454: How to Grow a Fitness Studio: Hitting Record Months and Opening a Second Location

Welcome, everyone, to the Behind Gym Doors podcast. My name is Ash Wimble. I am our guest host today, Director of Operations here at GSD Gyms. I have the pleasure of working with so many of our incredible members here at GSD, one of whom we'll be speaking with today. We're here with Stephanie Swanson, Owner and Operator of Oxygen Yoga and Fitness in Ontario, Canada. Stephanie bought a pre-existing studio of oxygen, yoga, and fitness, joined GST Gyms in late March, and within her first 60 days brought in a 15% increase in her revenue, hitting almost 73K in that month and surpassing her January of 2026 performance. So Stephanie, welcome to the Behind Gym Doors podcast.

Thank you. Thank you for having me.

So excited to have you here. So let's just set the stage for everyone listening today. You joined us just about six months ago, and that's really when everything started to kick off working together, me specifically working with you as your account manager. We're six months in. And before we get into all the tactics and things that you've done studio side, I want to cover just a little bit about you being a studio owner and what that has been like. So what did you think ownership was going to be like before purchasing your first studio?

Yeah, it was quite different. Basically, I got to work out a lot less. That was my biggest takeaway. No, I'm just kidding. I knew it would be all-encompassing. I was ready for the challenge. One thing I didn't realize is how much of an amazing community I would be a part of in a different way. I was already a bit part of the community, but it was just really exciting to be part of it and then grow it. So that was great.

I love that. And coming into the ownership role, what surprised you the most on the business side when you really got behind the scenes, started being the owner and operator, what changed for you?

Well, I was a member first at Oxygen. That's how I found out about it. And it really changed my life for the better. I was stronger, healthier, more flexible than honestly, I had been in my 20s. And I knew that I wanted more of it. And I wanted to you know, play a bigger role. I was already a business owner in Burlington, Ontario, where I'm located. But I realized I wanted more and I wanted to expand. So I thought heading into the fitness industry was great because it had made such an impact on my life. And, you know, I knew I wanted to become involved. And that's kind of when, you know, someone kind of mentioned to me, oh, you should own one kind of thing. And I was like, oh, I really thought about that. And then that conversation kind of led to me inquiring and then to had some great conversations with franchise head office. And that's how it kind of

started. I love that. And I think it's so important to have that background because so many of us in this industry, we start with that passion for fitness and wellness, right? And that's how we get into it. And that kind of segued right into you becoming the owner of the studio. And a big thing that I admire about you is how you show up for your team and you're such a strong leader and it shows in your performance. So... that really pulls into the big aha