We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jenna Zaffino a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jenna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I had built up a Pilates landmark over the period of 10 years in Chicago. It was THE place to go for teacher training and high-level Pilates. We had an amazing team, fantastic clients and though the overhead was steep, we were making it work. The business was stable and it was time for my husband and I to begin to build our family. Shortly after making the choice to “start trying,” I was diagnosed with infertility – specifically Premature Ovarian Failure and Diminished Ovarian Reserve. Our chances of getting pregnant were less than .5 % and we chose to get on the rollercoaster that was fertility treatments.

The process was arduous and revealed a few more health problems that I was unaware of. The experience demolished my self-confidence as everything I thought I knew about myself was suddenly untrue. After 3 years of treatments, we were gifted with the miracle of a pregnancy and ultimately a son. However, amidst all of the joy, was the PTSD from the ordeal, the health issues and a business to run.

A few weeks after returning from maternity leave, I found out that my landlord had gone into foreclosure and the bank was taking over our lease. They hung for rent signs in the windows and the rumors started spreading that we were closing. My stress levels were beyond high and I was barely hanging on.

I started looking for smaller spaces that might be easier to manage rent-wise and miraculously found one on a well-trafficked street in the neighborhood of Roscoe Village. We downsized and moved and I started to heal my nervous system as well as my confidence. But this wasn’t the U Turn.

The downsized studio was successful. Foot traffic continued to bring us new business and I wasn’t on call nearly as much. However, I knew that I was still recovering from infertility treatments as well as a traumatic labor and delivery. Around the second year in my downsized space, I knew it was time to move on and prioritize my health – both for myself and for my family.

I sold the studio and rented a small space across town with no foot traffic and a feeling of calm that would set the foundation for my healing. Eight years later, I am in the same space, running a private health coaching and Pilates mentorship practice from the comfort of my sanctuary, with my dog snoring next to me and the peace that I need to stay healthy and focused.

It was a risk to let a profitable business go, but I knew that my health needed to be a priority. I’ve built a business that contains the same magic of my former studio, with a little less visibility, but a lot more impact, because the owner is supported as part of the ultimate plan.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I began teaching the New York City Ballet Workout at a health club in Chicago as a means to supplement my professional dance career, but quickly became enamored with training culture and the idea that one could create change in their body as well as their life through movement. This was a different element than training for performance and because I had a strong background in kinesiology, I was easily hooked. The gym knew I was a dancer and asked if I knew anything about Pilates. I had done matwork as a conditioning program for dance, but didn’t know much else. They had equipment, I had passion and quickly embarked on a teacher training journey to become comprehensively certified.

I was able to build up a strong Pilates program within the gym and open studios throughout Chicagoland in their multiple locations. However, there came a point where I became interested in focusing on specialty programming: working with specific conditions, injuries and obstacles. The health club was interested more in profits than in process and it was at this point that I started to pursue opening my own studio.

I opened my private practice in 2006, which quickly evolved into a small studio, followed by a larger studio and then eventually a 3000 square foot space where I saw clients, led a team of teachers and administrators, and ran a teacher training program. The empathy, patience, understanding and innovation that we cultivated in this space was unparalleled and during this time, I was referred to as the “Grant Achatz” of Pilates. We hosted private sessions, group classes, and events and workshops for our clientele. We supported people through weddings and divorces, becoming parents and changing careers, and throughout the stages of change that their bodies went through as a result of living a full life.

When I think back on these experiences, I’m most proud of the way that the success of my studio afforded me the option to offer free and discounted services to those in need. I had the pleasure of working with a number of beautiful humans with major movement issues, who simply would have never set foot in a gym for fear of not being met with compassion. I learned so much about the true definition of “service” and believe that these experiences helped shape my business into what it is today.

My services have evolved from Pilates, to movement in all forms, including resistance training, mini-trampoline, step aerobics and meditation. I believe in meeting all needs on the movement spectrum and have curated my education to reflect my client’s needs as well as my personal passions. However, I’ve always known that I would expand my services to include more guidance, and over the past 8 years attained education and certification in business and health coaching to evolve my services into a whole new level of care.

Speaking of which, my private practice today primarily offers coaching and continuing education with accessible options for movement practices on YouTube as well as a number of courses and clinics through my online offerings. I do still see a few private clients, however, the majority of my schedule is filled with Health Coaching and Small Business Coaching clients. I help busy professionals develop personalized health plans that offer them the energy they need through lifestyle and nutrition shifts. I also design burnout recovery plans for business owners who have been taken over by the tidal wave of stress that can be small business life. Because my space was built with my own health support in mind, I’ve been able to set up a beautiful filming space that allows me to stream movement classes for free on YouTube and develop a number of wellness support programs for corporate teams and companies. The paradigm I’ve built today allows me to be present for all of my roles, including: coach/business owner, partner and parent (and dog mom!)

Conversations about M&A are often focused on multibillion dollar transactions – but M&A can be an important part of a small or medium business owner’s journey. We’d love to hear about your experience with selling businesses.

I sold my Pilates studio in 2016. The best advice I would give anyone is to prepare their business to sell on the day they open in (or at least as soon as possible.) Does this mean that you’ll actually sell? Not necessarily. However, if you enter into your business with the ideal that you could, not only will you be more prepared on every front, but you’ll also develop a plan that doesn’t depend on you for EVERY SINGLE DETAIL.

One simple way is to begin to create your operations manual from day one. Even if you’re a solo-act. What does it take to make your business run on a daily/weekly/monthly basis? What are the systems and processes you use? Where do you outsource? What have you created that’s inherent (proprietary) for you.

This way of thinking can begin to help you view your business model in a way that is as valuable to the marketplace. This is really important for your own confidence as a business owner and also helps you recognize how your operations are directly (or not) contributing to your KPI’s (key performance indicators.)

As time goes on, you’ll adjust your systems, processes and even your model to reflect the needs of your customers. By keeping consistent records and manuals of your evolution you’ll have a complete resource from which to build a business portfolio that can be presented to a potential buyer.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

In a world of social media, it can be extremely provocative to try to be cool, controversial, or show empathy. If that’s not truly who you are, customers and colleagues will see through and read inauthenticity sooner or later. I’m a dork. I adore animals, nature, art, music and nerdy movement information. I spend more time with my dog than I do other humans. Putting on makeup is my meditation. I’m a weird cook – not everything is clean or even looking good. I have a really witty sense of humor. I’ve been through some tough stuff like infertility, hysterectomy and early menopause. I value my clients experience above my own. I am an advocate for the underdog. I share about the tough subjects and am really excited about fringe topics in wellness.

I have never shifted from the above. It’s hard to be authentic in a world that wants you to be FABULOUS all the time, but being fabulous all the time is unrelatable. Real life is messy and I guess I am too. My clients come to me because they see that in a world of shifting trends that I’ve stayed JENNA throughout.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jennazaffino.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennazaffino/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennazaffinomoves/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennazaffino/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClQRbajeSGRlj0y2EECl4Kw

Image Credits
Image credit for the picture of the stretch with the white back drop with the ocean is PilatesAnytime.com.