When you decided to become a Pilates teacher you thought “I can’t wait to help people!” And, you knew that people were going to love how they felt after they took a session with you. You also worried about being new at something and if you’d pass your tests. But, it wasn’t until you got closer to the end of your hours that you probably thought “how do I get enough clients to pay my bills?” And, even, if you’d ever make enough to have your own studio, quit your 9-5 and take time off.
Offering classes allows you to have an offering that more people can afford, to help more people at one time, create community and increase your hourly rate. But, filling those classes can feel like you’re throwing spaghetti at a wall and hoping it sticks. And, worse, when a class isn’t full it can not only hit your wallet but can feel deflating, personal and exhausting. So, how do you fill your classes? Especially today when it seems like everyone is giving classes away for free!
Making changes to your business is never easy. How do you know what to do first? You’ve got bigger goals for your business but it can be hard to know what to do when you’re in it. And, scary when you feel like you need to make big changes to get what you want. No matter where you want to go in your business you need to have these 5 things to make your magic happen.
First impressions are important. And, when it comes to a new client engaging with you or your studio it’s even more integral. When someone comes in for their first class or session 60% of the decision to start a new fitness regimen is made. All you have to do is help them decide that it is you. Here are my tips for scheduling and teaching a new client
Teaching Pilates and Make Money The simplest answer is yes. Yes, you can make money and give back. For-Profit For-Cause businesses are not a new thing. But, they have become more popular as more and more small businesses are wanting to not just make money but impact...
Online Platforms When you first started teaching you may not have had the goal of being known online. In fact, it's only pretty recent that almost ANYONE could have their own digital products and be like the fitness DVD mavens anywhere in the world without being...
What is Right For You? Feeling like you should downsize your studio, schedule or client list is normal. Desiring to work on your business instead of in your business should always be your goal. I get asked often "How did you go out on your own?" "How did you open your...
Schedule, Offerings, Clients, and Self-care As communities all over the world begin to open up we are all taking the time to get to know more about what we can and cannot do in our businesses than probably EVER before. And, while I know you are eager to get back to...
How to price your services is a question that has been asked since the dawn of the service industry. And the going advice is “look at what other people are doing and then charge the same or a little less or a little more.” Most often people charge a little less. Which is the wrong thing to do because it’s a race to the bottom. Who can charge the least amount someone will always win. But, you’ll likely be the one who loses. And then, because of CV19 every fitness, Pilates and Yoga instructor had to go virtual. And thus the imposter syndrome pricing began. Enter discounts or free sessions virtually and burnout. So, what should you charge for your services that were in-person and are now virtual?
Before when you were busy teaching, studying, running around from class to class, studio to studio or client to client it was easy to put off making that webiste, writing that blog or newsletter and launching that new product or service. Now, you have time. So, with that excuse removed what is really keeping you from doing the thing you’ve been wanting to do? Let’s explore some short cuts to taking messy action and doing what you have wanted to do “when you have more time.”
Depending on where you live in the world the date your competitors started teaching for free may differ from me. But, for now, we’ll agree that sometime in March the fitness industry and especially many Pilates teachers started teaching live workouts on every social media platform they could and doing it for free. In fact, the morning after my studio was closed indefinitely I felt like every teacher in the So cal community who used to charge $20+/class and had a waitlist started teaching for free. EVERYWHERE. And, not only did this leave them exhausted it also left them more worried than those I know that didn’t do this. In fact, discounting your services or offering them for free not only will hurt your bottom line it will leave you fill drained and on your way to burn out. Why? Let’s review why discounting hurts your business and some things to do instead.
