The Business of Boutique Fitness
208: Meet Emily Hudson, whose Pilates and Gyrotonic Studio Has Seen Double the Growth in this Last Year Thanks To Some Savvy Moves
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.
- 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
