At Persona, we’ve historically been wary of partnering with ClassPass (CP) for a variety of reasons. However, their team recently approached us with a unique structure tailored to our rapid growth, offering better rates and full scheduling flexibility. After careful consideration, we believe the upsides of this partnership now outweigh the downsides—especially with the protections we’ve put in place. Here’s a breakdown of why we initially resisted CP, how we’re addressing those concerns, the potential benefits, and how we’ll train our team to make this work.

Austin, Texas, is a fitness lover’s paradise, and Pilates has become a go-to for those seeking strength, flexibility, and balance. With so many studios to choose from, we’ve narrowed down the top five. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro, these studios offer something special. Let’s dive in!

We want to create the most effective Pilates workout ever. The way we do this is leveraging data to create ultra personalized workouts. But most people don't just want raw data shoved in their face, that's no fun!
 
The presentation is key for the engagement to be high. We identified two different journeys that we are taking the customer on to achieve the results they are seeking.

1. Digital Journey

2. Physical Journey

Lifetime Value (LTV) is the total revenue a business generates from a customer over the course of their relationship with the brand. For Persona, LTV is a critical metric that reflects our ability to retain members and provide consistent value.

LTV is driven by three key variables:

• Duration: How long a member stays with us.

• Membership Pricing: The monthly revenue from membership tiers.

• Other Fees: Additional revenue from services like personal training, workshops, or merchandise.

A question we often hear is why we’ve chosen not to align with the Lagree brand, a once-dominant player in the boutique fitness industry. In this post, I’ll explain what Lagree is, why it gained popularity, the challenges that led us to move away from it, and how our proprietary Persona brand positions us for long-term success.

Why We Ditched the #1 Lead Gen Tool In Fitness

ClassPass is a subscription-based platform that allows users to book fitness classes at various studios for a monthly fee. Users purchase “credits” to access a range of classes across different gyms, yoga studios, and boutique fitness providers. 

For studios, it acts as a lead generator, filling empty class spots and exposing their brand to new customers. It is perhaps the most utilized lead generation software in the entire industry, driving the majority of their traffic from this discount-based program.

So why did we ditch it across all our studios? Why were we willing to take a 30% revenue haircut on Houston to move past it? How are we generating those lost leads?

The past six months have been a tipping point with AI. It hasn’t just improved—it’s exploded. You’ve seen it: smarter tools, sharper insights, seamless integration. (Full disclosure: even this email got a final polish from my AI assistant!)

What’s driving this moment?

• Better Tech: AI is now faster, more intuitive, and capable of human-like reasoning.

• Affordable Access: Costs have plummeted, putting power in our hands.

• Open Ecosystems: Software APIs are unlocking, letting AI plug into our data and amplify it.

In our first update, we shared how we rebuilt our data infrastructure. It’s not just a vault—it’s a living system, designed to “talk” to other programs. Now, AI can step in and turn raw data into personalized magic.

There are three main reasons why equipment is critical for us:

• Effectiveness: The right machines are non-negotiable. They allow us to isolate movements with precision, optimize performance, and deliver the exceptional workout experience our clients expect. Without them, we’d be compromising our core promise. 

• Barrier to Entry: Unlike yoga studios that can flip on the lights and start teaching with minimal setup, our model demands specialized equipment. Competitors can’t just waltz in—this requires serious capital investment, creating a natural moat around our business.  

• Expansion: Access to top-tier equipment isn’t just about maintaining quality; it’s the backbone of scaling a studio. Without it, growth stalls, and we’re stuck spinning our wheels.

Training has long been the industry's Achilles' heel. For years, the fitness space leaned heavily on third-party providers to handle instructor training. But as brands fragmented and diluted their identities, the quality of training suffered.

These third parties often prioritized profit over purpose, treating training as a cash grab rather than a way to empower instructors. Master Trainers would cash their checks and leave, while studios were stuck with inconsistent results.

Data in fitness can spark debate. From calorie counting to tracking reps or fueling friendly competition, it lands differently for everyone.

The real question lingered: Do our clients even want data? Does it enhance their experience, or is it just noise? Our realization is that if we combine data with other elements (training, app, devices, etc.) then it starts to transform the experience that is digestible for just about everyone.

Owning one studio is hard, but relatively simple. You need about 4 instructors, only one studio to focus on, one set of books to manage, etc.

Three studios gets a little more complex. The schedules start to intertwine, revenue needs to be recognized responsibly, marketing needs to be balanced so that all studios receive traffic, and more.

 How do you "scale" 50+ studios? The answer is to invest into systems that you can essentially "copy and paste". The workload investment is in the beginning but it helps accelerate your business in the long run.