How to Open a Pilates Studio

Pilates is a form of exercise that values flexibility, focus and breathing over brute strength and speed. Pilates studios have emerged as viable businesses for exercise instructors and entrepreneurs interested in helping enrich the lives of their clients. Studios offer privacy, comfort and one-on-one contact between instructors and attendees that cannot be found at athletic clubs. While the overhead of running a Pilates studio may not be as much as a full-service gym, a Pilates studio needs to be well planned ahead of its opening. Your Pilates studio must offer something that gyms and competing studios cannot provide in order to generate business.

Things You'll Need

• Studio space
• Mats
• Foam blocks

Instructions

1. Outline your starting budget, scope of services and 5-year goals when creating a Pilates studio business plan. Compare your spending power including credit cards and cash to the costs of renting studio space, buying wholesale supplies and paying trainers. Your studio plan should cover studio expansion, additional classes and prospective DVD productions possible with a steady client base.

2. Shop for Pilates studio space with a dressing room and plenty of natural light. Your best option is a storefront in a strip mall or retail park if you want foot traffic with low monthly rents. Search for art studios, lofts and other spaces in revitalized areas of your city if you want a funky space for your Pilates classes.

3. Pursue certification in different levels of Pilates, yoga and other exercise methods to increase your studio's class menu. The National Exercise Trainers Association (NETA) offers basic, moderate and advanced certification courses for instructors trying to help their students. Display your NETA certification along with certifications from local universities to demonstrate your qualifications to prospective students.

4. Work with a handful of part-time Pilates instructors to fill gaps in your studio's class menu. For example, an instructor familiar with the highest level of Pilates exercises can be scheduled based on student demand at your studio. Make sure that your instructors understand that they are contractors who work based on enrollment demands rather than as full-time workers.

5. Investigate class fees and course packages at competing studios before you create your price list. Call every gym, university and Pilates studio in your city to find out the costs for beginning courses. Keep your studio rent and other costs in mind as you try to find the right prices for your courses.

6. Schedule your Pilates classes at times when prospective students will be available. Work with your instructors to create a schedule featuring night, weekend and lunch hour courses to reach students of all backgrounds.

7. Generate additional revenue for your Pilates studio by selling mats, foam blocks and belts. Work with an exercise wholesaler like ATAFA Sporting Goods to purchase Pilates equipment at relatively low prices. Apply a retail markup to each item and target your inventory to first-time students who may not be familiar with equipment requirements.

8. Design a multi-faceted advertising campaign that will reach your target market at minimal cost. Partner with budget-priced gyms in your community to offer Pilates classes at discounted prices for members. Produce a flyer with a coupon and contact information that can be distributed easily through college campuses and exercise suppliers. Every advertisement should feature a link to your studio's website featuring pictures of your studio, course menus and instructor biographies.

Tips & Warnings

• Start your Pilates studio from home before you open your new location to create revenue sources. Encourage friends, neighbors and coworkers to take your introductory courses to showcase the course quality of your new studio.

Resources

• National Exercise Trainers Association
• ATAFA Sporting Goods
• Studio Lotus