even in the last 5 years, and so should your studio.

Fostering growth, encouraging them to learn new skills, and potentially even offering partial coverage of courses or classes that can help them improve as instructors will help your staff feel cared for. Your business can only grow so much without its backbone growing simultaneously.

Pro-tip: Run an exclusive training program for new instructors. It may be costly to set up at first but, once the training program is set, it will pay for itself in the long run. Plus, make sure you are always finding a new way to improve the program and better it over time.

A Better Way to Build Your Fitness Studio Community

Great instructors create great members, and great members spread the word about the quality of your studio. To be the best boss for your team, you need software that can back you up.

Mariana Tek isn’t just for members to thoroughly enjoy using. This easy-to-use platform takes you from point A to point B in no time, and with little training. We built it like this because we used to be fitness instructors just like you.

We’re confident you’ll think Mariana Tek can help your instructors spread their wings. Reach out to set up a demo and learn more.

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