I never wanted to own a Pilates studio. I never believed I was capable of wearing that many hats or bearing that much responsibility. I doubted how I could possibly be successful in a city that has Pilates studios around every street corner. Yet here I am, 2+ years into owning Studio Flo Pilates, my growing, vibrant, sacred and, at times, daunting business.

Studio Flo is successful. Some would say extremely successful. We have had an eager clientele from day 1, we have flourishing teacher training programs, we have packed events, and we are respected in our community as experts in our field. It is definitely not because I am a business woman, or because we have all the fancy bells and whistles, or that we have the best deals in town. In fact, I call my parents daily to help me with numbers, questions, and fears. We functioned without air conditioning for the whole first year, and I just bought our first water machine a few weeks ago. Even more so, Pilates at this level is not an inexpensive endeavor and our clients commit substantial resources in both time and money to work with us.

It took me over 8 months from the day that I decided to open my own studio to the day we opened our doors. Finding the location was challenging. I did not want to step on the toes of anyone that I previously worked for by opening in their neighborhood, but I still wanted all of my clients to be able to make the trek to me. I settled on Bay Park because it was right off the freeway, had easy parking, and felt like a fresh start. The building is not a beauty by any means, but I made our 1500 square foot box a home. I had many fears – I feared no one would come, I feared that I would not be able to pay my rent, and I feared that I had just signed my life away.

Those fears have never gone away; they just feel different. They feel like a fire under my booty that keeps me motivated and inspired. And, like most worries, those fears did not turn into reality. I was utterly overwhelmed by how many people came. I am still overwhelmed by how many wonderful faces walk through my door each day. It does not feel like owning my own studio is a burden I carry alone. It now feels like all of my instructors and all of my clients are part of it – like it is their studio too.

My daily life has changed quite a bit over the past few years. I went from bopping around San Diego teaching at multiple studios and educating myself in any way that I could, to spending every part of my day at Studio Flo and/or thinking about Studio Flo. I love this quote by Lori Greiner: “Entrepreneurs are willing to work 80 hours a week to avoid working 40 hours a week.” It is impossible to turn your brain off – the job becomes a 24 hour a day commitment. Most days I am out the door before 6am and I do not leave the studio until after 7pm. My day to day never looks the same and I get to wear many hats. I teach clients, I motivate classes, I wipe up a lot of tears and just as much sweat, I shop for toilet paper and wine, I study, I tackle my books, and I honestly stress quite a bit over whether I did all those tasks to the best of my ability.

It is exhausting, yet extremely fulfilling. Owning a Pilates studio is different than other businesses. We don’t sell products – WE are the product. You have to always be at the top of your game. I do not get to take out a bad day on clients or staff. It is my job to make their day better. I also have many instructors who consider me their mentor. I up my education, I up my professionalism, and I up my goals so that I continue to deserve that title. And, I laugh a lot. The other businesses in our building often tell me that they hear my giggles all the way downstairs. I am grateful. I am grateful to have a job with so much meaning and connection. Opening Studio Flo was just the beginning and what has happened is more than I could have ever hoped for. I never planned on opening a Pilates studio, but it became what I was meant to do.

Thanks for reading
– Jennie Groom
Studio Flo Pilates Founder