Category: Podcast

Anytime someone asks where the world of wellness and studio ownership is headed, she’s the one I reference.

Whenever I’m showing a client what their website should look like to draw in and captivate potential client, she’s the one I pull up.

And anytime I talk to a doubtful or hesitant studio owner on the power of reshaping their offerings to go deeper and to ask for more; her story is the one I tell…

I’m talking about my Client Cure alum, Alyssa Pfennig who’s the founder of Embarque Yoga. Wellness. Spa. whose vision for a studio that offers a full-scale holistic healing environment is changing the face of Indianapolis yoga.

Through the process of what Alyssa calls a “slow unraveling,” she tells her story of how she discovered the healing power of yoga therapy, became certified, and grew her business first as a side-hustle alongside possibly one of the most intriguing and non-traditional corporate jobs one could have, and eventually opened her original Embarque studio space, which she has recently left behind for the next stage of her business’ expansion.

In addition to growing her business intentionally and with many of the mindful listening techniques she uses in her yoga practice, Alyssa has also been incredibly strategic and savvy in following her vision for more, which has resulted in a business based not only on a recurring revenue model but one with multiple revenue streams.

I’ve been fascinated watching Alyssa’s journey to where she is today, how she’s navigated the four stages of studio growth, and the cyclical nature of that process that she’s currently experiencing.

If you’re a studio owner with their eyes set on an empire, Alyssa’s insights are ones you won’t want to gloss over.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Alyssa’s journey from corporate job to founding a non-profit to pivoting her full focus on her studio and how that impacted its growth
• How she brought prominence to yoga therapy in Indianapolis and the definition and distinctions of yoga therapy
• The balance between providing services in a hospital setting vs. a private practice and how yoga therapy integrates with traditional medicine
• The impetus and process of expanding Embarque beyond yoga and into a multi-revenue business model
• The beautiful benefits of a vertical services pattern versus a horizontal one
• How Alyssa is working toward the Freedom Stage of her vision and the steps needed to get there

Additional Recommended Resources:

• Embarque Yoga, Wellness, and Spa
• Business Brilliant: Surprising Lessons from the Greatest Self-Made Business Icons by Lewis Schiff

With Grit & Gratitude,

Lisé

So, you think you want to host a retreat…

First let me say congrats because once your mind starts wandering over to the idea of cultivating your community in a shared and intimate experience, I think that means you’ve got something brewing within that you know will create a significant impact on a deep level.

That said, once you get the idea of a retreat in your head, I know how easy it is to let the excitement and inspiration swirl, but once you get into the logistics…

Let’s just say all those ideas get a little less dreamy.

You’re up to your eyeballs in fine print. The answer to every question brings up three new questions. And the food! How are you going to feed these people?!

You catch my drift.

Hosting a retreat can be rewarding, but it can also be a doozy of an undertaking, which is why I’m breaking down all my personal retreat-planning insights in my latest series of Ready. Aim. Empire. episodes, Retreats With Real Revenue.

Whether you’ve built a virtual community that you’d like to bring together in person or connect with your community outside the walls of your brick-and-mortar studio, planning a retreat may be the next natural step in the evolution of your business offerings.

In this first episode within the series, I’m diving into the first big piece of the planning puzzle, which is your venue plus alllll the things you need to consider when planning and decision-making to set your pricing to be profitable.

Then, once you’ve got those areas covered, we’ll talk about advertising and how to fill up the spots in your retreat!

But let’s not get in over our heads and take this one smart and strategic step at a time…

In this episode you’ll learn:

• The difference between hosting a retreat versus an event
• Key considerations when choosing the right venue to rent including lodging, accessibility, amenities, legalities, and more
• The two most important numbers you need to know in the planning stage to be profitable when it’s all said and done
• How to determine what role you’ll play within the leadership of the retreat and how you’ll coordinate the logistics of fellow teachers you’re bringing onboard
• The realistic timeline you need to have in order to set your retreat up for success

With Grit & Gratitude,

Lisé

It may have taken us a little over 200 episodes, but she’s finally here, the first incredible woman to introduce gyrotonics to the Ready. Aim. Empire. podcast!

I’ve been doing gyrotonics for years and have found it to be one of the most beneficial (and enjoyable) movement modalities I’ve ever encountered. But beyond being in love with Emily’s paradigm, I’m also in love with her story because she’s living proof that growing your studio doesn’t have to be a drawn-out, painful experience filled with breaking points.

See, there’s this common misconception that growing pains are inevitable when building a business and that you have to struggle to experience the Cinderella story ending.

Of course, there’s still a “no guts no glory” element… we all have to be a little crazy and daring to dive into studio ownership, don’t we?

However, if approached with the right mindset and process, growth can feel like how we anticipate any growth in life, a little uncomfortable and scary, but by no means so painful and angst-filled it’s going to cause us to throw up our hands in defeat.

And the key to that kind of growth? It’s all about starting small.

That’s what Emily did, and that’s the same advice she gives to any other person looking to start their business.

Start small, start scrappy, and focus on the half of the work that’s going to allow you to make the greatest impact now.

For Emily, that first area of her focus when growing InJoy Movement Studio, was becoming the best instructor she could be so she could help produce the most transformative experience for her clients possible.

Then, after she felt she had mastered her instruction, it was time to move on to focusing more on the business side of the studio, and it was there she realized she needed help, which she found in The Client Cure.

And while within the program she moved to an exponentially larger studio, transitioned all her clients to a recurring revenue model seamlessly, ditched the class pass model for good and began building her rockstar team.

There’s a lot of the story in the middle you need to hear, but I think it’s best told by Emily, so plug in your earbuds to listen in on the story of her journey, it’s an inspiring one.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• The definition and difference between Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis

• The gap in the industry Emily identified as the opportunity to stand out in an otherwise saturated Pilates town

• One of the greatest lessons I’ve personally learned from Emily and her journey

• Why starting small was crucial to Emily as both a teacher and a business owner and why Emily wanted to focus on being a great teacher first

• How to introduce big changes to your studio without triggering mass hysteria among your clients

• Where she believes the boutique fitness industry is headed in the years to come and the shifts studio owners need to make now to become or remain successful

To connect with Emily on social media, follow her on Facebook.

With Grit & Gratitude,

Lisé

You’ve made it!

It might feel like it’s taken eons, or maybe it feels like it was all a flash, and you can’t believe it’s happening, but…

You’re at the Freedom Stage!

You’ve built your studio to the point where you can confidently step back and let your team lead at the front while you maintain your role as visionary and CEO of the business.

{ Psst… if you haven’t listened to the other 3-parts to this series, head here to listen to Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3, those pieces are crucial to arriving at this Freedom Stage.}  

It’s a beautiful place to be, but as you can expect (because this is business, after all), the buck doesn’t stop here…

You might be in the season of scaling back your time in the studio, but there are still decisions to be made and opportunities to be grasped, they’re just ones that uniquely present themselves in the Freedom Stage.

For example, have you thought about dabbling in other areas of investment to diversify your portfolio of assets?

Have you considered taking the framework, methodology or movement you’ve created and taking it to a new market on a new scale?

How about getting your processes in order in the case that you decide to sell?

I know these are BIG questions and ones that can bubble up a whole new host of doubt, but you’re equipped to handle it, and you’re going to want to if you’re going to continue to build your legacy assets.

One of the most significant takeaways I think you’ll have when listening to this episode about the Freedom phase is that this isn’t a stage for stopping, rather sustaining, savoring, and spreading your wings to soar toward new opportunities that are now yours for the taking.

So, let’s go after them!

Here’s what else you’ll learn in this episode:

• How your role and your manager’s roles will evolve in this new phase of your studio growth
• Why you need to be aware of the “pheasants” that present themselves at this stage, keep your eyes on the prize, and protect the asset you’ve built
• What pieces of your infrastructure you’ll need to have in place before drastically stepping back from your studio
• The 4-pronged approach to continued asset development and acquisition that you’ll encounter in the Freedom stage and the initial steps to navigating the next path that’s best for you

With Grit & Gratitude,

Lisé