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

Kim, appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

The most significant risk I took was closing my Pilates studio in New York City and moving across the country to San Diego. In New York City, you rely on public transportation, and having a car is like having another apartment rental, so living there for over 20 years, my driving skills were very rusty. I had to learn how to drive again and buy a car. I also wanted a new lifestyle change, so her in San Diego, there is better weather and plenty of surf breaks that you can surf year-round. I didn’t want another Pilates studio, since I knew the consequences of running and owning one. I have been there and done that, so I wanted a flexible schedule to experience life and write more. I am now writing my first novel, which will be completed by the end of 2024.

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?

At the age of sixteen, I was a professional ballet dancer at the New Jersey Ballet Company. This led me to major in dance at SUNY Purchase, where I found Pilates. After many dance injuries, I returned to Pilates, rehabbed my injuries, and became stronger than when I was dancing! After too many injuries, I decided to become a Pilates Instructor, and from there, I opened my Pilates studio called BENT Pilates in NYC, where I ran for 12 years. During my work at BENT, I worked with many MS clients and apprenticed under a PT at the International Multiple Sclerosis Management Practice Center. At my studio, I also worked with clients who had Parkinson’s’ and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and all other types of hypermobility and injuries. After a while, my studio grew, which was good, but I decided to close it because I was managing it more than teaching clients and wanted to leave New York. I packed up my belongings and moved across the country to San Diego. I didn’t want to open another studio, but I wanted to teach independently, which gave me more time to pursue my writing. I still enjoy working with clients with injuries, and what makes me stand out from the other instructors in San Diego is that I teach more classic Pilates, which is not just a workout but body awareness and injury prevention.

We’d appreciate any insights you can share with us about selling a business.

I tried to sell my Pilates studio in New York City, but to be honest, selling a Pilates /fitness studio is a tough one, especially if it’s small. If you built the business on you only, then the percentage of clients that leave is high. I thought I would make some money after I sold my studio, but it was more of a break-even transaction, even when I had seven other instructors working for me. Building a brand is very helpful, and having instructors work for you if they stay is also helpful, but the percentage of them leaving with their clients is also high. My lesson in this situation is to learn more about selling a business before you start one and then set your new business to sell for a profit.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective way to build a clientele is by building solid professional relationships and a solid positive reputation. That is not going to happen on social media, and I am not a fan. Fitness is an in-person industry, and you must cultivate these relationships in person, not social media. It takes longer, but it is so worth the work for your business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kimkpilates.com
• Instagram: words_wine_waves
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimkuznitz/

Image Credits

Photo Hilary Preston