Joe's Disciple: a weekly Pilates teacher feature
Name: Lora Anderson
Name of My Pilates Studio: Pilates Studio
# of years open: 4 years in April and another one opening in a week!
Website: www.PilatesStudioCity.com
My Certifications: Core Conditioning
# Of years teaching: 6 years
- My inspiration for opening my own Pilates studio: During my first year of teaching I was so inspired by my clients and how the Pilates Method improved their quality of life. It was so rewarding that when my friend offered to sell her studio, I didn’t want to see it or the clients fade away. So I took a leap of faith and bought my 1st business!
- My vision/mission for my studio is: My mission is that my studio is warm, friendly, inviting and offers something for everybody. At Pilates Studio City, we love Pilates and our community. We want to be involved in making a difference by building awareness and improving client's quality of life.
- My initial fears: Whether I was ever going to get enough sleep!
- If I knew then what I know now: I would have asked my business partner to join me sooner. It is lonely out there on your own, but doable and a wonderful challenge. I still learn something new every day!
- My favorite thing about owning my own studio: Is that I don’t. I have a wonderful business partner and friend Nichole Barreto who joined up with me a year ago.
- Useful skills of a successful studio owner: Continuing to be open-minded and willing to try new ways of keeping the studio fresh and exciting. Sleeping on big decisions and not rushing to solve a problem but letting it settle. Always trying for unconditional excellence.
- Services offered at my studio: Private, Semi-Private, Group Reformer, Private GYROTONIC ® sessions, Pilates Mat, Fundamental Pilates Mat and Nia dance technique, Yamuna Body Rolling workshops and trainings, Ron Fletcher Towel Work, Partner Stretching, and more.
- What makes my studio unique: We offer private rooms that enhance the environment for focused learning, attention, and flow. We have the best prices in our area. We offer tons of group classes.
- How I initially got clients in the door: We had some to begin with but grew due to referrals, doing fund raisers, health fairs, donating Pilates sessions to auctions and functions, buying some advertisements, and telling everyone we know about how great Pilates is.
- How I retain clients: By maintaining excellent customer service and quality instruction. We offer numerous workshops to our teachers to keep them excited about Pilates. For our clients, we try to offer them different classes and specialty workshops that are fun and interesting and keep them coming back for more.
- # of employees: We have 20 plus teachers at our studio.
- What I look for in my instructors: Instructors who have a passion for movement, who want to continue learning and can relate to clients.
- My greatest challenges as a studio owner/employer: Shifting from running the business to teaching – some days it is harder than others. Finding ways to efficiently run the daily operations and simplifying it for all involved.
- My inspirations: God, helping people, nature and the ocean!!!
- How I maintain my passion: Continuing to educate myself by attending conferences and maintaining my own Pilates practice.
- Words of wisdom or advice for future Pilates studio owners: Go For It! Owning your own studio is the most rewarding and challenging adventure you will ever have.
- When I’m not running my studio I’m: Surfing, biking, traveling.
- One question I would ask Joseph Pilates: Why did you call Elephant, Elephant?
- My mentors: My mom & dad
- My favorite T-shirt from Joe’s Pila-T-Shop:
Lora is the best! I am one of her students. Everything she wrote about her vision/mission for running her studio is true. She lives by all those values. She is just the best teacher and inspires us always. While I have an injury and can't come to class right now, I look forward to seeing her smiling face soon.
Posted by: Hali Burton | March 01, 2008 at 11:44 AM