There ’ s no point in being the best Pilates instructor in your suburb if you can ’ t pay the rent and instruct anyone .
There ’ s no point in being the best Pilates instructor in your suburb if you can ’ t pay the rent and instruct anyone .
1 . Buying an existing Pilates studio
From time to time people sell their Pilates studios , for whatever reason . Buying an existing studio can be a great option for getting into a Pilates studio business .
Karly could buy a studio that has been operating for a while . That way , as long as she did her due diligence on the books of the business , there should be existing clients , regular timetables established , cash flow , marketing collateral and everything else that it takes to run a successful business .
One of the issues Karly is aware of is rent : it can be one of the most expensive parts of having a bricks and mortar studio , and signing a lease is a long term commitment . Someone once told her ; ‘ it ’ s easier to get out of a marriage than it is to get out of a commercial lease .’
2 . Starting from scratch
Some people just love the challenge of doing
The 30-second article it all themselves . Karly wonders if she is the sort of person who could start her own business completely from scratch .
Part of her Pilates instructor training involved observing qualified instructors working with their clients in a Pilates studio . Two things Karly paid particular attention to during the observations were :
• The instructor ’ s style of teaching . Karly wants to emulate the people she most admires , so she ’ s paying particular attention to their style of teaching , cueing and working with their clients .
• How the studio operates . While Karly doesn ’ t know much about running a business , she knows that there is more to it than just showing up and teaching Pilates .
After freelancing for a while , Karly has come to the realisation that , yes , she truly wants to create her own , unique Pilates studio . She knows she is a good Pilates instructor and her clients tell her that her instruction is making a real difference to them . But she doesn ’ t feel quite ready to go it alone yet .
To prepare , Karly works as a receptionist in a busy chiropractic clinic and then in a physiotherapy clinic that also offers acupuncture , while continuing her freelance Pilates instructing . She earns money and is learning as much as she can about the operations and admin side of things .
However , despite observing at the other studios and gleaning some insights from her receptionist work , Karly is aware that :
• She doesn ’ t really know how to make money and doesn ’ t fully understand finances – she ’ d rather be helping her clients .
• She doesn ’ t have a plan or a roadmap , and doesn ’ t know how to make one .
• She isn ’ t sure of the best way to sell herself and find new clients . Yes , there ’ s advertising , marketing and SEO , and , of course , everyone says you have to be on Instagram , Facebook and Twitter , and have a website – but what ’ s the best way to invest her time and resources ?
• She ’ s frightened of failing . What happens if it doesn ’ t work ? Will she look silly ? Will people say , ‘ I told you so …’? Could she potentially lose a lot of money ?
• Once qualified as a Pilates instructor , you have the option to freelance teach in studios and private homes , or to run your own studio
• Setting up your own business isn ’ t for everyone , so it ’ s important to consider whether you know what you ’ re getting yourself into and whether you are truly capable of it
• Consider your ideal clientele , and what specific niche market you might want to cater to
• A passion for instructing Pilates doesn ’ t always correlate with business savvy , so before jumping headlong into running your own Pilates business , it ’ s critical to develop an understanding of the basics of business structure , finances and marketing .
34 | NETWORK SUMMER 2017