April 14, 2025 • 24 mins
In this episode of The Pilates Business Podcast, host Seran Glanfield shares a wildly underutilized strategy that can take the pressure off your marketing efforts: strategic local collaborations. If you’re tired of constantly posting on Instagram and praying for new leads, this episode will be a breath of fresh air. Seran reveals how partnering with local businesses—think skincare studios, coffee shops, or maternity boutiques—can create powerful, win-win relationships that consistently drive the right clients through your studio doors.
Tune in to learn how to identify aligned businesses, spark meaningful connections, and build long-term referral pipelines that work even when you're off the 'gram. This is must-know marketing for boutique fitness studio owners ready to grow with ease, impact, and community.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
What if you weren't trying to get your next five
clients from Instagram, butperhaps from the coffee shop
down the street or the skincarestudio around the corner?
Today, we're talking about oneof the most overlooked growth
strategies in the boutiquefitness world, and that is
(00:22):
strategic collaborations.
This isn't about cold callingor awkward collabs.
It's about building realrelationships with the right
local businesses that can helpyou grow together.
Well, hi there, I'm SarenGlanfield.
I'm a business and marketingstrategist just for boutique
(00:42):
fitness studio owners like you.
If you're ready to be inspiredand make a bigger impact, you're
in the right place.
All you need are a few keystrategies, the right mindset
and some support along the way.
Join me as I share the reallife insights that will help you
grow a sustainable andprofitable studio.
(01:04):
This is the Pilates BusinessPodcast.
Well, hey there, friend, andwelcome back to the show.
I'm so glad you're here.
If we haven't met before, I'mSaren Glanfield.
I'm the founder of Spring3Studio Business Consulting and
I've been coaching andconsulting studio owners across
(01:26):
the globe since 2013.
And in all of that time, I haveto say this topic of today's
show is one that I come back toover and over and over again,
because it is so often quicklydismissed and overlooked as a
source of growth for your studio.
(01:46):
So this is certainly a topicI've wanted to talk about for a
while here on the podcast andit's definitely something I want
to perhaps bring back to theforefront of your mind when it
comes to how do I grow and wheredo I find my next new client.
Because if you're a studioowner who's feeling like perhaps
(02:07):
you're constantly pushing fornew leads, constantly worried
perhaps even about where they'recoming from, constantly
checking your social media ortrying to keep posting to social
media, or perhaps wondering whythat referral program you have
isn't referring more, this isthe episode for you I'm going to
be talking about, or I'm goingto be diving into more detail,
(02:31):
talking about collaborations,local collaborations and that is
how to partner with localbusinesses to perhaps create
those win-win situations orrelationships that really help
you to grow your business.
Not only that, help get yourname out there in the community
and build that sense ofcommunity for your business, for
(02:54):
your studio.
And I'll be honest, when youdevelop these types of
relationships within your localcommunity, it really helps take
some of the pressure off of you,especially if you are the one
who is doing all of themarketing, as well as all of the
managing and all of theleadership and all of the
scheduling and all of thetraining.
(03:14):
It can really be helpful to usethat sort of local network to
grow your business.
Now here's the thing Many and Iwould say most studio owners
know that on some level it'shelpful to network locally.
They often know that already,that community matters, but what
(03:35):
perhaps is often overlooked isjust how powerful a very well
chosen partnership can be foryour business.
In fact, I see it over and overagain that it outperforms hours
and hours and hours of contentthat you might have created for
social media.
Not only that, but it createsthis very sort of deep
(03:58):
relationship within your localcommunity or your neighborhood,
and that is kind of a rippleeffect that really keeps people
coming in, perhaps long afterthat initial conversation has
happened with that local fellowbusiness owner.
And so the beauty, I think, ofthis as a lead generation for
(04:22):
your business is that it doesn'thave to be complicated, it
doesn't have to be cheesy, itdoesn't have to be pushy and it
certainly doesn't require you tobe on camera.
In fact, this often plays outreally nicely in the form of
developing a friendship and akinship amongst you and other
fellow local business owners.
So if you've wondered, maybe,who should I partner with?
(04:44):
How does it work?
Do I have to offer themsomething and how do I make sure
that it's the right fit for mybusiness?
We're going to cover all ofthat, and I'm also going to
share a little bit of insight asto what I've observed as
working when I share thisstrategy within my Thrive group
coaching program, who, I shouldsay, many of the studio owners
(05:06):
inside of that program havereally tapped into this method
and have refined it and arecontinuing to refine it.
We talk about it regularlyinside of our group coaching
program calls, and so there isno sort of stone left unturned
when it comes to growing yourbusiness.
Now let's start with the sort ofwhat I see most of all and I
(05:28):
think this is something that isa really common situation to
find yourself in as a boutiquefitness studio owner and that is
that you're often doing all ofyour marketing in isolation.
So perhaps you are puttingtogether posts for Instagram,
tiktok, facebook, all of thoseplaces perhaps even posting and
doing some digital ads, andmaybe every now and again, the
(05:51):
occasional sort of referralrequest pops in, but really you
are the one who is driving allof the driving the bus, as it
were, when it comes to creatingleads for your business, and the
problem with this is that it'spretty tiring, right?
It's exhausting because youhave a lot of other tasks, jobs
and responsibilities to do asthe leader of your business and
(06:14):
often, where we spend the mosttime when it comes to marketing,
aka social media, it's oftennot as efficient as we would
like it to be to bring us newclients, and so, instead of
perhaps being that solo voicetrying to shout out over all of
that noise that exists in theonline space, wouldn't it be
(06:34):
nice if you had some friends inyour local area who promote you
to their amazing clients?
And that's exactly what morestrategic, thoughtful
collaborations and partnershipsare all about.
They're not just about one timeyou know promotions together,
(06:55):
but actually can be more about avery aligned relationship that
benefit both you and them, notjust for one day or one hour,
but for weeks and even monthsand years.
And if you find and when youfind, I should say the right
partnership for your business,you'll find that you share the
same values and you share thesame often the interests for
(07:19):
your clients and that can bereally empowering for you as
well, because you now have afellow local business owner who
understands the situation andperhaps sometimes the challenges
that come with running a smalllocal business.
What else you can do withinyour local community to build
(07:48):
relationships, to network, tobuild a sense of community that
will help to fuel your businessfor years to come.
And I think what most peoplemiss is that it's not about
necessarily working with orcollaborating with or networking
with other fitness businesses.
I think for Pilates, initiallyespecially, I should say our
sort of mind goes to okay, analigned business would be, say,
(08:10):
a physical therapist or a yogastudio or someone else perhaps
who is also sharing a movementmethod of some sort.
And the reality is that thosetypes of businesses can be a
great source of referrals foryour business, for sure, but
that's not the only potentialreferral referee I should say
(08:33):
that you will be able to build arelationship with.
Those types of businesses arecomplimentary businesses.
They often share a similaraudience already, and so you may
not already be tapping into oryou may already be tapping into
that audience, but they, thataudience, may not be looking to
add more fitness to their, totheir world, right.
(08:53):
And so what you want to bemindful of and thoughtful about
and very intentional about isthinking about where you can
find more people who are similarto the types of people that you
have as your clients, and soit's not necessarily about
finding people who do the samething as you.
It's actually about findingpeople who do something that is
different but who might have avery similar type of audience.
(09:16):
So that can be someone like,perhaps, a high-end skin care
studio Maybe already some ofyour clients will frequent there
, and so you know that is wherethere are perhaps more clients
to be found.
A local coffee shop or a juicebar with perhaps more wellness
conscious clientele or regularswho would be interested in your
(09:39):
types of services and offer, ifyou offer, say, pre or postnatal
classes, a boutique maternitystore, would be a perfect
partner for you, right.
And then, obviously, thosecomplimentary businesses as well
physical therapists,chiropractors, wellness centers
and so on that are popping upeverywhere would also be great
(10:02):
as a fun collaboration andpartner for your business.
Now, you don't need necessarilyto have thousands or millions of
new eyeballs on your business.
You just need the right people,because what we know is that it
doesn't take thousands ofpeople walking through the door
of your business to really movethe needle.
Often you're looking for that.
(10:23):
You know that those that set ofnew clients each month that are
going to come in and commit andsort of the more specific the
audience is to your, who arelooking already for what you
have to offer, who are lookingalready for what you have to
offer, the higher yourconversion will be and the less
churn you're going to have whenit comes to your enrollments and
(10:44):
what that means is that morepeople who walk through the door
are going to stay and we likethat a lot.
You'll start to find that asyou think about and we do this a
lot inside of Thrive.
I challenge my studio ownersinside of Thrive often to find
those partnerships locally andto think of those different
businesses, local businesses,and they arrange in what they do
(11:07):
.
It can be quite spectacularwhat's possible when you get
creative and you find that thisactually fuels your business
truly without you needing toreally do a whole lot.
It's a really fabulous thing.
So let's talk a little bitabout what makes a good
partnership, what makes a goodcollaboration partner for your
(11:28):
business, because I think one ofthe things that often we kind
of jump to when it comes tocollaborations and partnerships
is we just think about, perhaps,what promotion or discount I
should say we need to give themin order for them to want to
promote our studio or ourservices, right?
Or we simply sort of walk inwith a, with a, with a stack of
(11:52):
flyers and say, hey, can I leavethese here on the table next to
the counter?
And this is what I would sayvery one-sided in terms of what
the potential could be, and whenyou're asking someone if you
can leave flyers in theirwaiting area, it's more of a
favor.
It's not really a partnership,and I think that there's maybe
(12:15):
some.
There is a little value to that, for sure, but there's usually
more to do, and I'm all aboutmaking sure that we are
squeezing the juice out of thatjust down the street or next
door.
Then I would encourage you toalso think about ways that you
(12:42):
can be a bit more engaged withthat business and therefore also
perhaps a bit more engaged withtheir audience, their clients,
and so there's a lot of mutualvalue opportunities that can
come up that you can create foryour business that will support
those not just that visibilitybut also potential future
(13:05):
referrals.
So things like co-hosting anevent, having a pop-up, doing a
joint promotion together,perhaps even exchanging or
trading services or offers,right, that can result in
perhaps a high value testimonialor case study.
(13:25):
Perhaps there is an opportunityto collaborate via workshops
and tap into each other'saudiences as well.
And so when we think about whatwould make a really great
partner for your studio, we wantto think about how can we both
add value to each other'saudiences.
It's not just about transaction.
(13:45):
It's about what impact can wemake amongst their, for them and
their clients that would makethem want to continue to send or
refer people to our business.
What would make it such thatthey could, or we could, work
together again in the future andbuild perhaps an ongoing
relationship with these types ofevents or interactions?
(14:08):
So think about what they mightget excited about.
And then it's about approachingthat business with a very clear
but very easy way for them tosay yes to what it is you're
offering.
And I would recommend that yoube really thoughtful about the
way that you introduce yourselfif you are new to them, and be
(14:31):
also thoughtful about the waythat you propose what it is that
you're proposing, and oftenthere is so much opportunity
there and I always will comeback to the very foundation of
what it means to be a businessowner, and that is that you
absolutely need to be able toshare and express and articulate
(14:53):
the value that your businesshas to offer.
And although the collaborationpartner is not necessarily a
client of yours, you certainlyneed to still be able to share
with them what it is that you dothat adds value and impact to
the lives of your clients, sothat they perhaps will also see
(15:16):
that incredible value and wanttheir clients to feel and see
that too.
And so this is a greatopportunity to really refine
your marketing phrases, copy andintroduction and really
leverage that to the best ofyour ability in a slightly
different way.
And that takes practice, but italso takes knowing what it is
(15:40):
that you want people to knowabout your business.
So I need to get back on track.
So we talked a little bit abouthow to decide who would be a
good partner for you and what itis perhaps that you could do
together.
That would be interesting forboth of you.
Right Now, I just want to goback to something I mentioned
(16:01):
earlier, and that was that youknow, I think one-off events are
really great I really do.
I think one-off events can befun and powerful and, yes,
impactful.
But I think the real magichappens, especially in a
business like yours, when youhave ongoing partnerships.
And that's because you know,for the most part, you are all
(16:22):
in this business of buildingrelationships with your clients,
and it's likely that thebusinesses that you may approach
also have relationships withtheir clients, and so those
relationships are really whatyou are leaning into when you
are looking for strongcollaboration partners.
(16:45):
And so the real magic happenswhen you're able to have a very
ongoing partnership.
And so it isn't just about thatone time, that one post on
social media or that one emailor that one event.
Instead, be creative about howyou can evolve this
collaboration, this partnership,into something that is more
(17:06):
perhaps ongoing, perhaps it'ssomething that happens monthly
or quarterly, or there arecertain exclusive offers for
each other's clientele.
So you want to think less likejust a one-time advertiser here
and more like a communitybuilder, a relationship builder,
because we're looking to reallytap into that compounding
(17:28):
effect here, where you know onereally fabulous partner or
collaboration can really driveyour business for years, and
because most of you are in thisto build a business, not just in
the short term, but a businessthat grows sustainably each and
every year.
It will pay you back in bucketloads to invest in these types
(17:53):
of relationships, and I wouldalways start with the easy one
right.
Start with the business thatyou perhaps already have some
sort of a personal connectionwith, and think about what would
make sense in terms of how youcould then turn that into
perhaps a long-termcollaboration and partnership.
(18:13):
Now, that said, there will betimes where not every
collaboration and partnershipwill go well, and that's okay.
It's part of being in business.
Just like some clients come andgo, just like some clients
aren't, you know your cup of tea.
Partnerships and networkcollaborations are similar too.
In that scenario, we have tonot, you know, we have to just
(18:40):
like we have to practice and tobe able to articulate our value
in our marketing efforts, andespecially when we introduce
ourselves to other businesses,we also have to learn the art of
setting boundaries and sayingno, and not every opportunity is
going to be a good fit.
So if a potential partner, onceyou begin to talk about these
different opportunities, doesn'treally feel like they align
(19:02):
with your values, perhaps theydon't really match the same kind
of brand, or perhaps you findthat they have a very different
type of clientele or audiencethan you perhaps initially
thought.
It's okay to say, hey, this wasgreat meeting with you.
Than you perhaps initiallythought it's okay to say, hey,
this was great meeting with you.
Let's perhaps regroup again ina few months time.
(19:22):
Or it's okay to simply say thisis not the right fit for us
right now, and I think it'sreally important to know when to
draw that line, because far toooften, I see so many business
owners investing in their timeand their energy and I think
it's more, they areunintentionally investing their
time and energy intopartnerships that are not right.
(19:45):
And you want to make sure thatyou're protecting your brand,
you're protecting your energy sothat you can focus on the
things that really matter andmove the needle on those
relationships that are going tohelp you to grow and are going
to create good energy for youand your business.
So don't say yes just to staybusy.
Don't say yes just because youthink you have to Say yes when
(20:06):
it feels aligned, when it feelsintentional and when it feels
sustainable.
So please, please, please,trust your gut and if something
feels a little bit off, it maywell be, and the key really here
is focusing on the quality ofthose relationships over the
quantity.
Okay, so we're looking for,ideally, in the way that I like
(20:29):
to grow businesses and like theway that I like to grow studio
businesses is by buildingrelationships that are true and
aligned and are going to supportyou for years.
So, quick recap First of all,you do not need to do marketing
alone.
When you have got some greatpartnerships in your back pocket
(20:52):
, what happens is that you canamplify your reach within your
local community.
Not only that, but you willalso deepen the roots within
your local community, and thosethings mean that your business
is getting talked about withoutyou posting on social media,
which is only a good thing,right, and what I will say is
(21:16):
that, when it comes to choosingthe right people to partner with
, they will likely share youraudience, but they won't compete
with what you have to offer,and I think that's something
really important to remember inthe back of your mind, because
we want to make sure that we'rereaching new people with the
partners that we arecollaborating with, but we're
(21:39):
not creating a competition forourselves.
Okay, you want to also makesure that you lead with mutual
value when you introduce yourbusiness, so you're not just
discounting for them, you're notjust giving them that stack of
flyers, but that you are able toreally share and showcase the
value of your business and whatit is that you're proposing that
you do together.
And then you know, as the yourrelationship develops, you're
(22:03):
going to be thinking long-termright.
Yes, initially you're going tospeed, you know, treading
lightly, seeing if it works,getting to know each other, um,
just like in any relationship.
But the real growth will happenwhen you build trust over time.
And then remember, please,please, please, say no to
anything that feels off.
You genuinely want to have astrong sense of alignment
(22:27):
between your brands.
So inside of Thrive we talkabout this all the time.
I talk to my studio ownersabout how to approach businesses
, what they can say, differentways that they can promote their
business and collaborationideas.
We have playbooks and resourcesin the portal that give our
(22:47):
studio owners step-by-step emailtemplates and scripts that they
can use to introduce theirbusinesses to other local
businesses.
And this again, like I said, isa powerful strategy to have in
your back pocket because itgenuinely fuels your business
for years to come.
So if you want a bit of helpbuilding a real marketing
(23:09):
ecosystem that runs even whenyou're not on social media, then
come and check out Thrive.
I hope this was helpful to youas you go about building your
boutique fitness studio business.
If you enjoyed this episode, I'dbe so appreciative if you could
take a really quick minute, goto wherever you're listening to
this and wait and review thispodcast.
(23:30):
It would mean a ton to me andwill help to get the podcast out
into our community so that moreteachers and business owners,
just like you, can feelencouraged and supported on
their journey in our industry.
Did you love this episode andwant more?
Head to spring3.com and checkout my free resources that will
(23:53):
help you run a profitable andfulfilling studio business.
And before you go, one lastreminder there is no one way to
do what you do, only your way.
So whatever it is that you wantto do, create or offer, you've
got this.
Thanks again for joining metoday and have a wonderful rest
(24:15):
of your day.
What if you weren't trying to get your next five
clients from Instagram, butperhaps from the coffee shop
down the street or the skincarestudio around the corner?
Today, we're talking about oneof the most overlooked growth
strategies in the boutiquefitness world, and that is
(00:22):
strategic collaborations.
This isn't about cold callingor awkward collabs.
It's about building realrelationships with the right
local businesses that can helpyou grow together.
Well, hi there, I'm SarenGlanfield.
I'm a business and marketingstrategist just for boutique
(00:42):
fitness studio owners like you.
If you're ready to be inspiredand make a bigger impact, you're
in the right place.
All you need are a few keystrategies, the right mindset
and some support along the way.
Join me as I share the reallife insights that will help you
grow a sustainable andprofitable studio.
(01:04):
This is the Pilates BusinessPodcast.
Well, hey there, friend, andwelcome back to the show.
I'm so glad you're here.
If we haven't met before, I'mSaren Glanfield.
I'm the founder of Spring3Studio Business Consulting and
I've been coaching andconsulting studio owners across
(01:26):
the globe since 2013.
And in all of that time, I haveto say this topic of today's
show is one that I come back toover and over and over again,
because it is so often quicklydismissed and overlooked as a
source of growth for your studio.
(01:46):
So this is certainly a topicI've wanted to talk about for a
while here on the podcast andit's definitely something I want
to perhaps bring back to theforefront of your mind when it
comes to how do I grow and wheredo I find my next new client.
Because if you're a studioowner who's feeling like perhaps
(02:07):
you're constantly pushing fornew leads, constantly worried
perhaps even about where they'recoming from, constantly
checking your social media ortrying to keep posting to social
media, or perhaps wondering whythat referral program you have
isn't referring more, this isthe episode for you I'm going to
be talking about, or I'm goingto be diving into more detail,
(02:31):
talking about collaborations,local collaborations and that is
how to partner with localbusinesses to perhaps create
those win-win situations orrelationships that really help
you to grow your business.
Not only that, help get yourname out there in the community
and build that sense ofcommunity for your business, for
(02:54):
your studio.
And I'll be honest, when youdevelop these types of
relationships within your localcommunity, it really helps take
some of the pressure off of you,especially if you are the one
who is doing all of themarketing, as well as all of the
managing and all of theleadership and all of the
scheduling and all of thetraining.
(03:14):
It can really be helpful to usethat sort of local network to
grow your business.
Now here's the thing Many and Iwould say most studio owners
know that on some level it'shelpful to network locally.
They often know that already,that community matters, but what
(03:35):
perhaps is often overlooked isjust how powerful a very well
chosen partnership can be foryour business.
In fact, I see it over and overagain that it outperforms hours
and hours and hours of contentthat you might have created for
social media.
Not only that, but it createsthis very sort of deep
(03:58):
relationship within your localcommunity or your neighborhood,
and that is kind of a rippleeffect that really keeps people
coming in, perhaps long afterthat initial conversation has
happened with that local fellowbusiness owner.
And so the beauty, I think, ofthis as a lead generation for
(04:22):
your business is that it doesn'thave to be complicated, it
doesn't have to be cheesy, itdoesn't have to be pushy and it
certainly doesn't require you tobe on camera.
In fact, this often plays outreally nicely in the form of
developing a friendship and akinship amongst you and other
fellow local business owners.
So if you've wondered, maybe,who should I partner with?
(04:44):
How does it work?
Do I have to offer themsomething and how do I make sure
that it's the right fit for mybusiness?
We're going to cover all ofthat, and I'm also going to
share a little bit of insight asto what I've observed as
working when I share thisstrategy within my Thrive group
coaching program, who, I shouldsay, many of the studio owners
(05:06):
inside of that program havereally tapped into this method
and have refined it and arecontinuing to refine it.
We talk about it regularlyinside of our group coaching
program calls, and so there isno sort of stone left unturned
when it comes to growing yourbusiness.
Now let's start with the sort ofwhat I see most of all and I
(05:28):
think this is something that isa really common situation to
find yourself in as a boutiquefitness studio owner and that is
that you're often doing all ofyour marketing in isolation.
So perhaps you are puttingtogether posts for Instagram,
tiktok, facebook, all of thoseplaces perhaps even posting and
doing some digital ads, andmaybe every now and again, the
(05:51):
occasional sort of referralrequest pops in, but really you
are the one who is driving allof the driving the bus, as it
were, when it comes to creatingleads for your business, and the
problem with this is that it'spretty tiring, right?
It's exhausting because youhave a lot of other tasks, jobs
and responsibilities to do asthe leader of your business and
(06:14):
often, where we spend the mosttime when it comes to marketing,
aka social media, it's oftennot as efficient as we would
like it to be to bring us newclients, and so, instead of
perhaps being that solo voicetrying to shout out over all of
that noise that exists in theonline space, wouldn't it be
(06:34):
nice if you had some friends inyour local area who promote you
to their amazing clients?
And that's exactly what morestrategic, thoughtful
collaborations and partnershipsare all about.
They're not just about one timeyou know promotions together,
(06:55):
but actually can be more about avery aligned relationship that
benefit both you and them, notjust for one day or one hour,
but for weeks and even monthsand years.
And if you find and when youfind, I should say the right
partnership for your business,you'll find that you share the
same values and you share thesame often the interests for
(07:19):
your clients and that can bereally empowering for you as
well, because you now have afellow local business owner who
understands the situation andperhaps sometimes the challenges
that come with running a smalllocal business.
What else you can do withinyour local community to build
(07:48):
relationships, to network, tobuild a sense of community that
will help to fuel your businessfor years to come.
And I think what most peoplemiss is that it's not about
necessarily working with orcollaborating with or networking
with other fitness businesses.
I think for Pilates, initiallyespecially, I should say our
sort of mind goes to okay, analigned business would be, say,
(08:10):
a physical therapist or a yogastudio or someone else perhaps
who is also sharing a movementmethod of some sort.
And the reality is that thosetypes of businesses can be a
great source of referrals foryour business, for sure, but
that's not the only potentialreferral referee I should say
(08:33):
that you will be able to build arelationship with.
Those types of businesses arecomplimentary businesses.
They often share a similaraudience already, and so you may
not already be tapping into oryou may already be tapping into
that audience, but they, thataudience, may not be looking to
add more fitness to their, totheir world, right.
(08:53):
And so what you want to bemindful of and thoughtful about
and very intentional about isthinking about where you can
find more people who are similarto the types of people that you
have as your clients, and soit's not necessarily about
finding people who do the samething as you.
It's actually about findingpeople who do something that is
different but who might have avery similar type of audience.
(09:16):
So that can be someone like,perhaps, a high-end skin care
studio Maybe already some ofyour clients will frequent there
, and so you know that is wherethere are perhaps more clients
to be found.
A local coffee shop or a juicebar with perhaps more wellness
conscious clientele or regularswho would be interested in your
(09:39):
types of services and offer, ifyou offer, say, pre or postnatal
classes, a boutique maternitystore, would be a perfect
partner for you, right.
And then, obviously, thosecomplimentary businesses as well
physical therapists,chiropractors, wellness centers
and so on that are popping upeverywhere would also be great
(10:02):
as a fun collaboration andpartner for your business.
Now, you don't need necessarilyto have thousands or millions of
new eyeballs on your business.
You just need the right people,because what we know is that it
doesn't take thousands ofpeople walking through the door
of your business to really movethe needle.
Often you're looking for that.
(10:23):
You know that those that set ofnew clients each month that are
going to come in and commit andsort of the more specific the
audience is to your, who arelooking already for what you
have to offer, who are lookingalready for what you have to
offer, the higher yourconversion will be and the less
churn you're going to have whenit comes to your enrollments and
(10:44):
what that means is that morepeople who walk through the door
are going to stay and we likethat a lot.
You'll start to find that asyou think about and we do this a
lot inside of Thrive.
I challenge my studio ownersinside of Thrive often to find
those partnerships locally andto think of those different
businesses, local businesses,and they arrange in what they do
(11:07):
.
It can be quite spectacularwhat's possible when you get
creative and you find that thisactually fuels your business
truly without you needing toreally do a whole lot.
It's a really fabulous thing.
So let's talk a little bitabout what makes a good
partnership, what makes a goodcollaboration partner for your
(11:28):
business, because I think one ofthe things that often we kind
of jump to when it comes tocollaborations and partnerships
is we just think about, perhaps,what promotion or discount I
should say we need to give themin order for them to want to
promote our studio or ourservices, right?
Or we simply sort of walk inwith a, with a, with a stack of
(11:52):
flyers and say, hey, can I leavethese here on the table next to
the counter?
And this is what I would sayvery one-sided in terms of what
the potential could be, and whenyou're asking someone if you
can leave flyers in theirwaiting area, it's more of a
favor.
It's not really a partnership,and I think that there's maybe
(12:15):
some.
There is a little value to that, for sure, but there's usually
more to do, and I'm all aboutmaking sure that we are
squeezing the juice out of thatjust down the street or next
door.
Then I would encourage you toalso think about ways that you
(12:42):
can be a bit more engaged withthat business and therefore also
perhaps a bit more engaged withtheir audience, their clients,
and so there's a lot of mutualvalue opportunities that can
come up that you can create foryour business that will support
those not just that visibilitybut also potential future
(13:05):
referrals.
So things like co-hosting anevent, having a pop-up, doing a
joint promotion together,perhaps even exchanging or
trading services or offers,right, that can result in
perhaps a high value testimonialor case study.
(13:25):
Perhaps there is an opportunityto collaborate via workshops
and tap into each other'saudiences as well.
And so when we think about whatwould make a really great
partner for your studio, we wantto think about how can we both
add value to each other'saudiences.
It's not just about transaction.
(13:45):
It's about what impact can wemake amongst their, for them and
their clients that would makethem want to continue to send or
refer people to our business.
What would make it such thatthey could, or we could, work
together again in the future andbuild perhaps an ongoing
relationship with these types ofevents or interactions?
(14:08):
So think about what they mightget excited about.
And then it's about approachingthat business with a very clear
but very easy way for them tosay yes to what it is you're
offering.
And I would recommend that yoube really thoughtful about the
way that you introduce yourselfif you are new to them, and be
(14:31):
also thoughtful about the waythat you propose what it is that
you're proposing, and oftenthere is so much opportunity
there and I always will comeback to the very foundation of
what it means to be a businessowner, and that is that you
absolutely need to be able toshare and express and articulate
(14:53):
the value that your businesshas to offer.
And although the collaborationpartner is not necessarily a
client of yours, you certainlyneed to still be able to share
with them what it is that you dothat adds value and impact to
the lives of your clients, sothat they perhaps will also see
(15:16):
that incredible value and wanttheir clients to feel and see
that too.
And so this is a greatopportunity to really refine
your marketing phrases, copy andintroduction and really
leverage that to the best ofyour ability in a slightly
different way.
And that takes practice, but italso takes knowing what it is
(15:40):
that you want people to knowabout your business.
So I need to get back on track.
So we talked a little bit abouthow to decide who would be a
good partner for you and what itis perhaps that you could do
together.
That would be interesting forboth of you.
Right Now, I just want to goback to something I mentioned
(16:01):
earlier, and that was that youknow, I think one-off events are
really great I really do.
I think one-off events can befun and powerful and, yes,
impactful.
But I think the real magichappens, especially in a
business like yours, when youhave ongoing partnerships.
And that's because you know,for the most part, you are all
(16:22):
in this business of buildingrelationships with your clients,
and it's likely that thebusinesses that you may approach
also have relationships withtheir clients, and so those
relationships are really whatyou are leaning into when you
are looking for strongcollaboration partners.
(16:45):
And so the real magic happenswhen you're able to have a very
ongoing partnership.
And so it isn't just about thatone time, that one post on
social media or that one emailor that one event.
Instead, be creative about howyou can evolve this
collaboration, this partnership,into something that is more
(17:06):
perhaps ongoing, perhaps it'ssomething that happens monthly
or quarterly, or there arecertain exclusive offers for
each other's clientele.
So you want to think less likejust a one-time advertiser here
and more like a communitybuilder, a relationship builder,
because we're looking to reallytap into that compounding
(17:28):
effect here, where you know onereally fabulous partner or
collaboration can really driveyour business for years, and
because most of you are in thisto build a business, not just in
the short term, but a businessthat grows sustainably each and
every year.
It will pay you back in bucketloads to invest in these types
(17:53):
of relationships, and I wouldalways start with the easy one
right.
Start with the business thatyou perhaps already have some
sort of a personal connectionwith, and think about what would
make sense in terms of how youcould then turn that into
perhaps a long-termcollaboration and partnership.
(18:13):
Now, that said, there will betimes where not every
collaboration and partnershipwill go well, and that's okay.
It's part of being in business.
Just like some clients come andgo, just like some clients
aren't, you know your cup of tea.
Partnerships and networkcollaborations are similar too.
In that scenario, we have tonot, you know, we have to just
(18:40):
like we have to practice and tobe able to articulate our value
in our marketing efforts, andespecially when we introduce
ourselves to other businesses,we also have to learn the art of
setting boundaries and sayingno, and not every opportunity is
going to be a good fit.
So if a potential partner, onceyou begin to talk about these
different opportunities, doesn'treally feel like they align
(19:02):
with your values, perhaps theydon't really match the same kind
of brand, or perhaps you findthat they have a very different
type of clientele or audiencethan you perhaps initially
thought.
It's okay to say, hey, this wasgreat meeting with you.
Than you perhaps initiallythought it's okay to say, hey,
this was great meeting with you.
Let's perhaps regroup again ina few months time.
(19:22):
Or it's okay to simply say thisis not the right fit for us
right now, and I think it'sreally important to know when to
draw that line, because far toooften, I see so many business
owners investing in their timeand their energy and I think
it's more, they areunintentionally investing their
time and energy intopartnerships that are not right.
(19:45):
And you want to make sure thatyou're protecting your brand,
you're protecting your energy sothat you can focus on the
things that really matter andmove the needle on those
relationships that are going tohelp you to grow and are going
to create good energy for youand your business.
So don't say yes just to staybusy.
Don't say yes just because youthink you have to Say yes when
(20:06):
it feels aligned, when it feelsintentional and when it feels
sustainable.
So please, please, please,trust your gut and if something
feels a little bit off, it maywell be, and the key really here
is focusing on the quality ofthose relationships over the
quantity.
Okay, so we're looking for,ideally, in the way that I like
(20:29):
to grow businesses and like theway that I like to grow studio
businesses is by buildingrelationships that are true and
aligned and are going to supportyou for years.
So, quick recap First of all,you do not need to do marketing
alone.
When you have got some greatpartnerships in your back pocket
(20:52):
, what happens is that you canamplify your reach within your
local community.
Not only that, but you willalso deepen the roots within
your local community, and thosethings mean that your business
is getting talked about withoutyou posting on social media,
which is only a good thing,right, and what I will say is
(21:16):
that, when it comes to choosingthe right people to partner with
, they will likely share youraudience, but they won't compete
with what you have to offer,and I think that's something
really important to remember inthe back of your mind, because
we want to make sure that we'rereaching new people with the
partners that we arecollaborating with, but we're
(21:39):
not creating a competition forourselves.
Okay, you want to also makesure that you lead with mutual
value when you introduce yourbusiness, so you're not just
discounting for them, you're notjust giving them that stack of
flyers, but that you are able toreally share and showcase the
value of your business and whatit is that you're proposing that
you do together.
And then you know, as the yourrelationship develops, you're
(22:03):
going to be thinking long-termright.
Yes, initially you're going tospeed, you know, treading
lightly, seeing if it works,getting to know each other, um,
just like in any relationship.
But the real growth will happenwhen you build trust over time.
And then remember, please,please, please, say no to
anything that feels off.
You genuinely want to have astrong sense of alignment
(22:27):
between your brands.
So inside of Thrive we talkabout this all the time.
I talk to my studio ownersabout how to approach businesses
, what they can say, differentways that they can promote their
business and collaborationideas.
We have playbooks and resourcesin the portal that give our
(22:47):
studio owners step-by-step emailtemplates and scripts that they
can use to introduce theirbusinesses to other local
businesses.
And this again, like I said, isa powerful strategy to have in
your back pocket because itgenuinely fuels your business
for years to come.
So if you want a bit of helpbuilding a real marketing
(23:09):
ecosystem that runs even whenyou're not on social media, then
come and check out Thrive.
I hope this was helpful to youas you go about building your
boutique fitness studio business.
If you enjoyed this episode, I'dbe so appreciative if you could
take a really quick minute, goto wherever you're listening to
this and wait and review thispodcast.
(23:30):
It would mean a ton to me andwill help to get the podcast out
into our community so that moreteachers and business owners,
just like you, can feelencouraged and supported on
their journey in our industry.
Did you love this episode andwant more?
Head to spring3.com and checkout my free resources that will
(23:53):
help you run a profitable andfulfilling studio business.
And before you go, one lastreminder there is no one way to
do what you do, only your way.
So whatever it is that you wantto do, create or offer, you've
got this.
Thanks again for joining metoday and have a wonderful rest
(24:15):
of your day.
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