We were lucky to catch up with Morgan Fischer recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Morgan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

Having never owned or operated a business before, embarking on an adventure like this at 28 years old was (and still is) pretty daunting. With no business partner and investing solely from my own funds, I am completely responsible for my successes and my failures. I’ve managed a pole fitness studio in the past which gave me enough experience to feel comfortable with running my own place but the responsibilities that come with owning it are far different than merely managing it. Still, I was confident enough to take on those risks and responsibilities in order to ditch the 9-5 grind and create a work life that I was excited to wake up for in the mornings.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Being the slightly impulsive person that I am, my early 20’s were slightly chaotic and definitely unorganized. I had no path in mind for my future. I was randomly navigating the depths of YouTube one day and came across a girl’s pole dance performance and my 21 year old self with very little self esteem and no hobbies in sight Googled where to buy a pole and swiftly clicked “add to cart”. I put it up in my garage and secretly trained myself by copying other people’s videos that I found online. Once I saw progress, I was absolutely hooked. Pole fitness has now been a huge part of my life for 8 years.

I posted all my progress and accomplishments on Instagram and eventually, a local pole studio invited me to teach at their facility. I balanced teaching pole in the evenings with a regular job for years and ended up managing the same little studio after a while. A natural love for teaching and leading had me in my element.

Fast forward to 2019, COVID hits and forces my job to go remote and pole classes dwindle. This gave me time to think and plan. I was going to open my own studio. I had the funds, the will, and the passion – now to put it to work.

I got busy researching what my local community was missing from it’s few, already-established pole studios and what my potential clients would be interested in. I hired my good friend, a graphic designer, to design a brand that wouldn’t box me into that cliche “sexy/boudoir” type vibe. My brand needed to be versatile and welcome any body type, age, or gender and cater to any style of movement those people might be interested in.

Pole is constantly being labeled as “taboo” and “only for sexy people”. My aim is break that barrier and make pole more accessible and acceptable to whoever wants to experience it.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Social media is a huge part of my marketing strategy, as most of my clientele are younger people who are immersed in social media every day. I made my social media debut with Instagram and Facebook well before I actually opened my physical space. I used it to gear folks up for my big opening day and posted things that spoke to my inspiration, my mission, and my aesthetic. I virtually brought people along on my build out journey which kept people engaged and excited. I posted things with captions like, “Guess what’s coming to West Palm Beach?!” and “Stay tuned for Grand Opening details!”. People were constantly messaging the page asking for more information and when we opened up our class portal, sales were coming in immediately!

I invited my friends and family to share my posts so their friends would also see it and by the time my actual Grand Opening event had come, I had generated enough talk that my little 800 square foot space was packed with almost 100 people. It was a huge success and more than I could’ve ever hoped for!

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

Creating rapport with my clients comes pretty naturally me. I could probably attribute that to my personality and years of working in sales environments. I’ve found that people just really value an honest and friendly face. Both my instructors and I have made a huge effort to be genuine, encouraging, and provide a space and learning environment that’s not intimidating. This industry is unique in the sense that we’re constantly battling a decades long stigma of pole dancing being boxed in with sexual connotations and club life or that pole fitness is for promiscuous, rogue housewives. We have an honest mission to create an experience where the average, every day person can come and explore pole in a way that gives them a greater appreciation for their bodies and their movements through dance and fitness.

Contact Info:

• Website: palmbeachpole.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/palmbeachpole
• Facebook: instagram.com/palmbeachpole

Image Credits
Chase Rossman (CDR Visuals) Caroline Senkowicz