If you like eating ice cream does it mean that you know how to make it from scratch?

I know it seems that ice cream has nothing to do with Pilates but I beg to disagree. If you love Pilates then you can compare it to eating the most delicious ice cream. As a teacher you probably also find pure joy in teaching Pilates, educating clients about better body mechanics and spending your free time learning and becoming a better instructor.

However, in order to be a successful instructor you need to have clients; you need to grow your business whether as an independent contractor working at a studio or as a studio owner.
Teaching Pilates is like eating your favorite flavor of ice cream, it comes natural to you. But building the business aspect of your Pilates career is like trying to fix that ice cream from scratch. You need to have the recipe, the tools, the ingredients and the time that is required for this job.

Today I am talking to Gina Axelson, the creator of the Profit with Pilates training course for Pilates professionals. She is a fully certified Pilates instructor, a former studio owner and an amazing Pilates business coach.

Questions Discussed in the Interview

I asked Gina to share her best tips on how to run a profitable Pilates business. In this interview you will learn the answers to the following questions:

1. What does it take to run a profitable Pilates business?
2. Where should the instructors spend their time (besides teaching, of course) to ensure the stable growth of their business?
3. What are the vital cornerstones of marketing a Pilates business?
4. What is the #1 piece of advice for the instructors who love teaching and hate selling?
5. What are the expenses of running a Pilates studio?
6. When should you expect to see the business support itself financially?
7. How can a studio owner hire good Pilates instructors and retain them?
8. What are the biggest mistakes that you see instructors making that prevent them from running a profitable Pilates business?
9. What is the recipe for a profitable Plates business?

Would you have liked to have taken a class from Joseph Pilates himself?

It would have been pretty awesome, don’t you think?

Unfortunately, most of the instructors and Pilates devotees today didn’t have the privilege of working with the Genius of the Method but first generation teachers still possess the knowledge and spark that they learned from Joe himself.

The more time passes by the less likely we are to take Pilates just the way it was created by Joseph Pilates. But one instructor and her supportive husband set out on a journey to preserve the Pilates Method as close to the original Work as possible.

Alisa Wyatt has created a Pilates video website where anyone can take classes and workshops taught by Jay Grimes (first generation teacher), Bob Liekens, Alycea Ungaro (author of the Pilates bestsellers Pilates: Body in Motion, The Pilates Promise and The Pilates Practice Companion) as well as other wonderful second generation teachers.

View Alisa Wyatt’s profile on Pilates Bridge

Here is what you can learn from our conversation (NEW: you can watch a video or read a complete transcript):

• Practical ways to transition from a regular job to teaching Pilates.
• Most important teaching lessons learned from Pilates elders: Romana Kryzanowska, Kathy Grant and Jay Grimes.
• Creative ways to teach the most challenging Pilates movement (and Kathy Grant’s way to cue this movement.)
• How to build the first session with a new client.
• Best Pilates resources for any Pilates instructor.
• The #1 piece of advice for any Pilates instructor.

The number of hip and knee replacements has increased by 84% in the past decade making these surgeries the 12th most common inpatient procedures in 2010. Due to the nature of a Pilates workout, it is the perfect program to facilitate recovery after hip/knee surgery.

Osteoarthritis is the most common reason for a total or partial hip and knee replacement. Just in the United States alone osteoarthritis affects 13.9% of adults ages 25 and up and 33.6% of those 65 and up (according to CDC statistics.)

This Ultimate Pilates Guide will look at the following questions:

1. What unique benefits does Pilates offer after a knee/hip replacement?
2. Why is it ideal to do Pilates before surgery?
3. What muscle imbalances are most common after hip/knee surgery?
4. What are the main areas of focus of a Pilates workout?
5. When is it safe to start a Pilates-based rehabilitation program?
6. General precautions after hip/knee surgery
7. How does Pilates therapy compare/differ from PT?
8. What are some of your clients saying about the results of their Pilates program?
9. Best Apparatus/Reformer exercises for this population
10. What is the best Pilates homework after surgery?
11. Best Pilates mat exercises after hip/knee replacement

Have you ever considered running a home-based Pilates studio?

Many passionate Pilates instructors find that running their business from home is a wonderful opportunity to do what they love without the hassles and risks of a traditional storefront studio. The biggest perk of working from home is having minimal overheads (or none at all.) However, there is more to running a Pilates home studio then just putting a Reformer in your spare bedroom. Listen as I talk to Andrea Haritan, a Pilates instructor who is living her dream of running a home-based Pilates studio in the Lake Norman area, NC.

Andrea is a movement professional with over 40 years’ experience as a dance student/performer/teacher, group fitness instructor/personal trainer, and Pilates instructor/student. Before becoming a fully-certified STOTT Pilates instructor, she earned a master’s degree in Human Movement from Boston University and was certified by the PhysicalMind Institute to teach Pilates Matwork and by Alternative Fitness to teach Pilates Reformer. Andrea enjoys encouraging her students to move more efficiently which results in them ultimately feeling better and looking better.

Questions discussed in the interview

1. What is better, running your own studio or working at a studio?
2. What are some of the challenges of running a home studio?
3. What is the best strategy for finding clients for your home studio?
4. What are the benefits in your opinion of a home studio?
5. What Pilates equipment/props are a must for a home Pilates studio?
6. Are there any aspects of running a Pilates home studio that you would like to warn other instructors about?
7. The most important piece of advice for any beginner instructor.
8. Bonus: comparison of STOTT Pilates training vs Balanced Body training

Andrea Haritan’s profile on Pilates Bridge

Passion for learning is what sets apart great Pilates teachers from the mediocre ones. The more we learn the thirstier we get for new information, deeper understanding and more specialized approach to teaching different populations of students.

Talking to Leah Stewart was a blast because she is definitely one of those awesome Pilates instructors.

Her personal prenatal journey (which she shared on the BASI blog) has motivated her to specialize in pre/postnatal teaching and create her certification course. She is the author of Pilates for New Mothers DVD and the creator of as LiveLife Pilates Pre- and Post-Natal Pilates Specialization Course for Pilates professionals. She gladly shared some of her favorite Pilates moves for prenatal and postnatal clients as well as the overall focus of any prenatal workout.

Leah is a former BASI faculty member so I asked her to share her experience with BASI and offer some insider’s tips on what distinguishes BASI training from other Pilates schools (make sure to listen to her tips if you are considering a Bridge program or are just looking to start your Pilates training.)

She also holds several fitness-related certifications and offered valuable insights into how you can grow your Pilates expertise through pursuing training in other fields.

Questions discussed in the interview

1. What sets BASI apart from other Pilates teaching schools?
2. How did your pregnancy change your teaching style and your focus of interests?
3. Why is Pilates a perfect workout for pre/postnatal clients?
4. What is the main focus of a prenatal workout?
5. What are your favorite Pilates exercises for any prenatal and postnatal client?
6. Is it important for Pilates instructors to search certifications/training in other fields? Are some of them more beneficial than others?
7. What are your favorite resources (books, websites, DVDs etc) that would be helpful to other instructors?
8. What is your personal definition of Pilates?

Leah Stewart’s profile on Pilates Bridge

Do you have clients who are traveling a lot or come to you only on vacation?

Do you run a home studio but want to expand your Pilates business without the extra expenses?

Teaching virtual Pilates classes can be just the right thing for you. Today people are used to doing pretty much anything online: pay bills, take college classes, connect with people and even public schools post a lot of home assignments online. The online world lets us save our precious time and explore the opportunities that wouldn’t be available to us in any other way.

A lot of clients are interested in taking Pilates classes but they can’t commit either because of their tight schedule or limited budget. Some of the Pilates professionals have dedicated their career to bringing Pilates to those populations.

Robin Long is an inspiring Pilates instructor who is following her passion for Pilates both online and offline. She obtained her comprehensive Pilates certification through Body Arts & Science International and was trained by the highly respected Kristi Cooper White (creator of PilatesAnytime.com). She works with a variety of clients: from those just wanting to get in shape, to those with injuries, Parkinson’s Disease, Pre-natal, Post-natal, back pain, scoliosis, hip replacements and more.

She runs a Pilates blog at The Balanced Life Online, teaches at Park Meadows Pilates & Physical Therapy in Lone Tree, CO (near Denver) and works with amazing women through her online Pilates Body program.

Today I talk to Robin about:

1. The pros and cons of running a virtual Pilates studio.
2. The necessary tools to run an online Pilates program.
3. What it takes to have a successful online Pilates course.

Robin Long’s profile on Pilates Bridge