Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kayla Allen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Kayla, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to start by getting your thoughts on what you are seeing as some the biggest trends emerging in your industry
Strength Training! Experts have said this for a long time, and now the trend has really picked up. Lifting heavy weights is good for you!
Strength training has so many benefits! Getting stronger is an obvious bonus, who doesn’t like carrying every single bag of groceries in one trip from the car! And it also helps strengthen bones and helps to prevent osteoporosis.
Adding in heavier weights as a cross training strategy will help you experience results. At Pure Barre, we just rolled out Pure Barre Define and we are really excited for everyone to try it. It focuses on strength training using heavier weights than Pure Barre traditionally uses, and it’s changed my body! I can feel how much stronger I have become!
Now you can crosstrain at Pure Barre with 4 class formats:
1. Pure Barre Classic (full body sculpt and burn)
2. Pure Barre Align (strength, flexibility, and balance)
3. Pure Barre Empower (cardio and HIIT)
4. Pure Barre Define (strength training)
Come take class, First class free! Text us (310)395-3927
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 took my first Pure Barre class at Pure Barre Brentwood in January 2012. I had been a marathon runner and triathlete, and I was looking for something new. I was immediately hooked! I loved the small movements and the music, and I just loved the teachers and community so much!
Within one year of trying my first Pure Barre class I had opened my first studio, and 11 months after that I owned 3 studios! I have since sold one studio, and I currently own 2 in Los Angeles: Pure Barre Brentwood and Pure Barre Santa Monica.
Pure Barre is my passion! I love the workout, I love my clients, and I ADORE my team! It’s truly the best community I have ever been a part of!
Any advice for managing a team?
Oh, that’s a great question! I always say that I am nothing without my team. I focus on hiring a team that is kind, first and foremost. My team means the world to me, and I try to show them that by giving them responsibility, respect, showing kindness, and throwing parties! Morale follows a team that has passion and respect for their job.
I have had good teams and not so good teams, and let me tell you, a bad team with low morale will take your entire business down. I had a situation one time where half my team left at the same time and took half of my clients with them to a new studio. It was truly devastating emotionally and financially. But what I learned from that was invaluable, and I’m grateful now that it happened so that I can learn from it.
Now I focus on morale through hiring kind, strong, confident team members, and ensuring that if someone is upset we deal with it right away. My business is only as strong as my team’s passion for the studio, and this mindset has changed my business!
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Basically everyday! Only sort of kidding!
Business changes constantly, and I have to make decisions and changes constantly, which can be quite uncomfortable. But if I allow myself to get comfortable with that, it makes changing and pivoting much easier. Of course, we got a lot of practice with pivoting during COVID!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.purebarre.com/location/los-angeles-brentwood-ca
- Instagram: purebarrelosangeles
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaylaswitzer/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/pure-barre-santa-monica
- Other: https://www.purebarre.com/location/santa-monica-ca
Image Credits
Emma Blythe