Summary: A case study on building a business empire-in-the-making, proving that creativity, hard work, determination, and research can transform a passion into a real business, why believing in your excellent product is crucial for growth, leveraging people around you to jump start your business, how the use of influencer marketing before it was a thing and early adoption of social media made a major difference, challenges from having from no money for payroll to running out of cash during construction, and why you won't hear Britney Spears in any of Heather's pilates studios...<br> Heather Andersen, Studio owner and Program Director of New York Pilates (a New York city-based fitness company offering music driven, small group reformer classes and private sessions), joins Socialfly founders Stephanie Cartin and Courtney Spritzer in the MouthMedia Network studios for a conversation about building her company and her journey to success, along with a surprise and a brainstorm.<br> In this episode:<br> <br> How Heather discovered pilates, and what led her to open her own studio, New York Pilates<br> Why the social aspect of taking classes with groups and friends is important to Heather and how that shaped her studio space and business model <br> How Heather started her own studio without any outside investors <br> What Heather did to market her studio’s brand, and why being passionate about your product is vital <br> How Heather’s business grew from a one-woman operation to opening multiple locations <br> ClassPass, and the difficulties in converting people looking to save money into reliable returning clients <br> The challenges of learning how to run a business on the job <br> What kept Heather going even when the responsibilities of running a studio on a shoestring budget were daunting <br> How Heather is keeping New York Pilates feel like a tight knit community even as it grows into bigger spaces and new markets <br> The challenges Heather had with learning to grow as a manager, and the lessons she learned through trial and error and a book that helped her <br> How New York Pilates uses social media to showcase their brand ethos to potential clients<br> What being an entreprenista means to Heather <br> Plus, a one minute brainstorm about organization and managing ideas and goals
