The Truth About My First Year As a Pilates Studio Owner

A year ago, I opened the doors to Studio220 Epping.

If you look at Instagram, you see the classes, the full Reformer beds, new ideas, events and all the exciting things we’ve introduced.

What you don’t see is the person behind it all, sometimes sitting out the back wondering what on earth she’s doing.

I’m a single mum of six children, one of whom has severe autism and needs a huge amount of care. I’m used to business. I’m used to the highs and lows that come with it, and I certainly didn’t go into Studio220 thinking running a business would be easy.

But this first year has tested me in ways I didn’t expect.

Will the rent be covered?

There’s a side of owning a business that nobody really talks about…

Watching the Stripe account, refreshing it, doing the maths in your head. Knowing the rent is coming out and watching every booking that comes in, thinking, right, we’re getting there.

Even when you’ve been in business before, it’s a painful experience.

People can see a busy studio from the outside and assume everything must be going amazingly, you smile and tell people, “yes, it's all going great”. But as the owner, you know exactly what has to go out every month.

Rent, wages, bills, equipment, insurance, marketing, stock, the list goes on.

And nobody else carries that worry in quite the same way you do.

“Can I speak to the owner?”

Then there’s that sentence every business owner loves hearing: “can I speak to the owner?” and you’re out the back thinking… oh God. What now?

There have definitely been moments when I’ve considered whether I could quietly leave through the fire exit!

Of course, you don’t. You walk out, smile and say, “I’m the owner, how can I help?”, sometimes it’s something lovely.

Sometimes it’s a problem. Sometimes it’s something you didn’t even know was a problem until that exact second.

That’s another thing I’ve learned this year: you have to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. When it’s your business, there’s nobody above you to pass the problem to.

Eventually, everything lands with you.

Finding people who care about your business

One of the hardest parts has been getting the right instructors, and I don’t just mean finding someone qualified who can teach Pilates. You need people who understand that when they walk into your studio, they’re representing everything you’ve worked for.

There are instructors who arrive, teach their class, collect their money and go home. Then there are instructors who notice the new client standing nervously by the door. They learn people’s names, they build relationships, they promote their classes because they actually want them to be successful, they care whether someone comes back next week.

Those are the people you want representing your studio.

I’ve learned that qualifications matter, but attitude, personality and genuinely caring about your clients matter just as much.

The 3am shift nobody sees

Most of my paperwork isn’t done sitting peacefully at a desk during normal working hours, It’s often done at 3am.

When my little one’s day starts, mine starts too.

So while the world is quiet, I’m checking bookings, answering messages, sorting paperwork, looking at the timetable and thinking about what needs doing next. Then the normal day begins.

Being a single mum of six and running a business means there isn’t really a point where one job finishes and the other starts. They overlap constantly.

Sometimes I’m Mum while trying to be a business owner, sometimes I’m a business owner while worrying about something happening at home.

And sometimes I’m simply exhausted.

The clients make it worth it

One thing I’ve learned more than anything this year is how important relationships are. A client isn’t just a name on a booking system, people remember how you make them feel.

They remember when you know their name, when you ask how they are, when an instructor adapts something because they’re struggling, or when somebody takes five minutes to listen.

I want Studio220 to feel like somewhere people belong. Not somewhere you have to already be fit enough, slim enough, flexible enough or confident enough to walk through the door.

Building those relationships takes time, but they’re probably the most valuable thing we’ve built during our first year.

I’ve missed opportunities too

I’m someone who will normally push every opportunity that comes my way, but this year I’ve had to accept that I can’t physically do everything.

There have been opportunities I’ve let slip because I’ve been too busy to grab them. At the time, I’ve kicked myself for it, but I’m learning from that too.

Sometimes running a business isn’t about having more ideas. I’ve got plenty of those!

It’s about creating enough space to actually do something with them, that’s something I want to get better at in year two.

And then there are the good days

Because amongst all the stress, there have been some incredible moments.

A full class, someone telling you they finally feel confident enough to exercise again, a client recommending us to a friend, watching someone who was terrified at their first class walk in weeks later like they own the place, seeing friendships form, hearing laughter coming from the studio.

Standing there occasionally and thinking:

I actually built this.

Those moments matter because they’re what keep you going on the days when the Stripe account isn’t looking quite so healthy, three people have cancelled, something has broken and somebody has just walked in asking to “speak to the owner.”

Would I do it again?

There have absolutely been days when I’ve wondered why I put myself through it.

I’ve been stressed, i’ve been exhausted, i’ve worried about money, i’ve worried about staffing.

I’ve worried about whether I’m doing enough at the studio and whether I’m doing enough at home.

I’ve made mistakes, i’ve trusted the wrong people, i’ve missed opportunities, i’ve probably tried to do far too much myself.

But I’ve also learned more in this first year than I could ever have imagined, and I’m proud of what we’ve created.

So would I sell Studio220?

Not a chance. Because behind every class, every booking, every stressful moment and every 3am bit of paperwork is something I’ve built from the ground up.

Studio220 isn’t just a business to me anymore, it’s something I’ve fought for.

Year one taught me how hard running Studio220 could be, year two is about showing myself just how good it can become. And I'm super excited for that.

And hopefully spending slightly less time checking Stripe…and slightly less time considering the fire exit.

30 Blogs in 30 Days

Throughout October, we’re sharing one new blog every day, bringing together studio owners, instructors and industry experts to share their experiences, knowledge and perspectives on the Pilates industry.

Day 9 of 30, come back tomorrow for the next blog.