We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kim Wood-Oaks a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Kim thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Crazy stuff happening is almost as certain as death and taxes – it’s technically “unexpected” but something unexpected happening is to be expected and so can you share a crazy story with our readers
A girl, a gun, the father defending her honor, a pilates class and a truck driver mum. My daughter was assaulted in high school. For her safety, we pulled her out of public school to enroll her in an on-line learning academy. She has a very rare neuromuscular condition and severe scoliosis. Both present, physical challenges and limitations. I was taking a pilates class one morning when my instructor mentioned that she taught private pilates to a girl my daughters age who also had scoliosis and was home-schooled. With no social outlet or fitness opportunity; I retained my instructor to work with my daughter privately in the practice of Scolio Pilates. As time passed, we became friends. She invited me to be her “mock” student as she was preparing to teach at a new Lagree Fitness studio that was opening in the neighboring town. I climbed onto the machine called the Megaformer and we did a center core move called “wheelbarrow”. In that very first minute, I was hooked; I knew I would become a Lagree Fitness Trainer and open my own studio. Months later I got certified, four years later and six months before covid hit, I opened Method Lagree. I built my own pirate ship and filled it with a community of humans who stay. I am privileged to do what I love every day. But that is how my story ends: it all really started as day daydreamed laying down millions of miles as a rock and roll truck driver and trucking company co-owner, thanks to a band called HEART and Hootie and the Blowfish.
Kim, 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?
I took a Lagree Fitness class on a machine called a Megaformer, it was love at “wheelbarrow”. The Lagree Method is a fitness discipline that uses slow controlled movement with weighted spring resistance to create muscle exhaustion while building endurance. I have created a community where folks can train and connect thru a unique and highly effective fitness modality. Small group classes (7) create a private experience at a very affordable price per class ($20.00). In 45 minutes the clients entire body will have been targeted.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
Primarily, word of mouth.
Instagram is secondary then google searches for pilates or lagree.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
When I opened in 2019 I had seven trainers and seven problems. My classes were not full, I was barely breaking even and did not pay myself. Six months after I opened COVID hit, lock down was enforced, I qualified for no rescue funds and yet my rent, equipment lease and licensing fees still had to be paid on time. For 6 months with no working capital, I paid those bills with my personal savings. In July 2020 (the soft open, but not for fitness) with clients texting me to please do something….anything, I made a huge curtain to cover my front window and quietly opened to a select group of regulars, 3 classes in the dark of night, 5 days a week. They had to wear masks, class pods were created, temps where taken. For the next year and a half, the chosen few would wait in their cars for a text to “enter” the studio, populating the megaformers from back to front, airplane style. No one ever got covid! Once the “BIG” open hit, I commenced to teach all 35 classes, 7 days a week. Covid showed me that in order to control the quality of the Lagree Fitness Brand I was the one that needed to be the sole trainer. I started paying myself almost three years ago, I have been open for six years. I paid off my licensing agreement in 2 years (one year early). my Megaformer lease option was paid off in five years (two years early). I purchased an additional megaformer 6 months ago, upgraded all of my original six megaformers and added a second entire wall of mirror. I am debt free personally and professionally and I continue to teach all thirty five classes, never have I ever raised my prices. Classes are booked out weeks in advance with a waitlist. The difference between a dream and a goal is a plan. The plan changed and that is how to succeed in small business by never giving up.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.methodlagree.com
- Instagram: @methodlagree
- Facebook: @methodlagree
- Other: Word of mouth is still your best advertising. Work hard, deliver a consistent product.
