Still Doing It All? What Real Leadership Looks Like in a Boutique Studio

Running a successful boutique fitness studio can look amazing from the outside… but behind the scenes? Many studio owners are overwhelmed, overworked, and still doing everything themselves. 

In this episode of The Pilates Business Podcast, host Seran Glanfield dives into the leadership shift every Pilates studio owner, yoga studio owner, and boutique fitness business owner must make to create sustainable growth.

 From micromanaging and burnout to building systems, empowering your team, and stepping into a true CEO role, Seran shares the mindset and leadership strategies that help studio owners grow without sacrificing their freedom. 

If your Pilates business feels dependent on you for everything, this episode will help you understand what real leadership actually looks like — and why letting go may be the key to scaling your studio successfully.

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Transcript

When Growth Feels Like More Work

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Are you still teaching most of the classes, answering emails late at night, fixing scheduling issues, handling instructor questions, posting on social media, and somehow trying to grow your studio business at the same time? If you're nodding right now, what I want you to know is that you're not alone. So many studio owners and business owners start their business looking for freedom, flexibility, making an impact, fulfillment. And somewhere along the way, they become the bottleneck because everything runs through you, every decision, also every problem, every detail. And I think the hard question is that you have to ask yourself, is your studio actually growing, or is it just growing your workload? Tough one, right? So that's what we're talking about today. In this episode, I'm sharing about what it is that real leadership looks like in a boutique fitness studio business. And why doing everything yourself is probably the thing that is holding your business back right now. Well, hi there, I'm Sarah Glanfield. 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.

The Missing Job Description Shift

SPEAKER_00 1:41

Hey there and welcome back to the Pilates Business Podcast. I'm your host, Saren Glamfield. I'm a business strategist, studio growth coach, and someone who has spent the better part of the last decade sitting across from studio owners who are often coming to me quietly exhausted, even though it might look on the outside like their business is absolutely thriving. I've worked with hundreds of studio owners since 2013 in the parates, bar, yoga, boutique fitness space, you name it, I've seen it. But one of the things that I hear most often, in different words, but with the same kind of undercurrent, is this. I hired someone, but I'm still doing everything. And I get it. I really do. Because I think one of the things that things that a lot of people don't tell you when you start hiring and growing, that your role is supposed to change, but actually no one hands you the new job description. So often what happens is you keep showing up the way you always have, hands in everything, first one in, last one out, making it all work. And I think that also is to some degree cloaked in sort of this idea of dedication. But at some point, and you probably know exactly what I'm talking about, it starts to sort of become a ceiling. And that's what today's episode is about. Something that I see often with boutique fitness studio owners, especially those who are really passionate, dedicated, and deeply committed to their clients, to their business, and to their teachers as well. I know you started your studio because you love to share that love of movement that you enjoy so much with others. You love helping people, you love that community you built. And so at first, yes, absolutely, doing everything is usually pretty much the only way makes a ton of sense. You were small, you were building, you're figuring things out, seeing what works. But then your studio started to grow and you had a viable business. So you added people, you added instructors, you added more classes, you added more clients. Well done. And also makes a lot of more moving pieces, right? And instead of things getting easier, like this idea that we often have is, right, they actually get bigger, right? Heavier. And so you're still teaching a lot, you're still also handling the day-to-days, you're still the go-to person, probably for everything. And what I hear from studio owners often is that I know I want, I need to step back, but I don't know how to do it. Or they say, I feel like if I don't do it, it won't get done right. Or they say, I'm worried things will fall apart without me. And sometimes that last one doesn't actually come out. Sometimes there's just a lot of excuses about why they can't take time off. And the reality is that this is the exact moment that requires you to stop being a studio owner and start becoming a leader. Because leadership is not about working harder, actually. It's not about working more hours, it's about creating a business that actually doesn't depend on you for everything. And I think this shift is one of the most important, possibly also the most uncomfortable transitions that you will make as a studio owner. Because the very things that honestly helped you get to where you are today, the things that helped to build your business, got you to the stage you're at and what everything that you've accomplished are probably the exact same things that are keeping you exactly where you are. So I want to talk today about what it is that real leadership looks like and why stepping into that role truly is essential if you want to grow from here.

How Teams Learn To Depend

SPEAKER_00 5:34

So I think one of the things that we come up against when you care deeply about your studio is that it's natural to want to be involved in everything, right? You want to know when that client is having a tough time or not able to come in. You want to know why, you want to know what's happening with your teacher, you want to know why they're teaching something a certain way. You want the client experience to be perfect, you want your instructors to feel supported, you want things done a certain way. That's probably one of the reasons why you started your business in the first place. So you step in, right? And you answer the questions because you know the answer, you fix the problems because you know how, you make the decisions because, well, you're the boss. And in the beginning, this is great. This works, things happen, things grow. Um, but over time, something subtle starts to shift, something subtle starts to happen. Because what we see then is your team, instead of taking responsibility for certain things that they could well take responsibility for, they become dependent on you. Because instead of solving the problem themselves, they can just ask you for the answer, right? Instead of making decisions for themselves, they're just gonna wait for you to tell them what to do. Instead of taking ownership, they're gonna just defer to you and whatever you say. And suddenly you are not running a business, you're carrying it, right? And that's why it feels heavy. And the impact is that what happens is you then get stuck in the day-to-day of the studio. And growth slows because your focus is not on that next phase of growth. It's actually on just keeping everything going where it is today. So all of your time disappears and is focused on that. And because of that, often we see an impact in terms of your energy and your approach. You just are drained because you're not seeing the progress that you want in so many different places that you would want in your business. And so you hit this sort of ceiling because the reality is that you're a human being is 24 hours in a day, and your studio can only grow as much as you, one person, can handle or carry. And so one of the shifts that I invite you to think about making today is that leadership and your role in your business is not about you doing more. It's actually about creating a business where you're not required to do everything. And this is really actually quite hard because it requires you to let go of things, right? Leadership means empowering others, letting go of things that you can do and allowing others to do it. It also means that you need to create clarity for your team. It also means that you need to build trust amongst yourself and your team. And that letting go of control is kind of a big piece of it. And all of that can feel very uncomfortable because you've built this business. It's yours, it's your baby. You want to take care of it. You've you've you've put so much into it. And so letting go is hard. But you're also used to being the one that's holding it all together, right? And so when you're not doing that, what are you doing? And there's a lot in there, right? A lot to unpack. But the reality is that when you shift from spending your time doing everything to leading your business forward intentionally, you are creating the space that your business needs you to create to grow.

The Hidden Cost Of Being Go To

SPEAKER_00 9:08

Now, there is a hidden cost of being that go-to person, right? And I think that oftentimes as a as a leader of the business, as the as the founder, we sort of wear that go-to badge of honor, right? Like it is, like it's a badge of honor. Like that go-to role, the the person who everyone comes to, it feels good to answer questions we know the answers to and others don't. Like it makes us feel like we know what we're doing, right? And so it becomes a bit of a badge of honor for a lot of folks, right? I'm the one that's involved in everything. I know what's going on. And I kind of like to be that person who's in the mix, right? And yes, again, it's some of one of those things that is often hard to let go of because we've been that person for so long. And it's a good feeling, too. But it does have a hidden cost in it on so many levels. This of what I've already spoken about, yes, but in another way as well. And the other way is that it keeps you in a reactive mode when your business probably needs you to be in a strategic role. So you're solving today's problems instead of building what's coming next, right? You're answering the questions that you may have answered before that other people possibly could know the answer to if they thought about it for a minute. But instead of creating clarity around the expansion, about the growth, around the possibility, you're just answering the questions because it's an easy answer. And you're managing people, often micromanaging people, instead of leading them, guiding them forward into their next phase of what their role needs to be in your business and your vision of version of success. And so the bigger issue here is that as you're solving today's problems, answering all their questions, micromanaging people, they, the team, will never fully step up because they don't have to, they never have had to. And so you're always there to solve everything. And so they never build a confidence, they never develop their own sort of leadership role within your business. And you stay stuck right in the center of everything, right? But the reality is that leaders don't become the center of everything. They create systems and clarity, they define expectations and they empower and encourage others to make decisions. And slowly, when you're in that place, when you remove yourself from being in the middle of it all, the studio will start to run without your constant input. And this, you guys, is when things get really interesting. I see this all the time inside of Thrive, because once you start to implement some of the systems that we share with you on how to support your team, how to grow your team, how to manage your team in a way that encourages them to lead, things get really interesting because you find yourself seeing more possibility for your business. You're not stuck in the day-to-day, you're seeing more. So you're no longer the go-to for everything, which means you finally have the ability, the bandwidth, the capacity to focus on growth. Growth in so many different directions, perhaps improving your marketing, perhaps upgrading your strategies, perhaps developing your team, perhaps spotting where there is more profit opportunities. These are all the things that actually move the business back forward.

Delegation Before It Feels Perfect

SPEAKER_00 12:34

And I think one of the biggest reasons studio owners often stay stuck is because of this concept of having to wait until everything is perfect before you delegate, right? I hear all the time people who hesitate because they they they want to get more organized first. And then I'll step back. I'll take a vacation when I'll delegate when I have more time. Well, guys, that never happens. I'll stop teaching when revenue grows. Guys, it never happens. There's this sort of like they're waiting for something else to give them the green light. The studio owners that grow over and over and over, month after month, year after year, are not waiting for this, this, this someone else to tell them it's okay. They're not waiting for things to be perfect. They are seeing where their time is best spent and they're making sure they're building the business underneath them on rock solid, robust systems. Because your revenue is only going to grow, your business is only going to grow when you step into that leadership role and lead it forward from the front, not before. And growth requires time, right? We don't grow overnight. It rema requires you to think ahead, to strategically plan, to invest in your business. But leadership, when you're stepping into it, builds out that timeline. So if you're waiting right now, you might be waiting forever. And I think that sometimes this comes down to the idea of letting go, because you sometimes need to let go before it feels comfortable. In fact, I would argue that letting go is never comfortable, right? So letting go before you're ready, before it's perfect, before you're completely confident it's going to work. And yes, things might not get done exactly the way that you'd want them to do, but that is part of the process. And at least when you have the systems and the tools in place that we share with you inside of Thrive, typically they work pretty damn well. Because when you step back with the right systems in place, your team steps up. And that's when everything starts to evolve, right? So this isn't about being uh sort of uh uh flippant about letting go, about moving on, about, about refocusing. It's about saying you need to focus on, be intentional about where you're putting your energy and your time and making sure that you're building the systems beneath you to raise everything up, right? And no matter when you have those systems in place, you will always feel a little bit apprehensive about letting go. And that's okay. And that's okay. Now, I think a lot of times I want to talk about something else before we wrap this up, because is something that is perhaps a little bit more nuanced, a little bit more deeper than perhaps we typically talk about here on the podcast.

Self Worth Beyond The To Do List

SPEAKER_00 15:27

And that is that this shift in your role is highly tied to your self-identity as well. When you have come into your business from being in a teaching perspective, and you opened a studio and you hired people around you and you want to support them, sometimes you, we, all of us, um often define our value by how much we are doing, right? Checking things off on the list, defining your value add by literally how much you have achieved, accomplished in a day, the tasks, right? And so how many classes you're teaching, how many tasks you're doing, how many people you're managing, being involved in everything. It's amazing how often we sort of are tying our own self-worth and value to that list of checked items, of things we have done. But when we have that association, it actually keeps you very stuck in operator mode, right? And so I'd encourage you to hate to have a little bit of a think about what your role needs to evolve and how you're seeing the value of what you do to your business and in your business. Because being in the operator mode, so you're doing all the things, plus your responsibility for growing the business is it is exhausting, right? Doing all of this, working in the business and trying to work on the business at the same time is a lot. Without structure, without systems in place, it will be exhausting, without a doubt. As you build your business and as you want to grow your business, and grow, by the way, doesn't necessarily just mean adding more revenue and adding more hours. Growing could mean allowing your business to thrive with you perhaps stepping back from doing certain things in your business and allowing you to have flexibility and freedom and the income that you want. And when you shift from perhaps being a teacher to being a leader, or shifting from being the doer to being the strategist, or shifting from being the reactive mode to being sort of a strategic decision maker, your value is not in doing it all. Your value is in setting direction for others, investing in your team and developing them and their careers as well, building those systems and processes into your business that helps you to attract clients and retain them over time. And that all is associated with driving growth. And only then is when your business is able to be truly sustainable because you are no longer the engine. You have built the engine. The business is the engine. And you guys, this is my goal for all of you listening is that you build your business like a machine and you are the chief mechanic. You know all the inputs, you know what needs to be, how things can work, you know all the tweaks that can be made to make your business machine run as efficiently as possible, that you are not a machine. So if you are still doing everything, what I want you to remember is that well, perhaps a reminder is that doing everything isn't leadership. It's actually just survival mode. Real leadership is about empowering your team, creating clarity, letting go of control, shifting into a more strategic role and building a business that can actually run without you. And when you step into this role, you create more freedom for yourself, more growth, often more profitability, and for sure more sustainability.

Thrive Support And Next Steps

SPEAKER_00 19:16

And if you're listening to this and thinking, yes, I know I need to do this, but I don't know how, then know that this is exactly what we focus on inside of Thrive. Inside, we help studio owners week after week to build systems, to develop their leadership skills, to strengthen their team and to create sustainable growth. Because I know you didn't open your studio because you wanted to feel overwhelmed. You opened it because you wanted to make an impact and build something meaningful. So if this sounds like something you might need some help with, you can go to spring3.com forward slash thrive to learn more. And please, if you're listening to this, just know that your studio doesn't need you to do more. It needs you leading better. Because that's what real leadership looks like. So I hope this was helpful to you as you go about building your boutique fitness studio business. And if you enjoyed what you heard today, just go to wherever you're listening to this, take a quick minute, and rate and review this podcast. It would mean so much to me and help to get this out there into our community so that more teachers and business owners just like you can feel encouraged and supported on their journey in 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.