“Summer revenue was bad.”
I’ve heard this way too often.
If you don’t want to say it in 2025, the time to act is right now.
Not next week or next month.
Today.
To help, I’ll tell you exactly how to launch a program for kids at warp speed.
Step 1: Set Prices
If you’re not sure where to start, call the local gymnastics studio and the best local martial-arts school. You should be priced at least the same as gymnastics programs and much higher than martial-arts training.
Do not price your kids programs at the same rate as your adult programs. In a specialty program, the value of your time should always be higher than it is in a regular class. You are creating a special program with limited space. That costs more. Review what the average client pays per class in your adult program and charge more than that.
Step 2: Determine Age Groups
You do not have to offer a program for every age group—but you can. If you’re just starting out, target the age group that includes the greatest number of clients’ children and smash it. It would be better to have one packed program than three sparse programs.
But you can offer programs for three distinct groups, which makes programming easier. Remember, teens and tots define “fun” in different ways.
Here are splits that worked well at my gym:
- A “tots” program for ages 5-8.
- A junior varsity program for ages 9-12.
- A varsity program for ages 13-16.
Step 3: Create a Schedule
The best times for kids classes during the year: around their school hours (late afternoon). When they are out of school, you have much more flexibility—but kids can’t get to the gym themselves. So talk to your top clients with kids and ask them what time slots would be ideal. Saturday slots were always a smash hit at my gym.
Remember this when planning: Younger kids need shorter classes. Older kids can handle a full hour if you include a break after each part of the session. Consider this plan:
- 8 and younger: 30-minute classes.
- 9-12: 45-minute classes.
- 13 and older: 60-minute classes.
Step 4: Hire a Coach
Find a coach/program manager who:
- Is hardworking and energetic.
- Is excited to build something on your platform.
- Sees the long-term value of coaching kids.
- Has been or can be mentored to develop a long-term vision for your program.
- Communicates well.
- Can pass a background check (this is not optional).
- Has an appropriate credential (we recommend The Brand X Method).
Pay the coach a maximum of 44 percent of program revenue (4/9ths). The coach is responsible for creating the programming and delivering the lessons. I won’t dive into that; you already know how to create great fitness programs.
Step 5: Fill the Program
You have a host of options here. I’ll lay out some sure-thing tactics to get you started:
- Personally speak to every current member with children. Let them all know about the program and ask them if you can sign their kids up. You can often sell out a program just with this tactic alone. But use it now; parents plan months in advance. If you ask in June, they’ll already have Sam and Sarah enrolled in other programs.
- Ask members with kids to put you in contact with other parents they know, or ask them to post about the program in groups they are in. For example, hockey parents know about 20 sets of hockey parents, and they all need summer activities for kids.
- Announce the program through your content platforms: blogs, YouTube, podcasts, social media.
- Post about the program in your private Facebook group and in local groups for parents, events, products and services, etc.
- Send a newsletter announcing the program to your mailing list.
- Ask every person who registers a kid to connect you to other people who might be interested: “Thanks for registering Sam! I really want to surround your kid with the best children. Do you know anyone else with great kids, and can you put me in contact?”
- As spots fill up, post about it to encourage people to act: “Only five spots remaining in our summer program for kids! Sign your children up today!”
You can, of course, run ads to promote the program, but I want you to move very fast here and make money, not spend it.
If you have 150 clients, I bet at least 40 percent of them have kids. Of those 60 members, would 10 sign a kid up for your summer program? I’d bet money that they would. Hit the easy button: Talk to your current members today.
Step 6: Start Now
This high-speed plan will work. If you implement it, you will add summer revenue.
If you dither, overthink things, spend too much time on programming or scroll Instagram instead of acting, you will not generate any revenue, and you will be at risk of a summer slump.
Do this right now: Go into the gym and ask the first parent you see if they’d be interested in signing their kids up for a summer fitness program. Then say this:
“Great! I’ve got a new program on deck, and I’ll lock down your spots. I’ll get all the details to you tomorrow. In the meantime, do you have any friends who might be interested, too?”
Then follow the steps above to get your program on the rails.
