Everybody knows the best time of year for gym owners: January.
But if you’ve been in business for more than 12 months, you also know the worst time of year:
Right now.
That stretch from Halloween to Christmas can be truly brutal as a fitness entrepreneur.
Members start pausing their memberships to accommodate spending, travel or a general desire to slow down. But your bills keep coming, your staff members need to be paid, and you’d like to buy gifts for your family.
That fear of not making it through December pushes many gym owners into desperation moves:
- Paid-in-full discounts that kill next year’s revenue.
- “Sign up now and get 30% off” sales.
- Giveaway promotions that attract the wrong clients.
Those things might get you through the month—but they hurt your business for the next year. In some cases, these Hail Mary promotions can kill the business (don’t ever offer PIF discounts).
To help you make strong plays before 2025 ends, I’ll lay out five ways to generate year-end revenue. These tactics are designed to generate revenue fast and strengthen your gym for the future.
They all come from my ebook “The Ultimate Guide to Year-End Revenue for Gym Owners,” which I give away for free every year. To get it, send me a DM through our Gym Owners United group.
1. Run a Retail Presale
Fact: 100% of the time, this works every time.
Every client in your gym has a spouse, parent or friend who is trying to figure out what to buy them for Christmas. They want to give something meaningful but struggle to find the right gift, so they default to socks or yoga pants or whatever.
You can help them.
Set up a retail presale for branded gear—and keep the selection narrow. It’s a mistake to do hats and hoodies and T-shirts and sweatsuits. Apparel expert Matt Albrizio of Forever Fierce said the average person buys 1.2 items per sale regardless of how many items you offer. Do not try to sell more by creating an entire clothing line.
When you have your product selected—hoodies are a great idea right now—send the link to your clients and tell them to forward it: “Here’s what I actually want for Christmas.”
When loved ones order, they must enter an email address, right? That means they join your contact list. So you have free lead generation while solving a problem for your clients and boosting your December revenue.
I know you won’t pull in $20,000 on retail, but every dollar counts, and this sure-thing play takes about 30 minutes to set up. Forever Fierce makes it simple, so you can easily offer retail pre-orders serval times a year to keep the revenue coming.
Remember: Use a pre-order system so you don’t sink cash into inventory.
2. Sell Gift Certificates
Just like apparel, gift certs solve what-to-buy? problems in the holiday season.
Protip: Create gift certificates in specific service amounts, not dollar values. Think:
- One month of membership.
- Two or three months of training.
- Five or 10 personal training sessions.
Post them on your website and share them in an email with a subject line like “10 Holiday Gift Ideas for a [YOUR GYM NAME] Member.”
Half the list can be things you sell (protein, apparel, services), and the other half can be fun fitness gear from other vendors you trust.
The point: Help your clients make a wish list that drives revenue back to your gym.
Make the process very simple:
- Click → Buy → Print or pick up a physical certificate.
- If they pick it up, have them make an appointment and use that as an opportunity for a friendly conversation (affinity marketing!).
Setting gift certificates up takes less than half an hour, and most gyms earn $3,000–$5,000 whe they do it and promote them.
3. Offer a “Save Your Spot for January” Promotion
Here’s the truth: Some people aren’t buying right now because they’re waiting until January.
Instead of trying to talk them out of it, meet them where they are and let them reserve their spot for January.
You might say:
“We’re only onboarding 10 new clients in January so everyone gets a personalized experience. Save your spot now with a $100 deposit.”
That’s it. You’re not offering a discount. You’re selling commitment.
You’ll generate pre-sales, fill your pipeline for the New Year and help clients start taking action before the holiday fog even clears.
Just be careful not to promote it as a “gift” to someone who doesn’t actually want it (nobody wants to unwrap a gym membership like it’s a vacuum cleaner). Market it as a commitment to yourself—not punishment for someone else.
4. Run a Bring-a-Friend Holiday Event
This one is about connection and conversion.
Don’t use a week-long free trial or anything like that—this should be a one-show-only event.
And don’t try to show off how much you know by drawing ATP cycles on the whiteboard (I’ve done this). Make it a fun, festive event that clients will want to share with friends. Think “obstacle course meets party,” not “learn to overhead squat.”
Here’s the key:
- Have participants sign up in advance.
- Take photos of them with their friends afterward (make them famous).
- Do a No Sweat Intro with every guest before they leave, or, if that’s not possible, book the appointment for the next open slot. Move fast here—24-48 hours is the prime window!
- Get everyone onto your email list for long-term nurturing.
A conversation right when they’re excited, sweaty and proud is the best time to turn them into clients. Be ready to have it. Don’t stand there and wait for clients to sign up. Create an exact plan to connect with each one right away to talk about goals and obstacles.
Remember, you’re not Costco handing out brownie samples. You’re a professional coach. Free trials don’t sell your service—you do. It’s not the workout that converts; it’s the conversation and coaching after the workout.
You must coach the person to sign up so you can help them change their life.
5. Launch a January Kickstart Program
A four-week January Kickstart is a great way to help people “repent” for the mistakes they know they will make over the holidays
You can help them get back on track with healthy habits by offering a structured, simple and supportive program—not a dramatic reset or destined-to-fail nutrition challenge during the holiday period.
Plus, if you use the word “kickstart,” it implies that this is just a starting point, so you can convert a participant to ongoing healthy habits coaching if you set up onboarding and exit interviews for the kickstart.
Include:
- A few basic healthy habits (protein at every meal, hydration, sleep).
- Three workouts per week.
- Goal-setting and accountability.
You might get a few current members to sign up, but this one is really aimed at two groups:
- Warm leads who’ve been waiting to start.
- Former members who need an easy way to restart.
Price the kickstart appropriately (consider $199–$399, with reference to the value you deliver and staff pay), run it in small groups, and treat it like a guided on-ramp.
At the end, sit down with each participant to talk about the next step: joining your ongoing program. Do not assume they will “just keep going.” Coach them to continue.
That’s how you turn a short-term revenue boost into long-term memberships.
Why These Strategies Work
These ideas bring in quick cash—but, more importantly, they help you:
- Build your gym’s culture and get your brand out in the community.
- Improve retention and strengthen relationships.
- Boost ARM.
- Earn new leads.
- Acquire new clients who might become long-term members.
Contrast all that with a 20%-off sale:
- It devalues your service.
- It tells current clients that new people matter more.
- It attracts bargain hunters instead of committed clients.
- It guts your profit margin.
The five strategies I listed above are simple, effective and aligned with what you stand for: helping people live better, longer, healthier lives through services offered in a world-class business.
It’s not about making a quick buck to end the year; it’s about building a business that lasts, provides for your family and helps clients accomplish their goals.
To get my free guide “The Ultimate Guide to Year-End Revenue for Gym Owners,” head to our Gym Owners United group and send me a DM.
