--- title: "Gear Up for Growth: Use the summer to assess your business" description: Summer is slower time for some business. Use the extra time to do an assessment of your business. Improve your business, and be primed for growth in the Fall. image: https://learn.pike13.com/hubfs/Images/Blog%20-%20Other/gears-magnifying-glass.jpg --- 3 min read # Gear Up for Growth: Use the summer to assess your business [![Picture of Katie Zacharkiw](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/b801dd245b9f42f681cce05b96c47e3d) Katie Zacharkiw ](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/author/katie-zacharkiw) : Updated on July 2, 2019 [Business Advisor](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/business-advisor) [Growth](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/growth) ![Gear Up for Growth: Use the summer to assess your business](https://learn.pike13.com/hubfs/Images/Blog%20-%20Other/gears-magnifying-glass.jpg) For some businesses, summer is a slower time of year. Clients are on vacation or too busy enjoying those lazy summer days.  Take advantage of these slower days. This is your time to take a step back and assess your business for strengths and weakness. Address any weaknesses, and your business will be stronger than ever and primed for growth in the fall. **Start with an assessment of your business** **Reflect on your business goals** Being passionate about your business is a good thing, but if you’re working too hard you might start to lose sight of why your business matters so much to you. Take a few minutes (or a few days!) to step back and remember why you started your business in the first place. Remembering your goals, and how much progress you’ve made, will recharge and motivate you. Keeping your goals in mind will also guide you in any improvements you need to make to grow your business. **Check your data** If you aren’t regularly measuring the health of your business you could be losing revenue without even knowing it. Check your data regularly. If clients have overdue payments, follow up with them before it becomes a problem. If a client’s membership is about to expire, get in touch with them to encourage them to renew. The metrics you measure on a weekly, monthly, or yearly basis will vary depending on your business goals. But here are a [four metrics that you should always be tracking for your business](http://learn.frontdeskhq.com/blog/four-metrics-that-will-measure-the-health-of-your-business). **Assess your client experience** Providing a great client experience is critical for client retention. Does your business deliver? Try putting yourself in the shoes of a typical client. What would your experience at your business be like? Imagine yourself as a new client experiencing your business. If you call or email your business, how prompt is the response? Is it easy to find information about class offerings and schedules? When you walk into the business for the first time, how are you greeted? As a new client, do you feel intimidated or welcomed? Does the facility seem clean? Now imagine yourself as an existing client experiencing your business. Are there class options available for you to progress and challenge yourself? If you raised a concern would it be quickly and politely addressed? What might make you decide to switch to a competitor? Asking yourself these questions and more helps you understand how clients see and interact with your business. Use this understanding to improve the areas of your business that fall short of your clients’ standards, and make your business stand out with a superior client experience. [This PDF takes you through the full exercise as a gym owner](http://learn.frontdeskhq.com/hubfs/creating-successful-client-experiences-at-your-gym-presentation.pdf), but the technique can be applied to any class-based business. **Find your competitive advantage ** What sets your business apart from your competitors? What do your competitors offer that sets them apart from you? If you know the answers, you can’t use them to your advantage. [Conduct a competitive analysis](http://learn.frontdeskhq.com/blog/finding-your-competitive-advantage) to find your business’ strengths and weakness. Then, highlight your strengths and start working to improve areas where you’re weaker. **Take action to improve and grow your business** Once you’ve done your assessment and you know what areas of your business can be improved, it’s time to take action. Here are a few tips to tackle a few problems you might run into: **A class is losing revenue  ** Do you have a class that only gets one or two regular attendees? It’s most likely losing you revenue. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to cut it. Try to figure out why your clients aren’t engaging. You might find that with a few tweaks, your dud class can be a source of profit. Here are some [tips on how to fix and underperforming class](http://learn.frontdeskhq.com/blog/when-clients-have-commitment-issues-how-to-fix-an-underperforming-class). **Your staff needs attention** Your staff are your most important tool for client retention, so it’s in your best interest to keep them happy. Are they overworked? Maybe it’s time to [hire a new team member](http://learn.frontdeskhq.com/blog/staffing-your-business-part-1-recruiting). Are they struggling with a skill or with keeping up morale? Invest in [strategies for staff retention](http://learn.frontdeskhq.com/blog/staffing-your-business-part-2-training-and-retaining). Are they just not working out? It might be [time to say goodbye](http://learn.frontdeskhq.com/blog/staffing-your-business-part-3-termination).  **The client experience is lacking** Client experience is often the thing that makes or breaks client retention. If clients don’t enjoy interacting with your business, they’ll go to one of the many competitors down the street. Regularly survey your clients so you know how they’re feeling, and take swift action if something is negatively affecting their experience. Some fixes are simple, like replacing old equipment or giving your facility a fresh coat of paint. Others may take a bit more effort from you and your staff. Are your clients feeling a little neglected? Invest in personalizing the client experience to make them feel like they’re a special part of your community. If you improve your client experience, you’ll see a boost in attendance and revenue. **Regularly assess your business** With a little work, you can spend the slower summer days getting your business ready for a Fall boom. When your clients are back from vacation, you’ll be ready to go with a strong class schedule, pristine facilities, a welcoming and well-trained staff, and the motivation to always keep pushing your business a little further. Your work isn’t done though. Regularly run through the exercises in this post to make sure you’re business is as healthy as it can be. You’ll save time and increase revenue, but the best part may be the peace of mind from knowing that your business is on track to meet your goals.   - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ### Explore More **Running a Business is Hard—We Make It Easier.** Find expert tips, advice, inspiration, and success stories below. One click and you might binge-read our best insights! ### Posts by Tag - [Business Advisor (160)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/business-advisor) - [Marketing Tips (125)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/marketing-tips) - [Pike13 Pro Tips (82)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/pike13-pro-tips) - [Growth (71)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/growth) - [Product Updates (58)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/product-updates) - [Pike13 News (50)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/pike13-news) - [Client Retention (43)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/client-retention) - [Competitive Advantage (36)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/competitive-advantage) - [Inside Pike13 (36)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/inside-pike13) - [Productivity (31)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/productivity) - [Finance (27)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/finance) - [Staffing (23)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/staffing) - [Customer Stories (22)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/customer-stories) - [Fitness (6)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/fitness) - [Press Release (6)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/press-release) - [Client Story (2)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/client-story) - [Music and Dance (2)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/music-and-dance) - [Events (1)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/events) - [Financial Stability (1)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/financial-stability) - [Kids' Activities (1)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/kids-activities) - [Podcast (1)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/front-desk-podast) - [Skill Tracking (1)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/skill-tracking) - [Webinars and Hangouts (1)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/webinars-and-hangouts) - [sports club management (1)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/sports-club-management) - [sports club mobile apps (1)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/sports-club-mobile-apps) - [sports club reporting (1)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/sports-club-reporting) [See All](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/gear-up-for-growth-use-the-summer-to-assess-your-business#) [![The Hidden Revenue Stream: How Gift Cards and Add-Ons Boost Your Bottom Line](https://learn.pike13.com/hubfs/giftcardblog%20banner.png) ](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/the-hidden-revenue-stream-how-gift-cards-and-add-ons-boost-your-bottom-line) #### [The Hidden Revenue Stream: How Gift Cards and Add-Ons Boost Your Bottom Line](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/the-hidden-revenue-stream-how-gift-cards-and-add-ons-boost-your-bottom-line) [The Pike13 Team](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/author/the-pike13-team): Apr 06, 2026 The Overlooked Opportunity Most studio owners spend their energy filling classes and booking appointments. That’s the core revenue, so it makes... [Competitive Advantage](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/competitive-advantage) [Growth](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/growth) [Finance](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/finance) [Financial Stability](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/financial-stability) [Read More](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/the-hidden-revenue-stream-how-gift-cards-and-add-ons-boost-your-bottom-line) [![Why Multi-Factor Authentication is Essential for Account Security](https://learn.pike13.com/hubfs/Assets%20-%20Unorganized/Unorganized%20-%20images/Blog%20-%20Other/data-security.jpg) ](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/why-multi-factor-authentication-is-essential-for-account-security) #### [Why Multi-Factor Authentication is Essential for Account Security](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/why-multi-factor-authentication-is-essential-for-account-security) [Kaina](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/author/kaina): Apr 06, 2026 Protect your business and client data from unauthorized access with multi-factor authentication—a critical security layer that goes beyond passwords... [Read More](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/why-multi-factor-authentication-is-essential-for-account-security) [![Pike13 and Stripe: A Winning Combination](https://learn.pike13.com/hubfs/Blog%20post%20header.png) ](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/pike13-and-stripe-a-winning-combination) #### [Pike13 and Stripe: A Winning Combination](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/pike13-and-stripe-a-winning-combination) ![Picture of Monica B.](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e) [Monica B.](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/author/monica-b): Jul 20, 2023 Whether you run a fitness studio, yoga center, or any other membership-based business, managing registrations, payments, and customer data can be... [Competitive Advantage](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/competitive-advantage) [Growth](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/growth) [Finance](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/finance) [Read More](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/pike13-and-stripe-a-winning-combination) [![Back to School: Boosting Business at the Start of the Academic Year](https://learn.pike13.com/hubfs/Pike13%20Website/General%20Images/school-kids-small.jpg) ](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/back-to-school-boosting-business-at-the-start-of-the-academic-year) #### [Back to School: Boosting Business at the Start of the Academic Year](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/back-to-school-boosting-business-at-the-start-of-the-academic-year) ![Picture of Katie Zacharkiw](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/b801dd245b9f42f681cce05b96c47e3d) [Katie Zacharkiw](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/author/katie-zacharkiw) : Aug 21, 2018 It’s hard to believe that summer is already winding down. Kids are heading back to school, and summer work schedules are ending. Which means it’s the... [Business Advisor](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/business-advisor) [Growth](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/growth) [Client Retention](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/client-retention) [Read More](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/back-to-school-boosting-business-at-the-start-of-the-academic-year) [![4 Critical To Do's Every Business Owner Should be doing in Q4](https://learn.pike13.com/hubfs/Pike13%20Website/General%20Images/new-year-celebration.jpg) ](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/4-critical-to-dos-every-business-owner-should-be-doing-in-q4) #### [4 Critical To Do's Every Business Owner Should be doing in Q4](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/4-critical-to-dos-every-business-owner-should-be-doing-in-q4) ![Picture of Katie Zacharkiw](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/b801dd245b9f42f681cce05b96c47e3d) [Katie Zacharkiw](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/author/katie-zacharkiw) : Dec 13, 2018 For at least the past few weeks you’ve probably been in holiday mode at your business. But have you taken some time to think about what comes next?... [Business Advisor](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/business-advisor) [Read More](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/4-critical-to-dos-every-business-owner-should-be-doing-in-q4) [![5 Revenue Channels That Grow Your Gym Business](https://learn.pike13.com/hubfs/Front%20Desk%20Archive/social-suggested-images/20160413202242-money-saving-invest.jpeg) ](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/5-revenue-channels-that-grow-your-gym-business) #### [5 Revenue Channels That Grow Your Gym Business](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/5-revenue-channels-that-grow-your-gym-business) ![Picture of Katie Zacharkiw](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/b801dd245b9f42f681cce05b96c47e3d) [Katie Zacharkiw](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/author/katie-zacharkiw) : Jan 07, 2020 You've probably spent a lot of time recently thinking about how to grow your business in 2020. And maybe you've read that, for the best long-term... [Business Advisor](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/business-advisor) [Marketing Tips](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/marketing-tips) [Growth](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/growth) [Read More](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/5-revenue-channels-that-grow-your-gym-business) ![](https://px.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=7046634&fmt=gif) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Katie Zacharkiw", "url" : "https://learn.pike13.com/blog/author/katie-zacharkiw" }, "dateModified" : "2019-07-02T17:11:17.777Z", "datePublished" : "2017-05-30T18:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "Gear Up for Growth: Use the summer to assess your business", "image" : [ "https://learn.pike13.com/hubfs/Images/Blog%20-%20Other/gears-magnifying-glass.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://learn.pike13.com/blog/gear-up-for-growth-use-the-summer-to-assess-your-business", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://learn.pike13.com/hubfs/p13-logo-600px.png" }, "name" : "Pike, Inc." } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.pike13.com/#organization", "@type" : "Organization", "address" : { "@type" : "PostalAddress", "addressCountry" : "US", "addressLocality" : "Seattle", "addressRegion" : "WA", "postalCode" : "98122", "streetAddress" : "1221 East Pike Suite 200" }, "email" : "sales@pike13.com", "foundingDate" : "2011", "logo" : "https://www.pike13.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Assets%20-%20Unorganized/Organizing%20-%20In%20Use/Pike13%20Logo%20PNG.png?width=3000&height=790&name=Pike13%20Logo%20PNG.png", "name" : "Pike13", "parentOrganization" : { "@type" : "Organization", "name" : "Jonas Software" }, "sameAs" : [ "https://www.facebook.com/gopike13", "https://twitter.com/gopike13", "https://www.linkedin.com/company/gopike13", "https://www.instagram.com/gopike13/" ], "telephone" : "(855) 417-7120", "url" : "https://www.pike13.com/" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.pike13.com/#software", "@type" : "SoftwareApplication", "applicationCategory" : "BusinessApplication", "applicationSubCategory" : "Scheduling Software, Franchise Management Software, Skill Tracking Software", "areaServed" : [ { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "United States" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "Canada" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "United Kingdom" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "Australia" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "Germany" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "Spain" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "Portugal" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "Brazil" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "Mexico" }, { "@type" : "Place", "name" : "European Economic Area" }, { "@type" : "Place", "name" : "South America" }, { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "South Africa" } ], "audience" : { "@type" : "Audience", "audienceType" : "Fitness studios, music schools, swim schools, martial arts academies, youth coding programs, strength training gyms, franchise networks, multi-location activity-based businesses" }, "description" : "Pike13 is scheduling, enrollment, payment, and skill tracking software for activity-based businesses — from single-location studios to multi-location franchise networks. Serving fitness studios, music schools, swim schools, martial arts academies, youth coding programs, and strength training gyms.", "featureList" : [ "Scheduling and enrollment for classes, courses, and appointments", "Pre-paid and recurring plans", "Passes and punch cards", "Attendance tracking", "Automated reminder notifications", "Automated waitlist management", "Coupons", "Merchant processing", "Gift cards", "Automated billing and collections", "Child and dependent account linking", "Client communication", "Client app (iOS and Android)", "Staff app (iOS and Android)", "Client kiosk app", "Branded client website", "Basic reporting on clients, staff, and financials", "Insights Dashboard", "Payroll management and staff time tracking (Advanced+)", "Retail (Advanced+)", "Email marketing (Advanced+)", "SMS reminders and messaging (Advanced+)", "Facebook Pixel (Advanced+)", "Zapier integration (Advanced+)", "Digital waivers and custom terms and conditions (Advanced+)", "Embeddable website widgets (Advanced+)", "Room bookings (Advanced+)", "Google Analytics integration (Advanced+)", "Custom reporting powered by Looker (Advanced+)", "Multi-location oversight with reporting (Advanced+)", "Contactless check-in: kiosk, app, and QR codes (Advanced+)", "API access and custom integrations (Premium only)", "Member progress tracking and skill assessments (Premium only)", "Branded client app for iOS and Android (Premium option)", "Custom reports (Premium only)" ], "name" : "Pike13", "offers" : [ { "@type" : "Offer", "description" : "For solo operators and small studios. Includes scheduling and enrollment for classes, courses, and appointments; pre-paid and recurring plans; passes and punch cards; attendance tracking; automated reminders and waitlist management; coupons; merchant processing; gift cards; automated billing; family and dependent accounts; client communication; client app, staff app, kiosk app; branded client website; basic reporting; Insights Dashboard. Unlimited staff seats and client profiles. 12-month contract.", "name" : "Essential", "price" : "139.00", "priceCurrency" : "USD", "priceSpecification" : { "@type" : "PriceSpecification", "billingDuration" : "P1M" } }, { "@type" : "Offer", "description" : "For growing and multi-location businesses. Everything in Essential plus: multi-location oversight with reporting; payroll management and staff time tracking; digital waivers; custom reporting powered by Looker; email marketing; Facebook Pixel and Google Analytics; room bookings; contactless check-in (kiosk, app, QR codes); SMS reminders and messaging; Zapier integration; embeddable website widgets; retail. 12-month contract.", "name" : "Advanced", "price" : "195.00", "priceCurrency" : "USD", "priceSpecification" : { "@type" : "PriceSpecification", "billingDuration" : "P1M" } }, { "@type" : "Offer", "description" : "For franchises and enterprise-level customization. Everything in Advanced plus: API access and custom integrations for enterprise workflows; member progress tracking and skill assessments; branded client app for iOS and Android (available option); custom reports. 12-month contract.", "name" : "Premium", "price" : "249.00", "priceCurrency" : "USD", "priceSpecification" : { "@type" : "PriceSpecification", "billingDuration" : "P1M" } } ], "operatingSystem" : "Web, iOS, Android", "publisher" : { "@id" : "https://www.pike13.com/#organization" }, "url" : "https://www.pike13.com/" } ```