Pilates is a funny business to be in. A man created a program of exercise about a hundred years ago, and opened a studio space to teach it in NYC. But from what I’ve read over the years, it sounds like Joseph Pilates was generally more focused on the creating, teaching, and sharing of his method vs. building the ideal business. I don’t think he put too much thought into the business model of his studio. He probably didn’t write a business plan. Or think about his profit margins. It wasn’t about the business. It was about making bodies healthier. And that spirit is still a part of the Pilates industry today. We open studios first and foremost to teach the method because we are passionate about what it can do for people, not because we think it’s easy money. But is passion and good teaching enough to make a studio successful? Is it enough to build a business that is financially strong enough to pay instructors what they are worth and support studio owners and their families? Now, I’ll pause here for a moment to say that before I lived in the world of Grasshoppers, Swans, and Mermaids, I lived in the world of marketing. I went to school for business and marketing and entered the Fortune 500 world after college. I worked on building brands, launching products, growing sales, and so on. For all the reasons you would expect, I later left this world, became a Pilates instructor, and opened a studio.
As I opened my studio and came to know the industry, talking to other owners and visiting other studios, I noticed something. From my business background and point-of-view, I think the Pilates industry is still trying to figure out two big things.
- How to use marketing in a way that helps them, but isn’t gimmicky or commercial. While the fitness industry has a very commercial aspect to it (selling on infomercials, promising big results, frequent new workout fads), the Pilates industry is different. The history, the method, and the training makes Pilates different than the fitness industry. We couldn’t and shouldn’t use marketing in the same way. But we can and should use it, because marketing can help us educate the world about Pilates and show our communities what is most unique and special about our studios and instructors.
- What kind of business model will allow a studio to be financially strong and successful, while still teaching the method with integrity. Joseph Pilates dedicated his life to developing and passing on a brilliant method of movement, but it did not come with a guaranteed-to-work-for-you-100-years-later business plan. We have to do that part ourselves. I don’t believe that there is one business model that fits everyone or that what one studio does is right for another. I have seen too many studios stuck in unprofitable business models because there wasn’t enough planning, there were unrealistic expectations, or they followed something they thought worked for someone else. Instead, we need plan, calculate, and analyze thoroughly so we can structure our studios and services in a way that we know will be financially healthy and successful for the long term.
After spending so many years working in marketing, sales, and business development in the corporate world, I saw some key things missing in the business practices of studios I was coming into contact with. Even though Pilates studios and big consumer companies or corporations seem to be as different as night and day, almost all fundamental business practices and principles still apply. And I believe the Pilates industry could benefit from learning and implementing these practices and principles.
So many years later when I moved out of state and sold my studio, I decided that instead of opening a new studio, I would share the business and marketing lessons that I knew with studio owners and instructors to help them build great businesses.
As an industry, I don’t think we are as stable and successful as we deserve to be yet. Certainly there are Pilates studios and teachers out there who have found great success and I love that! It is incredible to see that there is potential to build a great business around teaching Pilates. Yet I still see too many studios struggling, and I want to help in any way that I can!
Being a great teacher is not enough to build a profitable, sustainable business teaching Pilates. We have to learn some fundamental business and marketing skills so that our studios will be strong enough to carry on the brilliant work of Joseph Pilates for hundreds of more years to come.
Thank you to Brett for inviting me to contribute to Pilates Intel, and share some of my business-centered insights and recommendations with this community. My mission is to share all of the business and marketing lessons I’ve learned over the years with you…so we can make sure our Pilates studios are strong, successful, and set-up to support us as we teach the method that we are all so very passionate about!
About Dana
Dana Auriemma has been studying and practicing marketing for 12 years. With a marketing degree from Penn State University, she launched a successful career in marketing and sales working for Fortune 500 companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Bayer, Merck, and TimeWarner. But wanting to use her business expertise for something she was more passionate about, Dana left the corporate world to become a Pilates instructor and open her own studio.
Dana’s professional business background was a tremendous asset in building her studio over the years. She loved teaching Pilates and running a business, but saw many other owners and teachers were not as comfortable with the business-side of their studios. So upon moving out-of-state and selling her studio many years later, Dana decided to help teach studio owners the marketing and business skills they need to reach their greatest potential.
Dana now works with studio owners all over the world, helping them optimize their studio operations, analyze their profitability, improve staff relationships, build better marketing programs, and more. Dana offers custom consulting and online business courses, and writes articles that have been published by Balanced Body, MindBodyOnline, PilatesStyle Magazine, Pilates Intel, Pilates-Pro, PilatesTree Magazine, Pilates Pal, and Yogi Times.
Learn more and read more at danaauriemma.com.