As a studio owner, how do youreact when a student mutters,“Boy, I’d sure love a massage

after this,” or “Gee, it’d be great if youtaught yoga, too.” Do you let the wordsroll off your back and think, A Pilates stu-

dio is a Pilates studio is a Pilates studio,or do the wheels start spinning?

Whether your business needs a

82 n o v e m b e r / d e c e m b e r 2008 p i l a t e s s t y l e . c o m

prozone

expandyour horizons

offer your students more than pilatesand watch your business growBY TANNIS KOBRINSKY • ILLUSTRATION BY MEREDITH HAMILTON

n o v e m b e r / d e c e m b e r 2008 83

jump-start or you’d just like to offeryour clients more, there’s an endlessarray of additional classes and servicesyou can provide. “How?” you ask. Well,it just so happens that we at PilatesStyle know some smart owners who’vesuccessfully expanded their businesshorizons. We sponsored a contest lastyear for studio bosses who not only ful-fill their core mission of offering superbPilates instruction but also providecomplementary services, creating a“win-win” situation for themselves andtheir clients. We call them multitaskers.Added services also translate intoincreased profits by bringing moreclients to your studio. But you need toknow what to add, when, and how to doit. Here, from our contest winners, is aplan for how to expand.

begin with the basicsIt all starts with a rock-solid Pilatesfoundation. Rock City Body Studio(RCB) in Allston, a Boston neighbor-hood, offered Pilates mat, yoga and bellydance classes, but owner AnnMarie Allara soon realized that mostpeople come to Pilates studios to trainon apparatus. So, four months afteropening, she purchased a Reformer and began teaching privates, whichattracted higher-income clients than themat classes did, and her profits quicklyincreased. Two years down the road,she purchased three more Reformersand launched apparatus classes.

“The group classes were an excel-lent bridge between higher-incomeprivate clients and lower-income mat-class clients who wanted to exercise on Reformers,” Allara observes. “TheReformer classes generate more incomeper hour than mat classes.” A little later

Allara began renting out one of the twoclassrooms in her 1,200-square-foot studio for community-fitness purposes.With the additional income and all the new faces coming in, her businessgrew even more.

In 2003, when Nuhar Jaleel openedthe Pilates Principle in Latham, NY,and began to teach Pilates privates,duets and trios herself—with no staff—the business took off immediately. Butshe found herself teaching 11-hour daysin her 400-square-foot space. In 2005she hired another instructor, and herclient base grew. Two years after that,she moved to a 2,600-square-foot studioand hired 11 instructors. This past yearshe added stretch, maternal exerciseand belly dance to meet what she calls“my Pilates clients’ love of variety.”

Jaleel played it smart. She expandedher studio size, number of employeesand class offerings gradually, as sheobserved her numbers grow. She couldjustify her needs and acted upon them.

nothing ventured…What if you don’t want to chance step-ping over the traditional Pilates line andalienating clients? Carrie Cohn, ownerof Personal Best Pilates in Overland,KS, recommends the direct approach:Just ask your clients what they want tohave added as services or classes. Withan MBA and considerable experience asa business consultant, she believes that,to survive and keep up with new trends“studio owners need to be open to trying new things.”

In her Boston studio, Allara uses adifferent approach, which she believesguarantees honest feedback. She hasclients fill out anonymous surveys.There are plenty of ways to debrief

clients, but whatever method you use, itbehooves you to pay attention to theirrequests. The owner of Pilates Teck inNewhall, CA, Karena Lineback, did justthat. “A while back my students startedtalking about needing more cardiobecause they had ‘bikini vacations’planned,” says Lineback. “I did a trial runof cardio-Pilates and bootcamp-Pilatesclasses for a couple of months. Both were a hit and became permanent. Now we routinely poll students after classes.”

Allara schedules additional classes atRCB whenever a three- to four-weekwaiting list for existing classes develops.After all, it’s the students you have toaccommodate. “Get to know your clients’ schedules and needs,” she says.“Recommend new classes that will bene-fit them, and give new additions at leastthree months to catch on. If they don’twork, ask why. Experiment and try dif-ferent classes in different time slots.”

One way she test-drives a new classconcept is by first offering it as a work-shop. If it generates strong interest, itbecomes an ongoing class. “With serviceslike massage or Reiki, I encourage practi-tioners to offer freebies or discountedsessions to gauge interest,” says Allara.“And then, if there’s interest, I negotiatea business partnership with them.”

Once you have a good sense of whatyour clients want, you need to do duediligence in terms of what the newendeavor will cost. Will you or yourinstructors need additional training?What about equipment costs? Will youneed extra space? A bigger changingroom? Liability insurance? A washer-dryer? Put together a cost analysis forthe project and decide how much tocharge. Is that fee competitive, and will it make the service appealing to

clients? Bottom line: Will it be worththe investment?

When you start a new class or service,plan to give it a three- to four-month trialrun. You can track attendance and profitsvia a computer program like Mindbody.If there’s consistent demand for some-thing, make it a keeper. But don’t be discouraged if some classes, goods orservices don’t make the cut. “I’ve worked

in the fitness industry for 20 years,” saysCarrie Cohn. “Trends come and go, andI’ve watched many small and not-so-small fitness businesses and gyms fail. If you try something and it doesn’t work,learn from the experience and then trysomething else.”

An interesting plan that panned outnicely at Cohn’s 5,100-square-foot studio was the establishment of a wellrespected, accredited Pilates InstructorAcademy on the studio’s second floor.Personal Best equipped its academy toaccommodate 20 students per course,allowing each ample time on every appa-ratus to become proficient enough to

teach. The certification program has gen-erated revenue, and it supplies the studiowith well-trained instructors. If you doopt to conduct in-studio certificationcourses, expect it to take six months to ayear to earn accreditation from the PMAor another educational standard bearer inthe Pilates community. And you needthat approval if you want your course topass muster.

mothers of inventionWhen you venture too far beyond thebasics, it can be risky business, but it can also pay off handsomely. To keep her Pilates class rates low, Tina Collison,owner of Yoga Pilates Studio in Norfolk,NE, balanced them with clever revenue-generating solutions. Now she also teaches yoga and Pilates for community- college students to take for credit. Sheholds theme parties for school-age girls,like “Pilates Pajama Party,” at $10 a head.Her adult parties, including “CardioStriptease Girls’ Night Out,” at $15 aperson, has already sold out three times.

Even more unorthodox and wildlysuccessful is our cover girl SaschaFerguson’s Spyschool program held ather Absolution Pilates studio in WestHollywood. The six- to eight-weekPilates-based course includes such segments as “How to Knock Out anAssailant,” “Hand-to-Hand Combat” and“Partners’ Fighting.” Her studio offerseven more edgy classes, like “Stripteaseand Pole Dance” and “Troupe AerialArts” taught by Cirque du Soleil mem-bers. Despite competition from nearby(and successful) Pilates studios, Fergusonsuspected that people hungered for afacility where fantasy and fitness met,and she was right. Now she receivesrequests for franchises in other cities.

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be a legal eagleBefore you launch your Cutie Booty orSwing from the Chandeliers classes, it’s agood idea to brush up on business law. Ifyou aren’t operating in accordance withlocal and state laws, you could be penal-ized, fined or shut down temporarily oreven permanently. You can’t makechanges overnight. Find out if the spaceyou occupy is located in a zone thatallows you to provide multiple services.Contact city and state small-business

administrations and obtain the necessarypermits and licenses. “We do everythingwithin the realm of state laws,” saysFerguson, “even though some classesand events are eyebrow-raisers.”

“When we opened our boutique, we had to get a state sales tax permit,”says Lora Anderson, co-owner of Pilates Studio City, in Studio City, CA. “You need legal permission to sellitems. We’re responsible for keepingrecords, reporting and paying state taxon those items.”

At Grasshopper Pilates in Marin, CA,owner Mary Mock sublets part of her2,400-foot space. Among her tenants area physical therapist and a wellness com-pany for cancer patients. Mock requiressubleasers to have professional licensesand certificates, as well as their own lia-

bility insurance. Students of hers who use their services must sign stan-dard release forms. If you sublease orrent your studio to others who don’t share your services, you may want to do the same.

You may also consider renting yourstudio out by the hour or the day.Absolution rents out space for events andfilm and photo shoots at rates rangingfrom $25 an hour to a whopping $10,000a day. But try to be considerate and

schedule these times around regularclasses. If that’s unavoidable, offer dis-placed clients a goodwill gesture, like afree class or treatment.

grab every opportunityTo foster good client and communityrelationships, you might open your studiodoors to every type of social and charityevent. Try hosting art openings, bookreadings and signings, fashion shows andwine tasting. Soulistic holds a quarterlyLadies Night Spa Jam for $25 to $30 per person. While clients mix, mingle,munch on hors d’oeuvres and sipChampagne, your goal is to have themsample classes and spa services. PSCpresents Soul Collage, with healings andhandwriting analysis. And perhaps themost original of all: RCB sponsors

monthly Big Sister Little Sister HulaHoop classes.

However you decide to expand yourstudio’s services, remember that it’s okay to let go of failed experiments andembrace the keepers. Be audacious.Spread the word with every marketingtool available: email blasts, newsletters,flyers, fund-raisers and good old word ofmouth. When you use your studio to themultitasking max, it’s a plus for your busi-ness, your clients and your community.

Tannis Kobrinsky is a certified Pilates and Gyrotonic instructor andretreat leader. For more info, visithealthhabitravels.com.

“Cardio Striptease Girls’ Night

Out,” at $15 a person, has

already sold out three times.