Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Little.
Stephanie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
During a class on Entrepreneurship in college, I wrote a business plan for a fitness concept. Although I earned an A for my work, my idea sat on the back-burner for 20 years! My first pride and joy involved pouring my heart into a collaborative software implementation effort. Since I’m not a mother in the traditional sense, I like to say that the system I helped create was my first child. Albeit difficult, eventually, I came to terms with the fact that my child could survive without me.
Around that time, I truly enjoyed taking Barre classes and was profoundly inspired by the owners and their staff at the studio I attended. While exploring a variety of small business ideas, a great friend of mine put me in touch with a coach who, in turn presented me with the opportunity to open a Club Pilates studio. At the time, the closest Club Pilates studio was in Birmingham. Imagine my husband’s surprise when I asked to go on a trip to Alabama for my birthday.
I registered my husband and myself for an early morning Reformer Flow class with the studio owner who invited us back for a boot camp-style FIT class with her Master Trainer later that day. Within a few weeks, I flew to Costa Mesa for Discovery Day, where I had the amazing opportunity to take a class from Allison Beardsley, the founder of Club Pilates. I fell in love with her passion for bringing Pilates to the masses.
I had personally enjoyed Pilates for years but always had a hard time fitting it into my full-time work schedule. Club Pilates provided a solution to that gap in demand. I could also see couples such as my husband and I leveraging Pilates to stay fit together into retirement. My parents thought I was crazy, but I couldn’t fight off the excitement. I sealed the deal during a trip to Cabo for a friend’s wedding. Several months later, my husband and I welcomed another nontraditional child and became the owners of the first Club Pilates studio in Georgia.
Has it been a smooth road?
When I say starting a business is like having a child, it’s not to minimize parenting but to convey it’s unfamiliar nature instead. Everything on my journey was completely new, so the learning curve was very steep. Even though I was able to leverage a few transferable skills, I still had to learn everything from applying for a business loan to teaching Pilates. For the first six months after opening the business, I continued to work a full-time job, taught early morning classes, continued my Pilates training as an instructor, and worked the front desk every weekend. In hindsight, I’m not sure how I managed, but it probably kept me out of trouble!
I have never been a stranger to long hours and hard work and wasn’t even overly surprised by the challenges we encountered with vendors and staffing. However, even social media itself hadn’t prepared me for some very unpleasant interactions with prospects. Don’t get me wrong. We have an amazing community, but when money and fitness are involved, it can definitely get tricky. A thoughtful friend of mine gifted me the book entitled Peaks & Valleys by Spencer Johnson, M.D., for a good reason! Perhaps the hardest part is knowing that the buck always stops with the owner. I would not have made it this far without my husband, our amazing staff, supportive members, as well as family & friends. It takes a village.
Please tell us about your business.
As Pilates Instructors and owners of Club Pilates East Cobb, my husband and I help others move, feel, and live better. We share our founder’s passion for bringing Pilates to the masses and genuinely believe that everyBODY needs Pilates. Our team loves sharing the benefits of Pilates with adults of all fitness levels based on our belief that a balanced, more fulfilling life is definitely within reach. We provide an inviting environment while delivering high-quality and life-changing reformer Pilates training. Our wide range of class offerings is specifically designed to challenge your mind as well as your body.
While we might not appeal to all fitness enthusiasts, we have turned many couch potatoes into wellness junkies simply by offering an approachable and effective exercise option that is also fun! Our class variety provides a one-stop-shop for fitness, but we are also a great complement to other forms of exercise. With class sizes no larger than 12, every member receives personalized attention. All of our instructors are comprehensively trained to either modify or challenge an exercise depending on member needs. We are known for our supportive environment, which continues to foster meaningful connections between members.
We are proud to play a crucial role in educating our community about the various benefits of Pilates, such as improved posture, balance, flexibility, mobility, and core strength. We also love providing an option for people who might not otherwise exercise. Our team strives to get to know our members beyond their time within the studio so that we can make an even greater difference in their lives. We are not for the elitist but instead specialize in having fun with or without the disco ball and costumes.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Best? All the big city comforts with Southern charm and reasonable price tag.
Least? Currently, the weather. We’ve gone from HOT-Lanta to WET-Lanta.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2960 Shallowford Rd., Suite 200 Marietta, GA 30066
- Website: https://www.clubpilates.com/location/eastcobb
- Phone: 678-647-6220
- Email: eastcobb@clubpilates.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cpeastcobb/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clubpilateseastcobb
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