She doubled her clientele and built a $42K/month studio

Hey Gym World,

Every market has gaps. The question is whether your gym is ready to fill them.

When Nora Matthew was pregnant with her first child, she found there were few reliable options for pre and postpartum training. She soon realized that most women lacked safe, effective strength training, so she set out to create a place that served them better.

Seven years later, she runs Her Strength Studio, a women-only, small group gym with 165 members. It generates $42K/month in revenue and serves moms, older women, and everyone in between. In the last two years, she’s even doubled her clientele.

I talked to Nora about her gym’s growth, the model behind it, and the opportunities gym owners can learn from. Click the video below to get the full story.

Or keep scrolling for the recap:

What Drove the Growth

For the first five years, most of Her Strength’s growth came from word of mouth. Nora was already known in her community from training at another gym, and many of her early members are still with her today.

But in the last two years, she’s doubled her clientele, thanks to:

1. New location: Moving to a main street gave the gym better signage and foot traffic.

2. SEO: Most new members now find the gym through searches like “women’s only gym” or “women’s fitness in Latham, NY.”

3. Website: A Kilo site that’s branded, SEO-optimized, and designed to convert.

Nora also benefits from being one of the only women-only gyms in the area. The lack of competition means Her Strength shows up first on Google for most local searches.

On top of that, Nora keeps her website fresh with photos of her actual members—young women, moms, and older clients—which makes it easier for prospects to see themselves training there.

That same approach carries over to the gym’s Instagram, where she posts behind-the-scenes clips of classes and members.

It doesn’t bring in many leads, but it resonates with Nora’s audience and helps them see themselves at Her Strength.

How the Model Works

Her Strength is a 4,000 sq ft studio in Latham, NY, dedicated entirely to strength training. It’s affiliated with StrongFirst, so most sessions center around kettlebell and barbell work.

The gym serves 165 women from their 20s to their 70s in a small group personal training format, with one coach working with up to eight athletes at a time.

They also offer 1-on-1 personal training and an early postpartum program for women who need more individualized attention before transitioning into the small group model.

All memberships are contract-based, and pricing depends on training frequency and length of commitment:

• $132 bi-weekly → 2 sessions per week on a 12-month contract

• $168 bi-weekly → 3 sessions per week on a 3-month contract

Nora has a team of six, most of whom started out as members before moving into coaching roles:

• General manager

• Head coach

• Two coaches with at least 20 hours of coaching per week

• Two part-time coaches

And because her team is so solid, Nora only spends a few days a week at the gym to check in and keep the culture strong.

Opportunities for Gym Owners

There are always groups who feel overlooked in fitness, like new moms, retirees, or neurodivergent athletes who need extra support. And while focusing on them might seem like you are excluding others, it actually makes your gym the obvious choice for the right people.

At Her Strength, that meant women who wanted safe, effective strength training. Many of Nora’s members stay long term, bring in referrals, and span from their 20s to their 70s. Now she’s almost at capacity and generates $42K/month with a lean membership.

You can see the same pattern across other gyms we’ve featured:

Serving Women in Perimenopause and Menopause

Lindsey VanSchoyck’s Rejuvenating Health is an online program designed for women navigating hormonal changes. It combines lab work, gut health, genetic testing, nutrition, and mindset to address their unique needs.

Within two years, Lindsey grew it into a $1M+ business.

Serving Adults Over 55

Haylin Alpert’s Core Principles Personal Training started in just 575 sq ft inside a corporate gym. Today, it profits $300K per year.

Instead of targeting busy moms like many gyms do, Haylin focuses exclusively on adults over 55 who dislike the typical gym environment. That clear focus makes his program the go-to choice for this crowd.

Serving Neurodivergent Athletes

Ryan Webb’s Agrove Academy began as a semi-private gym for gen pop clients. But after training a neurodivergent athlete and seeing the life-changing impact, Ryan pivoted his entire model to serve this community.

Within two years, Agrove expanded to eight locations and is still growing. Parents are willing to drive hours for his program because there are so few options and such high demand.

Serving the LGBTQ+ Community

Scott Drapeau’s Alliance Athletics grew from 50 to 300 members in just two years and now generates $28K per month with a 30% profit margin.

His first gym failed, but Alliance succeeded by narrowing its focus to the LGBTQ+ community and creating a space where members could look better, feel better, and train in a safe, inclusive atmosphere. That clarity helped him build a brand people love and scale much faster.

TL;DR: Would Something Like This Work In Your Town?

Nora didn’t set out to build the biggest gym. She set out to solve a problem she knew existed. By creating a space where women could strength train safely and effectively, she built a $42K/month business that continues to grow.

Her advice for other gym owners who want to grow without overcomplicating things is simple:

• Start by asking people what they need.

• Look for the gaps or demand in your market.

• Build a program that solves that need and delivers results.

You don’t need to reinvent your whole gym to do this. It might be as small as a new program for new moms, a strength class for older adults, or an offering that makes a specific group feel like your gym was built for them.

For more insights, check out Nora’s full interview on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.

hope this helps,

j