There’s definitely something that separates a good fitness owner from a not-so-good fitness business owner. We here at Boost Fitness Marketing have helped hundreds of fitness businesses increase their membership (by using our fitness marketing service, FitnessTexter).

After dealing with so many different gym and studio owners, we’ve come to see some of the same traits amongst yoga studio owners, crossfit box owners, pilates studio owners, gym owners, martial arts instructors and pole-dancing studio owners. Here are the 4 habits we think will help make you into the best fitness business owner you can be:

1. Care About Clients, Not Profit

First and foremost, put your clients first. That’s the most important thing we’ve seen amongst all the gym owners we work with. Yes, you want to make a profit, and you will, with time. However, you also want to have happy members who refer their friends to your business. If your only interest in running a gym is to turn a profit, you might want to look into another profession. There’s money to be had, but it takes time. Spend your time patiently building up a loyal client base, and in no time you’ll start to see the profits flow in. If you’re worried about your finances, use our of our free excel fitness business spreadsheets to figure out when you’ll start turning a profit.

2. Be the First One in the Gym Every Morning

This rule holds true for any type of business, regardless of industry. Everyone knows that when the boss is in first, his head is in the game. You’ll have clients coming in at 5am to work out, and if you’re there, hanging out with clients, spotting lifts, and getting involved with your members, you’re going to build those long-term relationships that turn into valuable membership dues. Get their early, say “Hi” to every single member when they walk in the door, ask them how their week is going, etc. You know you should be doing this every day, but are you?

3. Put Together Group Activities for Members

We talked about this topic in a post about building community in CrossFits, but we think it’s worth reiterating. Gyms are more than a place to work out, they’re a place to socialize. Most people join fitness businesses for the health benefits, but they all know about the residual benefits of making friends and expanding their network. A good gym owner should be putting together a monthly member hangout. It doesn’t need to be anything extravagant. A simple BBQ with a case of beer usually does the trick. Get out the bean bag toss, put up a playpen for member’s kids and let the fun begin. Build those relationships between your members and they’re like to stay a member at your facility because their friends work out there too.

4. Form Partnerships with Local Fitness Studios

Last but not least, a smart fitness business owner is always looking for ways to cross-pollinate his or her business. This is best done by creating partnerships with other local fitness studios. Let’s say that you own a CrossFit box. Why not reach out to a local yoga studio and set up some type of reciprocity between the two businesses. Your CrossFit members get a 25% discount at the yoga studio, and the yoga studio members get the same discount at your facility. This way, if any of your members have been interested in doing yoga, they now have an answer. You’ll reap the benefits of getting new members from your partner gyms, as well as make your current members happy because you’ve given them discounted access to other local gyms.

We’ll keep updating this list as time goes on. Hopefully you’re already making it a habit to do some of these things. If not, it’s never too late to start.