Mastering the Business of Pilates: Strategies for Studio Success

KIRSTEN:
Welcome back everybody! We are so excited to have you with us today. Today, Adrian is back on the panel of our podcast.

ADRIAN:
Hello! Good to be back, Kirsten. Good to be back.

KIRSTEN:
Thanks, Adrian! Thanks for the big numbers. And Cheryl is also joining us again—so we've got the original gang back together.

CHERYL:
Thanks, Kirsten.

KIRSTEN:
We received such excellent feedback from one of our previous episodes, Setting Up for Success: Opening a Pilates Studio. We covered everything from location and design to financial planning for your new studio. It was clear that a lot of our listeners were eager to take their studio business to the next level.

So in this episode, we wanted to dive even deeper into how to implement effective strategies to advance your Pilates business. We'll explore things like client acquisition, the importance of financial management, sustainable growth, how to build an effective team—and of course, we’ll touch on important points about your Pilates equipment as well.

To start with, Adrian and Cheryl, I’ll throw this one to you. What do you think is driving the explosive growth in Pilates, and how can studio owners capitalize on this momentum?

ADRIAN:
Well, Kirsten, I don’t think there’s a definitive answer as to what caused the explosion—it definitely happened. Probably through COVID, we saw high demand for home Pilates. A lot of people couldn’t get gym equipment, so they bought Pilates equipment instead.

Then, after that started to wind down, we saw a lot of studios launching, and this sort of snowball effect started happening. I think there was more confidence in the environment—easier to maintain hygiene with Pilates equipment, and the sessions felt more like personal training.

What do you think, Cheryl?

CHERYL:
Well, Pilates has been around for a long time—since the 1930s. And I think it’s been rejuvenated and brought back to life by the recent explosion. It’s a low-impact exercise with a lot of rehabilitative benefits, and I think that’s really appealing to people right now.

KIRSTEN:
Definitely. And to Adrian’s point, the environment of a Pilates studio really suits a lot of people. As something becomes more common, everyone wants to get on board.

ADRIAN:
Also, from a business point of view—Australians are definitely entrepreneurial. The opportunity to start your own business in Pilates isn’t that difficult. You can be earning $100,000 a year quite easily after a 6- or 12-month course, and away you go—you’ve got your own business, which is a dream for many.

KIRSTEN:
How do Pilates studio owners leverage technology to improve their client experience? We’re seeing more screens and digital integration in studios—how do you use tech without losing the personal touch?

CHERYL:
I think you need to be open to both. You cannot replace an instructor. They’re there to ensure proper alignment, correct execution, and safety. So instructors are pivotal to the business model.

However, outside of instructor hours is where the virtual side can come in. Businesses can incorporate screens or offer virtual classes at home, or instructors can connect with clients through Zoom. A blended model—tech and human instruction—is the key to success and safety for the client.

KIRSTEN:
And in this booming Pilates industry, where there are so many studios—is technology the only way to differentiate yourself? Because even just down the road here, there are three Pilates studios in one building! How do I make sure my local community chooses my studio?

ADRIAN:
I think it’s important that you know your stuff, first of all—and that your staff do too. I don’t want to bag out training associations, but if your instructor’s done a two-day course, they might not offer the depth of Pilates that people really need.

Just moving on a Reformer doesn’t mean you’re doing Pilates. So create a great environment, invest in good equipment, and build a knowledgeable team.

CHERYL:
Knowledge is power. Studio owners need to ensure their staff are continuously engaging in professional development so they can offer more to clients. People want new and exciting things. Clients need to see improvement in their bodies, or they won’t come back.

So it’s about continually investing in your team—whether that’s funding their professional development or encouraging them to seek it out themselves.

ADRIAN:
There’s no doubt that the Reformer is still the key piece of equipment in Pilates. I’m seeing studios also move into half trapeze or half Cadillac setups—those have been really successful. People love the variety.

Adding things like a jump board, if studios don’t already have it, also adds value. The sky’s the limit, and honestly, Australia leads the world when it comes to Pilates. I’ve learned that first-hand—other countries just aren’t where we are.

KIRSTEN:
You spoke about the importance of having an effective team. Apart from training, are there other strategies a studio owner can use to ensure they’ve got a high-performing Pilates team?

CHERYL:
You need to invest in events that build morale—maybe every three months you take the team out for dinner or an activity. That connection is so important. Some instructors only teach once a week, so they don’t cross paths often.

Creating moments where the team can bond helps build a collaborative culture.

KIRSTEN:
As a business leader, what can you personally do for your instructors? I’ve got a little stat here—companies with strong leadership are 13 times more likely to outperform competitors. So what do you think makes a great leader?

CHERYL:
People need to see your face. As the leader, you might cover a class when someone’s sick so the community sees you teaching. Or you’re just at reception, saying hello. You’re building connections with both clients and your team.

Pop in to say hello to your instructors, ask how they’re doing, let them know they can contact you anytime. Be open and approachable.

ADRIAN:
That’s a tough question because it applies to every business, not just Pilates. But from my experience: be firm, but not too firm. Lead by example. Be friendly, but don’t try to be everyone’s friend—there needs to be respect.

CHERYL:
Absolutely. Friends can take advantage of friends. In business, that’s risky. You build respect through trust and loyalty. Your team needs to buy into your vision for the studio.

KIRSTEN:
And how would you deal with a situation where you’ve got a difficult instructor or some internal conflict? Like maybe someone has low class numbers and it’s a tough conversation?

ADRIAN:
You just encourage them to go and work for your competitor.
[Laughter]

Cheryl:
No, I think you have to. It's a conversation. Everything boils down to a conversation, you know? Is there something going on in their personal life that you are not aware of that could be affecting how they're working? Is there something that... you know, they just don't have the knowledge base that you require them to have to make the class effective or to get that project done to the best of their ability?

So do I then need to do something as the business owner to make them better in where they are? Because it's not necessarily that they've got something wrong — it may be something that they're lacking in, things which I haven't been aware of, that I need to be able to upskill them in.

ADRIAN:
Maybe they're just not a people person as well. Sometimes you find you might have a really talented instructor that people just don’t like. And it doesn’t make sense because they've done all these courses and they've got a diploma in this, and they've done, you know, a university degree in this... but people still don’t come to their class. And it's because they just don’t like them.

So I’ve always said: personality first when it comes to picking instructors. And then you can look at their actual skills. Obviously, the skills are super important, but it all means nothing if they've got no personality.

KIRSTEN:
Hire on personality. Very true.

So, you know, staff is obviously important when you’re developing your business, but one of the most important factors is going to be finance and money. 62% of small businesses fail due to cash flow issues. So how do studios effectively analyse their finances to make informed business decisions? Again, this is a general business question as opposed to just a Pilates studio.

ADRIAN:
Yeah. My mind is always — when you do have money, don't waste it. Doesn't matter how well you think you are doing. Make sure you're paying your bills and you're looking after your staff. And always consider reinvesting back into the business.

When things boom, don't go and put a pool in, necessarily — or buy a new Mercedes-Benz. Maybe think about again investing in better quality equipment, equipment that makes you run more efficiently. Maybe look for a bigger space that allows you an extra bit of equipment in a different room to enhance the business. Because yeah, I mean, at the end of the day what goes up generally does go down. Doesn't matter how good you are.

KIRSTEN:
And so beyond initial setup costs, are there any common unexpected expenses that a studio owner should maybe anticipate or try to plan for?

Cheryl:
My mind goes to making sure that you have the right insurance policies for your business. I know in one of our studios, there was a big downpour of rain — the water pipe on the outside of the building burst. It flooded through all of the floors, including our one. And we did not have the right contents insurance to cover our timber floor that was completely ruined by the flood.

So that was an unexpected expense that we did not anticipate for. However, I do have a miscellaneous fund that I set aside for the business to cover any incidentals that may happen. So we were able to cover that cost and fix that up in that way.

ADRIAN:
I wonder where that money came from?

CHERYL:
It’s my secret stash that you don’t know about.

ADRIAN:
Another one!

CHERYL:
Yeah. So there's just, uh, things like that. You know, equipment breaks. So you know, you could be out of action for six weeks. Sometimes people can’t get their reformers fixed for six weeks — so that's a downslide in your cash flow. So how are you going to…

ADRIAN:
Just wanted to say that definitely doesn’t happen with our equipment, but um…

CHERYL:
No, but I have heard of studios where that has happened. You know, there could be, you know — cyber security is another issue. People can get hacked into. So how does that affect your business? And are you protected against that?

And if you are — if that does happen to you, do you have a little fund set aside to deal with that? The tax department can come along and maybe want to audit you. Do you have money aside to deal with that, in case they’re going to come along and take care of that?

KIRSTEN:
Also if something legal happens in your studio, do you have funds to protect yourself — if you need to hire a lawyer, for whatever reason that might happen?

CHERYL:
Yeah. So a lot of instructors only have professional indemnity and public liability — because that’s all that they’re required to have. But as a studio owner, you might need to have — invest in a bit more than that to make sure that you are covered, on top of whatever happens to the instructor. So there’s lots of incidentals that happen. So just maybe having a fund set aside that allows you to cover for those miscellaneous expenses.

ADRIAN:
And can I just throw this in — slightly off topic, but just from a studio I was at the other day: if you don’t understand machinery that well, please don’t service your equipment yourself. Because you may find yourself completely liable due to the work that you’ve done on a reformer.

I just wanted to raise that 'cause it was quite a nightmare trying to fix the damage that this instructor had done to her equipment.

KIRSTEN:
Well, we are getting to the equipment, so we’ll touch on that a little bit more in a minute.

How does a studio owner balance, then, being competitive with their pricing but still making sure that they are covering their expenses. And you know, another thing we've spoken about is making sure that you’re allocating a wage for yourself—that you've got money for you personally as well. Not just to reinvest everything back into your business.
But how do you do all of that in a market where you're competing with studios, and people, you know—they might not come to you because the studio next door is cheaper?

CHERYL:
Yes, look—that is always a difficult one. You have to be firm in your business plan and understand what the competitors are doing, definitely.
But cheaper doesn't always mean better. Sometimes the cheaper ones are cheap for a reason. And if you're going to invest in quality, then you need to stand your ground and say:
“The reason we charge this price is because we believe we provide a better service.”

And that is the message that you need to get across in your marketing when you’re putting your services out there.

So what I found is that when we did cheapen our classes, or had an introductory offer that was very cheap, we attracted people who were only willing to pay that low price. But they didn’t stay. The retention was lower.

When we then pivoted and said, “No—this is the benchmark we're going to have, and this is the quality we're going to provide,” we were able to retain our clients for a lot longer.
And they still keep coming—because that’s how we marketed ourselves, at that level.
We had the equipment to match that. We had staff who were educated at that level. And we always had professional development days with the staff, so we could check in, interact, and make sure we were taking care of any issues that were coming up.
We invested in that.

ADRIAN:
I always sort of deviate a little bit from your questions—I lose concentration. But um, I was just thinking as you were talking—
A really positive thing for a Pilates studio to do to retain clients is to… clean. Just clean everything.

KIRSTEN:
Yes!

ADRAIN:
A clean studio is a heavenly studio. Honestly. It is just disgusting sometimes. No offense to all our clients that I've called on in the past—but, you know…

There was once I came home and I had all these blonde hairs all over me. And Cheryl was like, “So… where have you been?”

CHERYL:
[laughs] Yeah, I remember that.

ADRIAN:
But seriously—getting the vacuum cleaner under the reformers, pulling out the shoulder pads, cleaning the runners…

Because I personally—those hand grips? Sometimes they are just caked in grime and sweat, and it's like—ew, no thank you. And that's the kind of stuff that people do notice, even if they don’t always say it.

KIRSTEN:
So it goes back to what Mum said earlier—everything adds up to the experience. People aren’t just paying for a workout. They’re paying to feel cared for, comfortable, like they belong in the space. If your studio is dirty, that energy flows through everything.

CHERYL:
It’s about respect. Respect for your business, your staff, your clients. I used to always say, “You wouldn’t invite someone into your home and not clean your bathroom,” right? So why would you expect someone to lie down on your carriage, put their hands on the straps, and pay good money to do it, if you haven’t wiped it down properly?

KIRSTEN:
Yeah, and the same thing goes for the vibe, too. Clean space, good lighting, friendly faces—it all contributes to how a client feels when they walk in the door. Especially if you’re charging premium rates, which we just spoke about. That perceived value needs to match the actual experience.

ADRIAN:
I reckon studios underestimate how powerful that attention to detail can be. I mean, we’re all human, right? You walk into a space that smells fresh, looks tidy, and someone greets you with your name—that’s memorable. It’s like any hospitality business. You're creating a whole environment. And people will pay for that. They’ll tell their friends about that.

KIRSTEN: 
So I guess the takeaway here is—don't race to the bottom with pricing. Set your price according to the quality of what you’re offering. And if you're charging more, make sure it feels like more—through your instructors, your equipment, the cleanliness, the customer experience, and even the way you communicate with your clients.

CHERYL:
100%. I always say, run your studio like you're building a brand, not just filling a timetable.

ADRIAN:
Exactly! Wash your hand grips, clean your upholstery with PRA gym wipes, vacuum, and get rid of all that hair. And from a Reformer perspective, always keep those runners clean—constantly.

CHERYL:
That goes for any business, though. If your office space is clean, tidy, and organised, it reflects your business.

KIRSTEN:
Our office space can definitely not be clean, tidy, and organised when we’re busy. Things pile up, and then you get used to seeing the mess—you forget what clean even looked like.

ADRIAN:
I've laid beside reformers and thought, "Oh, this is a clean studio." Then I roll over, look underneath, and there’s hair—like they’ve just swept it under the reformer!

KIRSTEN:
Yeah, nothing worse than lying on the box, head near the runners, looking at the floor and thinking, “This is gross.”

CHERYL:
Exactly.

KIRSTEN:
You touched on client retention earlier, Adrian, which is a great segue into my next point. What are some successful referral programs you’ve seen? And how do you recommend structuring them to maximize impact, profit, and relationships?

ADRIAN:
Networking and collaboration with others—getting in front of different audiences—is key to a good referral program. Back when we had our studio, if someone referred a friend, the referrer got a free class. So if you referred me, Kirsten, you’d get a free class because you're already a client.

CHERYL:
That works across all businesses. Your number one way to make sales is through your existing customers. Word of mouth is your best seller.

ADRIAN:
Absolutely. Word of mouth is the most effective tool. You still need social media and all that, but I always liked the “bring hubby for free” or “refer a friend for free” approach.

CHERYL:
It’s not just about the initial offer though. It’s about what happens after they walk in the door. Do you have good systems and processes? Do you follow up?

Call them—ask how they found the instructor. Get feedback. What’s stopping them from coming back? Is it pricing? Timing? You can overcome those obstacles with a personal call or a follow-up email sequence.

KIRSTEN:
And make sure your studio has multiple touchpoints. Maybe you’re in the local paper, or on a bus ad, or doing classes at local schools or businesses. A corporate class could gain you a new long-term client.

ADRIAN:
If you're doing “bring hubby for free,” make sure the class isn’t too hard! Sometimes wives want to prove they’re stronger, and then hubby’s so sore he never comes back.

I took my sister in-law to TRX once—we went hard—and she never came back. Maybe those classes should be more specific or entry-level.

KIRSTEN:
Marketing is a big area too. What’s one strategy you’ve seen work really well?

ADRIAN:
Google. Though I think we spent too much on Google Ads once. You don’t need a huge AdWords campaign to rank well. Most people going to Pilates are over 30—many over 40 or 50—they go to Google, not TikTok.

So make sure your Google presence is solid. Especially in competitive areas like Bondi.

CHERYL:
Websites are important too. Some studio sites don’t tell me anything. I want to see photos, real reviews, bios of the instructors—show me your team!

ADRIAN:
And get a male instructor if you can! Men might feel more comfortable joining if they see another guy on the team.

CHERYL:
You don’t need your instructors doing fancy exercises on Instagram, just give a feel for the studio. Show your vibe, your community. If clients are commenting, it creates that supportive image.

I’m a data person. You need to track everything—Google spend, SEO, social media, profit and loss, retention, new vs. returning clients. Most booking systems let you print reports—use them. Then plan your strategies based on that data.

ADRIAN:
Spreadsheet time!

CHERYL:
Here we go.

KIRSTEN:
Okay, final topic—equipment. How do you determine the lifespan of Pilates equipment?

ADRIAN:
Well, I know that if people don't look after their equipment, then the lifespan is going to be a lot shorter than when they do. With Align-Pilates, we actually go to the full ISO level, which is independently tested. They put 150 kilos on the carriage, all springs attached, and they have this machine that moves the carriage backwards and forwards—I think it's about 130,000 repetitions. So we're able to get some really good numbers. Cheryl likes numbers—on what things start to show signs of wear: the springs, the pulleys, the ropes, the wheels—all of that stuff gets assessed, which gives us a really good idea of lifespan.

KIRSTEN:
Mmm.

ADRIAN:
But I honestly feel like a good quality reformer, you should get 10 years out of it without too many dramas. But it's super important to just keep them clean—I know I keep harping on it—but cleanliness is godliness.

KIRSTEN:
Yeah, that’s super important. So, as a studio owner—and for a lot of people, you know, they're not equipment experts. 

So, what should someone who doesn't know much about equipment be looking for when comparing different brands? Like, how do I look at a reformer and go, "Yep, that's quality," or "Nope, that's not." There are a lot of products in Australia that are not quality—not going to beat around the bush.

ADRIAN:
Yeah, and it doesn’t mean they may not become quality in the future, but right now, anything that seems too good to be true—probably is. And the big brands? They're big for a reason. They've been doing this a long time and they know what they're doing.

KIRSTEN:
But are there specific features I can look at? Like, aside from brand—what about the carriage? What about the springs?

ADRIAN:
Yeah, look, and I’m probably biased of course, but I don’t like a soft carriage. Some people say, "Oh, but I like it to feel comfortable," and we’re like, "Yeah, but comfortable is not what you're here for. You're here to work out." A soft carriage won’t take long before you start to feel the board underneath because the foam wears out much quicker than a denser, harder EVA foam.

KIRSTEN:
Right.

ADRIAN:
That’s something I look for. Also, the stitching on the carriage—I don’t like upholstery that’s just wrapped around because it tends to buckle quickly. That’s a sign of less quality—less time and effort put into the finish.

And from a user perspective—springs are not just springs. A "Pilates spring" is a term, but at the end of the day, lots of people aren’t putting effort into the quality of the spring.

KIRSTEN:
So how can someone tell if it’s a good spring or not?

ADRIAN:
Well, that comes down to price. Our springs are like 80 bucks each. Five springs—that's $400. You can buy a reformer for $400 and we can't even buy our springs for that price. So... that’s something.

KIRSTEN:
But yeah, I mean—how can you tell? You can’t really tell just by looking at them.

ADRIAN:
You can feel it. You can feel a spring.

KIRSTEN:
Okay, what am I feeling when I feel a spring?

ADRIAN:
This might vary—many Pilates instructors might have different opinions—but in my opinion, we use music wire. Music wire can stretch easier and further than standard steel, so the flow is better. That’s why we like music wire—it’s more elastic, you could say, than a steel spring. We’ve stuck with music wire for 15 years now.

KIRSTEN:
Right.

ADRIAN:
Another thing—the foot bar. That’s a big one. When you go for ISO testing, the strength factor they test is the foot bar. To meet ISO, you have to divide your load limit by 2.5. So if you want a 150kg weight limit, the foot bar needs to withstand over 400kg of pressure. Most foot bars won’t handle that. Ours do—but that’s another story.

KIRSTEN:
Of course.

ADRIAN:
And another red flag I often see with cheap reformers—the spring bar. A lot of them don’t have an adjustable spring bar. They use stoppers. Cheryl might explain this better than I can, but I look at it and go: Okay, so to move the carriage, I have to move the stopper, but I can’t adjust the spring. That means I have to preload the spring. How is that effective? I don’t know what weight that spring actually is—unless I’ve got a calculator and a chart.

KIRSTEN:
So you’re saying a Reformer should have a movable spring bar—unless it’s a sliding foot bar system?

ADRIAN:
Correct. Thank you, Balanced Body. But yes—if it’s not a sliding foot bar, then yes, a spring bar should move.

CHERYL:
Well, isn’t that how Joseph Pilates originally designed it? With a movable spring bar?

ADRIAN:
Yes! Yes, it is. These days though, with group reformer classes, it becomes—well, let’s say I’ve got 15 reformers. How do I adjust that many spring bars at once?

That’s why we’ve done the integrated spring bar, which makes it super fast to move. In a group reformer setting, the client is changing the spring bar—not the instructor. But with the stopper system—you’ve got to remove the springs, take out two stoppers (usually one on each side), then put everything back. Even for one machine, that’s time-consuming.

KIRSTEN:
But wait—for argument's sake, am I really moving the spring bar during a group session?

ADRIAN:
Well, this comes back to the quality of the instruction. If the client gets on, starts doing footwork, and their knees are up near their chest... are they doing the footwork properly?

CHERYL:
No. They're not.

KIRSTEN:
But my point is—usually as soon as I lay down for a class, it’s like, “Okay, you’re a bit squashed there, let me just move you”—and then I stay on that setting for the whole class. Right?

CHERYL:
That’s correct. Ideally, that client already knows their setting before they walk in. If they’re a beginner and the studio is doing a good job, they’ve already briefed them—how to set up the reformer for their body. So when class starts, the client knows what to do, and the class flows.

KIRSTEN:
So it all comes back to the customer experience—making sure the client is looked after from the moment they walk in the door.

Cheryl, from your perspective as an instructor—who’s taught on a variety of equipment—what makes a good reformer? Like, how do you get on and know if it’s good or not?

CHERYL:
You feel it. As soon as you get on, you feel how the springs respond to your body and the exercise you’re doing. I’ve been on reformers where the spring bar rocks back and forth, or the upholstery buckles underneath your feet. You just feel it—it’s an automatic thing.

ADRIAN:
Of course, instructors will have different opinions. Like me—I get on a classical reformer and go, “Oh my god, why do people use this? It’s so rough and so horrible.”

CHERYL:
It’s not that it’s rough and horrible, Adrian—I’ll have to correct you there. It’s the experience and the information the instructor gives you that allows you to appreciate the equipment you’re on. How you’re taught to use it shapes how you perceive it.

KIRSTEN:
So if you train on cheap equipment, you’ll think that’s the standard—but if you train on better equipment, you’ll know what to expect?

CHERYL:
Exactly.

ADRIAN:
And also—back to cleaning. If you don’t clean your reformer, it will become rough and horrible. A nice new classical reformer doesn’t feel rough—but when it's not cleaned, the wheels build up grime and it gets louder and rougher.

CHERYL:
That’s right. If you clean it regularly, it’ll stay in the same condition as when you first bought it.

KIRSTEN:
Which takes me to my next question—how often should you service your Pilates equipment, based on usage?

CHERYL:
Weekly.

ADRIAN:
Weekly service?

CHERYL:
Well—cleaning. You mean clean it yourself weekly?

ADRIAN:
Yes! Clean it yourself—not have Pilates Reformers Australia come in every week. I'm not going that far.

CHERYL:
No, no. But yes—there should be a cleaning service done by the studio each week on their equipment.

KIRSTEN:
The studio does a cleaning service on their equipment each week. So then, what would be the signs that it's time to get the professionals in to actually look at a reformer?

ADRIAN:
I know some brands recommend three-monthly services. I think that’s your choice—if you want to spend that sort of money every three months, go for it. But it’s absolutely not necessary.

With our equipment, it really depends on usage. If you've got a studio running 45 hours a week and they're not looking after the equipment, you might need a service every 6 to 12 months.

Normally, though, it’s 12 months to two years, depending on how well they keep them clean. If they're diligent with cleanliness, you might just need to watch for loose bolts—there are moving parts, so even with Loctite, things can come loose.
There’s no hard rule on service frequency. But if your springs are bent or not functioning properly, they definitely need to be changed. If you can’t do it yourself, call the manufacturer.

Springs talk to you—I always say this!

It sounds like I’m a reformer nerd, but truly, they do. If a spring starts making a different sound—a twang, for example—that’s a warning sign. You need to check that it’s not caught on something like a strap or inside a spring sock.

If nothing’s caught and it still sounds off, replace it. If it’s within the 2-year warranty, call the manufacturer. If that happens to us, we’d say, “Yep, let’s replace that for you.”
Springs are really important to monitor. If you see a gap forming between the ringlets—that’s a big problem.

People don’t realise that slamming the carriage into the stop position is bad for springs. Studios with lots of banging—yeah, that’s bad for longevity.

Just replace anything that’s broken or dirty. If straps are fraying—replace them. Hand straps torn? Replace them. Upholstery torn? Reupholster it. Don’t keep going with duct tape!

And please don’t use essential oils on your upholstery. No tea tree oil or any of that stuff—it ruins the material.

CHERYL:
Little grievances, hey?

ADRIAN:
Listen, we designed the PRA Gym Wipes to give you longevity. That’s what they’re there for, folks. Honestly—we don’t do them to make money.

KIRSTEN:
[Laughing] It’s true though.

Well, that brings us to the end of this discussion about strategies to develop and maintain your studio in a competitive market. Any final thoughts?

ADRIAN:
I wanted to mention that studios should consider things like ladders—maybe the Fuse Ladder. It’s great because it brings something new in, takes up almost no footprint, and mounts on the wall.

Mounting can be tricky depending on the wall, but it’s usually doable. It’s a good product to enhance your studio and even attract more male clients.

You can hang TRX straps on it, and there’s a training course too. Doesn’t have to be a Fuse Ladder—any ladder with low footprint can add diversity.

And the Cadillac is becoming more popular now too. When you choose a reformer, consider whether it can have a half Cadillac added later.

When we developed the C8 Reformer, we had that in mind—you can add a full Cadillac, a half Cadillac, or low-leg/extender legs. It grows with your needs. Credit to Align-Pilates—that was a great idea.

We’ve gone back and added a full Cadillac to a C8 that was seven or eight years old, and that helped studios change direction and evolve.

KIRSTEN:
Exactly. As your skill level and training grow, what you can offer changes—so your equipment needs to grow too.

ADRIAN:
You also need space to accommodate more equipment. Clients get bored—some studios choose to introduce jump boards later, once their clients are ready.
I personally love the jumpboard, but phasing in equipment is a great strategy.

CHERYL:
Anything to add, Kirsten?

KIRSTEN:
I think we’ve covered everything.

ADRIAN:
We've left no stone unturned… Oh—did I mention cleaning the reformers?

KIRSTEN:
We actually have a lot of resources on our website: pilatesreformersaustralia.com.au.

We’ve got books, blogs, and plenty of free tools based on our experience running studios and learning from others.

We even have a maintenance booklet—it’s like a service log. It includes what to look for during inspections and a section to keep records.

ADRIAN:
Sorry to interrupt—but yes, documenting your maintenance is super important.

I had a case recently where a studio owner had to deal with an insurance claim and legal involvement. But because she had documentation that PRA had serviced the reformers every 12 months, her solicitor said, “You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

Even if you do the service yourself—just document it. And we have the tools to help with that.

CHERYL:
We sure do.

KIRSTEN:
Well thank you very much everyone for joining us once again on It’s Family Business. We hope to see you next time!

CHERYL:
Thanks very much!

ADRIAN:
Thanks guys! Bye!