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
.

Not sure why your business isn’t growing — or where the problem actually is? In this episode of Female emPOWERED, host Christa Gurka breaks down how to diagnose problems inside your boutique fitness or wellness business so you can fix the right thing — not just the most obvious thing.

Too often, studio owners say “my marketing isn’t working” when the real issue is a gap in their sales system or operations process. Just like identifying the root cause of a client’s pain, you need to know whether your business has a marketing, sales, or operations problem before you can prescribe a solution.

Christa walks you step-by-step through:
✅ The difference between marketing, sales, and operations — and how they connect
✅ How to spot the “kink in the chain” that’s slowing your growth
✅ Key metrics to track (inquiries, conversions, retention, churn)
✅ How to know if your marketing is actually working
✅ What a real sales system looks like inside a boutique fitness business
✅ How operations — client experience, team systems, and delivery — impact retention
✅ Why fixing the root problem leads to more predictable revenue and better margins

If you’ve ever wondered whether your business struggles are really about marketing, sales, or something deeper, this episode will help you pinpoint exactly what’s broken — and how to fix it.

🎧 Listen now to learn how to assess your business like a CEO, not just a service provider.
💻 Join Fit Biz Foundations: www.christagurka.com/fitbizfoundations

📲 Follow Christa on Instagram: @christagurka

Confused about whether your team should be classified as employees or independent contractors? You’re not alone — and getting it wrong can cost you big time. In this episode of Female emPOWERED, host Christa Gurka sits down with returning guest Katie Santos, founder of FitnessHR, to unpack everything studio and wellness business owners need to know about HR compliance, classification, and protecting your business.

Together, Christa and Katie break down real-world examples from Pilates, yoga, and physical therapy studios, explain what the IRS and state laws actually look for, and share actionable steps to help you stay compliant and build a more sustainable, professional team.

Whether you’re in Florida’s “Wild West” of HR or strict-law California, this episode will help you understand:
✅ The legal difference between an independent contractor and an employee
✅ How misclassification can trigger audits, lawsuits, and major financial risk
✅ What you can (and can’t) require contractors to do
✅ Why switching to employees can actually increase your studio’s value
✅ What to include in your employee handbook and operations manual
✅ End-of-year HR to-dos: reviews, time-off policies, and pay structures
✅ How to set expectations clearly without losing your “cool boss” vibe

If you want to protect your business, lead with confidence, and ensure your HR foundation supports your growth — this episode is a must-listen.

🔗 Learn more about Katie Santos: fitnesshr.com

🔗 Explore Fit Biz Strategies: christagurka.com

In this week’s Female emPOWERED episode, Christa breaks down one of the most powerful—and misunderstood—decisions you’ll ever make as a boutique fitness or wellness business owner: finding your niche.

If you’ve ever worried that niching down means turning clients away, leaving money on the table, or boxing yourself in, this episode will change your perspective. Christa shares why narrowing your focus actually expands your impact and profitability, how to identify your ideal client, and what it really takes to become the go-to expert in your area.

This is the episode every Pilates, PT, and yoga studio owner needs to hear before the new year!

🔍 What You’ll Learn

• Why niching doesn’t mean excluding people—it means serving the right ones better
• The key benefits of specialization for boutique fitness and wellness businesses
• How to find your ideal clients based on energy, outcomes, and results
• The three-step process to discover your profitable niche
• Real examples of successful niche businesses (like Pilates in the Grove!)
• How to align your niche with your profit goals and lifestyle
• What to do when your niche evolves over time
• Why being known for one thing creates clarity in your marketing, referrals, and offers

🧭 Takeaway Framework: The 4-Step Niche Discovery Process

1. Passion & Energy: Who lights you up to work with? Who drains you?
2. Expertise: Who do you get the best results for? What are your consistent transformations?
3. Market Demand: Is there an underserved group in your community or industry?
4. Profitability & Lifestyle Fit: Can you charge premium rates—and does it support your ideal work-life balance?

🧩 Why This Matters

Niching down simplifies everything—your messaging, your offers, your marketing, and your growth. It positions you as an expert, creates client buy-in, and increases profitability.

When people think of your specialty, they should immediately think of you.

💼 Want Help Defining Your Niche?

Get Christa’s exact specialization and messaging framework inside the Fit Biz Foundations program.

You’ll get:
✅ A full video module on core specialization and finding your niche
✅ Monthly live coaching calls
✅ Access to a community of women running brick-and-mortar boutique wellness businesses

👉 Join for just $99/month at www.christagurka.com/fitbizfoundations

🔗 Connect with Christa

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

Female emPOWERED Podcast | Episode 307
🎙️ How to Ramp Up New Hires Without Killing Your Profit Margin

Are you staring at your new team member’s half-empty schedule and wondering, “Did I make a mistake?” You’re not alone — and you’re not losing money (even if it feels like it). In this episode, Christa Gurka walks you through how to set realistic utilization expectations for new instructors or clinicians, how to design smart compensation structures, and what you can do if your new hire isn’t meeting targets.

Whether you’ve just hired a Pilates instructor, yoga teacher, or physical therapist, this episode will show you how to onboard and ramp up new hires strategically — so they become profitable, long-term team members that fuel your business growth.

👉 Download Christa’s Free New Hire Utilization Roadmap
https://www.christagurka.com/newhire

💡 What You’ll Learn:

• What "utilization rate" actually means in boutique wellness & cash-based PT
• Healthy benchmarks for new team members (and what’s not realistic)
• Why new hires aren’t profitable on day one — and why that’s OK
• How to structure compensation during ramp-up periods
• 30-60-90 day onboarding plans that actually work
• Common hiring mistakes that kill your profit margin
• How to diagnose whether it’s a marketing, ops, or retention problem
• The math behind profitability (yes, Christa breaks it down for you!)
• When it’s time to start your next hiring search

📌 Mentioned Episodes:

• Ep 305 – Transitioning Clients Off Your Schedule
  
  
• Ep 304 – Compensation Models for Your Team
  
  

📣 Want Christa’s help building a profitable, sustainable team?
Apply for the Inner Circle or attend the upcoming CEO Summit this November.
Visit https://www.fitbizstrategies.com
to learn more.

📱 DM Christa: @christagurka

📥 Download the free roadmap: https://www.christagurka.com/newhire

Are Google Ads worth it for your studio or practice? If you’ve ever wondered why ads don’t seem to work for you—or why you’re spending thousands each month without seeing results—this episode is for you.

I’m walking you through the anatomy of a Google Ad and breaking down how to set up campaigns the right way so you can start generating consistent, high-quality leads.

Inside the episode, you’ll learn:

• The three types of Google Ad campaigns every brick-and-mortar business should run: non-brand, brand, and competitor.
• Why keywords and search intent matter more than anything else—and how to choose the right ones.
• How to structure campaigns, ad groups, and ads so your Pilates, yoga, or physical therapy clients land on the right page every time.
• The math behind cost per lead (CPL), conversion rates, and return on ad spend (ROAS)—and why even a $60/day budget can create thousands in revenue.
• The key difference between running ads on Google vs. Meta (Facebook/Instagram) and how to use them together for better results.

Google Ads aren’t about throwing money at the wall—they’re about strategy, structure, and tracking. When done right, they can be one of the fastest ways to get new clients in your door and grow your boutique fitness or wellness business.

✨ Want help learning and applying these strategies?

• Join the Inner Circle waitlist: christagurka.com/mentorship
  
  
• Or schedule a 1:1 coaching call with me to walk through your setup step-by-step.