Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Carin Corrie. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Carin, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?
I honestly hope I never have a “regular job” again. Being a business owner really suits my personality. I feel like I can be in full control of not only my professional life but also my personal and family life. I love being a business owner nearly all the time. Of course it comes with its ups and downs. Every job will. But I would rather the hardships that come with being a business owner than the ones that come with working for someone else.
Carin, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I was born and raised in Abq, NM and from the young age of 3, I started my dancing career. I was a classically trained ballerina and jazz dancer my whole life. I really didn’t know what I wanted to do when I grew up so when it came time to go to college, I went to business school and the University of New Mexico. During my undergraduate years I danced for the UNM dance team which was a type of dance I had never experienced before. I loved it! While getting my BBA, I thought about the idea of law school for a bit but that eventually fizzled out. After I graduated with my degree in 2012, I could no longer dance on the dance team so I “retired.” There aren’t any professional teams to dance for in Albuquerque so it was kind of the end of the road for me. Still not knowing what I wanted out of life, I decided to go to grad school for my MBA. In my first semester without dance I decided I missed it too much and wanted to pursue it again. This led me to Phoenix, Arizona. I continued going to grad school online and danced professionally for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns from 2013 -2015. It was during my time in Phoenix that I found my love for Pilates. I still remember the first time I took a Pilates class and immediately calling my boyfriend (now husband) and telling him I would open a studio in Albuquerque one day. I enrolled in a teacher training program while still living in Phoenix and completed that before moving back home to marry my husband in 2015. After we got married, I wasn’t financially ready to open my own studio yet. And I had barely started teaching Pilates so I wasn’t confident enough in my abilities yet. I ended up getting a sales and event planning job in hospitality for a few years while I worked at a few Pilates studios to really perfect my teaching abilities and get an understanding of what I needed to know and learn to one day open my own place. I became a Master Instructor in Pilates in 2018. I eventually quit my hospitality job and quit working at the other studios I was teaching at in the fall of 2021. It was in April of 2022 that I opened the doors of my very first studio: CORR Pilates + Cycle Studio. In December of 2023 we opened our second location and we have plans to open a third by the end of 2025. We are a reformer based Pilates Studio and also offer indoor spin classes. We’ve grown a lot in our first few years in business. We have a staff of over 30 people now and offer both Pilates and spin classes 7 days a week. Everyday I’m glad to be able to provide a safe space for our members to come and enjoy fitness in an environment that is welcoming and encouraging to everyone that walks though our doors. I love what I do and am proud to have made my passion into my career. In essence I worked for almost 10 years to make this dream a reality from the time I took my first class to when I opened CORR. It’s been a journey but is one I feel like has actually just begun.
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
I pride myself in creating a happy and healthy work environment for all of my staff. With 30+ employees, there’s times that it can become overwhelming to keep everyone happy in their positions. My advice would be to be as hands on as possible by being present and available to your staff always. I encourage them to come to me with anything they need at any time. I always have an open door and they know that. I’m constantly communicating the open door policy to them and doing my best to make sure they feel safe in coming to me with anything they need. I also do my best to create and plan retreats/events just for the staff. These are times for us to all get together and spend time together outside of work. Creating a space where everyone feels happy and fulfilled in their work environment is so important to me. Be present and know that your success would be nothing without them.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
Creating genuine connections with people as they walk through our doors. In our industry it’s fairly easy to get people to come in for the first time. Especially because we offer the first class for free. We grow by getting them to come back time and time again. We do this by calling people by name and by making them feel seen every time they step foot in the studio. Creating genuine friendships with our clients and making them feel like they are welcome and accepted from day one is what helps us to stand out against the competition.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://corrpilatesandcycle.com
- Instagram: corrabq / c.corrie03
