How to Build a Profitable Pilates Studio Business with Joanne Mathews

"I think we're at that time where we can actually professionalize this industry, and we can have the standards that we want to set, and we can offer people careers."In this episode, we are joined by Joanne Mathews, founder and CEO of Ten Health & Fitness, one of London's longest-running Dynamic Reformer Pilates brands, now growing into franchising with Tenreformer.They explore why London's reformer studios have grown 72% in 18 months against just 50% growth in demand, and what that saturation means for studios competing on price instead of differentiation.They also dig into what it takes to build a Pilates business with longevity: going employed-only with teachers, building an in-house academy, choosing the right locations, the realities of rising costs and shrinking profitability, and Joanne's leadership philosophy after nearly two decades running studios.Timestamps 01:24 The car crash that led to her "happy accident" into Pilates03:31 Launching Ten with one borrowed reformer studio06:08 Finding a business partner and going employed-only from day one09:06 The case for professionalising the Pilates industry15:01 Training standards, VAT, and not being a recognised profession24:21 Scaling from one studio to a London-wide brand28:30 Choosing locations and franchising with Tenreformer34:24 Rising costs, big-box gyms, and the race to the bottom on price41:12 Is owning a Pilates studio still profitable?44:10 What community really means at Ten52:17 Building TenAcademy and what makes a great teacher today1:00:49 Joanne's leadership philosophy: true supportIf you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you're following along so you don't miss future episodes. And feel free to share this one with someone you think would take something from it.Connect with Nic:Beyond the Reformer InstagramSoul Pilates InstagramSoul Pilates EducationNic's InstagramJoin Soul at HomeBook a Pilates ClassSign up to Our NewsletterConnect with Guest:Joanne Mathews InstagramTen Health & Fitness InstagramTen Health & Fitness WebsiteInterested in joining the July Teacher Training intake? Find all the details and book a call here.