Can You Build a Successful Pilates Studio Without Following the Trends?

22 Oct

I was building a Pilates business as the industry was changing fast. Reformer was growing, studios were becoming increasingly polished and Instagram was influencing how Pilates looked and sounded. There was plenty I could have followed. Instead, I wanted something positive, optimistic and brilliant for our community.

Nimble & Wild was created around a simple idea: Pilates should help people feel strong, confident and empowered to move. My own experience had shown me what I didn't want. I'd been to classes that left me feeling like my body needed fixing and that I wasn't very good at Pilates (and probably never would be).

It made me curious: what if we built a Pilates business around what Pilates could help people do, rather than what the industry told them they needed to fix?

That question shapes how we teach, develop our teachers, build our brand and create our client experience. Over time, those choices have helped us build something more valuable than following a trend: a reputation people trust.

Building a successful business this way means knowing what you stand for, questioning the obvious choice and being deliberate about where you put your energy.

So, can you build a successful Pilates studio without following the trends? Absolutely. Here are six things that have shaped our success, and might help you build yours too.

1. Do One Thing Well

One of my biggest lessons has been the value of doing one thing really well. I've taken this from The Do Lectures and David Hyatt's thinking on focus.

When I first created Nimble & Wild, it was easy to get distracted by shiny, fun things and mistake being busy for making progress. You can quickly lose sight of what you're trying to build. Creating a clear proposition is bloody hard when you're so close to it. But once I got clear, I could filter what deserved my energy.

Instagram makes that harder. It can look like everyone is doing everything. But you don't know how successful any of it is behind the scenes.

Sometimes the smartest thing you can do is stop adding and get really good at what matters. For now, we’re going deep on Pilates and delivering that flippin’ well.

2. Know What You Stand For

Once you know what you stand for, build your business around it.

Our mission and values guide recruitment, collaborations, how we speak to our community and what we offer. They help us make decisions and avoid following the next shiny thing.

Pilates businesses can easily start to look and sound the same online, so being authentically you matters. I deliberately use words like awesome and delicious, and my potty mouth definitely comes through too. Our tone is part of our brand.

The strongest brands are recognisable. They have personality and a feeling you remember.

3. Do the Opposite of Everyone Else

Sometimes, when everyone goes one way, I deliberately go the other.

As Reformer has exploded in popularity, plenty of studios have dropped mat Pilates. We haven't. We believe both have a place.

While others launch beautiful beige studios, we're using coral, mint and bamboo, and we've dropped the mirrors. We showcase our brilliant Nimble community: women of all shapes, sizes and ages, moving exactly as they are. And it’s simply gorgeous.

We talk directly to our ideal person rather than chasing the latest trend or showing off a crazy new move. What do they want, how do they want to feel and what might be stopping them?

Question what everyone else is doing and decide what feels right for you. Perhaps embrace the rebellious you and go the other way.

Jenni, founder of Nimble & Wild teaching a Pilates class at Nimble & Wild Pilates studio.

4. Build Your Expertise

Expertise is one of the foundations of our reputation.

My Clinical Pilates Diploma changed how I thought about movement, taking me deeper into rehabilitation, pain science and the evidence behind what we do. It made me question some things the industry has traditionally presented as fact and, importantly, made me want to keep learning.

That thinking is now part of our culture. We use up to date movement and pain science, guideline based care and empowering language to shape how we teach. We ask questions, offer choice and encourage people to explore what works for their body today.

For us, being science backed is about giving people more confidence, more choice and more freedom to explore what their bodies can do.

5. Create an Experience

The Pilates industry can be very focused on the next new thing: the latest equipment, the prettiest studio, the newest class format. But none of that matters much if the person walking through your door doesn't feel like they belong.

At Nimble & Wild, we've deliberately designed the client journey, from booking through those crucial first few weeks.

Our seven step onboarding gives every teacher a clear role, so everyone knows how to help a new client feel they belong.

When the whole team understands that, the experience becomes unmistakably Nimble & Wild. That feeling of belonging starts before someone becomes a regular.

6. Build a Tightly Embedded Team

Your teachers bring your brand, values and experience to life every day. Having the right team is hugely important.

We’ve deliberately built a tight, embedded team at Nimble & Wild. Rather than drifting between local studios, our teachers are part of what we’re building. They know our values, our approach and how we want people to feel.

Many started as Nimblers and we mentor them through their training, helping bridge the gap between qualification and teaching. Development continues through in-house training, observations, workshops and regular team calls.

When your team is embedded, they care about it like you do. And your clients feel that.