Thinking about hiring a marketing agency for your boutique fitness or wellness business? In this episode, Christa Gurka shares exactly what you need to know before you spend a single dollar on paid ads.

Christa breaks down the essential marketing metrics and strategies every studio owner should understand — from CPC, CPA, and CAC to lifetime value (LTV) and conversion rates — so you can make informed decisions and avoid wasting money.

Whether you run a Pilates studio, yoga studio, or private-pay PT clinic, this episode will help you become confident in your marketing conversations, know what red flags to watch for, and understand how to measure real results from your ad spend.

👉 Listen in to learn:

• What marketing agencies can and can’t fix for your business
• The biggest red flags when hiring an agency
• The difference between CPC, CPA, CAC, and LTV (and why they matter)
• How to calculate your ideal marketing budget based on annual revenue
• How to know when you’re ready to run paid ads
• Why strong backend systems and offers matter more than ad creative
• How to track conversions and optimize your ad funnel
• The importance of owning your data and understanding key metrics

If you’ve ever felt confused about marketing terms or unsure if your ads are actually working, this episode will give you the clarity and confidence you need to take control of your marketing strategy.

🔗 Resources & Links Mentioned:

• Free Marketing Metrics Cheat Sheet: www.christagurka.com/marketingmetrics
  
  Get Christa’s simple guide to understanding marketing terms, calculating key numbers, and evaluating your ad performance.
• Join the Fit Biz Community: Learn the business, leadership, and financial skills that help boutique fitness owners scale profitably — for just $99/month.
• Visit www.christagurka.com
  for upcoming programs launching in 2026 designed to help you build smarter, more profitable businesses.

💡 Key Takeaway:

A marketing agency can amplify what’s already working — but it can’t fix unclear messaging, broken systems, or a weak offer. When you understand your own data and metrics, you stay in control of your ROI and your growth.

🔍 SEO Keywords:

marketing agency for fitness studios, boutique fitness marketing, how to hire a marketing agency, marketing metrics for Pilates studios, paid ads for wellness businesses, CAC and LTV explained, Christa Gurka podcast, Fit Biz Strategies, Female emPOWERED podcast

In this episode of Female emPOWERED, Christa sits down with website designer and SEO expert Jess Freeman, the creative behind both the Pilates in the Grove and Christa Gurka websites. Together, they unpack exactly what makes a boutique fitness or wellness website stand out in 2025—and what you need to prioritize to attract more clients and rank higher on Google.

Jess shares her proven process for stress-free website builds, her favorite platforms for service-based businesses, and her expert insights into SEO for local studios, clinics, and wellness professionals.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the thought of redoing your website or confused by SEO jargon, this episode will simplify it all and help you take actionable steps to improve your online visibility.

🔍 What You’ll Learn

• How Jess created a seamless, client-friendly website process
• The must-have elements of a modern health and wellness website (2025 & beyond)
• Non-verbal ways to show your brand personality through fonts, colors, and shapes
• Local SEO basics: how to optimize for your city or neighborhood
• Why including your location on every page matters
• How to write strong copy that converts—without keyword stuffing
• The truth about photo alt text and how to use it correctly
• Why blogging is still the #1 SEO tool for small businesses
• The best website platforms for service providers: Squarespace vs. WordPress vs. Kajabi
• Common website mistakes that hurt your visibility (and how to fix them fast)

📲 Connect with Jess

• Website: www.jesscreatives.com
  
  
• Instagram: @jesscreatives
  
  

Check out her portfolio for examples of boutique wellness websites, including Pilates in the Grove and Christa Gurka.

👩‍💼 Connect with Christa

• Website: www.christagurka.com
  
  
• Instagram: @christagurka
  
  
• Watch this episode on YouTube: Christa Gurka Channel
  
  

Have you ever wondered what people are really paying for when they work with you?
In this week’s episode of Female emPOWERED, host Christa Gurka shares insights sparked by a recent VIP Day in Atlanta with Ashley Brock and a powerful group of women entrepreneurs — plus a timely reminder from Denise Duffield-Thomas’s Chill & Prosper podcast.

This episode dives deep into the real value behind your services, the transformative power of investing in mentorship, and how giving yourself space to think (not just do) can completely change the trajectory of your business.

Whether you’re a Pilates studio owner, yoga instructor, or private-pay PT, you’ll walk away with practical clarity about:

• Why your clients pay for energy, clarity, and transformation — not just time or tactics.
• The unseen ROI of investing in mentorship, masterminds, and VIP experiences.
• How to design a business that actually supports your life — not the other way around.
• Why the next level of your success starts with simply stepping into the right room.

Key Takeaways

• 💡 Your quirks are your differentiators. The traits you downplay — compassion, creativity, vision — are often what your clients value most.
• 💬 People don’t pay for information. They pay for confidence, clarity, and a container that helps them see what’s possible.
• 🧠 Growth requires space to think. True transformation happens when you step away from the day-to-day and surround yourself with high-level thinkers.
• 💸 The ROI isn’t just financial. It’s in who you become — more decisive, confident, and aligned.
• ✨ You get to design success your way. Scale or simplify, expand or refine — your version of success is valid and enough.

Timestamps

00:00 — Intro: Christa’s Atlanta VIP Day and the spark for this episode
03:10 — Childhood patterns that shape how we view money and worth
08:20 — What people are really paying for in your business
14:45 — The power of proximity: why stepping into the room changes everything
20:00 — The true ROI of mentorship and investing in yourself
26:00 — Permission to design your business your way
30:00 — Final takeaway: You’re already ready for your next level

Resources & Mentions

• Denise Duffield-Thomas – Chill & Prosper Podcast: “What Are You Really Charging For?”
  
  
• Learn more about Christa’s business mentorship programs at www.christagurka.com
  
  
• Follow Christa on Instagram: @ChristaGurka

Call to Action

If this episode lit a fire under you, share it on Instagram and tag @ChristaGurka
— and tell us what room you’re ready to step into next.

Ready to get the clarity and community that fuel your next level?
👉 Explore mentorship with Christa at www.christagurka.com
.