Scaling with Integrity: How to Expand Without Losing Your Core Values

In this insightful episode of "The Pilates Business Podcast," host Seran Glanfield addresses a crucial challenge for studio owners: scaling your business without losing its unique essence. Seran dives into the importance of core values as the bedrock of your brand and how they can guide your growth strategy. 

This episode is perfect for fitness studio owners struggling with the delicate balance between expansion and maintaining quality and authenticity. 

In this episode, Seran discusses identifying and upholding core values, balancing growth with integrity, and insights of studios that have successfully scaled while staying true to their mission. 

This is a must-listen for anyone looking to grow their studio without compromising its heart and soul.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Have you ever wondered how to grow your studio while maintaining that special and unique way of doing things that your clients just love? Stick around, because in this episode of the Pilates Business Podcast, we are gonna be diving into the art of scaling your studio business without compromising on your core values. You're in for some rich, actionable insights. So grab a comfy seat and a notebook. You don't wanna miss this one. Well, hi there, I'm Sarah. In Glenfield, I'm a business and marketing strategist just for boutique fitness studio owners like you. If you're ready to be inspired and make a bigger impact, you're in the right place. All you need are a few key strategies, the right mindset and some support along the way. Join me as I share the real life insights that will help you grow a sustainable and profitable studio. This is the Pilates Business Podcast. Welcome back to the Pilates Business Podcast. I'm Sarah and I'm so happy that you are here with me today. I have got a brand new coffee mug right here that, I have to say, has really made my week. It's like one of those things that you don't think is gonna make a big difference and it does, and it's a beautiful ombre colored purple and mint green is my favorite and I filled it with my very, very favorite coffee, and I'm really excited today to be talking to you about this topic, and it's because it's kind of close to my heart. I'm sure it's gonna resonate with many of you too, because we're talking about how to scale your studio while staying true to your core values, and this is really important to me, because one of the most wonderful things about having a studio like yours that is serving the community that you are in and a part of, is that it gives people a place there where they feel a sense of belonging and access to a movement that they can enjoy, and a lot of the things about the experience that you deliver makes it so that they keep coming back from war, which is what makes them perhaps be able to go out into the world and be feel confident and strong and capable and resilient, and the world needs more of that right Now, as you grow, one of the, I think, one of the concerns that we often find ourselves having and sometimes this isn't even conscious, it's often a subconscious kind of feeling that kind of perhaps keeps you or holds you back from growing and scaling your business the way that you want is that idea that, as you grow, you're gonna lose that very special uniqueness that you have and that it will go away.

Speaker 1: 3:00

So as, for example, as you hire more people, how will you maintain that really high level of expertise and teaching skills that you have as you have other people perhaps welcoming your clients into your studio? Will they do it the way that you do it and will they be able to have that same impact that you have? And it is often quite easy to lose sight of the elements that make your studio special as you grow, and so I wanna make sure that we don't do that, because I don't want to see you turn into a big box gym without even realizing it. I want to see you be able to continue to work with your clients and to see them keep coming back for years and years to come and experience that same wonderful feeling of walking into a place that feels like home, that energizes them, that makes them feel comfortable, that is inspiring to them to get moving and to keep moving, and where they might find perhaps some other people who feel the same way. So let's start by just talking very quickly about why core values matter when it comes to scaling your business and this is truly the cornerstone of the discussion why core values are crucial when you're scaling.

Speaker 1: 4:18

Truly, this is kind of important, and I think often you know that the idea of having core values is. I think sometimes people. We often overlook the need to focus and to take the time to focus on what your core values actually are. Now, your values are not catchy phrases or what you think you should be telling people. They're actually the backbone of your business culture and brand and, more importantly, as you grow, that's what keeps you and your team aligned. And if you've never sat down to define your core values yet, now is the time, because this set of values actually becomes your guiding principles for the way that you interact with your clients, the way that you onboard and train your team, for the way that you promote and market your services, for the network that you create within your community and the way that you plan on scaling your business.

Speaker 1: 5:20

And so I encourage you to take some time to think about what really matters to you and to your clients and your business right now. Is it a quality service? Is it a sense of community? Is it a certain level of expertise? Is it an environment that energizes people or an environment that calms people. Is it engagement? And so I encourage you to take the time to think about what you care about and what your core values are and what you stand for in your business. This is something that I work with my studio owners on inside of my marketing intensive program, and I take them step by step through that process, and it's so incredibly clarifying and grounding when you have these core values defined for yourself and really you get very clear around what those are, and so I encourage you, if you can take the time to think about what those might be and what those might look like for you Now when you're looking at growing your business, there really is a balance between that sort of growth and values, because obviously we don't want your core values to go out the window when you start scaling your business, having more clients, growing your team, perhaps even expanding into multiple locations.

Speaker 1: 6:39

So how do you marry that perhaps growth that you're looking for with maintaining your core values, perhaps that level of quality that you want for your clients and your integrity? And it truly is a balancing act for sure, right? Because I mean, for example, if one of your values is personalized service, it might be hard to maintain that as you're expanding either your team or, if you're rapidly expanding your client base, and so what this might look like is how you onboard your team and bring them into your world, into your studio, and in order for them to be able to embrace and take on your brand and your core values, you do need to be able to articulate those very clearly to your team so that they understand and embrace them as well. And, in fact, I would say you want to go a step ahead of that and, in fact, when you go to hire your team, hire people that have similar core values as you. Without defining what those core values are, it can be hard to find the right people and bring them in and to feel good about your hire, which is why this work is truly so incredibly foundational. So, once you've got your team in place, you certainly want to include some robust training programs for both new and existing team members, as well as training on how that you want them to represent your brand, perhaps to uphold those personalized interactions that may be a part of your core core values or core brand message.

Speaker 1: 8:22

So, as you scale, there are no doubt going to be some bumps in the road, and part of growing your business is that we have to embrace these, these, these times, right, and to take on that I will figure this out mindset, because you are more than capable of building the business that you want and you are more than capable of figuring out how you can either a avoid that bump in the road or Fill it in and jump right on over it, right. So, as you scale, there will be some pitfalls, like perhaps the temptation to cut some corners and often this looks like missing or skipping some of these foundational pieces, like thinking about what your brand messaging looks like or your positioning statement is. You might end up hiring people because you just need teachers, people who perhaps might not really be aligned with your brand or what you stand for, and you know this is quite. This can be quite detrimental to the long, to the long term success of your business, and I think this is why we kind of have to make sure that we've got all of these building blocks in place in order to build a strong and stable and sustainable business, and those building blocks truly are kind of like the foundations of your home, where you want to make sure they are solid, rock right, and that you are building your business based on what is going to be able to withstand the test of time, no matter what trends come and go. And my guess is that what you do in your studio business is very unique and special and, without a doubt, will stand the test of time.

Speaker 1: 9:59

But we need to make sure we understand exactly what it is about, what you do, that makes you special today, so that you can layer in strategies and building blocks and more building blocks on your own and more building blocks on top of that to be able to scale and grow your business. So skipping over some of these foundational pieces of the puzzle really can lead to those long term issues that we often see with brands that grow very, very quickly and we often see a slip in quality, a slip in those personalized services, even often a slip in the marketing messaging as well. So you need to be able to grow and be able to stay true to who you are, and it is exactly possible and entirely possible, I should say, if you have the tools at your fingertips and you have done some of this work to set the framework and the foundations in place. So, to sum it up. Scaling doesn't have to come at the expense of your core values. If you're being, if you're smart about doing some of the ground work and you know what your values are and you're integrating those values throughout the customer journey that is impactful, in a way that resonates to with your clients and keeps them sticky, then you are in a good place. And if you're able to integrate your core values into your teacher training and onboarding programs, as well as your other team members that work with you and our client facing, then you, no doubt will be able to scale and maintain that very special, special experience that you have created inside of your studio. By being proactive, truly proactive, you can really maintain the aspects that make your studio unique, even as you grow.

Speaker 1: 11:40

And I wanted to highlight this to you today because I think it's so incredibly important to get super clear on your core values and your brand messaging and your brand promise, because those truly are the pieces of the puzzle that help you to stand out Now. We are in a world right now where there is an abundance of competition competition with deep pockets and we. That competition is not going away fast. This is going to be a year of growth for many, many studios and I want you to be one of them and if you want to stand out amongst those competition, especially those with the deep pockets your sort of special superpower is the way that you do what you do and your unique way of doing things, and I want to help you make sure that you get that message out there into the world so that everyone in your community knows how what you offer is unique and special and exciting and inspiring relative to the other options that might be out there for them to move their bodies. Okay, so I hope this was helpful to you as you go about building your boutique fitness studio business, and I would be delighted to help you to develop your marketing messaging and to develop your brand messaging and to help you really truly define your core values.

Speaker 1: 13:03

So if you are loving what you're hearing today, please go ahead, take a quick minute, go to wherever you're listening to this and rate and read this podcast. It would mean a pun to me and would help to get the podcast out there into our community so that more teachers and studio has, just like you, can feel encouraged and supported on their journey and our industry. Did you love this episode and want more, head to spring3.com and check out my free resources that will help you run a profitable and fulfilling studio business. And before you go, one last reminder there is no one way to do what you do, only your way. So whatever it is that you want to do, create or offer, you've got this. Thanks again for joining me today and have a wonderful rest of your day.