Every January, studio owners sit down to set goals with genuine hope.

I know — because I’ve been there too.

You want more members, more stability, and a little more breathing room in the business. You want the studio to feel less reactive and more intentional. You want to believe that this will be the year things finally click.

And then the year starts moving.

Staffing shifts.
Schedules change.
Retention fluctuates.
Life shows up — inside and outside the studio.

When goals begin to slip, it’s easy to assume you didn’t plan well enough or push hard enough. But after watching this pattern repeat — in my own studios and in the studios I’ve worked alongside — it became clear that effort wasn’t the problem.

The problem is that many studio goals are set without being fully grounded in the day-to-day reality of how the studio actually operates.

Something deeper was missing.

That realization is what led me to pause, take a step back, and rethink how studio goals are set in the first place.

Where I Started to Notice the Pattern

Once I slowed down and really looked at what was happening across studios, the pattern became clear.

Goals weren’t failing because owners lacked discipline or ambition. They were failing because the goals themselves were being set without context.

They weren’t anchored to:

What the studio had historically averaged
How much churn was happening month to month
What marketing was actually being invested
Or whether the schedule could realistically support growth

Without that context, even well-intentioned goals were quietly setting studios up to feel behind.

Anyone can say they want 20 new members in a month.

The quieter, more important question is:

Is that goal supported by how this studio actually operates?

Most studios had never been taught how to slow down and ask that first.

Why Bigger Goals Weren’t the Answer

In business ownership, goal-setting often sounds like motivation.

Aim higher.
Push harder.
Try again next month.

But studios don’t grow because of pressure.

They grow because inputs change.

When goals aren’t grounded:

Owners feel discouraged when targets are missed
Teams stop trusting the numbers
Dashboards stop getting used
Growth starts to feel chaotic instead of intentional

That’s not a leadership issue.
It’s a systems issue.

Why I Built This Framework

I didn’t build this framework because studios needed more goals.

I built it because they needed better ones.

I wanted owners and managers to feel steady when they sat down to plan — not anxious or behind before the month even began.

I wanted goals that:

Felt achievable
Were supported by real data
Created alignment instead of tension
Encouraged thoughtful decisions, not reaction

So I built a system that creates one simple pause before numbers go into a dashboard:

Is this goal supported by how we’ve been operating — or are we just hoping it is?

That pause changes everything.

A Grounded Framework for Setting Studio Goals

If you’re heading into goal-setting for the year ahead, here’s a simplified version of the framework I’ve used with studios.

No fancy tools required. Just honesty and intention.

1. Look Back Before You Look Forward

Before setting new goals, spend time with the data you already have.

Look at:

The last 90 days
The last 12 months

Ask yourself:

What did we consistently average?
What felt sustainable versus exhausting?
Where did things stall — and where did they flow?

Your next goal should gently stretch your average, not chase a one-off high.

2. Start With Net New Members

Long-term, healthy studios aim for strong recurring revenue.

But early on, I often encourage studios to focus on Net New Members.

Net New Members simply means:
New members gained – members lost

It brings retention and growth into the same conversation and keeps momentum honest.

If you wanted 15 new members but lost 5 last month, your real goal is 20.

Clear. Grounded. Actionable.

3. Work Backwards Into the Numbers

Once you know how many members you need, the rest becomes clearer.

Ask:

How many conversations does that require?
How many leads does that realistically mean?
What has that cost us in the past?

If the numbers feel uncomfortable, it doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong.

It just means the goal needs adjusting — or the inputs do.

4. Be Honest About Marketing Investment

Growth has a cost.

Before committing to big goals, look at:

Your current marketing spend
Your average cost per lead
Whether that investment actually supports your expectations

Wanting growth without funding growth isn’t strategy.
It’s hope.

5. Check Capacity Before You Commit

Before locking anything in, pause and ask:

Do we have space on the schedule?
Are our peak times already full or underused?
Can our team support this without burnout?

Growth that strains the experience rarely lasts.

6. Commit — or Adjust Without Shame

Once you’ve looked at the numbers and capacity, make a decision.

Either:

Commit fully to the goal and the inputs required
Or adjust the goal to better match your current reality

Both are good leadership decisions.

The only thing that doesn’t serve you is setting a goal you don’t truly support.

Why I’m Sharing This

I could have kept this framework as an internal tool.

But I’ve seen too many good studios lose confidence not because they were failing — but because their goals were never designed to support them.

If sharing this helps a studio:

Feel calmer going into planning season
Set goals they can actually hit
Build trust with their team
Or approach growth with more intention

Then it’s worth sharing.

Good systems don’t lose value when they’re shared.
They raise the standard for everyone.

A Final Thought

Goals aren’t meant to be a test of discipline or worth.

They’re meant to create clarity — for you, your team, and the business you’re building.

When goals are grounded in reality, supported by systems, and revisited with curiosity instead of judgment, they stop feeling heavy.
They stop creating pressure.
And they start doing what they’re meant to do: guide thoughtful decisions.

That’s why so many studio goals fail — not because owners aim too high, but because no one taught them how to slow down and build goals that actually support the life and business they want.

I’m rooting for you,
With love and encouragement,
Beth