Pilates Business Podcast

Episode: Stop Surviving January: How Smart Studio Owners Turn the New Year Rush into Predictable Revenue

Host: Seran Glanfield
Date: December 22, 2025

Episode Overview

In this solo episode, Seran Glanfield dives deep into strategies for boutique fitness studio owners to transform January from a chaotic, exhausting rush into a sustainable, predictable source of revenue. Rather than leaning into hustle, discounts, or reactive tactics, Seran urges listeners to adopt a “machine mindset”—a systematic approach that prioritizes simplicity, clarity, and intentional leadership. The episode focuses on mindset shifts over one-off hacks, aiming to help studio owners leverage January’s energy for long-term business health, client retention, and personal sustainability.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The January Dilemma: Surviving vs. Thriving

[00:00–04:30]

• January brings a spike in interest and activity, but often leaves studio owners feeling depleted and unsure of how to sustain momentum.
• Many default to a reactive, “hustle harder” approach—discounting, saying yes to everything, and overextending themselves and their teams.
• This frantic energy leads to rapid burnout, inconsistent revenue, and a poor foundation for the year ahead.

Notable Quote & Timestamp:
“The hustle says do everything, say yes, be everywhere, discount harder, post more… It will burn through your energy and your team’s energy faster than you can blink.” — Seran Glanfield [01:50]

2. The Machine Mindset: Systems Over Sprints

[04:30–10:00]

• Seran introduces the “machine mindset”: January isn’t a mad dash, but a systems check—a test of your studio’s processes, messaging, and retention strategies.
• Rather than reacting to the rush, successful owners have clear inputs (actions for growth), stable operations (consistent experience), and measurable outputs (conversion and retention).
• This mindset filters out non-ideal clients and reduces chaos, making energy and decision investments more impactful.

Notable Moment:
Seran describes the January “machine mindset” as, “…about believing your job is to design that experience that perhaps filters out people who are not the right fit and focuses on people that are.” [03:40]

3. Predictable, Compounded Growth vs. Short-Term Spikes

[10:00–17:00]

• Short-term promotions and discounts train clients to wait for deals and destabilize long-term pricing power.
• Teams and operations suffer from the unpredictability of sudden January surges and February drop-offs.
• Sustainable studios focus on calibrating systems to handle influxes—so growth can be steady and compounding, not spiky and exhausting.

Notable Quote:
“You’re not white-knuckling your marketing, right? You get folks into your intro offer because your messaging is on point… not because you super cut your prices.” — Seran Glanfield [06:30]

4. Return on Energy: The Real Resource to Manage

[17:00–26:00]

• Time is finite, so owners should focus on maximizing the return on their investment of time and energy, not just doing more.
• Over-involvement in every detail means the leader constantly resets to zero, stalling momentum.
• Delegation and strategic thinking amplify impact: train teams, clarify roles, and spend time on high-leverage activities rather than repetitive tasks.

Notable Quote:
“If your energy is trapped in tasks that reset to zero every morning… you can’t build momentum if you are constantly in reaction.” — Seran Glanfield [20:35]

5. The Fallacy of “More”: Why Simplicity Wins

[26:00–32:00]

• Temptation in January: add more classes, promotions, memberships, and complexity.
• Complexity confuses clients and teams, stalls decisions, and increases operational costs.
• Simplicity creates clarity—for clients (easier decisions), the team (clearer focus), and owners (stronger, more profitable business).

Notable Quote:
“Simplicity actually is one of the smartest things you can do for your business. If you can do fewer things better than everyone else, you’re in a much stronger position.” — Seran Glanfield [29:17]

6. Owner to CEO: The Leadership Identity Shift

[32:00–39:00]

• Studio owners often begin as top instructors, but staying in the “lead teacher” role makes them a bottleneck to growth.
• Shifting to a CEO mindset means designing outcomes, empowering the team, and stepping back from direct delivery to lead strategically.
• This identity shift improves culture, increases team engagement, and catalyzes sustainable growth and high standards.

Notable Quote:
“If you’re not identifying yourself as the leader, then no one else around you will. When you shift your identity, your priorities, your calendar, and your culture start to shift too.” — Seran Glanfield [36:04]

7. Tactics: Setting Your January Focus

[39:00–43:00]

• Filter January decisions through alignment with long-term goals: pick ONE clear focus for the month.
• Recap of key strategies:
  • Treat January as a systems check, not a sprint.
  • Protect energy by focusing on high-leverage decisions.
  • Embrace simplicity—fewer, better, clearer offers.
  • Lead as the CEO: set vision, culture, and priorities for sustainable success.

Actionable Advice:
“If that one focus for January is not aligned with your long-term goals, take a minute to rethink your approach—before the calendar page turns.” [41:20]

Memorable Quotes

• “January should be a calibration of your system, not a scramble.” — Seran Glanfield [13:00]
• “You can work less frantically and make more when you approach it with real purpose.” — Seran Glanfield [44:00]
• “Simplicity is what multiplies quality. Simplicity is what multiplies profit.” — Seran Glanfield [31:00]

Important Takeaways & Timestamps

• Hustle vs. Machine Mindset: Reactive approaches steal time, power, and profit. [01:50–04:00]
• Calibrate, Don’t Scramble: View January as a “systems test” not a high-stakes scramble. [13:00–15:00]
• Return on Energy: Delegate, design systems, and work on high-leverage tasks. [17:00–20:35]
• Embrace Simplicity: More options create noise. Simplicity leads to better margins and client clarity. [29:17–32:00]
• CEO Leadership: Make the shift from teacher to business leader for sustainable growth. [32:00–39:00]
• Set a Singular Focus: Ensure your January action steps align with the year’s vision. [39:00–43:00]

Final Thoughts

Seran Glanfield’s central message is clear: “Simplicity wins.” By shifting from a survivalist hustle mentality to a strategic, systems-based, and leadership-centered approach, studio owners can leverage January’s momentum for the entire year’s benefit—without burning out. The episode urges owners to view their business as a well-calibrated machine, focus on return for their efforts, and adopt the CEO mindset required for true growth.