Opening Another Pilates Studio Isn't Always the Answer

There's something about being a business owner that makes us believe growth always has to mean more.

More clients. More classes. More instructors. More square footage. More locations.

And I get it. When you've built a successful Pilates studio or boutique fitness business, opening another location can feel like the obvious next step.

But here's something I've learned over the years.

More revenue doesn't always mean more profit. And more locations definitely don't guarantee more freedom.

I recently had Chelsea Streifeneder, founder and CEO of Body Be Well Pilates, on the Female emPOWERed Podcast. Chelsea has been in the Pilates industry for nearly two decades, owns three studio locations in New York's Hudson Valley, and has built an incredibly successful business.

And here's what I found so interesting about our conversation.

She could absolutely open a fourth location.

She just doesn't want to.

And I think there's a really valuable lesson in that.

From One Reformer to Three Studios

Chelsea and I started our businesses around the same time. She opened her first studio in 2009 with one Reformer in a 600-square-foot space, charging $35 for private sessions.

I opened mine in 2008 in about 300 square feet, where I somehow managed to squeeze five Reformers. Looking back, I'm not entirely sure how that worked, but it did!

Neither of us had a huge business plan or hundreds of thousands of dollars to invest. We loved Pilates, saw an opportunity, and figured we'd make it work.

Chelsea shared a story about ordering four additional Reformers and maxing out her credit card to pay for them. She was so nervous about the purchase that she actually hung up on the sales representative before finally going through with it.

Then she called her mom crying.

Her mom essentially told her she'd better figure it out because that credit card bill was coming.

And she did.

Over the next 17 years, Chelsea gradually added equipment, expanded her space, hired instructors, and opened additional locations. But she didn't do everything at once. Some equipment upgrades took ten years, and others came even later.

She built what she could afford, improved it as the business grew, and focused on creating a community that kept clients coming back.

And honestly, I think there's something to be said for that approach, especially in an industry where new studio owners are sometimes taking out enormous loans before they've even opened their doors.

Just Because You Can Expand Doesn't Mean You Should

At some point, almost every successful studio owner starts thinking about opening another location.

Maybe your classes are full. Maybe you've found a great space. Maybe you have an instructor who could manage another studio.

Or maybe—and I think we need to be willing to admit this—it's a little bit about ego.

I remember asking myself whether I actually wanted another location or whether I just wanted to be able to say I owned five studios.

Because those are two very different things.

Chelsea has three successful locations and an amazing team. She's built a business that allows her to travel with her husband, spend time with family, and pursue other opportunities.

Opening a fourth location would mean another lease, more equipment, additional employees, and more expenses to manage.

Would it generate more revenue? Possibly.

But would it create the life she wants? Not necessarily.

And that's the part of business growth we don't talk about enough.

Every additional location comes with another set of responsibilities. More rent, more payroll, more scheduling, more maintenance, and more problems to solve.

You can find yourself running a much larger business without actually taking home much more money.

So before you start looking at commercial real estate, I want you to ask yourself something.

Have you actually maximized the business you already have?

What If You Made More Money With What You Already Have?

This is where Chelsea's story gets really interesting.

Instead of opening another location, she started looking for opportunities to generate additional revenue through the business she'd already built.

Today, she has approximately 12 different income sources.

And they're definitely not all from teaching Pilates classes.

Her business offers teacher training, continuing education, workshops, retail products, retreats, special events, and affiliate studio programs.

She and her husband even developed a product called Sticky Feet, which helps keep Reformers in place.

And she's created a Pilates equipment maintenance training program, along with a team that services equipment for other studios.

Pretty smart, right?

She's taken the knowledge, relationships, and resources she's built over nearly two decades and found ways to generate additional revenue without taking on the overhead of another location.

Now, I'm not suggesting you need to go create a product or launch a teacher training program tomorrow.

But what I am suggesting is that you look at your existing business a little differently.

Could you offer a specialty workshop? Partner with another local business? Create programming for a specific population? Offer services that complement what you're already doing?

Sometimes the next opportunity for growth is sitting right in front of you.

And it might cost considerably less than opening another studio.

The Business Should Support Your Life, Not Consume It

One of the things Chelsea said that really resonated with me was how much she values the freedom she's created.

She still teaches because she loves it. She's still involved in her studios. But she also has people managing operations, handling administrative responsibilities, and supporting different areas of the business.

And that's important because if your business can't operate without you at one location, opening a second location probably isn't going to solve that problem.

It's going to make it worse.

Chelsea has spent years building a team that allows her to step away without everything falling apart.

And she's realized that her team isn't just her instructors. It's also her attorney, her social media support, her website team, and the other professionals who help her run the business.

Yes, those people cost money. But they've also given her something valuable: the ability to enjoy the life she's worked so hard to create.

We also talked about how easy it is to get distracted by what's trending in the Pilates industry right now.

The matching workout sets, the Instagram-worthy studios, the newest fitness concepts.

And listen, there's nothing wrong with having a beautiful studio.

But your clients aren't necessarily coming back because of your expensive mirrors or fancy bathrooms.

They're coming back because they feel better. Because their instructor knows their name. Because they feel connected to the community you've created.

Those are the things that build a sustainable business.

Bigger Isn't Always Better

What I appreciated most about my conversation with Chelsea was that she's not trying to prove anything by opening another studio.

She's focused on making the business she already has better.

And I think more studio owners need to hear that.

You can be ambitious without constantly expanding. You can grow revenue without adding another lease. And you can create a really successful business without having the most locations in your market.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting five, ten, or twenty studios if that's truly your goal.

But there's also nothing wrong with owning one really profitable studio that gives you a fantastic income and allows you to enjoy your life.

Neither path is automatically better.

The important thing is knowing which one actually aligns with what you want.

Because the goal isn't to build the biggest business possible. It's to build a business that gives you the life you want.

And sometimes the smartest way to grow is to get more out of what you've already built.

Chelsea and I covered so much more in this episode of the Female emPOWERed Podcast, including hiring and managing employees, the current state of the Pilates industry, and the lessons we've learned over nearly two decades of business ownership.

If you're a Pilates studio owner or boutique fitness entrepreneur thinking about expanding, I really encourage you to listen to our conversation before making your next big decision.

Listen to the full podcast episode here