Beyond the Reformer
Welcome to Beyond the Reformer, the podcast where Pilates professionals and enthusiasts come together for thoughtful conversations, genuine insights, and inspiring stories. Join Nic every Monday morning to feel more connected, inspired, and empowered in your Pilates practice, teaching, and beyond…
Beyond the Reformer
Why Great Pilates Isn’t Enough Anymore | Georgia Testa
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
"Until you do that, you're not a brand, you're just a transactional product within their life."
In this episode, we are joined by Georgia Testa, founder of Studio 281, a fast-growing Reformer Pilates and functional fitness brand with five locations across Bedford, Milton Keynes, Ampthill, and Olney.
They explore what it really takes to build a genuine community in a Pilates studio, from why customer loyalty can never be built on a transactional relationship, to the mindset shift needed to stand out in an increasingly saturated market.
They unpack the current state of the Pilates industry, including how modalities like Reformer, strength training, and wellness concepts can work alongside each other rather than compete, and why brand now matters more than the product itself.
They also go deeper into the realities of running and scaling a multi-location studio business, from leadership and hiring the right instructors, to the honest, unfiltered challenges of balancing motherhood, burnout, and growth.
Timestamps
00:00 Meeting Georgia and the origins of Studio 281
00:47 Why community has become central to the studio
04:12 Georgia's journey from dance to personal training to Pilates
10:34 Why every modality should own its own lane
13:52 Competitors vs. inspiration in a saturated market
20:07 The consultant framework: building real community from scratch
33:50 Scaling across multiple locations
45:08 Brand over product in a crowded Pilates market
47:36 Motherhood, burnout, and finding your own balance
59:03 Where to find Georgia and Studio 281
If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you're following along so you don't miss future episodes. And feel free to share this one with someone you think would take something from it.
Connect with Nic:
- Beyond the Reformer Instagram
- Soul Pilates Instagram
- Soul Pilates Education
- Nic's Instagram
- Join Soul at Home
- Book a Pilates Class
- Sign up to Our Newsletter
Connect with Georgia:
Sign up below to hear more about our Pilates Teacher Training Courses and to get priority access when our next course opens - https://mailchi.mp/ba9c00dd1d0b/56swq8a1k9
Coming up on this week's episode of Beyond the Reformer, I'm joined by Studio 281 founder Georgia Testa. It's a word we mention, we know it's important, but how does it happen?
SPEAKER_00It actually infuriates me the bigger brands that now talk about their customer base as a community that's become such a buzzword in the marketing world. Until you do that, you're not a brand, you're just a transactional product within their life. You can't build a community on a transactional relationship. That is community too, not just the big fancy things that look great on socials.
SPEAKER_01I'm Nick Lenny. I'm a Pilates educator for Soul Pilates Education, a studio owner in Bristol in the UK, and your host for these conversations exploring the people, ideas, and experiences that are shaping the Pilates industry today. Today's conversation was inspired by hearing Georgia speak recently at an event. She was talking about community and why it's become such a fundamental part of everything they do at her studio. It really made me think because community is one of those words that we hear in our industry all the time, but I don't think we always stop to ask what it actually means or how we can intentionally create it. As studio owners, we're all trying to build businesses that people love coming back to in a world where there are more choices of studios than ever before, whether that's home workouts, online memberships, or studios just around the corner. What is it that really makes people stay at your studio? Georgia has built an incredible business around exactly that question. Alongside growing multiple studios, she's navigated leadership, team culture, and family life. And I wanted to explore how she's managed to build a business that people genuinely feel part of. Before we get started, I know I ask every week, but if you're enjoying this podcast, it really helps us to keep it free and keep it coming to you. If you could like, follow, or subscribe wherever you're listening or watching. You can now find us on YouTube, Spotify Video, Apple and Spotify Podcast, and every follow, rating, and review really does help us keep growing this podcast all over the world. We are a huge worldwide podcast now, and it's amazing to share this with you. Okay, let's get into today's conversation. Georgia, thank you so much for joining me on Beyond the Reformer.
SPEAKER_00You are so welcome. Thank you so much for having me. I'm really super excited. And I think what you're doing with this platform and giving, you know, so many people that love reformer as a way of working out a place to hear, learn, and listen. So yeah, thank you so much for having me.
SPEAKER_01Oh, you're very welcome. And we we sort of met on Instagram a while back. We were trying to do this for quite a while, and then we were both at an event recently where we were both speaking and we got to meet in real life. And that's what I'm actually loving about this podcast, actually, is the the relationships I'm making, but then I also hear people saying, Oh, they went and did a course with somebody because of listening to them on the podcast, and it's just so nice, I think, to expand our thinking. And when you were at this event, you were speaking about community, and so I thought today we could talk a little bit about your story, but I think what would be really helpful for our listeners is to really think about what is community in a studio? Because I think it's a word we mention, we know it's important, but it's to think about how does it happen. And I think I wanted to begin with why has community become such a central part of your studio?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think that's a is a great question, and it's something that I'm so passionate about because it actually infuriates me the bigger brands that now talk about their customer base as a community when you know it's become such a buzzword in the marketing world. And honestly, my journey to owning Reformer Studios started as a gym, and I wanted to open a space where people could feel part of something. And we were doing charity events, walks, meetups way before it was cool on Instagram to do that kind of thing. You know, we were gifting t-shirts with our logos on because nothing from a marketing perspective, just because we wanted people to feel like they had something outside of the four walls of their home. Because let's be honest, not everybody is fortunate enough or lucky enough to be in a space where their social circle or their family unit is a is it feels safe and it feels like that connected community. And what better way to bring like-minded people together and be able to meet new people and socialize? And you know, we're lonelier than ever before, and it we spend so much time online. Great, you can mate new people and you can you can build these connections online just like you and I have, but it is so important to have the you know, that real in real life personable experience. So for us, something that has run true and constantly runs true is we care about the people in our business. And that doesn't just go to the customers. That means the the team members, our, you know, our team that are behind the scenes, our instructors and obviously our customers. Because if they don't feel proud of the studio that they go to, why would they want to become a member? And we're gonna get a little bit, I'll get a little bit business-y here, but we all know your business is only worth what it's worth on paper if you've got members and you can have amazing pack sales and pay as you go revenue, but you know, you're you're running a business that on the first of that month, you're like, dun, dun, dun, am I gonna be able to make payroll this month? Whereas if you've built a connective membership base, one, you're safe from a from a revenue perspective and you're able to forecast, which means you're able to invest. And and invest, I don't just mean in you personally as the founder, I mean in your business. It means you can do incredible opportunities and experiences and you know, you can have USPs that go above and beyond just what you do on the bed. And that's where I think a lot of people fall short, is that they don't take the experience of their customer beyond the bed. It means that they just kind of welcome them and say goodbye. They're not really thinking about where does your business, so with Studio 201, where does Studio 201 fall into their lifestyle? Where does it fall into their weekend? How do they talk to their friends about it? How do they bring their friends? How do they kind of message and expand on that experience that we have collectively as a community into their everyday life? Because until you do that, you're not a brand, you're just a transactional product within their life.
SPEAKER_01I'm gonna definitely let us delve deeper into that. So I can understand you, and our listeners can understand you a little bit more, Georgia. You talked about you were a gym first, you were a personal trainer first. How tell me a little bit about that story and then where Pilates came in and why it felt right for you to move into the Pilates. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00So I think I was having this conversation actually the other day because I've done and practiced and lived and eat and sleeped Pilates for most of my life because I was a dancer. So I was classically trained and I went to um university and studied dance and um and professional practice, and I got a first class degree in that. And basically, when you kind of do conditioning for dancers, it is Pilates. And, you know, we were always doing core engagement, breath work, all of these lovely movements that made you feel long and strong and you know, connected, moving slower. That was Pilates, right? But we just weren't educated at 17, 18, 19 that it was Pilates. It was an inspired approach to movement that that they were just teaching us as part of our conditioning. So I left university to be a dance teacher and then very quickly had this absolute love of fitness. So became a personal trainer. I worked in like big box gyms for a couple of years, and then I opened my own space. Now, when we opened the studio nine years ago, I can't believe it's been that long, but nine years ago, we taught classes like Lex Bums and Tums called conditioning. All of it was Pilates, it just wasn't called that at the time, and I hadn't taken my extensive training at this point, but it was all picture and and kind of factored into all of my movement experiences, which I loved the intensity, but the the way that Pilates was able to bring so many different body types, people, experiences all together in whatever space you wanted it to be. You know, I've taught I've taught in village halls, I've taught in schools, I've taught in, you know, kind of these amazing studio spaces that we own now. So, and the journey to getting into Pilates, it's always been there. I then had my daughter um four and a half years ago, and I had an emergency cesarean. And at this point, I was marathon training, I was super into my strength training, I was really strong, and I had an amazing pregnancy and a horrendous birth. So after my birth, I was really in a super, super bad way and couldn't do a press-up, I couldn't even do like a four-point kneeling hover. And I was told, you know, you need to go right back to basics, you need to go and have some like one-to-one pilates. And I was like, oh, okay. Because at that, at this point in the in time, I kind of thought that the Pilates being called Pilates was quite basic in comparison to the styles of movement that I'd done. And at that point, it all just clicked. I was like, I've been doing this for years. Now let's just take it to the next level with all of my strength and conditioning um experience that I've got, with all of the coaching that I've done from one-to-one people for so long. And that's where it was all born was kind of four and a half years ago from years and years of experience, but but just having that real life-changing moment of having it to find my core again, find my confidence, find that strength and ability to actually move in a way that felt so alien to me for so long. So yeah, and then you know, fast forward to today, we've got we've got five locations, we've got mat offerings, we now do infrared, we've got our own infrared heated concepts that we teach, we're former studios who've still got the gym. So it's been such a huge part in my story for so long, just not always being called Pilates as we know it today.
SPEAKER_01And it's interesting, Georgia. You mentioned about, you know, you saw with Pilates that it could really support all types of people. And is that something that you notice at your studios? Which I because I see that as well. Like, I'm not sure there's any other modality where you see such a range in one class. It's amazing.
SPEAKER_00No, 100%. It's incredible. Like we get dancers being in that, being from that world, but we get dancers that are home for summer and they're in classes with 70-year-old women. And I just think this is everything. Like, this is what it's about. And I do always think me and my mum joke about it. My mum's my mum's my business partner, so we're very, very close personally and professionally, but we joke about it that one day, you know, one day we'll be the ones that are going to all these beautiful classes and these beautiful experiences. Whether you're a mum, a grandma, or a daughter, and you know, I just think it's wonderful, and it's the world's waking up, and I'm so, so happy to see that because it is something for everyone. And exercise doesn't have to be brutally intensive and punishing, it can be something to celebrate where you're at right now, but let's notice where we're going. I had an absolutely wonderful moment on Sunday morning in our studio, and there's a a young, a young female, and she's been coming regularly, she's been a member for a few years in the gym side. And in the gym side, we actually include Matt Pilates as part of their membership because they're starting to realize as well that they're going to get super strong if they've got a good cause from Matt Pilates, right? So, and she said to me, Did you see, did you see? I did a pike, and you know, it's just the excitement of of achieving something that someone that can deadlift 80 kilos or whatever will never really understand the intricacy that it's taken to achieve that movement. But those moments happen every week, and I I I love it. I love it. I every time I teach, I'm just reminded why we're here, and it's just beautiful, it's amazing.
SPEAKER_01And they all go hand in hand, don't they? I started trick strength training about four or five months ago now, and I absolutely love it, Georgia. And I think for me, when I I used to go to the gym like in my twenties when I was at uni, I used to go to the gym about five times a week. It was of the time where we were all trying to be super skinny, being told that we should hate our bodies, that we should go to the gym to try and make us something that we're not very focused on cardio and beast yourself. And actually, for me, Pilates was the thing that changed how I felt about my body and realized I could slow down, which I really needed help with, and I could connect. And it's been so interesting now with the rise of strength training, so different idea on the gym. And I my personal trainer is actually, she works at my studio, so she's got a very similar approach. It's very slow and considered and thoughtful, makes me realize how aligned Pilates and strength are. And of course, that's what we're seeing, aren't we? We're seeing Pilates kind of getting blended in with stuff, but it can feel to me sometimes when I go that then the essence of Pilates gets a bit lost. And it's interesting in your studio how you're kind of they're all there alongside each other, but it sounds like you're not trying to blend it into like one model.
SPEAKER_00No, no, no, no, no. No, because let's be honest, we're all time poor, right? We all need to remember that every modality owns its own lane. I I actually get quite passionate about this. You can't give someone 45 minutes and strength train, do Pilates, do mindfulness, stretch, recover in a hot room because all of those things are trending. Stop. Just do what works well and factor it into your week, and you will see results. So we we are currently working on some new concepts within the studio because I do truly believe that you know people need to progress through their processes, and progression doesn't mean change, it just means shifting the needle and being able to see things slightly differently. But strength training is strength training, Pilates is Pilates, okay? Let's not get them mixed up. The reformer can definitely help to build strength 1 million percent. Let's not get that wrong and twisted because I think we get a lot of the gym world slamming reforma for saying, like, you can't build strength on that. Where's the progressive overload? I don't know if you saw it, but I absolutely loved an article that was going viral last week. And it was the resistance of different springs on different bets, and it was like that some of them will work were the same as like 60 kilos. So, you know, now tell me that reformer can't build your strength. Of course it can. It's it's just in a different way and it just looks different, right? But in an ideal world, Studio 2 at one of the spaces that we're creating, give people, women, men, all different ages, the opportunity to be in one space and tick them the boxes of well-being that they need. And that is the goal because not everybody can afford a David Lloyd membership and Reforma Pilates membership or a, you know, a personal trainer and this. We want to be this like this one place that can give you what you need and you feel safe, supported, and connected with yourself and other people that are in the same method. So yeah, you know, the the economics behind it are very much the the people that we serve, we're serving them to the best of our ability, and we're trying to make as many opportunities for them to do multiple things in one space. So they only need one membership. You know, you know what it's like, it's competitive out there, and we that's what I truly believe is gonna be the differentiation point for many studios as time comes. How do they integrate strength training? How do they integrate wellness in a way that makes them stand out from the crowd, not just copying what the studio down the road has done, because it's too visible now to see that. You've got to have integrity and individualization to your brand and to your customer. Your customer, Nick, where you are, is going to be very different to my customer here, but we need to make sure that we know our customer. And that again.
SPEAKER_01And even between our studios, I'm sure you have it as well. The customers are quite different between the studios, which is a really interesting challenge. So, Georgia, when you sort of think about maybe creating new class formats and things like that, how how does that ideation come about? Like, how do you process that?
SPEAKER_00Well, yeah, well, Christian, um, I'm I'm gonna this will make you laugh. I'm tapped, like I'm absolutely obsessed. I'm absolutely like it, I live it, I eat it, I sleep it, and I breathe it. And I am so proud of the brainchilds that I've kind of created with these class concepts. But it comes from having that multifaceted approach to the industry as well. So it comes from being a consumer, being a customer, being a founder, being so in the industry that I just already see what's coming and I think, right, how can we do that and how can we take that on? It we I'm I'm a geek when it comes to like wellness and science. I study what's coming up, I'm studying what research is coming through. And when I speak to studio owners that kind of talk to me and they're like, I just don't know how you do it, I always flip that question back and I say, Well, what are you doing? Because if you're not as obsessed or you're not researching, or you're not interested, then you are going to just stay where you are, and that's fine. There's a space for the people that have got their love of the traditional Pilates or they've got the reformer style that works for them. That's amazing. But I think we've just the ones that want to evolve as the times evolve, you've got to start looking at what what that information that you're consuming is and who are your competitors. Your competitors aren't your inspiration. Competitors are people that you're kind of watching are on the same par as you, but your inspiration are people that you're watching to see what their next move is. Don't copy their next move, be inspired by them and then look at how that can work for you. I think it's so evident that you can see when people just go, oh, everyone's doing that, let's just do it. And I'd love to use the example of kind of the heated space at the minute, because I think that we're seeing a lot of people just do pilates in a hot room. I struggle to see the benefit of that other than the fact that they're being exposed to red light. Like Pilates on its own does not need heat. We can do Pilates on a map anywhere in the world, anywhere ever, and you can get an amazing workout if you're if you're talking about, you know, workout. The the infrared element, the benefits of that from a wellness perspective, I personally think that they needed to be flipped on the head. So that's what we did when we created our hot concept, which is sculpt, and it's a combination of yoga, pilates, and bar, mindfulness, medit and meditation. So it's it's a wellness package that you literally walk in and you're getting mind, body, and soul fully. And I went, I've gone down with all of our with all of our concepts, they're all trademarked, they're all copyrighted. You know, everybody that's trained in them, they are specific to our studio because they're built for our people. And I think that you'd have a really, really hard job at trying to take them on and take them somewhere else. So yeah, it's blood, sweat, and tears, if I'm honest, and thousands and thousands of pounds investing in concept mapping and inspiration and training and yeah, or just never stop learning. And I think if you do, it's really hard, isn't it, to keep up with what the next thing is. It is.
SPEAKER_01I'd love to circle back, Georgia, to community because it sounds like you know, you've, you know, in terms of creating class experiences that you're, you know, you understand your client base, you've got a passion of how you're delivering that, you're creating these class formats, you're giving them multiple modalities, and I love your explanation. I'm in agreement with you. I think we shouldn't be fighting over modalities. It's like I gave the example the other day, Georgia, which was nobody's saying that swimming doesn't have enough progressive overload. It's a completely different thing. It's not meant to have that in that same. You know, they're different things. So I'm I'm with you on that, but it doesn't mean that we should only be doing one. But so you're understanding all of this and you're creating formats and you're working to your clients, and then you're thinking about it sounds like, well, what's even more? Like, why make them come back to my studio? Was that an intentional thing? Because sometimes I think community is also within the classes, right? Like there is community just in classes, the way that you welcome people and you know their names. And I mean, I love the people. I'm still friends with my Pilates friend from years ago when I was a client somewhere. And I love seeing that be created. But you've gone a step beyond that. Was that an intentional idea to do more?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, always, because I truly, truly believe, and I come back to the point that I made about five minutes ago when we were saying like we're lonelier than ever. You know, people need people connections. And tell me, on an average, how many in real life experiences people take on a daily basis? How many more of us sit on our laptops at home? How many more of us sit and work on teams all day? And, you know, we're isolated. So of course, I think if it wasn't intentional, it wouldn't feel as real as it does right now. And, you know, I I battle every day with do we open more studios and I become more disconnected from the purpose, or do we just build what we've got and really stay true to it? And honestly, right now, that's the that's the method because I don't think it would be true to me if I had 15 studios and I didn't go to them all. You know, I love knowing what's going on in our communities and I I love knowing where things are working and where things are. I love being able to be hands-on and and cover and meet our people. I always say it, and I'll say it again here, but without without the members and the instructors, you have no studios, but without the studios, members and the instructors have no job or no no facility. So if you're not if you're not benefiting them, they're not benefiting you. So it's kind of a a transactional relationship, but that needs emotion, I personally think, to grow beyond beyond that class experience. And your instructors are as important in the community aspect of your business as as the you know, as the members are, because you shouldn't just pick instructors because you need instructors. Should pick people that are that that value the same qualities and the ethos of your brand. And if you also don't have a brand, that's quite worrying too. You know, a brand voice, a brand message, a reason why you're doing what you're doing. Because again, like teaching reforma or teaching Pilates now isn't enough. It's got to be why should I pick said studio or said space? Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So Georgia, imagine you've been booked out as a consultant to go into a studio you know nothing about at the moment, and they've said, Listen, I heard you on this podcast, you're right. I need to do a bit more community. How would you advise them? I thought your brand point was very useful because what community is to you or competitors is different, right? So how would you approach this? Yeah, great, great question.
SPEAKER_00So, first of all, I would ask you, what is your why? Where did you come from and why are you in this business? And we're seeing more and more people now that have got a transactional relationship to this, to this industry. That's absolutely fine. But personally, my opinion is you can't build a community on a transactional relationship. It needs to be something deeper than that. There's no, no one's gonna go, oh Nick, I'm gonna be in your community and I'm gonna pick your studio because you want my money. There's nothing in that for them, right? You know, it this has got to be a feeling, it's got to be an emotion, it's got to be something that's really specific to them. So, first of all, I'd start with the why, get really clear on your why and understand what it is that your members are gonna want to be part of you. Why you, why not the person over the road? Then I would start to think about how much have you or your team got to give to that offering? Because, you know, these people are parting money with you monthly recurring. So that's the difference between a pay as you go transaction and a membership transaction. So, what are you going to do differently to the studio down the road that makes that membership worthwhile? Because having a membership or being part of that community, they need to feel that they are different from where someone else is in your transactional and your customer journey. So whether that's that they get a tote bag or a bottle and only members have those, that's something really super special. And then I do truly, truly believe it's it's marketing and community. But what do your in real life experiences look like? What does that experience from the minute you walked through the door look like to what does it look like when they asked to leave? Do they get met with an automated email or do they get met with a we're so grateful? Or, you know, how how does that look like? Everyone's customer journey from the from the start to the end really does truly matter. So yeah, we'll just run that back. I would say it's your why, it would then be your differentiation and then your customer journey from start to finish. Start there and then it will pad out naturally because you'll start to get excited about the process that you're building and talk to your members. If you're not talking, I keep referring to everybody as members that if you're not talking to your customers, they're never going to be your members. You need to find out from your customers what they want and why they like you and you know what different what they what they see might not be what you see, and then you might be like, oh my gosh, why'd we never thought about that? So communication and kind of getting that data is absolutely key.
SPEAKER_01I think it's such a good advice, understanding who you are and what you're about, and also understanding your customers. And, you know, my studio's been around 11 years now, but we recently just did a big client survey, which we just did on Google Forms, and we plugged Google Forms then into Claude, and Claude gave us so much analysis of what everyone had said. So, you know, it was a really efficient way. Like we're so lucky now with the technology that we've got, and it was really interesting because it was in line with the kind of events that I thought people would want, but it was nice to hear that back because I look at other studios and I see that I don't know, they're doing a paint and sip event or they're doing a wine tasting event. And I had this feeling that I felt like our members wanted to do events that somehow had Pilates in them. Like they already have, they they're not necessarily seeking big parties at this point, and that's actually what came back. But also what did come back from a a group of our members was actually that they did like the idea of going wine tasting and stuff like that. So then, you know, it's it's sort of not it doesn't become like just your thoughts, does it?
SPEAKER_00No, and I I'm gonna I really want to delve into that because I'm actually I'm very passionate about this, as I hope you can tell. But also I'm really passionate about let's stop doing Pilates and Pilates and Pilates and because you might have someone who's nervous to do Pilates and actually wants to just be part of your community from a social aspect, and they might not be confident enough to come to an event yet that says Pilates and pay, for example, and actually they just want to go on a walk, or someone might not want to part with £50 for another experience. They might just want to meet you in person, have a coffee and cake, you know. Let's get creative, like you just said, sip and paint or things like that that don't have to cost a lot, but you can be quite clever with your space and transfer your space that's maybe empty of a lunchtime on a Saturday into something that can become an absolute hive and a hub of activity. I also think cross-brand integration is really important. You might be next door to a coffee shop and they might have 60 people coming in and out of their door every day, offering on a Tuesday. If you go and get a coffee, you can also get X percentage off next door, or you know, one person's gonna win a class on us today if you buy a coffee from next door. You're you're you're literally talking to the same people. It's just about aligning with the right, with the right businesses in your local areas. I saw a statistic as again as well, because I am that geek that just watches everything and really delves into the kind of the local and the community-based aspects. And they're saying now, if you look at like look at Nike, right? Nike had had these Nike gyms, these massive, massive Nike gyms sponsored, owned, and ran by Nike. And they've just closed them and they're now sponsoring boutique small community-based gyms. That's Nike, the biggest, you know, athleisure brand we can possibly ever be, you know, ever speak about. And they are noticing the the the big boom in in community-led, boutique-led, smaller. That's insane. So if we can learn anything from something like that, is that actually the work that we're doing is purposeful and it is where consumers are leading themselves to. I would say as well, community doesn't come without marketing and it does take a lot of money, investment, time and energy. So you've got to be, you go back to the consultant kind of question that you said, invest and you will see it return. I think that we've got to be willing to kind of, you know, it is really hard, isn't it, to think, oh, if I spend £500 on that event, how am I going to see that come back? Well, you might just see £5,000 in retention. You just can't match it. But but it's it is really important to be willing to put to put some money behind these sorts of things. And and yeah, your marketing around your community is everything.
SPEAKER_01And I was well, I was actually going to ask you that around like we've all done, you know, we've all started and put an event on, and then like three people sign up. You know, I think so, yes, thinking of our marketing, but also does it feel right, Georgia, that it can sometimes take a bit of time to get going?
SPEAKER_00Oh, a hundred percent. And and and you know, just because let's just keep using the you and the studio across the road, right? Just because the studio across the road has done a sip and paint and it was so successful and it had 50 people in it, and then you do your version and it's got three in it, do it for those three and then ask those three to bring a friend next time. You've just got three new leads and you just got another six people that you're then just embedding further in your community. Not everything has to cost a fortune. Start with the small wins, start with calling people and asking them how they're getting on. Start with saying, can I ask for some feedback and then I'll give you a complimentary class or start with saying, share your studio with your friends, and then you and your friend will get a complimentary smoothie afterwards. Like start with the small things that don't take a lot of time and money, but they are going to, you are going to see a snowball effect with those. And please don't be put off because this isn't an events business. We're not an events industry, and it can sometimes feel quite overwhelming that we are getting to a place now where it feels like we're running a Pilate studio, a membership base, and then this events business. I know I've seen it. We've got a a marketing team now of three people that, you know, events is a huge part of what they do. But that's taken nine years to get there, not, you know, not just six months opening a studio.
SPEAKER_01I just sent a message out on our teachers' WhatsApp group exactly on this point. I was like, because I become the bottleneck, and that's why it's not happening. And there's the planning and the organizing, then there's who's going to be there. And I run education now at a lot of weekends. I'm a mum. I'm like, I can't give up any more of my weekends. And so it kind of wasn't happening. So anyway, I just put a message out on the WhatsApp group, said, Look, I'm looking to bring on a community role. This is what it would involve. These are the, I think it'd be about eight, nine hours a month, maybe something like that. I don't five people, Georgia, were like, yes, I'll do that. And I thought, wow, why have I been why have I been sitting on this? And you know, because it I think it's sort of an interesting thing. But I wanted to circle back to you mentioned even about walks. Like when you're thinking about the kinds of events that you might even just test, you might see it as a test. It sounds like you're strategically thinking about things like that are very low cost, like walks or I see run clubs and things like that done. Then you've got, it sounds like the Pilates and fine, and then the not Pilates. So does it feel like to you that's a sensible approach if someone's thinking about maybe putting a calendar for the rest of the year together, thinking about some community events? Would you advise to sort of play with a few of those different formats?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I would. And I definitely test the market because we can find that when you do too much of the free stuff, no one really comes because it just feels like it's there and it's probably going to be there all the time. When you do too much of the expensive stuff, the first one will be insane because everyone's invested in it and they're excited. But then the next time you do it, they've all invested and excited on that one and they don't want to spend again. And then if you do too much of the Pilate stuff, they're thinking, oh, well, I've got a membership. So why am I paying to do more Pilates? Because then that week I haven't used my credit that I meant to use. So you've got to have a whole strategy for this. And I do genuinely think it's not something that you're going to win on overnight. You've got to test the water, you've got to be careful with not consuming yourself with too much of the work that goes into it. Pick a time frame, less is more, and you know, just test it. Just be just be really clever with it. Don't do all of one of those disciplines. Do a bit of each and see what kind of can come from it. But please put your business owner hat on as well. And remember that the time, the energy, and the and the money that goes into it needs to come back somewhere. We actually have now a marketing budget and then a community marketing budget and then a community activation budget. So there's that's how that's how far we are into our community growth now. And then, you know, like affiliations and and and hopefully in the coming years a few sponsorships and things. And we get approached by insane brands now to work with us because we are able to use our customers and our community base as a as an activation for further business. They feel amazing, they feel like a mini influencer, and we're able to celebrate them and the work that we're doing. And remember, Euro Pilates you do, but people are there for their mental, their physical, and their emotional and social well-being. Tap into those things, not just through events. Tap into it with your customer care. Tap into it with your the way that you welcome people, tap into it with a 20p Freddo on the corner of the bed, you know? Your your your emotional sense and community building comes not just from events. It's it's a little handwritten note when they've signed up to become a member. It's a a phone call when they've missed a couple of classes. That is community too, not just the big fancy things that look great in socials.
SPEAKER_01But thinking about your events in particular, do you use them as a lead generator or are they specifically aimed at members get access to them and therefore it's part of your remember retention strategy?
SPEAKER_00So I would say that there's there's twofold. You've got some that are pure lead gen and some that are members' activation. So we aim to we aim to do a members only once a quarter, and that becomes a benefit as part of their membership. And then we do others which are bring a friend for lead gen or pure promotion sometimes as well, just purely brand exploit, like you know, brand exposure and brand yeah, just getting the brand out there because you might be affiliated with a with a with a different business in a different area, and you might be thinking of expanding into that area. So we recently just opened Truebury Farm, which is in Hertfordshire, and before we'd even spoken about opening there last summer, we did this massive Pilates and Brutes in the field, and we got like 50, 60 people coming down and doing all of that. That was customers that we never would have been exposed to if it wasn't for that event. So it's I don't want people to listen to this and think, oh my goodness, I need to do that right now. It needs to look like this, this, and this. This is another part of your business running toolkit, and you can't just do this, just in the same way that you can't just do ads, just in the same way that you can't just do PR. This makes up a bigger thing of your marketing and your operations as well. Um, because that genuinely does shift the needle, and we're we're seeing it so much now. People are part of your story, and that is the bit that's really truly special.
SPEAKER_01And you've got multiple locations now, and I'm really interested to talk about that. And if we think about that from the community angle, when you think of the cadence of how many events you're putting on, that's a bit of a challenge, isn't it? Where you're like, oh, what, five and a quarter I need to put on across the five studios, or do you ever combine them? Because that's that's part of a challenge. I'm certainly finding that with my multiple studios as well.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. So we so we do find that a challenge. And actually it's really interesting because we've just come off of our weekly team call, and something that we notice that we've not been very good at whilst we've been building the business is keeping that consistency of locational approach. So I think you've kind of got to go back to that budget and you've got to look at right, what can we do that's kind of overall brand like activation? And what can you do that's site specific? Because if I live one place, one of my studios is nearly an hour and a half away from the other one. So if everything's always at the hour and a half away, then my location over here isn't getting served. So you need location specific and then you need brand arching. Because listen, at the end of the day, when you could be multiple locations, especially if you've got really beautiful sites, people will visit other ones because they want to be part of the story. They want to be proud of your other locations. I was having a really interesting conversation with a booking platform owner actually, and she was saying, like, that 10, five grand that you're thinking, oh, I've made this a little bit more, what can I do? Making your studios beautiful makes your studio part of also your experience. And actually, then your community wants to show off your spaces and they want to visit your other spaces.
SPEAKER_01So I'd like to talk about the multiple locations and how that growth has been for you and the journey to that because I think it's an interesting challenge of how do you maintain the same experience, what kind of team you need to grow, like how you get yourself out there. I I have three studios, Georgia, and I find that a challenge. So I'd love to just hear your experience and how that's been and how you've managed to grow and where you're still finding the pinch points.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, uh I could talk, I think we could probably do a whole episode just on this because I think that you can you can follow people that make it look really easy. And I know that my team and I make it look really easy. Like we constantly showcase the locations, we constantly show success. But let's be let's be honest, it's really tough. And I came into this not ever expecting to have more than one, and there was just something deep down inside of me when we someone said to us, you need to open in Milton Keynes, which was a very local location. Well, it was 25 minutes away, but it's a big city near our first location in Bedford. And I just thought, do you know what? If I don't do it now, I'm never gonna do it. I had no idea what I was doing. I just thought, okay, well, this is just gonna be a replication of what we're doing. And honestly, it wasn't. It was really hard. It was really different. We were city centre, we are city centre. You know, we were we were in a position where this was different. This was a different market, it was a different community, we had no community, and we've had to build that. And honestly, the minute that you take your eye or your foot off the pedal, that site will drop. So it's how can you maintain all of these different plates spinning at the same time? So, yeah, your answer, how do we do that? I've got a huge team and I invest heavily in the people behind the business. And I think that sometimes people forget that we are a business, and I think that's a that's something I'd love to go into. When you are part of a community as a customer, you forget that this person actually you are a transactional relationship too, and you are paying a bill, and they have bills to pay and people's wages to pay. So, yeah, we we have a massive team now. We have a sales team, we have a marketing team, you know, I have commercial operators, I have operational managers, I have a um a business consultant who deals with all of that because I'm serious about this. I'm serious about not just being something that is going to be here for a short time and and kind of win this big trend that everyone keeps talking about. I'm here for the long run, and that's why we're so invested in the development of the industry. And honestly, personally, I want to be a pioneer of that change and I want to be part of the growth of the industry, not just my studios. So, yeah, we have a training academy as well, which I know I know we've connected on before, and that's a massive part of growth. We originally started it to fund the growth and to kind of utilize the people on that course, but you very quickly realize that not everybody on your course is going to be the right fit for you. And that comes back to that community piece again. Not that the way they look or the way they are or their age or anything like that, but actually there's something in the people that we take on, and they've got to get it deep down to their core, and they've got to love your business, your brand, your method, your ethos as much as what you do. So that's the difference, I would say, and that's a real big challenge is finding the right instructors. But with the the fact that I now have these concepts and we have the training, we now just do regular CPD development to ensure that we are constantly developing our own instructors to what we need and very rarely looking beyond our own pipeline, if that makes sense. So we might find a superstar, a young superstar, and we might say, look, you're not ready to be on our timetable yet. But if you if you teach at you, teach and teen teach with someone, and maybe we can start to get you into this and that. And that truly is the slower process, but it's kind of like that whole thing of the tortoise and the hare, isn't it? It's like, do you take the slower process and get the methods right and the fundamentals are there, or do you kind of win this race and then crash and burn? So yeah, it's constantly challenged, constantly challenging, it's constantly difficult. Every day is no two days are the same. Yesterday we needed cover for three classes within an hour's notice, and you know what that's like. It's just it's just crazy. It's it's not easy, and please don't. I I know we make it look it, but it is not easy and it's really freaking hard. I think it's great that you share that.
SPEAKER_01And has your, you know, the expansion from one to five studios, your leadership has to change. Your role changed, Georgia. How have you found that personally? It's an interesting thing. Like I realized recently, it wasn't even about for me that necessarily I needed more team, but maybe my team needed to be somewhat empowered, but also just very clear on what their role was, what the mission was. And of course, it changes as we've got more competition. We've had to sort of drill down a little bit more. And I came in today, and it was one of the first days I've had where I'm like, today is actually my podcast day, Georgia. And I haven't really been particularly disturbed. I did an episode this morning, I'm doing an episode with you now, and that was my dream. But it's about six months in the working because I was finding myself, you know, those days where you flip-flop between so many different things and thoughts, and it's overwhelming. So I'd love to hear kind of your thoughts on how do we do leadership well. Yes, you've got the team, but I know you can have the team and still not be being the leader and have that clarity and space around you that you need to be the strategic thought. Because that's the challenge, isn't it? It's being the strategic leader.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, for sure. And I think that to open a studio, you've got to be so to open a studio, you've got to love Pilates, right? And we're just talking about Pilates in this conversation, but you've got to love Pilates, and I do think you've got to have the integrity and the depth either as a participant who's then got this teaching team that you are inspired by, or as a teacher that is ready to kind of do that little bit more business-y, and I think that that transition is really, really hard. So, right, right, right back from the beginning, I just want to make it very clear. I've never had a job, I've never worked for anyone, and I've never really been in a corporate environment ever. So I have, yes, I have a degree, but it's everything I've ever done is very practical. I had to learn quick and like in my sleep, kind of learning. Because your PL matters, your yield matters, you know, all these terms that two, even if I'm being honest, two years ago I didn't even really understand. You have to be so willing to learn and a bit of a comedian. As well. One day you might have to teach six classes. The next day you're training a junior. The next day you're in a strategic team meeting with your leadership team and you're talking about how operatively you need to improve, you know, one of your sites by 6% to make target. Another day you're sitting with, you know, your accounting team and you're talking about what your margins are like. And honestly, I think that the people that will win the race and will ride the storm are going to be the ones that love that every day is different and are willing to just kind of go for it and keep growing. And that would be my answer to your question is I love growth and I love how uncomfortable it feels when you don't know how you're going to do it. And then you kind of get through it and you're like, that was good, wasn't it? And trust me, I know that makes me a bit crazy, and I know that that makes me a little bit on the wild side, but I just don't know whether you can achieve nowadays without being that way because it is competitive and it is so much harder than it was one year ago, let alone, you know, two, two, three years ago.
SPEAKER_01It really is. And I think I was opening my last studio a couple of years ago, and I remember talking to my like, you know, very hot shot lawyer friend. And I think I must have told her some of the numbers, and she just looked at me with absolute horror. She's like, You're investing what? Like, how can you be certain it would work? And it I had sort of forgotten, having done this for so long, the amount of risk we constantly manage. And it's part of the thrill, but also that balancing the fear with trust, but the trust with you know, knowledge and belief and being able to do it. And it's interesting that you've just opened up another studio because I I made the choice to not open any more because I want to focus on education and the podcast. But I also feel like Georgia, in this very saturated market, I wonder, I'm not sure I have I am brave enough. Like I opened the first studio, there was nothing here. I open in locations where there's not really much around. That's not happening as much. So, from your perspective, do you think you still can create cut-through in brand new locations where you know that your brand isn't necessarily known in this day and age? Or do you feel like we just need to give it a couple of years to calm down?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so I think it depends. I think it depends whether you're lucky enough that your area doesn't have anything. I will be super honest because I know that the listeners here love Pilates, but also are right at other business owners or people potentially in the space. So I think it's really important to share the knowledge that we've gained from this task that we've done over the last six months. I would genuinely say that two years ago, we would walk into an area and everyone was just excited that there was finally a reformer Pilates studio in their area. Fast forward two years, everyone's coming in going, I know your brand. I've seen you on Instagram, I'm so excited that you're finally here. That conversation is very different. We've got an educated consumer, someone who is who is waiting for your brand rather than I'm waiting for reformer Pilates. Does that make sense?
SPEAKER_01So the di No, I think that's a really important thing to share. Yes.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. The the difference now is not the consumption of the product, it's actually the consumption of the brand. So if you think about encapsulating all of our conversation, brand matters so much. The experience, the process, the the why you, you know, you go back to that conversation that we had around the consultancy piece, your why, your customer journey, your differentiation, like that matters more than ever. So if you said to me, Will you open more? If my mum's listening, no mum. But if if you if my mum's not listening, of course we will, because we will be fine, because we're doing the work to differentiate. And I truly, truly believe that that work is going to pay off for many, many years to come. And we are experience led. We're not just another reformer studio now. We we teach concepts that are different, that are groundbreaking, that are led by science, that are backed by wellness, you know, all of these things now. And those those things get us noticed in a different way. So, not tomorrow, probably not next year either. But yes, my my journey's not done. But we definitely are seeing the difference, and that difference is the brand.
SPEAKER_01I know. I've definitely had the itch come back to open another one. I keep having to calm myself down. You get a little bit addicted to it. You've shared openly about, you know, don't think that this is easy. There's a lot of work that goes on. And you openly on your Instagram, you're right, you, you know, you you share a lot of your experiences both in and out of the studio, very honestly. I'd like to touch upon, Georgia, what it's like to be a mum trying to do all these things, put on all these hats. And I know we're not really supposed to ask, like, how is it being a mum? And we don't necessarily ask dads. However, when I do ask people, they say thank you so much because it is really hard to try and figure out how I do this. And we tend to be a very female-led business. And a lot of us get into it because, in a sense, this gives us some freedom in a sense, and in another sense, it's not freedom. And I know opening the new studio call it freedom. No, but it kind of like it's sort of an interesting. Well, I'm not being, you know, I'm not being made to work these set hours, but in another sense, there's sometimes I have to go in and I absolutely have no choice. And and I know recently you literally left holiday to go back to then go back on holiday. I mean, I literally wanted to ring you and go, Georgia, what are you doing? Like absolutely bonkers. And that's a challenge as well, isn't it? It's it's the you know, it's balancing it all out. And I just wondered what your thoughts were on that.
SPEAKER_00I think it takes a very special human being to be able to sacrifice security for risk. So I think that that's the first thing that I would always say. The second thing it I would always say is give me a mum any day, because you can handle way more than your average person, being a mum that can juggle, can switch from emotional to strategic. Like that kind of vibe is everything. And then I am also a single mum, so I actually separated from my daughter's dad when she was one. And I also think that it builds this level of resilience that you have just never been able to teach or learn anywhere. And yeah, for me, the job all is so hard. I sat on Saturday, and this is not a woe is me, give me a medal, but I think it's just a bit of reality. Friday, my head of ops is on holiday, and I've got a few team members on holiday at that time of year, isn't it? So Friday I started teaching at seven o'clock in the morning. I was teaching all the way up until lunchtime. I had a few meetings, different things going on there. I then went to, we sorry, we then had an equipment install at the studio. So then I had my daughter and I was at equipment install at the studio being on site to be on hand from that. We then had a very quick play date. I had an interview. I then had another quick lunch date just to make sure that my daughter's also having a social life at the same time. We then got in the car and then we drove over to Trueanbury Farm, which is a 45 minutes from where we live, and we had this massive members and kind of like community event there. So we did that. Saturday, I had a full day of education and, you know, was examining mat plates. Then a member's 60th birthday, which I just want to pause on. That's how amazing our community has become. That we are invited to members' birthday parties and weddings, and you know, that part to me is just everything. So that that's a really proud moment. So how do you miss that? Because that's such a prominent thing that you're working towards. Then Sunday we had another community event where we were in Antill, a big run that we'd sponsored and being part of all of that, plus being a mum, plus trying to have a bit of a personal life as well. So if you're not prepared to do that juggle and that struggle, like that is the reality. It is super, super tough. And the reason I wanted to share that was because on Saturday, if you'd have said boo to me, I think I was ready to just emotionally break. Like I was at my wit's end. But the resilience and the the kind of the lean into the difficulty because I know that difficult means growth. That for me is everything, and that's how I get through that day to day because I know that if I push harder, my team will match me. And if I'm sitting back, it doesn't lead by example. Granted, I can't live like that forever. I'm very aware of that, and I'm very aware that I'm younger and I've only got one child, and you know, all of these things.
SPEAKER_01Well, I was gonna say that because I've definitely been there, Georgia, and just to balance it out, you get sick and you will get sick, and then you know, or you feel like certainly I feel like, oh, I'll show up for that event, but I haven't really shown up because I'm absolutely burnt out. And, you know, even on like yesterday, I put the kids to bed, and like at 7:30, I thought, I'm gonna have to go to bed because I'd run the teacher training at the weekend, and you know, so much of our job is talking and like always being front of center. And so I think I think part of the growth as well is sometimes I did have to step back and let other people run some of this, and that's been interesting as we're reflecting on kind of building up our community again. You know, there was a time where I was being invited to all the 60th birthdays and the parties, and I had clients coming to my wedding, and a client is now my daughter's godmother, but that isn't happening so much anymore because I sort of strategically had to decide that I I have to draw the line because I, you know, I j I got into this because of burnout. I can't let, you know, I would hear myself talking to clients about balance and thinking, oh God, you know, what am I doing? And I think and I think that's the battle, isn't it?
SPEAKER_00I was just gonna say though, but do you truly believe in the first 10 years or 15 years of business that you can aim, that you can have that aim for balance? Because a conversation I had with with someone within my business is is there's a very, very different, different attitude towards business, towards a lifestyle business and a profit business. I would love nothing more than to be in a position where I teach Pilates because I love it and I, you know, can make a really lovely life from it. It means I can do the drop-off, it means I can do the pickup, and I kind of can say, oh, sorry, we're closed this weekend because I'm going away. That's not the decision or the route that I've taken. I could absolutely do that, but that's not the one I've taken because I know that the that the passion, the integrity and the resilience that I have behind my actions are to change mine and my daughter's life. And that's not going to last forever. I'm aware of that. But right now, that's the phase of my life that I'm in. So I think it's also a really important message to share that you are you, and you know, that's it, isn't it?
SPEAKER_01Well, I think that's the point, isn't it? And every and the answer to that, George, is I think everyone has to find their own balance and they don't necessarily need to be your way or doing nothing or somewhere in between. It's like everyone has to find their own way of what works for them. Because if I did what you, if I did what you're doing now, I personally wouldn't be able to show up for my kids if I'm really honest. I wouldn't, I've learned that the hard way, by the way. I've learned that the hard way because I've done it. So I make choices where if classes need covering and last minute's sick and no one can do it, but I'm supposed to be at a play date with my daughter, they get cancelled. I made that decision a couple of years ago. It happens rarely, but I think that's the thing, isn't it? And I think sometimes it's the challenge around community to bring it back to our topic today, is around often a lot of this stuff is out of your hours. And I think as the studio owner, it's trying to figure out, and I'm I'm here again. I'm kind of I've come full circle. I think I needed to distance myself, and now I'm kind of coming back and saying, okay, where do I show up? But where can I empower some of our other teachers to be the face of this as well? And I think both options are possible, aren't they? And I think that's it, realizing that, and you've already said that, you know, it's a it's about the team.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. But it's also, it's also about how you want your business to run. Okay. And I I actually want to share something. I get super nervous when we share that resilience and that kind of hustle culture that I live by because I do feel like people that have maybe had burnout or people in the industry that don't relate to that, they do feel a little bit like, oh, that's not gonna last. I'm very aware of that. But I'd be lying to the generation or other people that are inspired by my attitude and my application right now. I'd be lying if I hid away from that. And actually, I think that you've got to be real, and that is what I am doing. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01You've got to be real, and you and it's it's great to share it. And by the way, like I took four days maternity leave with my first child. Four days. I don't even know if there was four days, if I'm honest. I did open my laptop, I was back teaching in about eight weeks a bit. Because again, similar, like the business was was young, and there was a point where I've, you know, it is it's all well and good for me to say what I've just said because we're in a different place now with the the size of the studio. So I I do, I think, and I think it's a point. I just think it's we've all got to find a balance, haven't we? And but absolutely, oh my god, like how hard, you know, when you're trying to build this in particular, and I think that's what's put me off another studio, is even you know, when you've got several studios and you've got a team, oh my goodness, those first six months, Georgia, are so hard. And I'm kind of back to that place where you're having to leave certain things to go and fix things and do things. So I totally get that. Listen, Georgia, it's been amazing to chat to you. I'd love to finish with some quickish fire questions, if I may. One word you think your clients would use to describe Studio 281. Home. I love that. Uh, the biggest the biggest leadership lesson you've learnt.
SPEAKER_00Be willing to say that you are learning in the same time that they're learning too. No one knows more than you do collectively as a team. So work together and admit when things aren't working.
SPEAKER_01Biggest mistake that you see studio owners make?
SPEAKER_00Not being clear on the goal. So what what is your role? And if that is teaching and leadership or leadership first, you just be really clear on your goal and don't get distracted by the noise around you.
SPEAKER_01And I think what you said earlier as well, around knowing what your studio is about, like what is its why, what is its ethos, why does it exist? Because I think you're absolutely right in what you said earlier. It's not enough anymore for the methodology to be what you're about. Because I mean, I just I did some statistics. We had seven studios in my city in 18 months ago. 26. We're like a three-mile radius studio, like you know, it's um city, it's not a big city. So I think you've got to be a bit more than that. The best investment you've made in your business.
SPEAKER_00What a question. Nick, these are great. Always gonna go back to my people, making sure my people feel feel appreciated. And I don't just mean at Christmas and on birthdays, I mean like the random little things that you do, picking up the coffee order because you're all going to be together in the office for the day, or you know, putting some cakes in reception for the members on a Friday. Just the little things, the little touches consistently make the difference.
SPEAKER_01And your people are your product, aren't they? The teachers in particular, but everybody around, like everyone who's answering the phone. I when we met, I was doing a talk on studios need to be doing more investment into educating their instructors, doing continuing education, whether it's in-house or bringing people in. We also give money towards them doing CPD elsewhere. I love it. Because we want people to stay working for us. And I think you're right. And for me, and also just to circle back to community, I think as a studio owner, I spent a year being like, that's my big project for now. I want to invest in that, and we will continue. But my point is that I was figuring out now. I'm kind of circling back to okay, how do I invest more in my members and make sure they want to come back? You can't do everything together. That's kind of your point.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, absolutely, because you're only as yeah, you can't do everything together, no. Yeah, absolutely. But they're both, you can't have a community without a house, people and team. You need all of it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Well, Georgia, it's been an absolute joy to talk to you as I knew it would, and there's so much more we could have said. Where are your studios based? Tell me a little bit about them, and how can we anyone can people work with you if they want to?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. So you can find us at studio 281, the number two, then eight, then one, and that is on Instagram with an underscore. We run all of our sites out of one hub. So if you'd like to have a look at us there on Instagram and TikTok, you can. We are based in Bedford, Milton Keynes, and Til Olney, and then at Truanbury Farm. That one is just something else. It's an absolute beautiful location. So yeah, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire. It would be amazing to see any of you or connect with any of you. You can find me on Instagram as well. I absolutely love connecting with other instructors and you know, business owners or inspired people to open their own spaces. Please, please drop me a DM. It would mean the world. We do training as well at the 281 Training Academy. We do two CPD, Matt Pilates, Reformer CPD, multiple, you know, up skills, pre- and postnatal, you name it. We can we try and cover all of that. And if anything, just I just love knowing that people have listened, been inspired, or had a question and just being able to connect. So it would mean the world to hear from anyone that listens.
SPEAKER_01Well, I yeah, I hope that some people have, you know, got some ideas around what community means and how they can infuse it into their studio. So thank you so much.
SPEAKER_00Thank you, Enix.
SPEAKER_01Thanks so much for having me. A huge thank you to Georgia for joining me on today's conversation. I came away from today's episode reflecting on the fact that whilst we spend so much time thinking about programming, queuing, and growing our businesses, perhaps the thing that people remember most about us is how we make them feel. Community isn't something that happens by chance, it's something that we create through the conversations we have, the culture we build, and the experience we give people every time they walk through our doors. And I think it depends on who your client base is and what community means to them. I'd love to know what resonated most about today's conversation with you. If there's something maybe you're already doing or an idea that might come to you from this conversation, I'd love to hear how what we shared today might have impacted some of your thought processes. So do drop me a line over on the beyond underscore reformer underscore pod Instagram. I pick up all the DMs myself. I love hearing your thoughts. I love hearing what's resonated with you, any questions that you've got coming up. So do fire me your thoughts, your questions over there. As always, thank you so much for listening, for sharing the podcast with your friends and colleagues, for sharing it on Instagram and being part of this wonderful community that we're building together here on Beyond the Reformer. I will see you next week.