Turning dreams into reality
For so many opening their own studio is a dream. For savvy Lottie Maynard, she quickly turned her love for Pilates into a full-time career. She tells The Pilates Journal how she did it.
-------------------------
UK born and bred, Lottie’s Pilates journey first started when she moved to Australia eight years ago. “Right from the start I instantly fell in love with Pilates, so within a year of moving to Australia I had signed up to Studio Pilates to train as an instructor. I wanted to become an instructor so I could understand more about the benefits of Pilates, I really love learning new things plus it gave me an opportunity to meet new people in a new country,” said Lottie.
“The minute I taught my first practice class I knew this is what I wanted to do! Due to visa regulations, I wasn’t allowed to have two jobs, so I taught for free for nearly a year alongside my full time job but it was the best experience,” said Lottie.
With a background as an accountant and her studies in Pilates, Lottie knew she could develop a business she loved and that’s when her first studio, Studio Combined, was born.
“I was so lucky with Studio Combined, I met my business partner through my husband and my business partner happened to have an empty room in the back of his chiropractor clinic which got turned into my studio. It was a great stepping stone to see if owning a studio was for me,” she said.
As fate would have it, Lottie would open Studio Combined only a few months before the first lockdown hit in Australia. “When I was told we had to close, I went straight into the studio and filmed back-to-back classes so we could create an online platform in a few days! During the peak, I was teaching four classes a week, but I loved it as the classes were at times my family and friends in the UK could also attend, so it also became a way I could catch up with the UK! To this day I still teach a lot of them on zoom now!” she said.
“The biggest learning I took from this time was how quickly you had to react and pivot in business. It didn’t matter if I didn’t have all the fancy equipment or gear, all I needed to launch an online pilates platform was a phone and tripod!
After six and a half years of living and teaching in Bondi, Lottie and her partner decided it was time to move back to the UK and open up her own studio there. “I named my second studio Bondi Rise because I wanted to take a piece of Bondi back with me. The word rise comes from remembering the most magical sunrises on Bondi Beach when the world hasn’t quite woken up, but the beach is so busy and full of life! I also used my learnings from my first studio so that when I opened Bondi Rise in May this year I could replicate the process!” she said.
“If there’s one thing that I naturally took into both studios it’s my immense love for teaching and working with clients. I absolutely adore meeting new people and hearing how Pilates is helping or has helped them. It is such a rewarding job, a class never feels like work! I’m fortunate that my Bondi Rise studio has such a wonderful community that it feels like I’m catching up with friends every time I teach a class.
“I also love the community I’ve built online. It’s wild how much it’s grown in the last year I think people loved seeing my journey from Australia to the UK and then opening the studio here in the UK, so my following grew with the journey. For me, community is the most important thing, so I think that spending a fair bit of time growing my studios following. I’m blown away that so many have cared about my journey.” she said.
So what is Lottie’s favourite way to move?
“I do four to five Pilates workouts a week, but only 20 to 30 minutes at a time. I’m all about little and often! I find that way I can really concentrate on my goal for that session, so working core for example or lower body, or just a lovely stretch! And then I walk lots, either taking my dog out or walking to the studio, and it’s surprising how many steps you clock up when teaching class! I occasionally do weight training, but I wouldn’t count that as part of my weekly routine, she said.
In between moving from one country to another and building a new business, Lottie also found the time to get married.
“It was the most magical day of my life! When I think back to the day, I still can’t believe that was my wedding, it feels like a dream. Our wedding was so special as our friends from Australia and our friends and family from the UK were all in the same place at once rather than being on opposite sides of the world! I wish we could do it all again!!,” she mentioned.
If Lottie had any words of advice for those looking to start their own studio, this would be it.
“Believe in your vision and dream. There will be hurdles and challenges like there are with any new business, but as long as you truly believe in yourself you can do anything you put your mind to. And remember you could have the fanciest studio in the world, but at the end of the day, the most important thing is how you’ve made your client feel when they leave your class,” said Lottie.
Lottie Maynard owns Bondi Rise in London, UK.