Pilates Business Podcast

Stop Spinning Your Wheels: How Small Habits Drive Big Results for Your Studio

• Seran Glanfield • Season 21 • Episode 203

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The Power Duo for Studio Success: Accountability and Consistency


In this episode of The Pilates Business Podcast, Seran Glanfield unpacks the two essential elements that separate thriving studio owners from those stuck in overwhelm: accountability and consistency. As a seasoned business coach for boutique fitness studios, Seran shares why simply having great ideas isn't enough and offers actionable strategies to help studio owners step outside their comfort zones and make real progress.

Discover how to:

  • Build accountability into your routine to stay on track with your goals.
  • Leverage the compounding effect of consistency to see lasting results.
  • Break free from comfort zones that hold you back and embrace growth.

Whether you're looking to grow your studio, attract new clients, or streamline your business operations, this episode is packed with insights to help you move forward with confidence.


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Speaker 1:

Here's the truth about success. The most successful people in business don't just have great ideas. They have other things that help them to reach that level of success as well, and those two things are accountability and consistency to follow through. So let me ask you are you setting big goals for your business, but you feel like you're spinning your wheels trying to reach them? Or maybe you know what you need to do, but sticking with it? That's the hardest part. In this episode, I'm going to talk about the power duo that truly fuels business growth, and I'm going to share actionable tips to help you step out of that comfort zone and make real progress in your business, because now's the time to decide whether you're going to make this the year for you, and if the answer is yes, I sure am then this is the episode for you. Well, hi there, I'm Saren Glanfield. I'm a business and marketing strategist just for boutique fitness studio owners like you. If you're ready to be inspired and make a bigger impact, you're in the right place. All you need are a few key strategies, the right mindset and some support along the way. Join me as I share the real life insights that will help you grow a sustainable and profitable studio.

Speaker 1:

This is the Pilates Business Podcast. Welcome back to the Pilates Business Podcast. I'm your host, sarah Glanfield. I am a business coach and consultant to boutique fitness studios, and I've been doing this part of the thing since 2013. That's when I first started working with studio owners on the business side and over that well over a decade of seeing firsthand inside and behind the scenes and being alongside founders and operators of boutique fitness studios, I have seen a lot and I've been so fortunate to get to work with so many people and from various different backgrounds and with different visions and different goals, and it has been truly fascinating to see how different people approach business and business growth. And one of the things that you know I'm most focused on when I work with studio owners is helping you to grow a profitable but a sustainable studio business. So that is one that doesn't have doesn't leave you feeling exhausted and overwhelmed, but one that you're energized by, one that you're kind of curious about what's possible for you when you wake up.

Speaker 1:

By. One that you're kind of curious about what's possible for you when you wake up in the morning and you walk into that studio, one where you're wondering what's next, but also excited for what's next, and it's an interesting to see that what I've observed, and what I've had the great fortune of being able to observe, is that it isn't just about having ideas, and it isn't even just about where you live in the world or what you offer in your studio. There are other factors that I think that I've seen drive the success of many that perhaps others don't have and are even unaware that they might be able to develop specific habits or skills that can make the difference between a business that is thriving and one that feels like it's constantly struggling to gain traction. And there are, I think sort of there's a few different components that go into it, but the two specifically that I would say show up more often with those people who are most successful in business, and that is that they hold themselves accountable and that they are consistent about their efforts. These are two habits, and I think they are habits that you can develop, really make the biggest difference. And it really does matter because, as studio owners, you know, we often have these aspirations right, these big goals or these, this vision of what we want for our business, but having that idea is just, is actually kind of the easy part. What is more difficult, I think, and more challenging because it requires a level of discipline which is that you have to commit to getting there and that commitment has to come before you can even um, you can even make the first step. And so committing to your own success, I think, is often one of those things that often just stops people in their tracks.

Speaker 1:

And when I get to work with folks who just have this vision and are committed to going after that vision, they are willing to show up every day and they're excited by the day to day progress. They're making, the things they're doing to move them towards that next goal or that next milestone. And I think for those people there is a level of accountability that they hold themselves to and that they are okay with that accountability because they're okay with being a little bit uncomfortable. So there are some folks, I think, who might be on some very often I think this is very subconscious but sometimes afraid of actually even committing to their goals, because it can be kind of scary to just be very sort of fully responsible for your success, especially, I think, if you've always perhaps worked for someone else, where your success especially, I think, if you've always perhaps worked for someone else, where your success is actually someone else's responsibility to some degree, right, when we own our own business, the full weight of your success sits on your shoulders, and that is something that we have to be courageous about embracing as studio business owners. About embracing as studio business owners Now, you know, we, we are all creatures of habit.

Speaker 1:

We have a lot of biases inside of us as human beings, and one of those things is that we, you know, in our brains, tell us things and our brains will tell us to do the things that are most safe, and so there, there's a lot of benefits to that. It can, it can make us and so there, there's a lot of benefits to that. It can, it can make us, you know, keep us alive, right, but it also often it keeps us small, keeps us in a side of a comfort zone that actually halts progress and growth in business as well, and so the reality is that you have to be willing to to hold yourself accountable to step a little bit out of your comfort zone, but you have to be willing to hold yourself accountable to step a little bit out of your comfort zone, but you have to be willing to do that very consistently and I think very often we're willing to do that for the first little bit. We're willing to sort of go for it when we first open a studio or start a business or try something new or do something, offer a new type of a class or try a new piece of equipment. But we're often very without that sort of commitment to that long-term success. We often then sort of slowly sort of step back into that comfort zone and look for that comfort zone.

Speaker 1:

And what I observed and I've been very fortunate to be able to cross paths with many very successful people, not just in the boutique fitness industry but outside and life in general and what I've been able to observe about those people is that they don't have that desire to stay comfortable. They're actually just comfortable being uncomfortable. And I think this might be the key truly to success, and I think about it in terms of perhaps even just my movement practice to success. And I think about it in terms of perhaps even just my movement practice. And we never make progress in terms of our strength, mobility or endurance if we do the same exact workout every single day of the week. There are some ways we often need to change or challenge what we're doing to reach that next level of progression in our movement practice, especially if our goals are beyond where we are today. So the good news is that these are skills you can absolutely develop. These are habits that you can develop for yourself, and it's not about being perfect, but it is about showing up with intention. It's about believing in yourself, about committing to your own success and building momentum over time.

Speaker 1:

So let's talk about a little bit more about why accountability and consistency are so essential for studios, and I think, when it comes to accountability, it's like having a mirror that shows you the truth. Without it, it's easy to convince yourself that you're working hard when in reality, maybe you're just spinning your wheels. When you're accountable to others and I think this is one of the things that we do really well inside of Thrive we talk about what we want to do, we talk about our goals. Regularly, you find yourself accountable to someone else yourself accountable to someone else, and we know that research has shown that when you are able to talk about your goals with others, you're far more likely to take action, even if it's uncomfortable. So if you told a friend you'd meet them for a 6am run tomorrow morning, you probably would show up, even if you wanted to hit snooze, right, and so the same principle applies to your business.

Speaker 1:

Now, what we what we, I think are most scared of when it comes to perhaps sharing a goal or something we want to do or something that we want to achieve is we're worried about what other people will think if we do or if you were, if we don't achieve the thing. And I want you to be selective about who you share your goals with, because when you're, when you're sharing your goals, like we do in Thrive, with folks who are like-minded and supportive, it isn't about judgment. It's actually about support. This isn't about labeling you as a successful or a failure. If you do, you don't meet your targets. It's actually about support. This isn't about labeling you as a successful or a failure If you do or you don't meet your targets. It's about supporting along the way, because this is a journey and it's that structure that really helps you to follow through, especially when perhaps you're erring on. Maybe I shouldn't, should I do it this way, should I do it that way? Is this working? And that motivation kind of wanes. So that accountability is really really critical.

Speaker 1:

Okay, now the second element that I think is critical is consistency, and this is truly where the magic happens. It's the compounding effect of showing up regularly. So you might not see results immediately, and I think this is another sort of mindset shift that we have to embrace, which is that we're not looking for wins necessarily every single day, but we're looking for regular growth and we're looking for progress and we're looking for results that reflect the efforts of showing up. So what that means is that you want to be consistent with your efforts around marketing, around customer and client lead generation, around retention efforts, and we don't see results tomorrow. We will see results maybe two weeks or even three months or even sometimes six months down the road.

Speaker 1:

Now the secret is that accountability and consistency are kind of like peanut butter and jelly. They work really well together. They're good on their own, but together they are kind of the secret sauce, because accountability is how you kind of set those goals and you set a direction, and consistency is about showing up and being, and regularly showing up to meet those goals, to make that progress and move forward. And let's be real, committing to your goals is scary because it means really taking responsibility. What if you fail? What if you disappoint yourself or others? But the truth is, honestly, avoiding commitment doesn't protect you, it just keeps you stuck. And then some might say, keeps you comfortable. Right, and we've all been there. It's far easier to stay where it's familiar, and I think I want to be really clear here. It's not about doing crazy stuff, it's not about being extreme with taking risks at all. Trust me, I am the most risk averse person you'll ever meet, possibly.

Speaker 1:

But what I believe in is moving beyond the comfort zone when you know it's going to be good for you and your business. And so, while it might feel safe, it is probably holding you back and you're missing out on potential revenue or potential visibility. So if you don't want to show up on social media, you're probably preventing someone who we know is out there looking for exactly what you have to offer from finding you, and that one client could be that perfect client who's going to come three or four times a week and tell all their friends about you, and that is a missed opportunity, because you maybe wanted to stay comfortable and not show your face on social media or not post a video. Pushing outside of your comfort zone might mean that you start to do something like that. I think what we are often waiting for is motivation to show up when we need to sort of take action, and it's kind of a myth that motivation comes, that it just shows up one day, you know, just lands on your lap. The reality is that motivation is fleeting. The first thing that you have to have is that commitment, right, and I think that it's that commitment that then drives the discipline to move forward, to make progress, to take action.

Speaker 1:

So let's talk about how you can perhaps build a little bit more accountability and consistency into your business and your world, and the first thing I would like to sort of perhaps suggest is that you think about what works for you, how you work. Well when it comes to accountability, some people are pretty self-disciplined and once they set that goal, they move towards it on their own. They need very little help and input from others, whereas other people are really excited about having someone else alongside them who can check in with them on a regular basis. For some people it's once a week, some people it's once a month, some people it's every day. So you know yourself and be mindful of what you know works well for you and if you find that you want someone to work alongside, then you'll find that joining a group like Thrive, where you get studio owners who are like-minded, who understand your world and your business and who you can bounce ideas off of when it comes to what works and what could work, and how people may have done it before you and how you could do it for your business, we'll find it incredibly powerful, because having that sort of accountability buddy or accountability group will really help you to walk sort of almost walk through the idea, talk it through out loud, which helps you to visualize it as well, and then we start to just. You will find it really. Things start to fall into place and you don't even need someone else to harass you. You'll find that you start moving in that direction, naturally.

Speaker 1:

So having an accountability group or buddy is very, very powerful. You might also want to use that opportunity and to challenge yourself a little bit, to set those deadlines, tell your team, tell your clients about your goals and use that sort of external accountability as well. So having people around you who are aware of what you want to do and what your goals are and people who are, by the way, supportive of you, is really really helpful and I would call that sort of like that accountability structure. So I think you know, when we're trying to build a business on our own, this is a business that is mostly you perhaps making the decisions. Knowing that you can, you have some trusted and informed support around you is is really really helpful.

Speaker 1:

Now we also know that big goals can be, you know, kind of overwhelming, kind of scary, right For sure, and so you know often that's kind of the big reason why we don't get there. So one of the things I encourage you to do, just like I encourage the studio owners that I work with to do, is to break big goals down into more manageable steps. And you know, inside of Thrive we talk through very you know when we, when we do our planning sessions, our business planning sessions, we talk through what those steps look like and what really is a manageable step. And I think that this is something that you know is a is a habit that you're going to get into, is a way, way of thinking about goals, where you take that big goal and you break it down into three or five or even eight milestones, that then you make those your kind of tasks or to-dos over the course of a week or a month to move you forward over time towards that project or that goal, and it's perhaps about it is then about showing up. That is where that consistency comes into play.

Speaker 1:

So, for example, if your goal is to be more active on social media because you believe there is opportunity there to get new clients and to engage your current client community, then maybe the the one of the milestones is I want to start with posting three times a week um to social media, right, and then maybe, once you reach that goal, you might decide you want to post more often. Or maybe you want to decide that you want to invest in having someone else help you to create that content for you. And the reality is that, when it comes to setting goals and reaching goals, we want to focus on the progression and the forward progression of your business and of what you want to achieve, not about making every single step perfect along the way, because perfection will just blow you up, okay, so in not a good way. So focus on progress, not perfection. So I also am a big fan when it comes to when we're talking about anything around accountability and consistency is that we aren't just looking for more and thinking about doing more and more and more and more and more. And I think it's really important that when we set goals for ourselves and then we set those milestones along the way, that we also are very aware, as we reach those milestones, of how we're going to celebrate and say, hey, you know what I did, that I got this far, I hit that milestone, or I've completed that goal, I got there. And I think it's super important to acknowledge your progress.

Speaker 1:

And oftentimes, as a solo business owner if you are, you know, if it's just you or even if you have a partner, you know you a partner it can be quite hard to share your wins with other people. Who do you share them with? Do they even understand that? This is kind of a big deal? So you want to make sure you have someone that you can share your wins with. Now, inside of Thrive we do this, I mean, every time. We talk, every single week, we are talking about what progression, what wins people have had, and we're celebrating them. And when you're within a group like Thrive of like-minded studio owners, no matter what that win is, no matter how small it is, your fellow studio owners inside of that group will know that it is a mighty win for you and celebrate with you accordingly. So you have to acknowledge your progress. You have to keep looking back down that mountain.

Speaker 1:

Now, I don't expect to be perfect all the time, and so when something happens, unattached to the emotion of that failure, they don't allow it to define them or, ultimately, their success, and so they're quick to change direction or to fix what's happening, or they're willing to recommit to improvement or that next progression. So you know, I think often I'm going to actually give you a perfect example. So perhaps you add a, you have a full class schedule and people are on the wait list, and so naturally you would say I'm going to add some more classes to the schedule, right, great. And so you add a few classes to the schedule, but they don't fill quite as quickly as you sort of anticipated because all of your other classes are full. And so perhaps you launch a new class, only a few people sign up and maybe you only give it a couple of weeks to sort of get going, and then you pull the class and you go back to a position where you now have zero capacity on your schedule, and so many folks will find themselves doing that and and and unfortunately, when you do that, you take away the opportunity to learn about what might have actually worked better in that scenario. And so if your goal is ultimately to say, to add capacity to your schedule, to put capacity on and take it away, it's not going to help you to move towards that long-term goal.

Speaker 1:

So adding classes is a great first step, but maybe we need to change the class times. Maybe they need a bit more of a promotion around them. Maybe it was the holidays and no one was really taking new classes or adding any classes to their routine during that period of time, and so we cannot just sort of give up and then not keep trying when we know that ultimately, we need to do the thing and make it work. And so there's usually more than one way to reach the goal, and the question is are you willing to try something different? So you're going to learn from action, you're going to learn from implementation, and we want to make sure that we are then, instead of deciding that it's failing or not, that we are learning as we go.

Speaker 1:

So, whether it is successful or whether it's not successful, we are learning from the activity and the action that we take, because very, very often in your business, whenever you're taking action that is a little bit outside of the comfort zone, or you're trying something new, or you're adding, say, classes to your schedule, there's something that you're going to have to perhaps do again and again and again. And so you want to get comfortable and understand what worked and what didn't, even if those classes fill up immediately why did they fill up immediately? Who else was there? Who came, why do they come? What are the class times and you want to gather as much information to make sure that you're making informed decisions and so, when it comes to the next time around, you know what you need to do and you can even perhaps refine your process even more.

Speaker 1:

So, ultimately, you know, I think what we've talked mostly about here is about embracing a little bit of discomfort on a very consistent basis, because that growth really does happen outside of your comfort zone, and the more that you can kind of just practice stepping into a little bit of discomfort, truly, the easier it becomes. And so I encourage you to start small. Take, do something that perhaps you've been a little bit concerned about doing, a little bit scared of, not really sure about trying to find reasons why you shouldn't. So, whether it's perhaps reaching out to a local business for a collaboration or finally filming that reel for Instagram, take one uncomfortable action this week and I want you to keep your eyes on that bigger picture. I want you to think about how your business might benefit and change long-term if you stick with your activity, your action steps, those day-to-day tasks that are going to lead you towards your goals. So let's do a quick recap.

Speaker 1:

Today I talked about accountability and consistency and stepping out of your comfort zone on a regular basis, and I also dove into some of the reasons why. Perhaps that is a struggle, and it's a struggle for many of us because ultimately, we're going against this very natural bias that we have to avoid things that are scary. So it's very common, we all have these concerns, these feelings, and the reality is that the more you're willing to step out of your comfort zone, the more natural it will feel and the more comfortable you will be just beyond that comfort zone. So the actionable steps that you can take today to help to build that little bit of structure around accountability into your business and a little bit more consistency into your routine will really, really support your long-term business growth. Because the truth is, honestly, success isn't about these huge giant leaps, about taking extreme action right, truly, when you're building a business that is stable, that is sustainable and that is long-term profitable for you and able to pay you sustainable and that is long-term profitable for you and able to pay you. It's about small, consistent steps with accountability. You can do this and I'll be here cheering you on every step of the way.

Speaker 1:

So, if you found this helpful, it's a very interesting topic. I could go on for hours talking about this. Please, please, please, let me know, and I'd love it if you could share it with another studio owner perhaps, who you've had some conversations with around this, who perhaps could use a little bit of encouragement, or who might want to become your accountability buddy. Until next time, keep showing up for yourself and your success. You are capable of far more than you think. Success. You are capable of far more than you think. Did you love this episode and want more? Head to spring3.com and check out my free resources that will help you run a profitable and fulfilling studio business. And, before you go, one last reminder there is no one way to do what you do only your way. So whatever it is that you want to do, create or offer, you've got this. Thanks again for joining me today and have a wonderful rest of your day.