Last updated: June 12, 2026
The Summer “Slowdown”: Your Secret Weapon for a Stronger Q4
Guest post by Active Core Consulting
We spent the last three articles getting you ready for summer. Now summer is here and you’ve proactively prepped — so we brought in reinforcements to guide you on what to do with the time and clarity that prep bought you. Active Core Consulting joined us for this guest post to close out the series with a practical guide to making the most of the slower months. If you’re just joining us, make sure you prep for a consistent, smooth, and engaged summer by working your way through Parts 1, 2, and 3 first.
When do you do your best work? When you have space to think..
When do you have space to think? During the Summer Slowdown!
At ACC, we focus on data driven decisions with our clients, ensuring that owners feel empowered to run the business that allows them to live life on their terms. With that in mind, summer becomes an opportunity versus a time to dread; the perfect time to focus on the foundation – finance, operations, leadership & sales process– and ensure that your business is set up optimally for its busiest months.
You might be thinking, ‘okay yes, but what’s most important for my business?’. Our answer to that would be to start with a goal review. What did you want to achieve this year and are you on track to do so after the first half? Revenue goals? Conversion? First Timer Acquisition numbers? Are these telling you the story that current marketing strategy & client experience standards are working? If not, put it on the list. Is revenue down? On the list. Is revenue outperforming and you’re thinking of the next step with additional cashflow? Put it on the list. And don’t forget yourself – do you operate in your business the way you want to? The way you need to? If not, you know what to do! (Hint, the list..!)
Once you know what you want to build towards or get back on track, you’ll be able to choose your top 3 priorities, but we’d love to share our favorite Summer Slowdown projects to enhance the back half. And, our favorite quick actions to get the ball rolling!
1. Pricing Review
If you identified that revenue isn’t meeting your goals but utilization is, this is a great time to review market comps, determine your breakeven by class and understand if you’re making enough per client to satisfy the needs of your business. Pricing is so much more than what the closest studio to you is doing. It must fit your business, your goals, your payroll and the experience you offer.
⚡ ACC Suggested Quick Action: Review your Membership Tier Mix to discover if unlimited memberships are helping or hurting revenue- if you’re a low capacity studio (15 or less spots per class), take a look at how many classes each tier of membership is taking on average to determine how much each tier pays per class/the value of that tier.
2. Mid Year Reviews/Org Chart Planning
It does not matter how many team members you have, they need clear goals + accountability to thrive. You need them to thrive so this is an integral part of the process. Whether you are building or renovating, your people will make or break your business because they are the face and hands of it. Taking the time to give feedback, get feedback, privately review each employee’s development plan & trajectory and determine who your business needs where to meet your goals is time extremely well spent.
⚡ ACC Suggested Quick Action: Identify where in the business you’re doing work that can or should be delegated. Are you doing something that you don’t love or aren’t skilled at? Put it on your delegate list. (Check out the ACC CEO Delegation freebie for support here!) The easiest way to figure out which role(s) needs to be next is to start with where you’re a bottle neck, not enjoying your work or need something with different skills. You started your own business to work on what you want, how you want, but only you can create that reality.
3. Refresh Your Review Processes
This is separate from mid year reviews and rooted in data. If you’re relying on utilization to tell the story of a successful studio, you’re missing the full view of how people move through your house. You wouldn’t put a kitchen island in the living room and you wouldn’t put your highest paid instructor into a class full of clients who pay the least per visit, BUT the truth is that most people do. Evaluating your schedule from only one vantage point is not enough. Same with your talent – instructor performance is a space where we very often see emotional decisions and the narrative (she’s our best instructor) becoming reality (actually, her first timer return rate is very low, but she’s beloved by your most vocal members). Summer gives time and space for reflection without the noise of a packed studio.
⚡ACC Suggested Quick Action: Read NetGym’s “The 5-Minute Data Check That Reveals Your Team’s Real Culture“
& watch the ACC Summer Slowdown CORE Workshop + complete the Schedule Analysis Workbook.
This is your time to restructure, review and revitalize versus reacting later. Take the time to do the detail work, pull those reports (or let NetGym & ACC help you pull those reports..!), plunk down in the sunshine and build your most successful year yet. Enjoy it and Happy Summer!
Learn More About Active Core Consulting
For those looking to lead their business into its next chapter, rewrite the last or start something new, book a Discovery Call to find out how ACC can help you live the life you want in the business you dreamed of.
Your Staff Are Your Summer Strategy
NetGym gives fitness operators one place to keep communication consistent, performance visible, and accountability built into the day-to-day — so the work you do this summer actually sticks when things pick back up.
Book a demo to see how NetGym supports your team all season long.