Tech is Finally Catching Up to How Boutique Studios Operate

How The Shed achieved 220% revenue growth with bsport, and what it reveals about running and growing a modern studio.

The Shed started out as a reformer Pilates concept in its founder’s backyard, with a simple setup and a clear vision.

Within six months of opening its first studio, revenue had jumped by 220%, all while preserving the sense of community and experience that defined it from the start.

Growth at that pace often comes with trade-offs. More members often means more moving parts, from bookings to payments, and more time spent managing the details. For boutique studios built on member experience, that tension is real.

But at The Shed, it played out differently, and it came down to having the right setup in place.

From day one, the studio used bsport, a management platform built for boutique fitness studios. Instead of piecing together tools or adapting generic systems, The Shed set things up on one dedicated system, with bookings, payments and member activity all working together.

“One of the most impactful things bsport set up for us was our own fully-branded member app where members can book classes, buy passes and manage their membership themselves,” said Jane Ellington, co-owner of The Shed. “I used to have to go in and bill people one by one, so I was only making money if I was the one initiating it. Now, customers are purchasing on their own.”

This was one of the many ways that bsport has shared the load with Jane, providing tools and workflows that make day to day life easier and enable growth. 

But it’s not always such smooth sailing. 

Why Generic Tools Fall Short for Boutique Fitness Studios 

Many studios start out with the belief that enthusiastic teaching alone will carry the business, and they underestimate what it takes behind the scenes. 

They might use separate tools booking or scheduling, but little else. Then, as demand increases, those systems begin to show their limits.

Operators and staff then find themselves working around their technology instead of being supported by it.

“There are typically two paths we see,” said Xiaoyun Tu, CMO at bsport. “Some studios start with very simple tools that only manage bookings, and they outgrow them quickly. Others move to more established legacy platforms that weren’t designed specifically for boutique fitness. In both cases, there’s friction.”

That friction is felt in small but meaningful ways: the number of steps it takes to book a class, not being able to choose your favourite spot, payment interruptions and also features that don’t align with how boutique studios operate in the first place.

Each point of friction reduces conversion. Over time, it limits growth.

“Class scheduling and booking flows matter more than people realize,” Xiao said. “Our recent research shows that 1 in 5 people won’t try a studio if booking feels complicated or unclear, and 63% won’t even consider it if class times don’t fit their schedule. 

“The experience actually starts before someone enters the studio, and it directly impacts how often members book and how engaged they are.”

At The Shed, that was clear from the start. As a reformer Pilates studio, capacity is fixed. Every spot in every class represents revenue. 

Features like automated waitlists, fast booking and customized cancellation rules and fast booking ensure those spots are filled without constant manual admin.

At the same time, access to actionable business insights allows operators to understand what’s working and adjust quickly.

“Studio owners are wearing multiple hats,” Xiao said. “They need to understand their business, but they don’t always have the time to sit behind a dashboard. So we’ve made it possible to access key data easily, even from a phone, so they can make decisions in real time.”

Scaling Without Losing the Experience

What stands out in The Shed’s growth, aside from the speed, is the consistency of the experience.

In boutique fitness, retention is closely tied to connection, and growth only works if that connection holds.

Here again, having the right operating system plays a role.

Features like guest passes, gift cards, referrals and milestone tracking create structured ways to deepen engagement without adding operational burden. Communication tools allow studios to connect with members based on behavior, celebrating consistency, encouraging return visits and reinforcing habits. 

Over time, these tools create touchpoints which help turn occasional visits into regular routines.

“We offer a $10 community class once a week,” Jane said. “It’s aimed at people who might not be able to afford a $39 drop-in but are curious to try. What’s been interesting is seeing people start there and then move on to other classes once they see the value.”

Once committed members build routines and relationships, a community starts to form. For founders, the focus must shift to nurturing it.

That means stepping away from admin and getting back to why they started, which usually means being present in the studio and connecting with their members.

This is where intelligent workflows can make all the difference. 

Designing AI for How Studios Actually Operate

As studios grow, the challenge isn’t just managing bookings or payments. It’s keeping everything running without spending all day behind a screen.

For bsport, that means applying AI to the parts of the business that take up time day to day, from answering member questions to tracking performance and running campaigns.

“We know studio owners are short on time,” Xiao said. “They’re focused on delivering the experience. Our role is to handle the day-to-day operations behind the scenes, while keeping them in the driving seat.”

That philosophy runs to the heart of bsport’s ambitious AI roadmap.

A set of focused AI tools which add real value have been built around the reality of everyday studio operations. 

These include a front desk AI agent to handle common member questions, support bookings and keep communication moving without constant input from staff. Other tools, like AI reporting, focus on insights. It flags changes in bookings or attendance so operators can quickly see what needs attention.

“Studio owners want to understand their business, but they’re not data analysts,” Xiao said. “They need to see quickly what’s working and what needs attention.”

Marketing is another area where bsport’s AI can save time and improve results. Campaign creation, segmentation and execution can be automated, so founders can run effective campaigns without needing specialist marketing support.

It all comes back to saving time, cutting down manual work and helping founders make better decisions.

Looking ahead, bsport’s vision is clear. Xiao says a studio management platform shouldn’t demand constant attention. It should run in the background and make the business easier to manage day to day.

“We believe a great platform is one you don’t spend much time on,” Xiao added. “The tools that support your studio should feel as great as the experience they help create.”