Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Leslie Lawson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Leslie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory of how you established your own practice.

I began practicing Pilates in NYC in Fall 2001. After rehabbing a serious shoulder injury several years later, I fell in love with the practice all over again. While wrapping up a long-term television job in Doral, I realized that I wanted to help people with their fitness and in November 2016 Renegade Pilates was born on Miami’s Upper East Side.

Here are the steps and lessons that I learned along the way. After researching the market, deciding on a name, legally setting up the business, securing a domain and commissioning a logo, the next step was to find the neighborhood and secure a commercial space.

Lesson #1 Start small but allow yourself to grow.

Start looking at commercial space as soon as possible. It took several months, but I found a 600 sq ft space ion a busy street. We shared a parking lot and were close to the sidewalk so even though we were on a main road our visibility wasn’t the best. Also, we had a lot of competition as 2 other studios opened in the area around the same time. If your landlord owns other properties close by always ask for a Do Not Compete so that surrounding spaces are not leased to potential competitors. The space made sense at the time but after 2 years we quickly outgrew it and decided to make another investment in the business and move to a much larger and newly renovated, beautiful space a few blocks away.

Lesson #2 Launch or convert your current website asap

I hired a major company to design and host our website and unfortunately, ran into a ton of issues. It took 2.5 years for us to appear on Google organically which definitely slowed our growth. My advice is to hire someone local who is familiar with SEO. To make an impact on people’s lives your customers need to know where to find you.

Lesson #3 Cashflow and the unexpected

Plan for the worst but expect the best. Before you spend money, determine the return. After the basics and setting up your systems, make sure you have access to cash/credit. Open your accounts BEFORE you need them. These are your safety nets. Don’t be afraid of debt but be smart about it. Before you spend money, ask yourself how your purchase will add value for your clients and your bottom line.

Lesson #4 Always keep learning

In the service business, a happy owner makes a happy client. Competitors may try to critique you but never retaliate. Learn and perfect your craft, use setbacks and injuries to increase your knowledge and allow time for yourself to learn new things every day. Take advantage of your struggles in order to become a better teacher, a better business owner and a better person.

Lesson #5 Hire the right people

Take the time to find the right people for the right job. Compensate your employees fairly and incentivize them to grow with the company. Place people in the roles that they excel in and enjoy. I was lucky to find the right people early on and many of them are still with me today.

Leslie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Active since childhood, I’ve always enjoyed working out and moving my body through gymnastics, dance, Pilates and other activities. Around 2011 I injured my shoulder which left me with severe pain and decreased strength and range of motion. Simple things like putting on a jacket, driving and carrying a light bag became extremely difficult. After physical therapy and a botched surgery which worsened the condition, I turned to stem cells and returned to my love of Pilates. With a lot of hard work, I began the slow and steady process of working the body as a whole and rehabbing my shoulder.

Excited by my results, I continued to practice Pilates regularly while working in television. Boutique fitness was on the rise, and I realized that this was something I could help others with and do full time. After opening the studio, I decided to delve deeper and become certified in the craft.

During my injury, I missed the camaraderie of group classes. I was new to Miami and didn’t know many people and felt isolated. I wanted my studio to be a warm and welcoming place where people feel comfortable and are inspired by others.

Renegade Pilates currently offers small group reformer classes as well as private instruction and concierge services. We are partnered with a 5 star resort and welcome hotel, spa and condo inquiries.

We firmly believe that the client sets the goal, Pilates is the tool and the teacher is the guide. This is your journey, and we are here to help.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Obviously, Covid was a major pivot point for a great number of people. We used the government mandated shutdown to temporarily convert our classes from in person to Zoom and used the time to refresh our pricing and offer clients more freedom by moving away from long term contracts. In addition, we cut back where we could but expanded other revenue lines such as privates and concierge service.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I always try to run the business through the eyes of the client. My best advice is to be true to your word, treat all clients fairly and help when and where you can. If you need to have an uncomfortable conversation, have it early and proceed with kindness.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.renegadepilates.com
• Instagram: @renegadepilatesmiami
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/PilatesMiami419
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/renegade-pilates