I launched a successful fitness side hustle on Wix: Here is what worked and what didn't, a two-year reflection

Date:
Tue, 14 Apr 2026 15:28:36 +0000

Description:
From outstanding automations to AI assistant flops learn from my mistakes
and successes

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Pro Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member features. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are
now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter When Im not writing about the latest tech innovations in the B2B space, I like to put on special clothing that
resembles pajamas and attempt to throw other people around a padded room.

As odd as that sounds, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) has exploded in popularity
in recent years. So much so that after 15 years of training, I have been able to start my own BJJ gym in a small town with just 10,000 residents, many of whom are at retirement age. Most people told me this wouldnt work. But after two years, we have built an incredible community and a growing student base. You may like Wix website builder review 2026 Best website builders of 2026
The 8 best ecommerce platforms of 2026

Ive achieved this entirely as a side hustle by using Wixs all-in-one business platform. Its helped me automate essential communications, seamlessly manage my bookings, set up a no-fuss online store, and speed up money management tasks. However, some of its AI tools have lacked the personal touch required for a local business. Below, I outline my challenges, successes, and failures when using Wix over the past two years. Why I picked Wix Before I launched Borderlands Grappling, I had already used Wix to build and host several websites for small projects and personal branding. However, I have since
moved my main personal website to Hostinger .

As I run this business entirely in my spare time, Wix was a natural choice. Firstly, it was affordable, with plans starting at $17/mo. I self-funded the business and launched it on a shoestring budget. Once essentials like gym mats, insurance, and training were paid for, I didnt want to spend a fortune on software before I had any evidence that it could be a success. Launching a side hustle? Wix might be the perfect partner.

With helpful business tools ranging from email and social media automation to dropshipping integrations, Wix has proven to be a powerful tool in launching and growing my side hustle business. Plans start at just $17.mo, making it affordable for most entrepreneurs. View Deal Wix neatly packaged almost every tool I needed into one platform. Not only did this save me money on multiple subscriptions, but it also made things more efficient crucial for a
time-poor business owner. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features
and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. What I've used Website builder and editor (Image credit: Wix/Borderlands Grappling/Edited with Gemini) Honestly, Wixs array of website builders and editors is a little confusing. You can build using the Wix AI website builder if you want a super rapid result, or you can use Wix Harmony for more control. Alternatively, you can use Wix Studio if you are a website-building professional.

Not all of these options were available when I built my site, which
simplified things. I picked a template and then used the Wix Editor to make
it my own. If I wanted to follow the same process today, I would have to take the Wix Harmony option.

Frustratingly, if you want to use the tools offered by Wix Studio, you need
to build the site in Wix Studio . This means that if I wanted more control now, Id have to build my site from the ground up no thanks. What to read
next Ive tested and ranked the 5 best website builders for agencies and freelancers in 2026 Ive tested and reviewed 7 of the best small business website builders in 2026 How to monetize your brand with print-on-demand

That being said, as this is a side hustle, I need to balance quality with convenience, and using Studio would likely complicate things. The Wix Editor is super easy to use, and I havent run into any real problems while
populating my website. Money management Running my business as a side hustle means I dont want to spend ages dealing with the logistics of money. Getting set up for taking payments and managing money on Wix can take a little time, but once its done, it mostly runs on its own.

Throughout the day, I get notifications of people making bookings, making payments, and automatic transfers to my bank account.

Wixs pay links have also been super helpful for keeping ad hoc payments
within the same ecosystem as all other payments. They typically take less
than 20 seconds to create, and Ive had feedback from customers on how easy it is to pay via the links. Booking system (Image credit: Wix/Borderlands Grappling/Edited with Gemini) Wixs booking system was a huge pull for me.
With limited time, I didnt want to be manually dealing with bookings and payments, and with a limited budget, I couldnt really afford the fancy
booking systems that some other gyms use.

We have limited space in the gym, so I need to limit classes to keep them safe. Wixs booking system made it simple to set class limits, which cut off students ability to book once its full.

As weve grown, weve taken on additional instructors and operate across different locations. Dealing with this has been super easy on Wix, with each of my instructors getting notifications about only their classes.

Its hard to say much more about the booking system, other than that, for what I use it for, it just works. AI marketing assistant In mid-2025 , Wix
launched its Wix marketing assistant . Being time poor, it made sense to explore this feature for my business, and I saw mixed results.

The AI Marketing Assistant offers support across SEO , paid ads, social
media, and email marketing.

Apart from paid ads (I dont run them), I turned them all on to start. Right now, only the SEO assistant is still running. I find this assistant helpful for its SEO suggestions that target my blog posts and pages. Given the nature of my business, local SEO and AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) are super important.

I found the AI-generated blog posts, email marketing campaigns, and social media content far too generic for my business, especially the images. We are local and keep things super personal. Most of the content we post is about what's happened/happening/going to happen at the club, but the content the AI produced just didnt hit the mark.

I expect this type of content may be better suited to businesses that target national or global audiences. Even then, it would need a high degree of human oversight to make it fit for purpose. Email marketing (Image credit: Wix/Borderlands Grappling/Edited with Gemini) Email marketing has become an essential part of engaging with my current and potential future students. Ive been using Wixs email marketing platform to send regular updates on whats happening at the club, offers we are running, and a monthly newsletter.

Everyone who subscribes via the website is added to my contacts, making managing lists easy. The email editor is basic compared to more advanced platforms like MailChimp , but it offers everything you need to send regular, attractive emails. Templates and themes make it much quicker to send consistently branded and formatted emails.

For a side hustle, it meets all my needs; for anything more advanced, youd need to look elsewhere. Analytics Wix offers all the analytics you expect
from a website platform, with some helpful additions like user queries on AI.

You can dive deep into the analytics, but you can also build a customized snapshot for your homepage.

Watching bookings and traffic happen in real time can be addictive, although not especially helpful. However, you can also watch visitors as they journey through your site, which, although it feels a little creepy, can give you helpful insight into how people use your site and where bottlenecks might be. Automations (Image credit: Wix/Borderlands Grappling/Edited with Gemini) Although I didnt originally pick Wix for its automations, it has been a massive time saver for me.

Each time someone books a class, there is important safety information they need to read and forms they need to fill out. Automating an email for when someone made their first booking was as easy as selecting the trigger, then designing the email and hitting publish.

As I use Wix Forms, I also get a handy notification once a form is completed. However, it would be easier to ensure no one falls through the gaps if Wix
let you see a list of your contacts with a note on which ones had completed which form.

Ive also been able to use automations for marketing purposes, such as requesting reviews after a certain number of sessions, helping me grow
without extra legwork.

Over the last couple of years, I have had a couple of occasions where the automations randomly broke, leading to some confusion and time fixing them, but overall, they have saved me much more time than they have taken from me. Dropshipping Community and brand are a big part of Borderlands Grappling, and our members proudly wear our merch. But with limited space and funds, I didnt want to hold piles of hoodies and t-shirts in various sizes. This is where Wixs integration with dropshipping provider Printful came in helpful.

By connecting my Wix store with Printful, I could design and sell merchandise without ever having to hold stock. People simply order from our online store, and Printful fulfils it on my behalf.

It works perfectly for my needs, but profits are low. With convenience comes high costs, which means adding anything more than a tiny percentage of profit to each item is impractical.

For me, dropshipping lets me build community and get our brand out in the local area. Would I recommend Wix for side hustlers? There are endless
options when it comes to launching a business website. Code from scratch,
pick from one of the best website builders, use a CMS, select a hosting provider the list goes on. Which approach is right for you depends on your situation. Wix isnt the cheapest option, but it is affordable. It keeps
things simple with everything in one place, but this can also limit flexibility in some areas.

Some businesses will outgrow Wix, needing more advanced features and tools. But Wix is a great place to start, especially for those who run side hustles.



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/website-building/i-launched-a-successful-fitness -side-hustle-on-wix-here-is-what-worked-and-what-didnt-a-two-year-reflection


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)