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Fitli’s Evolution: Milestones That Matter

At Fitli, we’ve always been driven by one simple belief: managing your fitness business should feel as easy and empowering as the services you provide. Over the years, we’ve built a platform that grows alongside the needs of fitness professionals — blending simplicity with powerful features. Here’s a look at how Fitli has evolved since its very first launch:

2016: The Beginning of Fitli

When Fitli was launched in 2016, our mission was clear: remove the tech headaches from fitness business management.

Mobile-Friendly Business Management: From day one, Fitli was designed for the on-the-go fitness professional. Whether you were teaching classes, meeting clients, or managing your schedule, Fitli made sure your business was always at your fingertips — fully mobile and fully accessible.
Online Booking for Classes and Appointments: We introduced online booking to make it easy for clients to schedule classes or personal training sessions anytime, from anywhere. This eliminated the back-and-forth scheduling struggle, freeing up valuable time for both businesses and clients.
Payment Processing Integration: By adding seamless payment processing, Fitli allowed businesses to collect payments right at the point of booking. This meant no more chasing invoices or juggling third-party payment systems — everything was connected in one simple flow.

2017: Expanding Booking & Payment Capabilities

As Fitli gained momentum, we focused on adding flexibility and customization based on real customer feedback.

Waitlist Feature: We made sure that even when classes were full, clients could still reserve a spot on the waitlist. If a cancellation occurred, Fitli would automatically move waitlisted clients into the class, maximizing attendance and minimizing empty spots.
Check-In System: Attendance tracking became effortless with our check-in system. Businesses could easily track who attended each class or session, simplifying reporting, payroll, and client accountability.
Annual Billing Option: We introduced annual billing to provide businesses with a more flexible alternative to monthly subscription models. This allowed for predictable revenue streams and gave clients the option to commit long-term while often enjoying cost savings.

2018: Enhancing User Experience & Automation

In 2018, we made major strides in automation and user convenience, helping businesses save time and improve client satisfaction.

Waiver System: We eliminated the need for paper waivers by allowing clients to digitally accept waivers before their first booking. This streamlined onboarding and ensured every client completed the necessary paperwork ahead of time.
Google Calendar Integration: Syncing schedules between Fitli and Google Calendar meant businesses could avoid double bookings and ensure their calendar was always up-to-date across platforms.
Self Check-In: Fitli introduced self check-in functionality, empowering clients to mark themselves as present upon arrival. This feature helped reduce front desk workload and kept classes running smoothly.
Wallet Management: Clients could securely store multiple payment methods and choose their preferred option at checkout, making the payment process even more convenient and seamless.

2019: Introducing Relationships & Smarter Scheduling

By 2019, Fitli was helping businesses foster even stronger client relationships and smarter scheduling options.

Relationships Feature: Perfect for family-oriented businesses, this feature allowed family members to share packages, book sessions together, and manage accounts jointly, making scheduling simple for households.
Appointment Booking Links: Businesses could generate direct booking links for services, allowing clients to schedule appointments with a single click from emails, websites, or social media.
Session Notes & Client Notes: We introduced detailed note-taking features, enabling trainers and staff to document client progress, special considerations, and session feedback. This ensured a personalized experience for each client while keeping comprehensive records for the business.

2020: Virtual Adaptation & More Customization

The world changed rapidly in 2020, and so did the way fitness businesses operated. As many studios pivoted to virtual and hybrid services, Fitli quickly rolled out features to support businesses adapting to a new normal.

Zoom Integration: Fitli’s Zoom integration made it easy for businesses to run virtual classes and sessions directly through the platform. With automated links and secure connections, clients could easily join classes from home while businesses continued to deliver value remotely.
Sliding Scale Pricing: We introduced flexible pricing options so businesses could set pay rates for instructors on a sliding scale. This allowed studio owners to better align instructor compensation with class size, participation, or custom agreements — adding more financial control and fairness to payroll.
Promo Code Control: Fitli gave businesses more flexibility with promotional offers by allowing promo codes to be limited to specific clients or groups. This allowed for more targeted marketing campaigns, loyalty rewards, or special offers that felt exclusive and personalized to each client segment.

2021: Stronger Business Management Features

In 2021, Fitli doubled down on operational efficiency and business management tools, giving fitness businesses even more ways to streamline their backend processes and enhance client communication.

Payroll Report Automation: Payroll management got even easier with automated payroll calculations. Fitli could now calculate trainer and staff earnings automatically based on attendance, commission structures, and sessions — reducing administrative burden and payroll errors.
Customizable Client Notifications: Businesses gained more control over client communications with fine-tuned reminder settings. Whether it was appointment confirmations, reschedules, cancellations, or payment reminders, businesses could now fully customize the timing, tone, and frequency of client notifications.
Banner Messaging: To help businesses better communicate important announcements, Fitli added in-app banner messaging. Studio owners could now post announcements, special offers, or timely reminders directly within the platform, ensuring clients stayed informed without needing extra emails or texts.

2022: More Flexibility & Automation

In 2022, Fitli focused heavily on making the platform even more efficient for businesses — removing manual tasks, giving more control, and simplifying membership management.

Payment Requests: Fitli introduced the ability for businesses to send payment requests directly to clients. This made it easy for business owners to collect outstanding payments without awkward conversations or complicated systems — just a simple, professional way to request and receive payments.
Cloning Packages: Membership management became even easier with the ability to clone existing packages. Instead of setting up new packages from scratch, businesses could duplicate existing ones, tweak the details, and launch new offerings in minutes — perfect for seasonal specials, promos, or membership updates.
Automated Refunds and Voids: Administrative tasks around refunds and voided transactions were streamlined. Instead of manually processing each one, businesses could now automate much of this process, saving time while maintaining accuracy in financial records.
Waiver Acceptance at Signup: The waiver process was further simplified by allowing clients to complete waivers during their initial signup process, creating a seamless onboarding experience for new clients and reducing paperwork for businesses.

2023: Expanding Payment & Client Controls

With a strong foundation built, Fitli expanded its payment and client management controls in 2023, offering businesses even more ways to customize how they operate.

Terminal Payments: In-person transactions were made smoother with terminal payment support, allowing businesses to securely collect payments onsite with integrated card readers — blending online and physical transactions seamlessly.
ACH Integration: Direct bank transfers became available with ACH integration, giving clients and businesses another secure, flexible payment option beyond cards, especially for larger membership plans or recurring payments.
Kiosk Booking: Fitli introduced kiosk booking options that allowed clients to book appointments and check in for sessions independently through self-service stations, reducing front desk workload while improving client autonomy.
Stronger Wallet Controls: Businesses gained even greater flexibility over how client wallet balances were managed, giving owners the ability to control wallet funds more precisely and align with business policies.

2024: Membership & Scheduling Improvements

As membership models evolved, Fitli delivered new ways for businesses to fine-tune how they managed memberships and client scheduling.

Reschedule Classes Without Cancellation: Clients could now reschedule classes without losing their reservation, avoiding unnecessary cancellations while maintaining flexibility for both clients and businesses.
Pause Auto-Renewing Plans: Studios gained the ability to temporarily pause memberships when needed — whether for vacations, temporary leaves, or special situations — without disrupting future renewals.
Post-Session Notifications: Automated follow-up messages were introduced to keep clients engaged after sessions, providing a personalized touch while saving staff time.
Undo Membership Cancellations: Mistaken cancellations could now be reversed easily, protecting revenue and ensuring client memberships stayed intact when accidental cancellations occurred.

2025: Smarter Automation & Revenue Tools

Entering 2025, Fitli continued its mission of helping businesses optimize revenue while minimizing administrative burden — with even smarter automation.

Reschedule Appointments Without Cancelling: Appointment rescheduling gained new flexibility, allowing businesses to move appointments without forcing cancellations — keeping client history intact and improving retention.
Automated Cancellation Fees: Businesses could now automatically enforce late cancellation penalties, ensuring policies were upheld while removing the discomfort of manual fee collection.
Excepted Time Tool: Custom availability was easier than ever to manage. Businesses could block out specific times without affecting the entire recurring schedule — ideal for holidays, vacations, or special events.
Automated Invoicing for Fitli Subscriptions: Fitli subscriptions themselves became easier to manage, with automated invoicing features that simplified billing processes for businesses using the platform.

The Fitli Evolution Continues

Through every milestone — from our early mobile scheduling days to today’s advanced automation tools — one thing has stayed the same: Fitli’s mission to make running a fitness business simple, powerful, and growth-focused.

Every year, we listen to our customers, learn from your businesses, and deliver tools that free up your time so you can stay focused on transforming lives.

Join the Fitli community and see how we’re helping thousands of fitness businesses thrive. Start your free trial today.