The Power of Visibility: How Somaspace Uses Analytics 2.0 to Drive Success

Amanda Vernor, the owner of Somaspace, a private and small-group Pilates studio in Austin, Texas, has been in the fitness industry for over two decades. Since founding Somaspace in 2009, she has provided high-quality instruction in classical Pilates, the GYROTONIC® method, and teacher training. However, when it came to tracking key business metrics, understanding business performance, and making informed decisions, it was a burdensome and time-consuming process because she was forced to piece together data from multiple sources. That all changed with the introduction of Mindbody Analytics 2.0. 

Tracking business performance across multiple reports

Before adopting Analytics 2.0, Vernor used Mindbody's Insights Snapshot, Analytics 1.0, and various individual reports to monitor her studio's performance. To gather better visibility into the studio's metrics, she would pull and manually track data from multiple reports, such as last visits, membership details, and client retention rates mid-month, at the end of the month, and quarterly.  

Although those reports provided essential data, they required numerous steps to obtain the information she needed. Vernor had to sift through multiple reports, manually compile the data, and interpret the numbers herself. This process not only took more time but also made it difficult to quickly identify trends and insights at a glance. 

New and improved business insights

Vernor eventually made the transition to Analytics 2.0, which has significantly reduced the time she spends on reporting. She can easily dive into the data in fewer steps and with greater visual representations. "Visuals make it more intuitive to be able to click on something and drill down into more details," she said.   

She now uses Analytics 2.0 to track monthly and annual revenue and compare trends across multiple years to analyze seasonality. One of the biggest improvements has been the ability to track client visits by service type and monitor membership growth. "I now have the growth section to see retention," Vernor explained.  

More accurate metrics for better business decisions

Vernor previously relied on a tedious process to calculate seasonality, manually comparing revenue data between Mindbody and QuickBooks. Not only was this time-consuming, but it also led to inaccuracies that impacted business decisions. Now, with Analytics 2.0, she can quickly and accurately assess overall attendance and revenue trends, providing a far more reliable approach to tracking seasonality. 

With this newfound accuracy, Vernor has been able to fine-tune her efforts and decisions based on real-time visit trends. She can now confidently adjust winter and summer break schedules to ensure the studio stays open when demand is high and strategically closes during natural attendance dips. 

Beyond studio closures, these insights have also transformed staffing decisions. By identifying fluctuations in attendance, she can adjust staff schedules accordingly to align with slow periods and peaks in attendance. The ability to visually track these trends has provided a clearer, more strategic approach to scheduling, helping both the business and its employees operate more efficiently. 

Identifying issues and taking action

With Analytics 2.0, Vernor can quickly identify trends and potential issues, allowing her to take immediate action when needed. The comprehensive reports and real-time visibility have transformed how she manages her studio, helping her make both short-term adjustments and long-term strategic decisions. 

By reviewing the overview page, which consolidates key metrics like sales, visits, and member trends in one place, Vernor can easily spot fluctuations and patterns. She's identified the need to better promote their free consultations after noticing it was their lowest-performing service. Without Analytics 2.0's visual insights, this trend might have gone unnoticed. The clear data visualization made it easy for her to spot the drop and take action, ensuring no opportunity for growth is overlooked.   

Additionally, if Vernor notices that sales are up but clients served is down, she can quickly investigate whether it’s a short-term fluctuation or a sign of a larger operational issue–allowing her to make informed decisions faster and with greater confidence.  

Overall, these insights allow her to: 

• Proactively engage with clients by identifying those at risk of dropping off and reaching out with personalized offers or retention strategies
• Address staff utilization and training needs by analyzing individual team member performance. If a teacher's retention rates are dropping, she can step in with coaching to improve their class experience
• Pinpoint operational challenges such as facility issues or staffing imbalances before they impact client satisfaction
• Adjust sales and marketing strategies by understanding what’s driving revenue and whether there's an opportunity to run promotional offers

Vernor has a clear, visual representation of her studio’s health, making it easier to see where action is needed, whether that’s today, next month, or in the long run. "Analytics 2.0 provides a sophisticated view of what's going on in my business and offers multiple ways to visualize the data," she shared. Analytics 2.0 has become an indispensable part of running Somaspace. She highly recommends it to other business owners.