“What No One Tells You About Being Fully Booked”
You did it. Your schedule is fully booked. Classes are full! And, you’ve even got a waitlist. So, why doesn’t it feel like glitter and rainbows? Why do you have this gnawing feeling? For many Pilates teachers and studio owners a full book isn’t the dream they thought it would be. It can feel like you’re teetering on the edge of burnout. And, even leave you wondering if this is all there is.
But first, if you’re reading this thinking that you would never complain, dread or feel overwhelmed by a full schedule, I invite you to keep reading. Because, what many don’t realize is that the chase to a full schedule without clearly articulated goals will end in the near or full burnout stage.
Let’s busts some myths:
Fully booked schedules equal profitable Pilates business:
Not necessarily. Too often people base rates off of what they feel comfortable saying out loud or what the “market rate” is. If your rates aren’t based on your business goals and life's needs, you can be fully booked and still broke.
A full schedule equals a dream schedule:
NOPE! Again, too many teachers say yes to teaching when clients request and not based on when they prefer to teach. Thus creating a demanding schedule that has barely any room for filling their cup. Yep. I’m talking to you Pilates lover - who feels like you have no time to do Pilates.
Full schedule means you no longer have to market:
Sorry love, you still do. Clients move, get sick, get promoted, need surgery, have a baby (or grand baby), fall in love, get a dog etc. Of course, if they’re experiencing benefits from you, this can lead to referrals. But it doesn’t mean you’re done telling people what you rock at.
You’ll love all your clients and going to work is a dream:
Depending on who you’ve attracted and the boundaries you’ve put in place, it's possible you hate it all. Yes, you can be doing what you love and be unhappy because from the beginning you weren’t specific in your marketing and you didn’t implement a client agreement that protects your energy and their goals.
This last one does get people feeling some fear. Worry that there are not enough people. And, I want to be clear—clarity in who you’re best served to teach doesn’t mean turning away other people. It simply allows you to market to a specific group to ensure that you’re teaching people who you are most qualified and excited to teach.
Ideally every Pilates teacher would start out with a rate that, when fully booked, supported their lifestyle and those in it. That rate would also cover time off, slow seasons etc. Every teacher would also have a desired schedule mapped out that prioritized them first. For example, when they want to go to bed, wake up, do Pilates, be with family, then when they like to teach. And, every teacher would have clarity in the type of person they are best suited to teach.
Then, every teacher would have tools and client agreements that would train people how to treat them, the studio and their practice.
All of this would set the teacher up so when they are fully booked the math maths! The teacher’s cup is filled first and clients are respecting the teacher’s space.
Unfortunately, most people do things a bit backwards and when they get to the dream of being fully booked they are also at the brink of burnout. They feel their clients will leave if they change their rates or schedule.
They feel more like a secretary, accountant, cleaning person and babysitter than they do a Pilates teacher.
While change is hard, it is possible.
If you’re fully booked and loving life, congratulations! Pat yourself on the back and take some time to reflect on what you love that’s working for you.
However, if you’re fully booked (or getting close) and stressing out, it’s time to do an audit:
Rates: If you haven’t raised your rates in a year, it's time. And, from here on out it's an annual non-negotiable. Raise your rates 5% and you can lose 5% of your clients and make the same amount of money in less time. Side note: it's ok for people to say “you’re too expensive.” It’s not personal.
Schedule: I want you to write your dream schedule out. If you need help with this we have tools to help you design it and change it. If you’re not in a place to fire a client or two whenever a client is out of town during a time you wish you were not teaching, block it off!!
Review your client agreement: Create new rules if needed or reinstate rules you had but haven’t been upholding. If clients are texting you all day any day and they are supposed to use the scheduling tool, remind them of the policy, apologize for not helping them do this, train them how to do it and boldly claim the date this goes back into effect.
Schedule time to move your body, be taught by someone or login and press play on a Pilates workout. Your practice comes first.
Create a waitlist system, ideally using your scheduling tool.
Consider consolidating clients into duos or trios so that you have room to bring on new clients and move them into classes.
Being fully booked shouldn’t be a bad thing. It absolutely can be the Pilates impact party you always hoped for. But it doesn’t just happen. It requires clarity in what you want and systems that support you and your future clients.
Lesley Logan fell in love with Pilates after her first 100! From side-hustle to full time, she jumped from teacher to manager to running multiple studios. She wrote a book that focused on the business of Pilates, which grew into ProfitablePilates.com and is now a business coaching program called Agency. Take class from LL at OnlinePilatesClasses.com and listen to her podcast at LesleyLogan.co/podcast. When not in Las Vegas she travels, leading workshops and retreats around the world.
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