Imagine you just signed the lease for the commercial space where you’re going to operate your business out of, or you’re two weeks into opening the doors to your new business when a global pandemic forces people indoors. Launching a new business is tough enough, but add to that a nationwide shutdown and you are put in an even more challenging position.
I reached out to three different entrepreneurs to get their take on what it was like to be launching a barre business amidst the shutdown. Among them, a franchisee, an independent contractor and a boutique fitness studio owner. Despite the pressure they were under, these three women persevered to make sure their plans stayed on track.
On the cusp of opening and then COVID-19 happened!
Ashleigh Volk of HIIT Barre Turlock was looking forward to operating out of Victorious Fitness beginning in early April but just as she was about to open, the state of California announced a shelter in place order. “When the shutdown was announced I was disappointed because I finally felt like I was achieving my goal of owning my own barre business,” Ashleigh says. “However, I knew it was a necessary step in keeping everyone safe.”
Source: instagram.com/hiitbarre
Victoria Sands, owner of Vibe Barre in Mesa, Arizona had just signed the lease on her commercial space when the shutdown happened. “I signed my lease on March 8th of this year after 3 weeks of negotiations,” she explains. “At first, I was terrified and I was seriously considering giving up on my dream of opening a studio. I definitely started second-guessing my decision, but after re-reading my business plan, I focused on my “why” and knew I had to do everything I could to make my dreams a reality.”
Jessie Morgan Gerace had been working on a plan to open a NEIGHBORHOOD barre in Baton Rouge since late 2019 when the shutdown happened. “We were planning to open in April before all of the COVID-19 drastically shifted my plans to open. The week before the stay at home orders went into place is when we started negotiations on our lease,” Jessie recalls.
NEIGHBORHOOD barre Baton Rouge’s Jessie Morgan Gerace in the studio during construction. Source: Jenn Ocken Photography
When life gives you lemons, you pivot
Unsure of what to do, Ashleigh started creating content for her Instagram account. “I started noticing so many fitness instructors were holding live classes and starting virtual businesses. This is when I decided I needed to do something, and I took my business virtual,” Ashleigh says.”
Being thrown into the deep end, when forced to figure out how to go online quickly has become a shared experience among many in the boutique fitness community.
It took about 1-2 weeks to get up and running, once Ashleigh decided to take her business online. “I thought to myself, ok all I need is a website and some way for clients to access videos, this shouldn’t be too difficult,” admits Ashleigh. “Well, I had no experience making a website or setting up videos online so there were definitely points of frustration. However, miraculously I got through it and felt very satisfied I was able to set up this virtual business on my own.”
Ashleigh Volk of HIIT Barre Turlock. Source: instagram.com/hiitbarre
Victoria of Vibe Barre also saw social media as an opportunity to connect with potential clients but admitted that growing her following was put on hold to focus on training instructors and planning out her studio build. “Unfortunately, I hadn’t invested much into my marketing, so I hadn’t grown a large enough following to gain a lot of new clients,” she says. “Marketing was put on hold because I felt that it was more important to focus on what I could control which was finishing my studio and training my instructors. It also made me realize the importance of offering digital classes and other online resources.”
Inside Vibe Barre during construction.
Source: instagram.com/vibe_barre
Jessie Morgan Gerace of NEIGHBORHOOD barre Baton Rouge in the studio during construction. Source: Jenn Ocken Photography
Being able to pivot and adapt to new and unexpected circumstances is most certainly going to be part of the entrepreneurial journey but learning to navigate these tricky situations early on could be a blessing in disguise.
Jessie at NEIGHBORHOOD barre Baton Rouge believes that streaming classes online to prospective members and involving them in the buildout process helped to establish a bond with clients that they wouldn’t have had before. “As a franchise, we were able to pivot and stay relevant by offering Live Stream classes from all our studios. I am so thankful that I was able to be a part of this transition.”
“At first, like most, I believed that this would pass in a couple of weeks and we would continue on with our plans to open on track,” says Jessie. “However, I quickly realized that this was not the case and this was going to be a long journey to opening.”
Silver linings make it all worthwhile
Despite the additional hiccups that these women endured, there are always silver linings. For Ashleigh of HIIT Barre Turlock, she was able to work out her in-person jitters, as she describes, which has made her feel more prepared to teach in-person classes. “As any new instructor, I was very nervous to teach my first in-person class. So, the virtual world let me do that without the pressure of people watching me in real-time. I have been able to work on perfecting my ‘teacher’ voice as well as learning to keep count and give direction at the same time, which can be tricky.”
For Victoria of Vibe Barre, she was able to be more hands-on during the build-out phase, especially when it came to training staff. “My instructors are beyond ready to lead a class because they had plenty of time to focus on our manual. We had in-depth anatomy training and daily 1:1 training via Zoom.”
The Vibe Barre crew pose for a photo during a pre-opening celebration.
Source: instagram.com/vibe_barre
After Jessie got over the initial panic, she was able to gain a new perspective on things. “I was able to take the time I needed to come up with a solid grand opening plan, spend more time on working with my instructors, and overall be more prepared.”
Growing pains are all part of the journey
Whatever doesn’t kill you as a business owner, makes you stronger when you come out on the other side. Kudos to anyone who is persevering through these entrepreneurial hardships. Regardless of the current situation, launching and maintaining a new business is tough at the best of times, so I’m in awe of anyone who navigates the road to ownership.
“Starting a business is always a gamble,” Victoria says “but it’s worth it!”
“There will always be challenges when owning a business. Some of them will be small and some will be life-changing. It is all in how you handle these changes that define you as a person and a small business owner,” says Jessie. “The lessons I learned from COVID-19 will forever help me as a business owner.”
“No matter the outcome of this small business I started during a pandemic, I have had so much fun putting it together and producing videos for my HIIT Barre community,” says Ashleigh. “Regardless of the shift in plans, I am happy to have been able to follow my dream.”
