Impact Lab entrepreneur takes an intentional approach to fitness and finance
How Stephanie Butterfield of Activate House tweaked her business’ finances in pursuit of a refined vision.
Impact Lab entrepreneur Steph Butterfield didn’t set out to create just another fitness studio.
Instead, she was passionate about helping her clients activate their best lives through a foundation of premium fitness classes — spin, sculpt and yoga— and a calm, welcoming environment complete with friendly staff, eucalyptus towels and a juice bar.
Every detail of Activate House, a fitness studio on a mission to become the one-stop shop for wellness in San Diego, is intentional and geared toward excellence.
Entrepreneur Steph Butterfield was able to increase sales for her fitness studio after getting clear on her goals.
When Steph came to work with us in the Impact Lab, we wanted to reflect that spirit of focused excellence in her business finances, too.
We knew that just a few tweaks to the business could activate even more potential for Steph and her employees, and take them to the next level so that they could continue to carry out their mission.
One of the first tasks Impact Lab fractional CFO Jeff worked on with Steph was to take a look at the different levels of clientele Activate House regularly drew in— memberships vs. drop-ins— and discern which was most profitable. After a thorough analysis of which sales drew in the most revenue, Steph asked staff to goal-set and intentionally focus on membership sales, as well as merch sales, moving forward.
This new, focused approach helped give the team a renewed sense of purpose in the day-to-day as well as the long-term.
The ability for Activate House staff to set goals for everyday operations was a huge win for Steph. Another huge win was a connection Jeff provided with a third-party accounting firm with the goal of providing more visibility on finances without adding more to Steph’s plate.
“At times, being a business owner can feel very lonely,” Steph said. “I felt very supported at SAIL by the staff, team, CFO and group. I would highly recommend it to other business owners. It was a great way to impact my business in a short amount of time.”
Through Steph’s time in the Impact Lab, we helped provide Steph with the tools she needed to take her business’ finances to the next level. But we also saw her use those tools to take ownership of where she wants to go as she continues to provide excellent services to her clients.
Steph Butterfield celebrated some of her biggest sales months after working with the Impact Lab and refining her business plan.
Looking back at her time in SAIL and the Impact Lab, Steph says Jeff and Mission Edge impacted more than just the finances of her business.
She says she was able to learn how to effectively manage a team, implement standard policies, and create the infrastructure to have successful outcomes with her team. As she got clear about her business plan and financials, her team was able to get clear on its goals every month. These changes have resulted in a refined vision for the future of Activate House and, as a bonus, some of the biggest sales months for Steph’s business to date.
We’re proud of Steph and Activate House, and can’t wait to see where they go next!
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